I just want to know how many of us actually use 100% of the capabilities of the current 03 or 04 evos. I am willing to bet very few have extracted 100% of the car on public streets (99% of most peoples driving). I agree with batty; if you track your car you will notice the difference in gearing and weight etc... I used to drag for Alamo Autosports and autocross and I have yet to be able to fully exceed the capabilities of the car on a daily basis (traffic plays a large part of this, so if you live with no traffic, maybe you can get 100% performance, but this cars limits are extremely high as is). So to answer your question, your current evo is one hell of a ride and should do fine until you NEED a new car or just want to lose 4-6000 dollars every year a new model comes out. Just my 2 cents guys, l8r.
Stay safe,
Punisher

 

as soon as the mr is a year old they will improve upon it as well and you will be in the same position...

 

i would agree with everyone saying it's probably not worth the $$ to upgrade to an MR. but i do NOT agree that the improvements to the MR will necessarily be minor and easily duplicated with aftermarket upgrades.

when i had my ITR, i watched people with GSR's spend sooooo much money on aftermarket LSD's, suspension, sway bars, etc, trying unsuccessfully to match the balanced performance of the ITR. sometimes the factory gets it right. the MR has been very well received in other countries so i'm hopeful...

 

Although you definitely have a point with factory vs aftermarket, I think with Evo it might be a little less drastical than ITR vs GSR. Unless really drops the price for MR (which I doubt considering that regular Evos prices went up) you can really do lots of good to your 03 with aftermarket parts which can surpass the MR for the price differnece. Plus, ultimately you could always use some of the MR parts on the 03 as well.
If you decide to get good aftermarket wheels you can drop 2kg more *per wheel* than the MR drops with the BBS. That's a significant difference. Also some money can be spent in power mods and at that point it's a very close match.
Where MR will really shine is bilsteins + front lsd (with acd combo).
But if you mod your 03 enough with power mods (which the price difference still allows) you can easily make up for that.
Also Quaife is suppose to make a front lsd for the 03 which if it really comes out will most likely be better than the OEM MR one and fairly inexpensive (~$1100).
So for $4-5k you get a monster 03.
(say rims are $2k+$2k power mods + $1k front lsd).
If you sell your stock parts, it gets even better.

 

I bought my 2003 Evo in 2004, knowing fully that the MR was coming in 2005. TO each his own.

 

Where are the 7 who voted for the MR. I guess I will speak for them.

Yes the evo with a few mods can surpass the MR but sometimes it is not about performance. Its about prestige. To be one of the handful of people that would be driving the MR. Plus if both cars were equally modded the MR would always fear better because of the roof.

Do you think a guy in a Ferarri who gets smoked by a econobox would care about it? I think not. Because at the end of the day he is driving a Ferarri. I know that this is a big deal for everyone here because they bought the Evo before knowing the MR was coming here and are now trying to justify your purchase. Fine. But the MR is still a better car and will always be. No matter how much Mitsu improve the Evo, the MR would be 2 or 3 or how much ever steps ahead of it. Ultimately do what you think and feel like doing. But don't forget that when you see that Mica purplish grey rolling by with that small but very significant MR badge on it take a picture of the look on your face as you drool and put it right over your bed so that you can see it first thing in the morning and last thing at night and then say to yourself "what a numb-nuts I was" You've been warned

 

I think that alot of people have valid points ,for me if my evolution was in perfect shape i would not be trading it in for an MR, but due to the fact that when my HKS cams were installed the mechanic F--ked up my car . I'm in a different position than you. The cam angle sensor was broken, the car had an oil leak after install, and my car was taken apart 4 times before they finally figured out what was wrong. I made them put my car back to stock because i was so frustrated with the work that they did and since then it has never run the same. So in my case I'm taking all of my Buschur parts off of my evo and transfering it to the MR. I know that i will be loosing alot of $$$ but i will have piece of mind and this time i'm doing the install myself . But like alot of people say keep your car unless you have $$$$$$ to throw away or get rid of it in a case like mine. Either way you cant go wrong both cars are amazing . and with $$$ you save you can have a very fast and reliable Evo. Just my thoughts and good luck in whatever you decide.


Derek

 

As soon as you trade in that Evo for the MR and take a beating, soon after they will release and Evo 9 and the cycle starts all over again!!!

 

Well, its easier for you to say since you don't yet own an EVO. But if we all have not owned a EVO yet, many would probably choose the MR. But since we have just purchased a 30k car and not rich, many feel that they cannot justify losing thousand of $$ to trade in. I am sure that many if given the option to choose initially, they would choose the MR. The question asked here is would you trade your EVO for the MR, not would you buy the EVO or the MR. So unless one have the money, it is just not a feasible decision to trade in the EVO and lose $$ for the MR. Anyways just my opinion.

 

My 2003 does the trick for me, if you trade up now for an mr without ayc, will you trade your 2005 mr for a 2006 mr with ayc if they bring it over then and lose another 4-6 grand every year? I don't see myself trading up to a mr within months or even 1 year of purchasing my evo even though my finances allow me to. Why not drive the hell out of the great car you have, then when you have gotten all you can out of your 2003/2004, trade up for whatever is out then. We all do as we wish, but your car will almost always be obsolete in 1-2 years. Again, if you have an SCCA license or track the car the majority of the time, I think it makes sense. I am willing to bet 90-95% of evo owners spend almost all their time on public roads where these features won't benefit most drivers. If you are getting the mr for a "status symbol" then you are getting the wrong car. My wife wanted me to get a BMW, but instead I chose the evo because it is what I was looking for in a car, very few of my friends are like damn an evo, nice car (but they would have with a BMW) I don't care I got the car to please me and no one else . My point is somene else will argue bigger turbo, aluminum roof.... is better, but what can you live with is the real question. To each his/her own.....
Stay safe,
Punisher

 

300lbs and the front lsd. thats all I want I could care less about prestige I will beat the **** out of it just like I do my evo. I paid cash for my evo so im not going to take a huge loss on it so im considering trading up.

 

*sigh* this debate.

I preferably would love to own a MR. Due to my school, gas, and bills it wont allow me so. I think majority of us would love to have a MR but our budget and how much money we will lose out of it wont let us.

 

If it's at all possible, I want to trade my EVO in for an MR. I do track my car occasionally, and the active diffs seem to do a lot better than the open front diff. I really notice the undertseer on full acceleration coming out of a corner, and if I had an active diff to pull me out, it would be much more enjoyable. Not to mention 300lb of weight off the top of the car which would totally change the dynamics of turning, plus a bigger turbo, etc. I agree you can make a normal VIII more powerful easily, but as far as whole package, it would take a _lot_ of work to get it to the level of the MR.

 

vote says all.

 

Wow, I'm glad somebody opened this debate. I was seriously considering jumping on the MR when it came out if I could get a good price. Now that everybody has pointed out the difference in not only the cost, but the loss in trading vrs. how much moding you can do for that amount of money... I'm all for keeping the '03.

I just hope somebody makes a true front LSD for the '03's before the MR comes out or I'll have a hard time holding to this! I do think everyone is correct when they recommend holding out for a couple years and see what's available then.

However, when the 1st DSM's came out I was looking at spending $16k on the Eclipse GS Turbo. In '99 when I finally got one it was closer to $25k. That's a pretty significant increase in price and not a very significant increase in performance, comfort, or convenience. Wait a few years and see what happens, but don't wait too long or these things will be priced out of most peoples reach.