So as many of you know, i sold my s4. I sold it to look for a car that is more driver friendly when it comes to actualy driving. So today i set out to test drive two cars...The EVO and The STI. Here are my thoughts on each.
The EVO
We started off with the evo. This car doesn’t have cruise control, or automatic up and down windows....but as soon as you start to drive, that stuff falls into that who gives a shiz category. Anyways, the new leather seats are nice, and the stereo isn’t bad either. The shifter feels pretty good, maybe not e-36 M3 good, but better then most. As soon as the car hits the streets, it really makes its mark. The steering input is fantastic, and the gearing makes the car amazingly fun to drive. When you turn the car, it turns. (see sti comments) Its amazing how predictable this car is. Wherever i put the car, it went there. This is not the first evo i have driven. (I drive our shop cars all the time) However, its still fantastic to see how good the evo is in stock form.
The STI
For this test drive, i went down to our lovely friends at the livermore group. I saw mike, the dealership owner, when i walked in. He through me the keys to an sti, and told me to have fun. So there i was, Brian Tarte, and STI, and myself. What did i do? I took it to the back roads of course.
When i first got in the car, i was impressed, but not impressed. The dash lay out, and stereo are certainly nice. The shifter feel is OK, but not great...the same goes for the seats. Ok, so now onto the test-drive.
When i first drove it, i tossed it back and forth a few times. The car seemed to be watered down. The steering input was crap, to put it simply. The drivetrain leaves some room for improvement in terms of feel. It feels nice for driving around everyday, but lets see how it does on the first turn. Turn in was crappy to be expected. At this point the car felt like it wanted to oversteer, yet it understeered at the last sec. This caught me off guard a little, but i pressed on anyways. The next turn, the car did the same thing. Even though i was ready for it, the car is very unpredictable, and it always manages to understeer. So after a few more understeering corners, i figured why not play with the active diff a little. When i put the diff on rear bias, the cars feel changed quite a bit. Oversteer could now be achieved, but only under WOT. Its part throttle steering still felt the same as before. The car was a little bit more fun to drive, but it still lacked the exactitude the evo had. The car also felt heavy. I think it was due to the weight transfer. Bottom line: The car doesnt like to turn. When i got back to the dealership, smoke was coming out of every orifice of the car, and the tires were a rolled over on the edges just a touch, so people knew it had been broken in properly.
After that compare-o, i realize that listening to the magazine editors pays off. They hit each car on the head. If you want a fun car, buy the evo. If you want a car that isnt as fun, but still nice to drive everyday, buy the STI.
The EVO is my choice.
So what are your guys' tricks to buying cars?
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