CTR, Golf R, STI, EVO - Can I pick your Brain?
 

Hello Team, I have been an EvoM member since 2007 when I bought my Lancer GTS. I am finally in a place in my life, 38y old me, that I can get into the debt of owning a performance car. I know we all have our opinions on what we like, but I really want the opinion of as many people as possible in this forum just because I value what a lot of you say here. Car needs to be a sedan, as I value being able to sit 4.

So, here are the cars I am thinking of purchasing, only 1 of course, in the order right now of what I would purchase:
1. Civic Type R: Originally the looks were a turn off, but lately, I have grown to like it, Sonic Gray looks soooo sweet and I dislike Gray cars overall. It is first because I have read so many great things about its performance, plus I think it should be a good daily driver. Only downside is I live in Dayton and not sure how this performance car can handle the winter without the proper tires, comes with Summer out of the box.
2. Golf R: I have read a lot of good things as well, probably the best daily of them because of its drivability (comfort). Read that upgrading to Stage 1 is all you need to make it a very fast car. Turn off on this one, I really DO NOT LIKE how it looks and I have read the AWD is not as elaborate as the EVO or the STI.
3. STI: I know the EJ engine stuff and I agree with most of its negativity, but, just like the EVO, this car has always had a place in my heart, so it is very hard just to ignore it. Love the looks and performance is not bad.
4. Used EVO X. The love of my life in this segment. Still look around every day to see what there is in the market. I will not consider one with more than 15K miles, so the availability of such is that much harder. Love the looks, love the performance, the car I wish I had many years ago. Only turn off, it is old, tech wise, when considering the 2019 Type R and Golf R.

Others I would consider, they are currently over my budget though, used Lexus GSF, used Cadillac ATS-V.

Let me know what you guys think, anything, I just want to "pick" as many brains as possible. Recommendations welcomed. I asked my 2 closest friends and they both said the Golf R. (yikes, it is so ugly)

Moderators, not that I have to tell you, but feel free to move if this is not the place to post this stuff and pardon the inconvenience.

Thank you.

All are great choices except the Golf (cheaply built). You can stop by the local car club events of these cars, before you make an informed purchase decision. For enthusiasts, it is important that you like the people in your car's club.

As you will undoubtedly become more successful, pay homage to one of the things that incentivized you to keep your eyes on the important things. Making that Evo fit into your life.

https://autoweek.com/article/diy/pro...e-or-four-cars

Easiest way you can make this decision is by test driving all the cars listed. I would wait to see what the new Sti brings before purchasing the current one. Understand that if you buy the Type R, you're going to have to get new tires/wheels asap as the OEM are not safe to drive in weather below 40F. Also, the aftermarket hasn't really picked up with the car yet and dealers are still charging outrageous mark ups on them. I was able to test drive one and I actually liked the X better but there are some things I like better with the R like the extremely short throws and the tight handling and cargo space. I found the seats were uncomfortable as well. I was underwhelmed with the test drive and I know someone who just recently posted they were underwhelmed too after buying and driving it for a few days. The X would be a better choice living in a area that experiences all seasons. It really depends on what you want out the car too. If you want new tech, lightweight, are doing just bolt ons and don't mind the traction issues that come with a FWD car I would choose the R @ MSRP only. If you plan on doing more than bolts and want AWD, I would go with the X.

@Lightsaber Wonderful suggestion about visiting local car clubs and events. I will definitely start looking into these! Thank you!

Appreciate everyones inputs. I agree with Test Driving all of them before making the purchase. Currently, supply is not on hand from any local dealer, making test drives a pain to organize. I do not plan on paying anyone ADM, I currently drive a 2016 Accord Sport, so hopefully that gives me good graces with the dealer (hopefully), if I end up on a CTR.

I will not give up on finding a Evo X. Purchase is still a couple of months out, so I have some time.

Just in case anyone else wants to chime in, I will NOT not track or race in any event. Bolt-ons and a nice tune is all I would consider. Washing and Waxing cars is something I really enjoy doing, not sure why, it is like mowing the lawn, it just feels soooooo goooood, and the end results are always so pleasing to see. So the car would be a family member to me. : P (I enjoy spirited driving right, so does the wife, so that is why we want something powerful and sweet. If it were up to her we would buy a GTR)

Civic Type R , no hay break

From what I have learned about performance cars.

1. Under no circumstances will I ever want a front wheel drive performance car. Terrible memories of the past owning Sentra, SRT-4 etc.. search for traction and wheel hop problems etc... There were things that can be done to gain more traction and reduce wheel hop but the negatives side effects of those mods just brought about new unwanted side effects . My first preference is AWD and if that is not possible then rear wheel drive.

2. I’m not sure why you have your mind set on “15K miles” . Mileage is not as important as how well it was kept. You can have a 15K mile car thats pretty much equivalent to a 200K mile car or you can have a 100K mile that is equivalent to a 15k mile car. Its all about the previous owner, how well they kept the car and the tasteful mods they may have done . Keeping a car stock doesnt necessarily add value to me unless comparing to half ass modded car.

3. Must never be driven in Snow/Salt ! Road salt accelerates and promotes rusting. I hate rust and I know eventually cars will rust, but road salt will just destroy your car to levels that are not acceptable for me.

Having said all that, I disagree with you about the Golf R. I believe it looks the best out of the list you provided. I’m not a fan of how the Evo X looks. Sometimes in pics they look good lowered slightly and the front end has brown on me a little over the years. But the rear bumper and tail lights I just never got used to. In order of looks from the “in budget” list you gave : Golf R, STI, Evo X and Civic Type R .

As for Tech options, I dont care about what new AWD , traction or motor technology came out as of now. I see those as just additional things that will one day break. Example , my previous Evo was the IX. My ACD pump went out around 38K miles. It was my daily driver and road salt accelerated the process. But even those that live in non snow states their pumps will one day go out as well.I just dont see the enough benefit of the ACD to want it enough to relocate it away from direct contact to road elements/rain. This is why I prefer the Evo 8 2003-2004 or one that has been converted to an 8 transfercase.

Now as raw as an Evo is, I still would like to have a better interior. So interior tech options I would like to have. So its up to you to decide which car offers the best for your preference.

I know it is over two years old and doesn't include the civic type R, but it is an interesting review and since you mentioned GTR. The reviewers at Everyday Driver consider Evo X a four door GTR.

I bought an R for daily due to new job thinking I will be consistently having to move things and vip people around. It looked the most professional out of them all.

First of all, thank God I didn't sell my Evo 9.

The R is very capable car in stock form. Had no trouble with the recent snow here in Maryland with all seasons tires. I have the DSG, my first auto, and to be honest I actually don't mind it at all. It's funny beating all these better performance cars light to light. The cargo space is godsend. The interior fit and finish is way beyond Evo/sti. For a more down to earth/daily driver it accomplishes that in spades.

The bad: it's very tame. By the end of the week I'm dying to get back to the evo. I dont want to mod the R since it still has warranty and don't want the chance to get flagged.

​​​​​​Now I'm torn in keeping the R and sell the Evo 9 to get a gt350 or m2 or the new Supra. Or wait for the new Tesla roadster and trade in the R...

So many choices I wish I had the money to buy everything!

@FwdtoAWD Sir, saw that episode about 2 weeks ago, that is a show I originally was not to fond off but I really grew to like it. It was so sweet to hear how that one guy talked about the sophistication in the Evo's drive train, it was impressive.

@BluEVOIX Thank you. I understand the mileage point and I agree I should expand a bit more. However I haver never bought a used car always new and I have always sold them for some profit because I was able to present all maintenance docs and they were very well kept. I understand new and the whole depreciation thing but new gives me great peace of mind. It is like telling an OCD person not to wash his hands everytime he touches a door knob, something like that. To me the EVO is a performance car and I would think most people treat it as such but I doubt most see it as a gift rather than a toy.

On the tech side of things, I mostly refer to things like a back-up camera, Apple Car Play, Side Impact monitoring, things like that, more of the safety/comfort of things. The tech side of things is not a deal breaker though. I do not mind not having them for the perfect Evo.

Out of all those and since you said you will not race or track any of them, the Golf R will be by far the nicest all-around daily driver and still 4-seasons capable.

Yes, the Haldex system isn't as good as the Evo, but for daily, even spirited daily driving it will be just fine and would barely even notice the difference.

I own a Golf Alltrack 4-motion which has the same drivetrain as the Golf R but a 1.8T engine and it's super fun for a wagon and 1,000x nicer to drive every day compared to my Evo 10.