First of all, hello to all of you I'm new here. I currently own '01 s2000. I went to look at Evo 8 yesterday and guess what, they let me keep it over night. I was surprised that they would do that. I've been there few months ago and they didn't even let me drive it. Anyways, I got to drive Evo all day long, and drove it hard. I think the car is simply amazing; handling is superb, accelaration is stunning...etc. Overall, it was the best performance car I've driven so far (although, I think S2000 is more fun). They are giving me a good deal (they really want to get rid of Evos) and I'm really tempted to take it. I also went to look at STi but wasn't able to test drive it. STi would cost me few more grand than Evo. So, I'm stuck between S2000, Evo8 and STi. Couple of questions for Evo owners: 1)Any problems with Evos? Recalls?
2) What made you choose Evo over STi and other similar performance autos?

 

Since you drove it "hard" without doing a break-in, your clutch isn't going to last very long...among other parts.

 

That particular car was being used for test drives. It had 280 miles when they handed me the key. They offered me to take home any Evo, but I chose the test drive car so I can drive hard (or at least feel less bad about it). When I will actually purchase an Evo, that car would definitely will not be my choice, of course.

 

I went to the Subaru dealership nearby several times and have seen numerous STi's on the lot, and they would never even let me sit in one, much less test drive it. I got the feeling that they only wanted people who walked in and said "I want to buy an STi today" to sell to. For someone with no decision made yet on which car they want, they sure don't seem like they want to sell cars there.

Buy the EVO, but get a different one that the one you already drove and break it in this time. lol

 

If you want to do alot of mods buy an Evo. I saw pruven performance run there car. 10.5 1/4 mile. Enough said. I love the STI to but the overal look of the Evo one me over. I lowered my car and I can't get over how good it looks. Its really up to you though.

 

I did a lot of research one the whole Evo vs. STi thing. Every review I read had them come out about equal. The Evo handled better, but the STi had better straight line speed due to the added HP. I looked at both cars at dealerships. I sat in the STi (no drive) and was able to test the Evo. I was still torn about which way to go. I had an Eclipse GS-T before I got the Evo and had liked it very much. One of my best friends, a person who’s technical opinion I value a lot (we’re both engineers) , had an Impreza wagon and loved it. I drove it a few times to get an idea of Subaru quality. So, at that point I’m still stumped between the two.

It was getting down to picky stuff. I liked having a sunroof. I live in Georgia and we have nice nights that are perfect for sunroofs. I loved world rally blue that came on the STi (could you imagine that color on the Evo? Nice). I like having a car come with a radio, because I didn’t want to bother just then with doing the research needed to get a good car radio. I liked the Evo’s seats, but I liked the STi rims. I almost gave myself a ulcer trying to decide.

When D-day came, I went down to Subaru and asked if they were willing to negotiate on the $32,750 (I think) they had their STi listed at. They said no. I sat in the car, looked at it and left. I went to the Mitsu dealership, asked if they were willing to budge on the 32,200 sticker (I think) and I got them down to $27,750. I had told myself that if the price got below a certain point I would pull the trigger. I pulled and now I have my blue Evo.

So, to make a long post just a little longer, I looked at everything, realized the Evo and STi scratch the same itch just a bout as well as one another, and went for the price. Sad, but true. I still like both cars and have a ton of respect for the STi, but I went for the better value.

I love my Evo and have had no problems after 5000 miles. There is a recall out for sealant in the firewall. The clutch has shown signs of premature failure in some cases (there are a bunch of threads on this topic, you can make your own call if they are really bad or if there is abuse involved).

Best wishes,
f86sabre