Originally Posted by RuskiEvo

In the end it would come down to your decision OP. I myself, my brother, and 1 other friend all have evo's, and i know a few people who have sti's. Me and my bro daily drive our evos, and they never let us down. They are not AS comfortable as the STI, but you will look past it since It beats sti in every other aspect. Ill do a little evo vs. sti battle right here Reliability: Evo and STI are both reliable if you take care of them, like i said my evo never let me down. (My friend spun a bearing on his STI once), cost him a lot to fix. But evos require that tune. Lets call it a draw. Evo: 1 STI: 1 Comfort: STI is more comfortable on highways, etc. It just wins hands down. Evo: 1 STI: 2 Interior: Again, sti is better looking inside than evo, but electronics are not as great (speakers, radio, etc) Evo IX MR seats are super sexy and comfy though. Its a draw when you compare all of that. Evo:2 Sti: 3 (with some carbon fiber wrap, maybe some imagination, you can make the evo interior nicer looking) Speed/Acceleration/Power: Evo wins hands down, dont even have to explain anything here. Evo:3 STI: 3 Exterior: Both are very nice looking cars, they can both have a very mean look to them. I sometimes see very sexy STI's, and evos. Lets say draw. Evo: 4 STI: 4 Handling: STI does have the better turning radius, though Evo has the better traction, control, and feel. Plus who needs a small turning radius? (unless you tend to get lost, or lose races) Evo takes it: Evo: 5 STI: 4 Cargo Space/Room: Evo wins. It has more leg room, more head room, and bigger trunk. Evo: 6 STI: 4 I would keep going, but you get the point. Plus remember that evo's are a lot more rare, I see like 20 sti's every week, compared to 1-2 evos a week in seattle. Which is a big plus for the evo owners. I would never trade my evo for an sti, just saying.

Originally Posted by 318bryan

I own an 04 sti and an ix mr, and I recommend an STi if you dont plan on building it and its a DD, but evo all day if you want to make lots of power. I just have more fun in the subie for some reason. (sti:375whp, evo:687whp) and the subie still has my vote

Originally Posted by rory_j13

Nice competition. I am used to my ralliarts turning radius so no biggy. Very good competition. I especially enjoy the come from Behind win for the evo.

Originally Posted by ckevo8rs

I was in the exact same situation as you. I was pretty set on getting an sti while I was over there. My buddy ended up getting an X and I though well I will look into evo (8/9) and compare. My plans were to mod. Just comparing what the evo stock block can handle vs the sti and price on building it once the time came to it, it was clear that the evo for me was a better option.

Originally Posted by projektevo9

Hello Rory, in my personal experience I would have to say evo hands down. I have a 2005 STI and a 2006 Evo IX SSL currently. I didn't really read through the others comments but im sure they covered everything. The Subies are much more expensive to mod. Mine is mostly stock I just bought a bov and cobb accessport along with having some routine maintenance done and cost me roughly $2300. You could do a considerable amount to an evo for that amount. The nice things about subies imo its much easier to pull the motor due to the boxer type engine platform, they undoubtedly sound nasty with a full exhaust but those are really the only pluses imo. The evo handles better, cheaper $ to hp ratio, great for your purpose of DD I wouldn't worry to much about the weaker 6spd if you're not banging gears racing. All in all from experience driving both cars I would have to say evo is the way to go and more bang for your buck hope this helps you. Ryan

Originally Posted by rory_j13

Using it for fun and transportation lol. But seriously, I plan on 1) doing some serious preventative maintenance (after I find a car I feel safe buying. I don't want something all beat). If I get a six speed that means a cooler setup and a custom temp sensor. 2) oil catch can for engine/turbo longevity 3) anything that makes the turbo spool. Beyond that I am entertaining meth injection but if I make 350awhp/awtq I am happy. That is until my butt gets used to it lol. I want this car to be years of fun and will keep my ralliart and wife's civic so it won't be a true daily driver but I will be using it more than just weekends. Sound like decent logic to my madness?

Originally Posted by SQ2Evo

I bought my IX MR close to stock, put on a full exhaust, intake, tune, and intercooler and I'm Making 350WHP on a dynojet. As it sits at WOT (high RPM) my injectors are nearly STATIC so fuel system upgrade comes next. Point is you can make this power for <$1200. It's going to be a depressing day when I have to sell this car, the thing is great in every aspect (except MPG but oh well)

Originally Posted by rory_j13

Is the fuel issue just due to needing an upgraded fuel pump ie wahlborough (however it's spelt) or is it injectors too? Did the upgraded inter cooler actually make noticeable gains? From my research that seems to be one of my lower priorities as the stock one performs well (second hand knowledge through reading though). For that amount of cost I would kill for that amount of gains right now. Truly remarkable. Those few mods would be my first route with the addition of licp and fuel pump and probably minus the new inter cooler . I didn't reference the licp in the statement you quoted but it was my initial thought when I wrote it. Fun=boost or vice versa and anything I can do to get that turbo to spool sooner is right up my alley. Also I live in the northern half of the state meaning no emissions so a test pipe is definitely the route I am thinking.