blinkme323

Hey everyone, I currently have a 370z and am very happy with it. However, I recently got married and may need a car that's a bit bigger down the line, which has me looking at the EVO. I can get a pretty good deal on one right now and the car definitely has me intrigued, I just have a few concerns though:

1) With the car now going into it's 4th model year, I'm concerned that there may be an upgrade or facelift forthcoming. Is anything in the works?

2) Will I be losing anything performance wise in the change? They seem to be pretty evenly matched.

3) I've heard some horror stories about the paint on the EVO, how bad is it really?

Thanks for the help everyone.

iamblue03

Gratz I got married recently as well. I actually have experiences driving a 350z and own an evo x. Can you describe what kind of spaces you are looking for? I think my evox's space is pretty tiny, especially the trunk space that my wife complains the most. On the other hands, there are a few owners here got couple baby seats fit in the car

About the paint. my evo is an 08, and the paint chip is pretty bad.. well.. a little worse than that.

chaotichoax

iTrader: (149)

As far as space is concerned, the trunk is relatively small. The backseat is fully usable. An adult could sit back there with no real issue. Safety features are well addressed and I can only assume the insurance would be cheaper than your 370z.

The paint is very thin and a clear bra on the front bumper, mirrors, front of hood, and lower rear door area would be recommended if you are concerned.

IMO, you are gaining a lot on the fact that the car is more capable year round (weather). I've never driven a 370z so I can't comment on the performance differences.

Evo's are easy to mod and there are quite a few legit tuners in the Northeast.

mlomker

iTrader: (1)

There's talk of a hybrid model for the next generation but I find it hard to believe that'll be anytime soon. After all, the 4B11T is still fairly new and they'll want to sell a lot of them to get their money out of the design effort.

Definitely get the Evo tuned, it is quite a transformation. You can leave it otherwise stock if you wish.

The paint is awful. Clear bra any paint that you want to keep. Maybe plasti-dip the whole car? lol.

blinkme323

I'm more or less just looking for a back seat, just not much space in the Z, as you know.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

1. Nothing definite, I wouldn't worry about it at this point.
2. If anything you'll be gaining performance.
3. About the same as every other Japanese paint. I'd rate it equivalent to the paint on my Evo IX and my wife's WRX while being better than the paint on my S2000.

tripperfx3

iTrader: (6)

Even the VIII's and IX's have a very usable back seat. The WRX I'm currently stuck in for a few more months has a realy smal back seat, but a much more usable trunk, but trunk space was never an issues for me on the Evo.

The paints always been bad. Good maintence or a clear bra is recommended, but I'm a detailer, so I probably had so much wax on it it was just as good as a clear bra .

UM_DC5

Have you talked to your insurance agent about insurance for the X? I am deciding between the Z and the X but the X is just seems more practical, AWD for winter, back seat etc. From my research, X's insurance is supposed to be much higher than the Z though.

Robevo RS

iTrader: (16)

hm about the paint... i have a 2010 tundra rock warrior and i have ridiculous amount of paint chip on the truck.... Fact i have a lot more them my evo VIII had when i sold it, and that had more mileage....

You need tune the X and you will be fine power wise, after that everything is about your valet. But the EVo makes easy hp with relatively low cost. DOnt forget cheap is not reliable.
About the face lift. Not like the Z's or other lower budget sport cars, the EVo's are always ageless. Even the EVo 3 are looking good

Rob

ice1874193

not sure who you guys have for insurance but i went from a '03 v6 mustang convertible to an x and i went from 83/month to 89/month w/ comprehensive deductible at 100 and collision at 500 in NY (Which I believe is one of the highest for car ins)

ice1874193

looks like ny is number 2 after nj...

"New Jersey was the priciest auto insurance state in the country, with motorists shelling out an average $1,182.54. New York kept pace with an average of $1,161.27, followed by the District of Columbia at $1,156.23. "

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/...nce/p63954.asp

sxng9

1) With the car now going into it's 4th model year, I'm concerned that there may be an upgrade or facelift forthcoming. Is anything in the works?
I doubt Mitsubishi will share any specs anytime soon for a 5th/6th model year. I personally think the appearance will remain the same for the 5th model year and if anything does change, it wouldn't look very much different as it does now.

2) Will I be losing anything performance wise in the change? They seem to be pretty evenly matched.
I think both cars are comparable, even though the 370z has a bit more HP (comparing both cars on stock levels). A few bolt-on's for the Evo, will make it faster. At this age, where you are either married or thinking about getting married (and having children), owning a sedan is much better than a coupe. With an Evo, you also have an AWD car. If you have children, they can now ride in the back seat in the Evo. Trunk space in the Evo is very small though. Don't expect to carry more than 1 suitcase (if you plan on traveling).

3) I've heard some horror stories about the paint on the EVO, how bad is it really?
In my opinion, the paint factor on the Evo's seems true. My Evo is black, which makes taking care of the paint harder and I didn't choose a black Evo by choice. I preferred any other color, but the dealership was going to charge me an extra $3000 to have one shipped from the coast (of a different color) and the only non-automatic Evo they had on the floor was a black one. I bought my brand new PB Evo X last month and so far it has:

- 1 rock chip on the hood
- 1 rock chip behind the driver's side side skirt (where the back of the side skirt faces the back wheel)
- 1 accidental paint scratch on the driver's side door (due to parking too close to the fence, when visiting my parent's at their house)
- 1 accidental paint scratch on the hood (when the screwdriver I was holding on my hand accidentally touched the edge of the hood, while using the same hand to hold the hood up)

Since then, all paint scratches have been painted using touch up paint. Also keep in mind that the body of the car feels very flimsy and seems like it can be easily dented.

stokEd

iTrader: (3)

I want to do my interior in platidip spray. Couldn't look any worse... lol.

or...

Rhinoline the outside, plastidip the interior. Props to whomever does it first.

flipflop

iTrader: (2)

1) With the car now going into it's 4th model year, I'm concerned that there may be an upgrade or facelift forthcoming. Is anything in the works?
IDK

2) Will I be losing anything performance wise in the change? They seem to be pretty evenly matched.
I owned a 2006 350z (traded it in for an EVO X) and test drove a 370z Nismo (while I was servicing my 350z before the trade). The performance of the 370z Nismo was great. Good power and torque through all of the RPM, nimble, a great roadster! The evo on the other hand is a completely different animal. You're pretty much comparing apples and oranges. For me, I went to the EVO because of the same reason as you. I got married and we are now having a kid. I do not miss the Z at all. 1 acronym, AWD! You can drive this car like the Z and, in my opinion, its more capable than the Z! The Evo is an All weather beast of a machine. The only thing that I miss about my Z is.. uhhmmm, nothing! lol

3) I've heard some horror stories about the paint on the EVO, how bad is it really?
Paint is really bad on the EVO.. But I also had some paint chips on my Z till i got it clear bra'ed.. I dont think you can get away with a flawless car in the real world unless your not driving the car! Clear bra is definitely recommended

Hope this helps! No matter what everyone writes about the comparison, Ultimately, its your decision. The only regret that I have is not getting an EVO to begin with.. I woulda saved so much money! Cheers

skimskim3074

Rhinoline the outside, plastidip the interior???