mickey blue

So my lease is coming to an end very shortly on my car now. My goal is to have $20,000 saved for down payment in the next few months. Almost there. Now for my ideas of cars i want, evos been my number one choice since day 1. Im also looking at a new s4, and a raptor. Ive looked at the sti's but not feeling them.

If i were to get the evo, itd be ww, and here in Canada we have that handling package. So id get that and navi. Now im aware gas isnt great on the evo, but is it THAT bad? I drive 10 min to work everyday. I work for a sheet metal manufacture in the office. My company pays for insurance and gas right now,i just look after car payments. So my boss told me hed prefer a truck just so its easier to claim as a work truck. But in the end its my choice.

So lmk what u think guys.

tkromer

iTrader: (6)

Well I JUST bought, so I can give you my research.

I needed a daily driver that could survive snow, so alas that limits me to FWD and AWD. I believe being in Canada, your situation is similar.
My absolute max (self-imposed) budget was 45k, but the goal was 35k or less... so price was a minor factor. 4 doors was also a near requirement, even though I'm married without children.

Here are the cars I drove:
Saab 9-3x -- meh.
Saab 9-5x -- also meh. Really nothing wrong with either car, but nothing that drew me in.

Volkswagen CC (it's an A4 in disguise) -- nice, but performance was lacking. Really enjoyed
the ride though, very comfortable and somewhat luxury feeling.

A4 -- I actually prefer the looks of the CC, but the A4 rode equally well

Mini Cooper CountryMan All4 -- LOVED this car. It's not fast -- but it's quick and nimble, almost Miata-like. You can shave a little and go FWD on this one, but I test drove the AWD version. I nearly bought this one, plenty of mods and customization to be had, and you could certainly go bigger turbo and get 300HP or something decent but not huge out of this one.

Infiniti G37x -- also loved this car, but it felt "big" when driving it. Now the handling was there, and it performed as I would want it to, but I could still tell it was a big car. Performance was great, and being a 370Z engine, the mods are plentiful. Very luxury inside, from the radar and backup camera to the steering wheel that moves out of your way when you open the door. The seats are very comfortable but when pushing this car I wished for bolsters. Price was surprisingly only low 40s on this one, so it was still within budget.

Lexus IS350 -- this was the most expensive one I drove, and I drove it right after the Infiniti. If I hadn't just driven the Infiniti it would have seemed really nice, but comparatively the Infiniti won in almost every aspect. It really is a nice car, and it feels a little less "big" than the Infiniti, but performance and ride quality weren't quite the same.

Ford Taurus SHO -- This was the fastest car in a straight line, and I'm sure it would do OK on turns but it felt like a bus. The Infiniti felt big, this felt huge. It was luxury though, the Sync is cool and the ride quality if phenomenal. Very soft and cushy. More of a straight line car than a turns car though, although I have to believe it was capable of more than I was comfortable with on the turns. Feeling big just took my confidence away.

Ford Raptor -- This was fun, I'm a SMALL car guy, and this thing was huge. Obviously you don't drive turns in a truck like you would in a car and I didn't try. What was fun, the dealer had me jump a curb at about 25mph, and that was awesome. The power is great in this beast, but the ride quality was worse than my dad's F250 IMO. I think the offroad shocks are not my cup of tea. This isn't really a direct competitor to the other vehicles at all, but I drove it for kicks when I was looking at the SHO.

Evo -- Last car I drove, and bought it immediately thereafter. No features, this car is the least luxury by far. The ride quality was better than the Saabs, VW or Audi IMO, but not luxury (soft and smooth) at all. I am a big fan of bolstered seats, but that's a personal choice, many of my (heavier) friends hate them. The performance sold me though, I loved handling, and even in a straight line it's plenty quick. My Sky (heavily modded) is much faster in a straight line, but I felt just as confident on a turn in this car as I do in my Sky. Looks are average IMO, features are minimal, but the driving experience is unmatched for an AWD sedan!

mickey blue

Had yourself a little adventure haha, Ive test drove the evo early december and honestly man i didnt want to get out of the car. Im a bigger guy too and nothing bothered me in that car. Like i have a lancer now so the interior is the same apart from the seats. Now when i went and looked at the s4, i dont know if it was the seats position but it took me a 2nd attemt to get out haha.

tkromer

iTrader: (6)

It was honestly a lot of fun, and a good 2 Saturdays of driving other people's cars

I would be perfectly happy with the Evo, the Mini or the Infiniti.

I didn't test drive an S4, it was a bit over my budget, but I'm sure it's much nicer than the A4/CC.

EvoGuy5

I've had my Evo 8 for about two years and have completely overhauled it. If you're ready to spend $ on upgrades and maintenance, buy one.

tml148

Gas mileage depends on your driving. There is a thread about it.

As for choice in cars, will you need to haul anything? If so, the Raptor may be the way to go. Also, depending on your age, insurance may be very high.

ikt

iTrader: (18)

I had an Evo X, sold it, bought a Cadillac CTS-v, then bought another X. I get 23ish miles per gallon, good enough for me.

mickey blue

Yeah thats true, theirs other trucks here that i can use but sometimes ya i do slap on trailers and ****. Most of the stuff is just thrown on the back. Im 20, but insurance isnt going under my name so it doesnt matter. I would think im gona get the best deal on the evo cus itll be my 2nd purchase from mitsu. Returning customer kinda thing?

Boostfiend

iTrader: (3)

I would skip the evo and the raptor and head straight to Audi. The S4 might not have the handling capabilities of the Evo, but it is by far the nicest of the group. The interior is very comfortable and spacious for passengers, the navigation updates automatically through 3G MMI, it has an Nvidia graphics card that manages the navigation. The clutch is soft, the shifts are smooth, and it has enough boot space for home depot runs.

I sold mine for an Evo X BUT only because I parked my car in the city and found multiple small dings appear week after week; that and the Evo X was only $17,500 with 18k on the clock (bought it from my cousin). However, I miss the S4 and plan to get another in November, because that car was wonderful for road-trips, cruising, hanging out, and it was pretty enjoyable in the corners as well.

Also if you REALLY need speed and luxury and don't care much for space the BMW 1M absolutely dominates the Evo stock for stock. Sure you can spend a few K and make the Evo X just as fast, but the interior will never match that of the Euro counterparts. You can also hit 430 HP for $3k with the Audi if you need more power.

IMO though for a 4-door sedan this car is win:

sxng9

Once you're in the driver's seat, all other quirks go away until you find out that you've emptied the gas tank from flooring it all the way to work. Other than that, the car is a blast to drive, especially since it's AWD. If your income supports a weekly trip to the gas station, then gas shouldn't be too much of a big issue. It also depends on how much you drive the car. If you want to save gas, then it isn't too much longer before a hybrid version of the car comes out next year. Despite the pre-negative opinions of the hybrid version of the Evo, I personally think it might be fun to drive. A lot of the well-known fancy automakers (i.e. Ferrari, etc...) are moving towards that direction anyway. In addition, most of these automakers aren't moving towards top speed now, they're going for quicker acceleration. I'm just a bit disappointed at the HP ratings of the Evo X.