EVO MR

iTrader: (8)

hey, ive never posted anything here before and im actually using my friends log on who has a sweet 05 evo mr. i just had a few questions about the 05 ra that i was wondering if i could get some help with. ok im 22 married with a kid on the way so im looking to find out some info about realistic things having to do with this car. we can get an 05 black ra with 8000 miles for 9k. so we are really considering this option, now i have read a ton of reports and looked online about stuff but there are still a few questions i have that i was hoping i could get some help with.. how is it in the snow? is there any change in insurance? i was told no by my friend with an evo but just checking. i've read the safety reports and it gives a low rating to the side impact of the car especially in the front. if anyone has been in an accident please tell me how it did. also is it roomy enough for a car seat in the back and just overal is it too sporty for a fun family sedan? that is some of the questions i have for now and if anyone has anything else to add pro's or cons please let me know. i realize this is a ralliart forum but i would love if you gave me honest and unbiased pros and cons... thanks a ton!!

ddcha

iTrader: (4)

Definitely enough room in the back for the childseat. I think it has one of the best rear legrooms in its class.

Not sure about side impact, but does the one you're looking at have side airbags?

That sounds awfully cheap for an 05. Has it been in an accident?

Haven't driven it in the snow yet, but in a lot of rain. Overall was very stable, but I have aftermarket rims and tires. Generally, your tires are going to matter most. A front wheel drive car of this car's proportions and weight is generally very good in the snow.

Hope that helps some.

shiroboi

iTrader: (20)

I had to get rid of my del sol when I got married. The ralliart is like the perfect balance. I've hauled the neighbors kid many times. The back seat has tons of room. The overall performance/drive comfort/room is nicely balanced right in the middle. Reliability is good on it. The only down side is that it wasn't built around safety. I can't give you accident information. Its got airbags and full seatbelts in the back with shoulder harnesses. Thats about it. I'll say this much. If my wife were to have a baby, I'd never think for a second that I'd need to sell my car. Its no problem to have 5 people in there comfortably. For 9K, you've got yourself a hell of a steal. I'd jump on it. Test drive it first of course.

Joe Spingler

I've had mine since Feb. 1, and only got to drive in several inches of slushy snow. I think it drove horribly, but I'm sure that it was because of the Goodyears, and not necessarily the car itself. It just wandered too much and didn't want to stay in line. My previous car was a VW Passat for reference. I wouldn't think of having another car though. The Ralliart really is an enjoyable drive for little money.

EvosLilBro

yeah I'm gettin some winter tires on steelies for winter here in Buffalo. I don't mind having to do that, this car is a great value and ride!

Jasidus

It is alright in the snow, but i did get stuck about 6 times (record amount of snowfall last year here). But im sure you wont get that much snow and other then that it was really good.

Joe Cool

I have a two year old. There is pleaty of space in the back for a car seat and a pasanger or two. The center armrest is great cause he can put his own sippy drink in the cup holder or you can put a snack in it.

The side safety goes way up if you have the side air bags.

I have a Ralliart Sportback and it has a lot of space which is one of the reasons I got it. We we test drove it we put the baby seat in and had his stroller and diaper bag to get a real idea of how much space we would have.

It's not the best on gas but it's hella fun to drive. RA is a lot of fun to drive out of the box.

Mistu. my not be the best quality in the world but I've had no real problems with it.

If you do you work you should be able to get a great deal on a new or used one. Unlike Evos there is no way you should pay close to sticker on a new one and most dealers have last years model still.

-Joe

otter

iTrader: (14)

Looks like all the questions have been answered well except for the snow one. The stock tires aren't good for snow. However, I put on a set of proper snow (Blizzak LM-22) tires on 16" steelies and I had no trouble going through 12" snow. I actually left a dent in the snow the exact width of my car as I was going down the road, it was kinda cool.

I've found that gas milage isn't that bad. Check my sig for my highest average (per tank) MPG. I do a lot of highway driving. If I really stayed diciplined and out of MIVEC, I could probably hit 32mpg.

As for safety, nobody has posted here saying they were killed in an accident, so it must be safe.

Myszkewicz

iTrader: (2)

@ otter.

I've driven my RA in 8" of snow on the crappy stock tires, and didn't have too much difficulty. I never got stuck, at least. The ABS took me a while to get used to (this is my first vehicle with it), but at least we don't have any stupid traction control that chokes down the power at the first sign of wheelspin.

This winter, I'm also going the snow-tires-and-steelies route, so I should have no problems whatsoever.

Reliability? I'm rapidly approaching 50k on my car, and aside from having the rear control arms replaced under warranty, I've only done routine maintenance on it.

Plenty of room for kids, and the seat fabric seems to repel stains pretty well. Dog hair is kind of a pain to remove, though. I still have German Shepherd hair in my car from a road trip in March.

Best mileage I've got so far is around 31.5 mpg. Most fun I've had came in around 24 mpg. I usually end up around 27-28.

For $9k, there's either something very wrong with that car, or it's a screamin deal, and I'd jump on it in a minute.

blackhawkRA

You either stumbled into a terribly good deal, or something's kinda fishy about it. Is the one you can get an auto or manual? I think all of your questions have been answered, and I've never driven anything in snow, letalone my RA. It's a very good all-around car - as far as safety, if it's a real big concern you might wanna research and compare it with all sorts of other vehicles in its class - safety isn't a big feature at all. The best compromise between performance/fun and price/practicality/space in its class IMHO. Let us know what you decide!

EVO MR

iTrader: (8)

hey thanks everyone who respoded to the thread... still not quite sure what we are going to do but this has helped us some... thanks again... oh yeah and does anyone have any kind of insurance quotes they could throw out there at all? also is there any recalls that are known about the 05 ra? yeah the reason it is so cheap is because it will be under a restored title but it's from a reliable place that my wife's family has bought cars from for years and so we aren't too worried about the work.... so if you have any other comments please let me know! thanks

bruce988jl

iTrader: (56)

I find that the back end is very light, hence the reason why i had some problems in the snow, but i was also driving on the stock goodyears that were at about 30% tread left on them, so that might also cause some rear end sliding... But i mean, if you take it slow and you're not a speed crazy 18 year old like i am (note the sarcasm), the RA is perfect, especially if you have snow tires. The one thing i love about the RA is that it has the 60/40 back seat which is great when i'm carrying passengers and need some extended trunk space because one of the seats folds down and only knocks out 1 space for a possible passenger while still leaving two in back. I've been in cars before where the whole back seat went down or half of it went down and it was tough to fit 2 people in the space of 1 1/2 average body sized space.

As far as insurance, i live in Mass. so insurance is killer since i've been in a previous accident, but it should be too bad for someone with a clean record.

As far a recalls for the car; I don't recall (hahah recall.. get it.. yea i'll shutup) any factory recalls of any sort. Just for your reference though, if you have people in the car that like to sprawl out in the passenger front seat and one day your car dies and won't start up and it sounds like there isn't any gas going to the engine. Have Mitsu or your service shop check the wiring setup behind the front part of the center console... it was knocked loose once by one of my friends when i went to get gas and being me i didn't have a clue, but my dealer said it's just a problem with placement and happens once in a blue moon, but i figured i'd give you and everyone else here a heads up.

Well as far as reviews go, i can write more but i don't want to put you to sleep. Good luck with the sale, if you have any questions PM me or just post up and i'll be happy to have a person/person conversation with you via AIM of something about the ralliart. I'm not the best with engine specs and everything but i know the basics...

EvoJutsu

First of all the car is awesome. I can't explain anymore b/c everyone on top ^^^ , gave the beautiful details of the ralliart.

Second, 9k for a ralliart wit 8k miles. Two reasons. One its an absolute steal ( highly doubt this<<<) OR the car is damaged, engine must have been abused or something)

bruce988jl

iTrader: (56)

Yea that was my main thought, there must be something wrong. I've been in multiple accidents and had the car repaired and have over 15k miles and can resell the car for more than 9G's... either someone's in a giving mood or something suspicious. Unless it's family or a close friend... I'd look into it if i were you

ddcha

iTrader: (4)

Insurance is obviously impacted mostly by your driving record, age, and where you register the car. Aside from that, insurance treats this as an economy-class car and I think insurance quotes are very similar between the ES and RA models despite their big performance differential.