[Shotimes] Re: (OT) '06 Evo IX

[Donald Mallinson]

Ian,

I have not owned anything like the Evo, but I did have a 540isport 
6-speed.  It was a wonderful car that cost a BUNCH to maintain.  Think 
fixing SHO's is expensive?  Wait till you hit the maintenance cycle of 
the 540.  You will do cat converters, syncro's in the tranny, bunches of 
electronics in the dash unless you want to put up with all sorts of 
blinking and missing lights.  The engines are nearly bulletproof, but 
they leak a lot, and expect to replace or repair the radiator a time or 
two.  Then there is the major tune-up, unless you just buy the reset 
tool and pay it later or let someone else pay for that huge bill.

The two cars you are considering are at almost polar opposite ends of 
the car spectrum.  the 540 is an all-day comfortable car that is fast 
for a big heavy car and I know they will do a track day and be fun, but 
they aren't agile.  MPG is better than you might think though, I was 
getting mid 20's easily on trips and high teens, low 20's mixed driving.

The Evo is a tool for rally and not going to be much fun on the 
highway.  You may enjoy it at the autocross or a track day, or the 
occasional blast through good roads, but live with it on a daily basis 
on bad roads or heavy traffic and you may want an automatic tranny quick.

Both are excellent in their nitch and both may be expensive to 
maintain.  It just seems funny to be considering both in the same 
sentence since they are so different. 

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Don Mallinson

Ian Fisher wrote:

>I'm considering 1 of 2 cars in the next 2 years. A
>used EVO VIII or XI and/or a used BMW 540i sport (6
>speed). I've driven the EVO VIII and it is simply
>amazing. A lot of people have said that it feels a lot
>more connected than the STi and the power difference
>is nill considering the amount of effective yet
>cheaper aftermarket mods. I can't wait to drive an IX.
>I don't know if anyone here watches the Japanese "Best
>Motoring" TV series on DVD that's sold here in the US.
>I have more than one episode that pits the EVO against
>some really high dollar cars. It usually hangs neck
>and neck with the new turbo 911's (professional
>drivers who drive the snot out of the cars). OTOH, the
>WRX's and STi's usually get lost a few cars back. For
>the money,  the EVO is an amazing bargain.
>
>Ian