Mitsubishi Evos. Worth the money?

[don logan]

oxnop said:

Looks great (snap!). You are right, it’s in the cold damp conditions that these cars really shine.. however mine will still never see salt!!

Aside from the grip and traction, I’m still surprised by how much perkier the engine is in those conditions, the intercooler really is in the most functional place.

[Dylanaledhall]

don logan said:

This has 7.5k miles, it was up for £40k and it sold very quickly

Wow, someone has taken proper care of that haven't they. Only 7.5k miles? Madness.

I think I saw a Tommi Makinen up the other day for around 50-60k so they've shot up recently too.

[Olivera]

oxnop said:

Final pics to show benefit of it being garaged / not out in winter :-)

I think you mean 'benefits' of not being driven in any inclement weather, or more likely hardly driven at all.

[don logan]

Olivera said:

oxnop said:

Final pics to show benefit of it being garaged / not out in winter :-)

I think you mean 'benefits' of not being driven in any inclement weather, or more likely hardly driven at all.

It’s not big or clever but that’s certainly the case with one of mine!

[don logan]

Dylanaledhall said:

I think I saw a Tommi Makinen up the other day for around 50-60k so they've shot up recently too.

Without a good enough reason!

[zestyfesty]

IMO the BMW and VW are better at being ‘cars’; comfortable and refined but still fast and entertaining when you want. But they’re generic cars. An Evo is another magnitude of focus and involvement, with a genuine Motorsport pedigree but lacking modern comforts and conveniences. They drink like a fish, are never civilised, and very raw and brutal in the way they deliver their performance. And as others have said, they’re entering middle age and higher mileage. Parts are becoming an issue (here anyway). I’d never, ever entertain my wife driving our VI as a daily. Depends where your interests/priorities are. A cheap Evo is likely to cost more than the other 2 cars combined to keep it healthy. But many owners are enthusiasts who take pride and care in their cars. MLR is the way forward. R and 140i will never feel as special either

[anonymous-user]

An Evo (or Scooby/Skyline/RX7) is not a daily driver. They are tinny, rattley, stiff, noisy, juicy, rust easily and need regular services. However they are special cars to drive.

The Golf is the opposite in all areas.

2 cars > 1 car.

[anonymous-user]

Elatino1 said:

An Evo (or Scooby/Skyline/RX7) is not a daily driver. They are tinny, rattley, stiff, noisy, juicy, rust easily and need regular services. However they are special cars to drive.

The Golf is the opposite in all areas.

2 cars > 1 car.

I've been daily driving Impreza STi's for 20 years. Previous to that it was Cosworth Sierra sapphire.

I dont agree, the generic hot hatch are the crappy driving experience, give me a decent saloon with proper power and grip any day.

The sprint series run by the MLR and 22B were also great fun, sadly no longer running. https://youtu.be/ZBfBm4QByeY

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 13th February 06:14

[Dylanaledhall]

zestyfesty said:

IMO the BMW and VW are better at being ‘cars’; comfortable and refined but still fast and entertaining when you want. But they’re generic cars. An Evo is another magnitude of focus and involvement, with a genuine Motorsport pedigree but lacking modern comforts and conveniences. They drink like a fish, are never civilised, and very raw and brutal in the way they deliver their performance. And as others have said, they’re entering middle age and higher mileage. Parts are becoming an issue (here anyway). I’d never, ever entertain my wife driving our VI as a daily. Depends where your interests/priorities are. A cheap Evo is likely to cost more than the other 2 cars combined to keep it healthy. But many owners are enthusiasts who take pride and care in their cars. MLR is the way forward. R and 140i will never feel as special either

Definitely agree, I don't think we'll get anything as involving or raw as an Evo was. It's a shame that where I live has such bad weather for 80% of the year meaning that if I did get an Evo it wouldn't be driven for a majority of the time. At the moment I don't even have a garage big enough for my ST let alone an Evo so I'd need to move house before I get and evo and that to me doesn't make any financial sense at all. An M140i or a Golf R like you say are much better as being cars and I could easily get into one in the next few years.

[oxnop]

I got offered a 140 xdrive lease deal from the company I had my Golf R (and wife has her e-golf zzzzz) through for c.£300 pm - which seemed like a cracking deal. That’s an all weather family ‘super’ car (especially once mapped)

[oxnop]

don logan said:

Aside from the grip and traction, I’m still surprised by how much perkier the engine is in those conditions, the intercooler really is in the most functional place.

Agreed. I find I call feel a difference when it’s below 10

[Dylanaledhall]

oxnop said:

I got offered a 140 xdrive lease deal from the company I had my Golf R (and wife has her e-golf zzzzz) through for c.£300 pm - which seemed like a cracking deal. That’s an all weather family ‘super’ car (especially once mapped)

It's just annoying we don't get the M140i in Xdrive here ( apparently because the Right hand drive would cause issues for the driveshafts etc). I believe we can get 3 series variants with Xdrive such as M340i's and 335d's. I think an M140i with Xdrive would have stolen the competition from things like the Golf R.

[wolfie28]

Obvious reply but go into Evo ownership with your eyes open. Get the absolute best you can afford and do your research. Decent service history (personally I prefer independent specialists), general condition paying particular attention to the dreaded corrosion and your gut feeling on the seller. These are analog cars living in a digital world with very few creature comforts. In my opinion to compare them to the modern alternatives is pointless. Car technology and development moves on at pace so some might see these types of cars as dinosaurs; however they have a soul which most modern cars do not have. To me most modern performance cars are bland white goods.

I have a highly modded 6 TME so cannot really comment on a standard Evo as I’ve never owned one. It is quite simply sensational to drive. Yes it can be tiresome on longer trips but it is an assault on all your senses. I smell slightly of oil/fuel, have an aching clutch leg and my ass has gone to sleep after a drive. Is it all worth that?? Hell yes!! Rewarding, exciting, raw and full of character in spades. I have driven many performance cars and I would not trade my Evo in for any of them.

[Dylanaledhall]

wolfie28 said:

Obvious reply but go into Evo ownership with your eyes open. Get the absolute best you can afford and do your research. Decent service history (personally I prefer independent specialists), general condition paying particular attention to the dreaded corrosion and your gut feeling on the seller. These are analog cars living in a digital world with very few creature comforts. In my opinion to compare them to the modern alternatives is pointless. Car technology and development moves on at pace so some might see these types of cars as dinosaurs; however they have a soul which most modern cars do not have. To me most modern performance cars are bland white goods.

I have a highly modded 6 TME so cannot really comment on a standard Evo as I’ve never owned one. It is quite simply sensational to drive. Yes it can be tiresome on longer trips but it is an assault on all your senses. I smell slightly of oil/fuel, have an aching clutch leg and my ass has gone to sleep after a drive. Is it all worth that?? Hell yes!! Rewarding, exciting, raw and full of character in spades. I have driven many performance cars and I would not trade my Evo in for any of them.

Thanks man, nice to hear your comments and I'm happy you're enjoying your TME, must be awesome

Yeah I've read some people have gone from Evos to RS3s, M3s etc but say they're just not the same as Evos so I completely agree they are in a class of their own. Not too sure how imprezas compare but the general consensus is the Evo is a step ahead each time.

Doing more and more research every single day. But this forum is definitely helping with people such as yourself that have Evos and can guide me and give me advice. I really do appreciate it.

I'm looking for an Evo 8 but wouldn't mind anything as long as the condition is good and service history is good. I have seen Evo 4s but don't think they're worth it even though a majority seem to be a hell of a lot cheaper than newer Evos.

[liner33]

Dylanaledhall said:

Thanks man, nice to hear your comments and I'm happy you're enjoying your TME, must be awesome

Yeah I've read some people have gone from Evos to RS3s, M3s etc but say they're just not the same as Evos so I completely agree they are in a class of their own. Not too sure how imprezas compare but the general consensus is the Evo is a step ahead each time.

Doing more and more research every single day. But this forum is definitely helping with people such as yourself that have Evos and can guide me and give me advice. I really do appreciate it.

I'm looking for an Evo 8 but wouldn't mind anything as long as the condition is good and service history is good. I have seen Evo 4s but don't think they're worth it even though a majority seem to be a hell of a lot cheaper than newer Evos.

You will be lucky to get a full service history with one, these are enthusiast cars and incredibly easy to work on. They need a service every 3k and most owners do this themselves

[Dylanaledhall]

liner33 said:

You will be lucky to get a full service history with one, these are enthusiast cars and incredibly easy to work on. They need a service every 3k and most owners do this themselves

Yeah I understand that, it's just nice if the car has had any extensive work done that it's been carried out by a Evo specialist.

[anonymous-user]

Dylanaledhall said:

Yeah I've read some people have gone from Evos to RS3s, M3s etc but say they're just not the same as Evos so I completely agree they are in a class of their own. Not too sure how imprezas compare but the general consensus is the Evo is a step ahead each time.

The Impreza had a much bigger market and a lot more varieties of car than the Evo. So you see most compare an Evo to a lower spec UK turbo Impreza.

The JDM STi Imprezas were a match and often a better car, the basic layout of longitudinal all alloy boxer engine and transmission is better than a transverse top heavy in line 4 steel block layout in terms of vehicle dynamics.

In the early tuning days it was easier to get power out of an Evo and that has left a persitant memory, but once tuners understood the engines and developed products to suit that became far more balanced. Subaru tuners went on to develop companies like EcuTek and Syvecs which are now widely used on many other marques. It drove a UK tuning arena more than the Evo that persists to today IMHO.

In head to head competitions like TOTB the Subaru and Evo teams would be very close and both had winning runs. The combined MLR and 22B sprint series saw both marques fight for overall wins and the relative class performances were always very close. It's a great rivalry of two fantastic cars and enthusiast groups we are unlikely to see again.

[Dylanaledhall]

jsf said:

The Impreza had a much bigger market and a lot more varieties of car than the Evo. So you see most compare an Evo to a lower spec UK turbo Impreza.

The JDM STi Imprezas were a match and often a better car, the basic layout of longitudinal all alloy boxer engine and transmission is better than a transverse top heavy in line 4 steel block layout in terms of vehicle dynamics.

In the early tuning days it was easier to get power out of an Evo and that has left a persitant memory, but once tuners understood the engines and developed products to suit that became far more balanced. Subaru tuners went on to develop companies like EcuTek and Syvecs which are now widely used on many other marques. It drove a UK tuning arena more than the Evo that persists to today IMHO.

In head to head competitions like TOTB the Subaru and Evo teams would be very close and both had winning runs. The combined MLR and 22B sprint series saw both marques fight for overall wins and the relative class performances were always very close. It's a great rivalry of two fantastic cars and enthusiast groups we are unlikely to see again.

Interesting, thank you

[anonymous-user]

jsf said:

Elatino1 said:

An Evo (or Scooby/Skyline/RX7) is not a daily driver. They are tinny, rattley, stiff, noisy, juicy, rust easily and need regular services. However they are special cars to drive.

The Golf is the opposite in all areas.

2 cars > 1 car.

I've been daily driving Impreza STi's for 20 years. Previous to that it was Cosworth Sierra sapphire.

I dont agree, the generic hot hatch are the crappy driving experience, give me a decent saloon with proper power and grip any day.

The sprint series run by the MLR and 22B were also great fun, sadly no longer running. https://youtu.be/ZBfBm4QByeY

Edited by jsf on Saturday 13th February 06:14

Well it depends how you like your cars. Unless you are driving the most modern cars they will be crusting up underneath. Mine however is a mint car to use in summer and for track days. I find using a car every day takes away some of its feeling of being special and they don't like salted roads.

[liner33]

Elatino1 said:

An Evo (or Scooby/Skyline/RX7) is not a daily driver. They are tinny, rattley, stiff, noisy, juicy, rust easily and need regular services. However they are special cars to drive.

The Golf is the opposite in all areas.

2 cars > 1 car.

I have a mate who daily drives a 94 Skyline , its his only car and he even visits his mum in France every now and then he has put about 45k on it in the last 3.5 years

Biggest issue he has had is accident damage from people knocking it in his work car park

I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than drive an Evo to France