Hey all,

With my Maxima on its last legs, I have started looking for a new car, and I fell in love with both the Evo and the new Civic Si. Unfortunately I can't afford a new Evo, so I will be looking at either an 03 or an 04 at best. I have seen some 03's for around $23k here with roughly 40k miles, just to give an idea of the market here. I won't be buying a car until about April, so I have some time to possibly find a better deal on an Evo, but I don't imagine the price of the Si dropping that much between now and then, so they will each be about $22k - $23k.

Now, I know that these two cars aren't comparable on power alone, but I was wondering what people thought about them in general. This car will be my daily driver, and although I am not going to do any outrageous mods on it, I would like to soup it up a bit, add some accessories, etc. I am hoping to have this car for atleast 5 years, so reliability is a huge plus too.

So I guess I am just looking for comments on either one, or possibly both, about reliability, performance upgrades, maintenance issues, etc. I know alot more about the Civic than an Evo, which is why I aksed the question here , but any info would be awesome. Thanks in advance!

 

lol 03 for 23k with 40k on it...man i must be lucky cause i got my 04 RS new for 22k. i would take a new Si than a used 40k 03 evo. You know whoever had that car prolly drove it to hell and back...i say go with the Si...its no evo but it is still badass

 

if reliability...go with the civic dude...get a warranty and use it for what you wanted (daily driver)

or shoot for an evo with very low mileage and get an updated warranty if you are afraid of warranty issues, but make sure you get a dealer that is known on this site as being warranty friendly.

 

Ughhh.... Hmmmm, Evo vs Civic, just saying that should answer your question. Do you want a sporty econobox or a unique purpose built race car. Both will last as long as you want to keep them with proper maintenance. The Evo will cost a little more to own, (synthetic oil, advans, brake pads etc...) but it is more than worth it.

 

The Si new is what 23k...idk vs a used 03 evo with 40k miles...i dont care if its a damn M3 40k miles is alot and for the price i would go with the Si...i could see if it was new or low miles.

 

just keep looking around. my friend bought his evo for 23k with 8000 miles. 03. his have modz too. just be patient. evo is what u want.

 

Thanks for all the the quick replies! Yeah, 40k miles is a little high, especially for a car that probably gets beat on a bit. Hopefully if I wait two months or so I will be able to find one in the meantime with much fewer miles...

Does anyone know what kind of performance gains you can get from an Evo for $5k? $10k? These would come much later, but it is nice to know what kind of future there is for it. How about for a Civic? I think I am leaning towards the Civic for now (would be nice to be the first one to beat on a car), but the Evo just sounds too sweet not to consider...

Thanks for all the help so far.

 

If it were me, I would go for new. The Evo will always dominate, so if you got your heart set on it....make SURE you do your research on the car you are buying. You never know what the person before you did to the car or how he/she drove it. If you or a friend is an auto tech, just do a detailed inspection, and an extensive test drive.

 

5-10 grand will get HUGE gains on an evo. The usual mods like intake and exhaust are good, but tend to cause fuel cut....so a reflash is the best bang for your money.

 

[QUOTE=skatuska]
So I guess I am just looking for comments on either one, or possibly both, about reliability, performance upgrades, maintenance issues, etc.....


I have an 04 Evo. Beware of the 0300 misfire code! I have been having a recurrence of this problem, even after the factory reflash offered by Mitsubishi. This affects 03-04 models. I just bought a Creader to fix the problem. I have not had a misfire for a week now.

 

dont mean to hijack im sellin my 03 evo 8 with sunroof and many mods and only 18300 miles for $24k check the link in my sig for more info and pics

 

I would pay 21 for a stock 2003, no more..bottom line is the evo of any year is still and evo, and you can easily restore it to better then new condition. I purchased mine used and didnt have any problem that i didnt cause my self. It would definately be a better second car though.. not a daily driver.

 

see, you got yourself one already...

 

Personally, I wouldn't touch a used EVO under any circumstances. They're expensive enough to run and maintain if you get one brand new. Right or wrong, I assume any performance car has had the crap beat out of it and I've seen way to many people get burned. Buy a used one and you're rolling the dice.

 

I have a little brother with an 06 Civic SI and we both agree that the Evo is the way to go...The civic is nice but the Evo is beyond sick...Just make sure you shop around for one that has low miles and a good price...And honestly being the owner of an 05 evo, there is no way that i would purchase a civic after experiencing my car...