The Choice: EVO VII GTA or 8G VR4

[smitty]

Hi all,

After creaming over the 8th gen VR4s for nearly two years (but the boss at the time got in the way), i now have no boss, and soon to have alot of disposable income, so now's the time, you'd think... alas, i also discovered the EVO 7 GTA. Both cars suit what i like, being turbulated, all-wheel-drive, and rare (never seen a single GTA on the road) and neither of them LOOK fast to the untrained eye...

My question is (after borrowing $30k or so) do i:
A) Purchase said GTA and have enough left to buy maybe some rims and a few minor go-fast mods...
or B) Spend less and get a Galant VR-4, and then throw roughly the purchase price of the car again into various bits n peices to make it both faster and more individual

Given the lesser age of the Evo, and likely fewer k's on the clock, it is a very attractive option, plus the 4G63 has alot of bolt-on stuff readily available for purchase, and a number of performance workshops are quite familiar with the cars, making future mods acheivable on a relatively lower budget.

The VR4s look alot meaner, and i think are a much more individual car. I understand they are also more luxurious (bonus!) and are probably more suitable for what i ultimately want in my next car (subtle, yet head-turning cruiser, who's bite is much worse than it's bark...). As far as mods go, after the initial outlay on the car (15k or so, give or take) i plan to spend that much again on all the good bits, but not much more will take place after that (i understand VR4s can be tricky and expensive and any further mods will require some serious saving, which i ain't too god at).

Whichever car i chose will be a weekend car only (i've the luxury of a company car that i use for work), so maintenance and running costs aren't an issue for me, neither is reliability really (if it breaks, ill just go without till it's fixed, no biggie at all).

So i'm putting it out there to you guys, i'd like to get some kind of idea on what you're opinions are, being much more educated on either car than i. Let me know what you think!


Cheers all,
Alex

P.S forgot to mention, i've driven both the vr-4 and gta before...

 

[dimi_108]

Alex, I too was interested in a GT-A as a second car to use as a daily drive and I went down to test drive a very nice Evo VII GT-A with 45,000kms on it three weeks ago (Chris drove past and saw me at the dealer. Sup Chris ).

I'll tell you now, stock for stock, the GT-A's do not have the torque our cars have.

They're very nice to drive and the interior seems quiet modern and "fresh".
All instruments are within easy reach and the car is very roomy.
The instrument cluster is nice and clear but no where near as fancy as the VR-4's "hi-vis" dash.

When driving the GT-A, you don't feel much g-force pull in 2nd and 3rd unlike you do with our cars.

The GT-A shares the same tiptronic gearbox as the VR-4's and gear changes where flawless and smooth.

The 4G63 sounds great and doesn't sound like your everyday four-banger "Corolla four cylinder". But unfortunately it doesn't compare to the throaty sound the Japanese performance six of the 8G VR-4's.

After the test drive, i liked how the Evo felt a bit "younger" than our cars, but it lacks the "muscle" the VR-4's have.

GT-A's certainly are cool, and are awesome little city sprinters but VR-4's are still tougher and our cars have more of a quality feel to them.
GT-A's feel very "plastic".

 

[Scottie]

Hey mate,

I am lucky enough to have both cars. The missus owns a GT-A which i drive regulary. The gearbox in it is amazing! The car is fitted with HKS springs and handles extremely well! I enjoy driving my Legnum as it is my own car and am used to it but i love jumping in the GT-A and going for a drive. It handles much better.

We are looking to sell soon so if you are interested, drop me a PM and come have a look. Can show you both cars if you like and decide for yourself. I would prefer to keep the GT-A but at the end of the day it is worth more money which is what we are after.

 

[smitty]

hating on scottie right now... all he needs now is a JZX100 aswell and i'd be forced to kill him and steal his identity, heh heh

 

[Tom]

I was looking towards Evo 8 and 9 when shopping for one of these, wasn't as big of a fan of the Evo 7, so I went for the Galant as it fitted my price range better

I say, go for a Facelift Galant and dump a few K in to it, turn it in to something more nutters and rarer than an Evo..

Sure, the GTA isn't as common as the others, but at the end of the day it looks a lot like another EVO 7 to most people that may even have slight knowledge of cars.. Where as the Galant will always stay something rarer and much more different to the rest

 

[godzilla]

Take your time and talk to The Chef, and the guys from J-Spec and track down a late model facelift. You wont be disappointed when you find a well maintained unit with low k's. Then you will still have a heap left to turn it into a rare(and fast!) gem

 

[mickelmaster]

Speaking of decisions

 

[ygoslo]

If the choice was between a manual VR4 and a manual Evo, the Evo gets the nod every time for me. If the choice was between a manual VR4 and a GT-A, the VR4 wins.

If the choice was between an auto VR4 and a GT-A, um, can you give me a lift to the bus stop?

 

[pu-11-me]

If the choice was between a manual VR4 and a manual Evo, the Evo gets the nod every time for me. If the choice was between a manual VR4 and a GT-A, the VR4 wins.

If the choice was between an auto VR4 and a GT-A, um, can you give me a lift to the bus stop?

You are so shallow lol.....

Its a handling vs torque thing (In a contest between autos)

Which is more important to you is your choice. You can spend 15k on mods for a VR4 but it will still weigh 1500kg's+

VR4's tick A LOT of boxes.... Frankly the EVO only ticks the fun one lol

Keep in mind you are asking a fairly biased mob. EVOOZ may tell you an entirely different story

 

[Dr_Josh001]

I was looking in the GTA direction too but the price difference sorted me out. Now I have a VR4 that's faster a stock evo and I've only spent maybe 5-6k on it since buying it for 15k. There's a lot that you can do to these for handling as well so they're not just fast in a straight line.

 

[Emu]

Alex, you said you have no boss and a lot of disposable income....

So...
GT-A is the beach girl in bikini with towel, whose fun every day of the week, likes the clubs, goes to the mall.
VR-4 is more refined lady, dressed to the nine's in a Gucci LBD and handles any situation with finesse even when pushed.

Didn't help did I? lol.... (Settle Dawso!!)

 

[smitty]

anyone can go fast in a straight line, otherwise i'd be after something cheap and painless a la xr6 turbo lol :wanker:

however i dont plan on taking it to the track or anything that demanding, it will mainly be a cruiser.... so far its looking rather galant-ish...

 

[smitty]

Alex, you said you have no boss and a lot of disposable income....

So...
GT-A is the beach girl in bikini with towel, whose fun every day of the week, likes the clubs, goes to the mall.
VR-4 is more refined lady, dressed to the nine's in a Gucci LBD and handles any situation with finesse even when pushed.

Didn't help did I? lol.... (Settle Dawso!!)

Hah nice way to put it mate, i'll be honest option B is looking better and better. You've all given me some food for thought, thats for sure!

 

[Scottie]

The GT-A wins in my book...

Better handling
Better economy
Better tuning potential
Better options (ACD, Brembos, HIDs etc)
Same leg room
Newer

The GT-A runs stock boost with the springs being the only mod. It will keep up with my Legnum (running 15PSI) no worries, and will go around corners much faster. It is an awesome family/performance car. Like i said before, the gearbox is brilliant. I have had 2 OZVR4 members in it and both have been in awe.

The only decison should because of budget and your personal prefernce.

Here is a pic of the GT-A from a photo shoot...

 

[Madhav]

I got my leggy for $9k, they do occationally come up too. Now if you were to throw $20k on mods, omg you would have an absolute beast...

 

[Guest]

galant

Definately Galant. It is the 30% price difference and thats a lot.
If it was 10-20% tough decision but you are looking at least 30% extra for the gt-a.
Huge factor is that its almost impossible to get a gt-a with a sunroof.
To get brembos on a galant is about $1-1.5K which is not much as you may have to spend $6-700 for new disks and pads for the evo anyway.

Intercooler kit from NZ is under $500aus.
Exhaust will set you back $1 grand with dumps and you may need this grand for the gt=a as well.
Piggy back ecu $1 grand tuned.
If you dont really care for s/roof the dfinately get a super galant like this one.
[Image not found]
$4000 odd dollars in japan so I am guessing about $10k landed and for $8000 extra you have a custom sound system,exhaust, f/cooler, ecu upgrade, brembos and a alarm with automatic window up and pager,and new rims of your choice and coilovers.
For $18k this car will have all what a gt-a has plus better wheels, sound system and will be quicker and looks better.
No comparison. Make the evo purchase price $18k and $2 grand on mods and then tough decision but I dont see gt-s evo's for $18k and in one piece.

 

[jaygore]

ok i have never liked the gta's

Why?

Because it just looks like your normal standard lancer which every young girl buys and puts the same body kit, bonnet on..... and so on! Its not unique at all.

If you want a unique car then get the galant.. ever since i have had my legnum i get so many looks and i also get asked so many questions about it where ever i go! Its awesome and im sorry but i really do not think that you will get this with an evo, when it all comes down to it an evo is just another lancer to me, the power is amazing, but i would refuse to get one just because i reminds me of a girls car... sorry guys

 

[frozen]

in my opionion an auto evo = fail... they weren't designed to be auto, they are a rally car if you want auto go the galant, if you want manual well the gta is only auto lol so that makes the decision easy..

 

[Tom]

If you put money in to anything you can turn it in to an all purpose weapon.. The Evo and Galant are already about half way there..

But I say if you want something that is a bit more different to the rest of the cars out there, the Galant is the way to go..

The Galants demand respect from those around it who know what it is, and it'll surprise whoever else comes across it..

Evo's already have the 'look at me and race me' look to them, the Galant, once done up just that bit more will scream it

 

[VR4Rocket]

I think the Evo 7 looks like a Lancer that a P plater drives....to be honest if you said ANY other Evo I would have said go with it......I LOVE the Evo5 and 6....so much that one day I will own one!! But at the moment my Legnum is great because of the boot space......