MB

Must have been an old one if there was lag, Nottm?

I've had about 5 Impreza's and they are quite different to the Evo. The modern STI with a twin scroll turbo has nearly no lag, where I found the Evo does have a bit from low revs.

Still never driven an X but i've not heard much positive about the drive compared to an Evo 9.

Mr-T

MB, how would you compare the Evo's in general to Impreza's?
Also, anything bad in particular you have heard about the Evo X?

I did look at the Evo 8 or 9, but just like the looks of the X more. Also thinking of the FQ300 as they are the cheaper ones (Compared to FQ360 or 400) and read a few places you can easily use the money saved over buying the 360 and spend it on a FQ300 to get a higher spec.

My mate had a blob eye STI with pro-drive pack which was nice and quick, but if going for something newer and more modern, I prefer Evo.

Yes, agree the Tax is a sting, but nothing I can do about it. I bought my S2000 as a pre 06 to save on the tax, but know if I want newer / more modern high performance cars, there is no escaping the tax man.

soulcrew

The dealers told me the fq300 was the best one to get,as it is less thirsty and only slightly slower.

MB

The 300 models are generally the best value as you can map them to 360 spec very easily. There are some extra equipment options you miss though.

Nottm_S2

True, it was in late 2002 when i bought the S2000

Cant remember how old it was. Was an import, had a stupid noisey dump valve.

MB

I'd say the Evo is the faster and technical better car, but the Impreza is a better road car. Evo has always been that little bit more hardcore. I always preferred the balance and drive of the Impreza, but preferred the image and rarity of the Evo.

The Impreza just handles so flat, and you can feel the effects of the low boxer engine. A Spec C blob eye would be the car for me, although I do really like the Idea of the recent STi hatch. That would need some tweaks to make it as fun as the early cars though.

RE the X, Most of what I've heard suggests it's a step back package wise over the 9. Shame as I think the X looks great and it's quite rare. Possibly it can be tweaked to improve it though. Andywho looks after my S has an Evo 4 rally car and hates the X with a passion for some reason

MB

True, it was in late 2002 when i bought the S2000

Cant remember how old it was. Was an import, had a stupid noisey dump valve.
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Yep Imprezas around then were lag city. I used to love it Like VTEC on Roids!

Nottm_S2

ha ha.. you could not drive this thing normally, it was literally nothing nothing nothing BOOOOOOOOOST

i scared the shyte out of a horse by accident with that dump valve..

tron2k3

The Evo X chassis is supposed to be superior to any of the previous models in the handling department, the problem is that it comes with weight and the power options have stayed the same, so when previous Evo owners drive it they don't rate it due to not having that brute force kick in the back compared to the older models. The engine was also a totally new unit which replaced the 4g63 which had been around for years which was a pretty solid unit, the only real change was in the IX which they added Mivec a vvt system which massively improved response.

The new 4B11T in the X seems to have rod issues, which have gone on modified and standard cars. Tuners seem to limit the torque to approx. 380 LB FT when they remap standard cars, but they can increase BHP to 400 to be safe, but ideally they recommend a rod job. Which I guess has been another reason to put people off.

Manuals are hard to come by as the dealers mainly brought in the SST boxes and they had a load of them they couldn't shift (no pun intended). SSTs actual are very good in Super Sport mode but they do have there issues and are not cheap to fix.

If I was looking for an X it would be an RS model, these are majority JDM imports (unless they were a JRM model which was uk registered) and much more sought after. They hold there value very well, are all manual but also in white. They have the RS diff rather than AYC which most prefer as the handling is predictable. I have a 9GT which has the RS diff and no AYC and much prefer the handling to the 8 FQ300 I previously had. The other advantage of a JDM import is that if the importer knew what they were doing they would have registered it as PLG meaning £230 road tax for the year.

Would be worth jumping on the MLR http://www.lancerregister.com/ if you aren't on there already and have a good read through. As with most forums use the search before asking questions, or you get flamed

Mr-T

Tron2K3, thank you very much for the information. I have read similar thigs about the auto and manual, hence my choice would be for a manual.
I will keep an eye out for the RS models, but not seen any reference the RS Diff.
Still have a lot of reasearch to do, but getting an import seems to be one of the better options. Especiall if it means £230 tax! Always a win!