Fair points. I am new to Evo's and have been reading everything I can. For what I am looking to do, I think it would be a good platform. Ty for the feedback.

There aren't any good EVO deals, most everything is asking premium. There are some run down ones around

Yes but there's correlation between the two. It's infrequent to find an Evo that has had multiple owners that is in better condition than an Evo of similar age and mileage with just one or two owners.

Plus a car that has been passed along to multiple owners was done so for a reason, and usually not because the previous owner wanted to share the wealth. Yes, sometimes it's because of perfectly legitimate reasons (i.e. financial situations, different wants/needs out of a car), but when it's been through a lot of people, the more owners it's had, there's always a chance that one of them probably didn't care for the car very well. Sometimes Evos get bought and sold because there's something wrong with it and they don't want to deal with the headache anymore.

But these days, it's harder and harder to find exactly what you want. The Evo VIIIs and IXs are only going to get fewer in number since some will inevitably get totaled or stolen. The ones left are only getting older and racking up miles. So unless people are willing to pass up a potentially good Evo just because it's not the exact model in hopes of finding that exact model you want is a gamble, especially if you need/want an Evo sooner rather than later. Some people have had to compromise, as they may not have the luxury to wait a year or so.

Additionally, the various models aren't THAT different, in terms of the behind-the-wheel experience or even the actual performance. I agree that the RS is going to be very different in terms of creature comforts (such as the ones you pointed out why the RS isn't for you), but the differences between the models aren't anything significant that is going to make you regret what you ended up with, considering the shrinking supply.

Yeah, but again, you don't know the history of it. You don't know if those mods (or ones that those mods may have replaced) did any damage, compared to the closer the car being to stock, it's more likely that everything is in better shape than a similar Evo that may have had new cams installed. Plus stuff being stock (or at least relatively untouched) means that no one messed with it. There are plenty of horror stories about shops half-assing jobs. Also, wear and tear typically accelerates as the car gets modded.

yes its worth it

The question really is: Is it worth it, to you?

Imo, a 'deal' would be a car you could buy and flip for a profit. I don't think OP could realistically turn a profit on the car he is asking about.