Brownergy

Alright guys, I haven't been as active on the site as I usually was for while (some are happy about that.) I bought a house at the begining of the year. Since that, the car modding has come to a dead stop, and the desire for something bigger has come up a couple times.

Right now in our house, it's just Me, My Girlfriend, and my 2 beloved dogs (65lbs Boxer sisters). FWIW, I have no desire to get married soon, and especially don't want kids, probably ever. Trash has to be taken to the dump, dogs may have to go to the vets, I may have to be DD on weekend night outings, etc. G/F currently drives a pretty ragged out 05 Scion TC. To be honest, I'm not completely sold on the new car/bigger car/4dr car thing yet.

But.........I've started shopping.....errrr........browsing. The only car's I would consider replacing the S2000 with are EVO/STI, C6 Vette (esp. Z06) would be my dream, but not exactly in my budget nor my possible needs of a car right now.

About me, I love track oriented cars. Performance and driver improvement are the biggest deciding factors for buying a car. The reason I bought the S2000 (owned AP1 and now AP2) is because the car is a phenomenal track machine, while being raw enough to point out driver error and help them develop. IMO, the EVO/STI crowd gets away with being fast more so with AWD/Turbo instead of actual talent. That said, from what I've researched the EVO has the S2000's edge, while being a 4 door sedan and giving me the versatility that I "might" need.

When money permits, whatever I decide, modding/ track days will happen. No matter what, the car I choose to buy or keep will continue to be driven hard, although IMO not abused. I double clutch most DS's, rev match and heel toe 100% of the time. Try not to shift to harshly/quickly, and follow a very thorough maint. schedule (Mobil 1- 3000, LE607 -9000, Honda MTF - 15000, Motul RBF600-10000)

So guys, what do you think I should do about my situation. I've lived this long with my S2000 in current conditions, but the search for something more versatile and faster has been bothering me.

TIA,

Ryan B.

BTW, my daily driven S2000 sees about 40 miles every day.

Brownergy

OH.......... Forgot to mention, I've never driven or rode in an STI or EVO. Tried to at the nearest dealers to me, but in my area, test drives just aren't allowed. So all my opinions are based purely off research.

jack.tsu

The Evo and STi are both very good cars, and if you are planning to buy new you shouldnt have problem with reliability issues commonly resulting from abusive previous owners...

In my opinion... the STi has much more "personality" and would be the car I'd pick although many say it is slighly slower than the Evo.

Brownergy

^Thanks, I personally like the STI's look/interior more, but I agree, it seems the EVO is the better performing car. I just think an EVO would fit my driving style better I think.

Another issue I have, should I wait for the next generation of these 2 cars to come out, or jump on the bulletproof/refined/proven models that are out right now (that also both have huge aftermarket support)?

That said, say I go EVO IX, I've heard for track usage the SE/XI model with the 5 speed trans is much more reliable than the infamous MR. Which model to get?

itsmylittlebrothersbike

Just went through a similar dilemma. The wife and I decided to move to Maine. (from Florida) to be closer to the family. So I started hitting the local Subaru dealers to "browse". The wife was really digging the STi and was actually able to take one while they fixed the A/C in her Jeep. She shot home and picked me up and we took a nice extended test drive. I must admit, the car was nice. Fold down seats, a decent size trunk, 4 doors and both your pups will fit in the back. My only problem was the price. We shot a couple of low-ball prices at him, but he would not budge, not even a little. I posted my experience and everyone that responded pretty much said the same thing...wait til the 08's get closer. Needless to say I postponed my purchase for a short time. Good luck with your decision. Oh, the Suby guys have a pretty good forum too. NASIOC.COM.

stocky

A 4 door car is no good car for teh dogs.

Buy a cheap 2nd car (break) for teh dogs and all the other stuff.

HiPER

Exactly! Do not give up the S but if you do, you'll be back.

congrats on the house.

Drinks2k

I work at stohlman suby/mitsu in Tysons Corner doing sales....and honestly between the two cars it is a mix up....I dont know which one I would choose I love things about each one..

Brownergy

Stocky, I really appreciate your opinion, as your track experience is something I'm very envious of.

But........ as it stands my S2000 won't fit 2 dogs. As it stands, no other cars in the $30K range offer the performance of the EVO/STI/ S2000. So that's why I've picked the choices I have.

Crazy_Schizo

Honestly, I would never buy a vehicle from a dealer that did not permit a test drive of it first...

Hardball with the dealers a bit and I'm sure you can get a test drive of both to determine if you will enjoy them. It isn't exactly like you are driving some busted-out car and have no intention of purchasing an STI or Evo.