I vote the 350z is also. It's a sweet car all around.

The EVO handles nice and has power, but if it's typical Mitsubishi quality half the car will be replaced by 60k miles.

 

wait a year to make sure there aren't any first year bugs with the evo and then get one.

Zcars have a problem with eating the front tires every few thousand miles.

there are many lemon law cases already pending.

I have a buddy with one, and after three alignments and two new sets of tires, Nissan bought him a nice set of all weather (read: snow) tires for his Z. WTF???

they didn't fix the problem, they just took off the nice performance tires and installed a tire with a treadwear rating of 400 ! so that they don't wear! they practically can't wear, the rubber is hard as a rock!

yeah, nice, once I had a sports car, now I have a car with truck tires. I'm sure those tires don't affect the handling or braking or acceleration performance of that "sports car".

I'm sure the mistu may have some bugs to work out as well, it's NEVER smart to buy the first model year of ANY vehicle.

do you hear me '05 L people?

just my .02

later,
chris

 

I'm surprised the Subaru STi hasn't gotten more mention here. I know it wasnt on your list but I was considering the same cars as you and decided on the STi.

The 350 is a really nice car and I love the looks, but it's lacking in power esp. when compared with the Lightning. I actually considered the Infiniti G35 6MT more than the Z. Same platform, available with the Brembo brakes, and a 6speed, but with a better interior and sightlines.

The EVO is amazing, but there were 3 deal-killers:
1) I hated the styling.
2) The buzz on the message boards is that Mitsubishi is worse than Ford with their warranties. Apparently Mitsubishi reps have been known to visit dragstrips and report back VIN #s of cars they see there.
3) The chassis is great on a track, but too harsh for a daily driver.

I went with the STi because I hated the styling less than the EVO and it performs better than the Z/G35.

The EVO and the STi are effectively the same performance on a road course, I'd bet only 1% of drivers could take advantage of the difference enough to matter. Neither is made for the dragstrip, but the extra displacement makes the STi easier to drive quickly on a daily basis, and the lower boost on the STi may mean that it lasts longer. With either the EVO or STi be prepared for road noise. And both are economy cars at heart. Quality of materials such as carpeting and plastics leaves a lot to be desired.

 

I'd choose the WRX STi over the EVO. 300 ft/lbs of torque makes for a nicer daily driver and it's got a lot more in it.

 

That's my philosophy. In fact, I usually wait 2.

 

The evo looks hideous in my opinion.
I think the 350z looks way better.

Why dont you consider a SUBARU STI? its like the evo but in my opinion looks a bit better and it puts out better #'s than the Evo.
It still dosent look as good as the 350z, though.

 

Why not an 03 cobra? A little more expensive maybe, but maybe you can work an x-plan or something. You'd smoke all the cars mentioned and still be rocking good ole American muscle.

 

GET THE EVO
I GOT MY *** HANDED TO ME 3 TIMES
THEY ARE KILLER ON THE STREET
PULL LIKE HELL OFF THE LINE
IF U DONT HOOK UR DONE... SEE YA
MY BUDDY HAS ONE WITH A DOWNPIPE AND
UPGRADED INTERCOOLER WITH CHIP
HES RUNNING 12.6 NO PROBLEMS YET 14,000 MILES

 

Thank you! I was going to post about it, but you barely beat me to it.

 

Anything with a turbo gets my vote

 

Infiniti G35 coupe.

 

Neither

Get a REAL car!!!!!!

 

 

Sure those little Asian rice boxes (expalitive deleated) are fast, but do you really want to be seen in a tin can with a wing? I'd be looking for a used Vette or a Cobra. You can get a lot of Vette for what one of those two cost...and you'd have something to be proud of.

MR

 

no mention of the mazda rx-8? better looking than all even the z car IMO. 4 buckets, good power, its what i would buy