Alright guys, heres the story:

My good friend is graduating from College this month, then is getting ready to move up to Oklahoma City where he got a full ride for law school. He drives a F-150 with like 8 inches of lift and 35" mud terrains. Clearly this truck would not enjoy the trips up there, then back to Houston, and so on. He wants something AWD since it does snow up there from time to time, and he wants something that fun. So we have been going out and test driving cars. I think we both agree that right now the Evo is the car for him. Its a blast to drive and has a great warenty (I think I spelled that wrong). There is a dealer near by who has a 2003 and is willing to negotiate on prices.

Anyways, considering what he is looking for: (fun, fast, unique, awd, and under $35,000) what would you guys get-

 

id get an Evo 8

 

G35X

 

he wants something that comes with a turbo...

 

I love the looks of the Evo VIII but would go for the STi for a few reasons.

First, as much as I like the looks of the Evo, I think the WRX body (and in particular the STi) looks less econo-box and just plane good. The Blue Pearl with the gold-colored BBS wheels looks amazing. Second, having sat in both in a relatively small time span between the two, the STi had a less-cheap feelign interior. Thrid, Mitsubishi isn't in the best financial position and their future isn't quite as stable as Subaru's. I'd worry about vehicle support for the future. Fourth, the STi has automatic climate control (trivial, but matters to me). Finally, I like the fact that the driver can adjust the torque bias of the AWD system in the STi.

Honestly, though, either way - they are amazing cars.

 

EVO with NOS!!!!!!! Evo's keep their values better too. If he doesnt want something new... Id go with the 99 GTO in a SECOND. IMO thats the best Mitsubishi ever produced.

 

3000GT are very nice if they are VR-4 twin turbo. SL are just so so. and they are still pretty expensive too. i think you have to pay the same as brand new EVO for 99 VR-4. and i dont think you want NOS with EVO's 4G63.
i would pick EVO cz it looks way better IMO

 

Personally I would go for the STI because of the bigger engine.

 

evo... the sti might be impressive but not in looks.

~ Stella

 

i recently saw a show on the 2 cars evo and the sti although the sti has 300hp and the evo has 271 the evo out performed the sti in every test !!! evo all the way !!!!

 

The only good thing Mitsu ever made was my big screen. Mitsu reliability sucks. I had to have the transmission rebuilt in my Eclipse at 33k miles. Other little problems constantly pop up. Fit and finish sucks too and the interior is cheap. I've never owned a Scooby but I'd rather take my chances with an STI.

 

yea well the eclipe was yesterdays news the evo is new and improved rally car, they never rallied the eclipse

 

Another advantage with the Sti is that Subaru puts the turbo intercooler high up under the hood scoop...where it is generally out of harm's way. On the Evo, Mitsubishi puts it down low in front under the front air dam where it is only a couple of inches off the ground and subject to damage from road debris. Both of these cars have complex intercooler systems that are driver-controlled and squirt liquid from special tanks onto the vanes for extra cooling.
Now..to your original question, you have other choices in the fast, AWD, under-35K category. If your friend needs space for hauling, look at the Subaru Forester Turbo...is is almost as fast as the STi / Evo, and a lot more usefel and versatile. You can also look at the upcoming VW Golf R32 with the 4-Motion AWD system...that will have a high-performance 241 HP V6....but VW has had some service and reliability problems lately.

 

One other thing to keep in mind about both the Sti and the Evo is that both of them come with low-profile, high-performance tires that may not do well in the snow despite the AWD systems. (You mentioned that your friend wanted good snow traction). If you guys want to go in snow, consider either the Forester Turbo or investing in a set of good winter tires like Blizzaks for the STi or Evo.

 

Volvo S60R