Also the yardstick they measure lease residuals by. Without quibbling over what you can actually get for your MCS, the general picture is that the Evos tend to hold their value pretty well.

Minis are a dime a dozen here in the Bay Area and with the R56 coming out, I would not be surprised to see the resale values adjusting down.

The next Evo (X) is over a year away and is rumored to be taking the car into a different direction.

The Evos were not made in large numbers in this country and with the rate that the under 24 crowd is destroying them, they might end up holding their values pretty well.

 

A lot is going to depend on the next Endeavor/Outlander/Lancer Models being released next year.

I read in either the latest issue of MT or RT that the new Outlander is outselling the RAV4 and CRV in Japan.

The car magazines seem to be talking as if they have turned some corner - but time will tell.

In the meantime, the accolades and hype you hear about the Evo is real - I can't recommend enough getting the chance to take one out for a spin. They are projecting no 9s on the lots past this October.

 

No disagreement about the EVO holding value but the I think the RS and EVO are not special in that regard because they can be had for a significant amount under MSRP during sales. MINIs, while a dime a dozen, aren't discounted at the dealer.

EVOs are just as prevalent here in the BA. I see as many or more EVOS than MINIS everyday in SF.

They just release the IX and they are going to X so soon?

As long as they keep producing them, and making better models, the older ones, as with the MINIs, will keep depreciating. These are mass produced cars. They aren't porsche 993s.

 

The 9 just came out. Is the X that different?

I have no doubt about the potential of the EVOS. It's just not right for me at this time. I am more of the luxury GT kind of guy a the moment..IE E46 M3, or E90 M3 or 997 GT3 if I hit the lottery. Then again, if I hit the lottery I can have more than one toy.

 

BTW, you won't see me disregarding the potential of the EVO. If you want to discuss the merits with a hater, see RR|Suki. He'll tell you all about the vices of the EVO.

 

Any other car than my mini? I'll take the bus!! Seriously..an Acura, Honda or Toyota are the only other cars I would consider.

 

The percentages are the same, but the actual money figures aren't. losing 50% of your 24k dollar Mini is 12k, losing 50% of your 36k dollar Evo, is 18k :-\.

That being said, Most of the Mini's being sold in Southern California are selling for a grand or two under the MSRP as used cars, I bought my 2004 for 22,500, I could have gotten a new one for 25 :-\. granted, it wouldn't have had 16k in engine mods done to it, but the owner knew he wasn't going to make a dime on those, nor would I have paid any more to get them.

Statistics are great looking at the US as a whole, but i'd have a hard time believing that you could find a 2004 Mini Cooper S in good condition selling for $18k in Southern California (32% depreciation on a $26k car = 8,320 - $26k = $17,680k). Multiple contacts who go to regular car auctions have told me that the Cooper S is going through auctions higher than that . If you can buy it for MSRP here, it's almost a better deal than going used. The majority of the dealers are still getting anywhere from 2000-4000 markup above and beyond the MSRP for these cars.

 

I found something about the 04 residuals.

http://money.cnn.com/2003/11/10/pf/a...alue/index.htm

 

what color bus? Just kidding.

 

What color is the "short bus"???

 

Local dealer auction. Only regular coopers sold. 03 w/33k miles wholesaled at 16k. 06 wholesaled with 3k miles sold for 22750. What the heck?!?

http://www.elimidealer.com/prices.htm

http://www.elimidealer.com/prices.pdf

 

It's got to be LY! My fav color!

 

Ok..guess I do belong on the "short bus"..what color is LY????

 

Liquid Yellow...former color of the former short bus

 

Regular Coopers, not the Cooper S. The one that sold for 16k had nothing in it at all, and both were Automatics (). I'll take a Cooper S over a Lancer any day! If only because it doesn't look like a 9k dollar econo sedan .

 

I'm in the BA also and travel quite a bit during my day - I really don't see many Evos...........compared to the Mini - they just don't produce near as many. I have gone two days or so without seeing any and the ones I do are usually the same handful of cars.

 

You have a point - it looks like a $9K econo hatchback.

Seriously, while there is no denying that the Evo is roughly based on the Lancer, it is built in an entirely different factory. It shares only one body panel (trunk), incorporates and integrated roll bar and chassis bracing, and is only one of two production cars that is seam-welded. It literally has nothing in common with the Lancer mechanically.

The chassis, with the inclusion of the floorpan, is different. None of the key Evo parts bolt onto a Lancer or vice-versa.

Look, I can't deny that the Evo is a bit ugly. But driving the car transforms your perception of it. Literally every automotive publication has showered the car with accolades. Interestingly enough, if you visit other performance car forums, they give the Evo it's due. Sure they'll harp on the looks, but anyone who has driven one at the track, feels the power, the communicative steering, the excellent brakes and the phenominal handling of the car comes away impressed.

From Edmunds:

"It's about a completely unfiltered driving experience that sucks you in and never lets you go. Every shift of the five-speed gearbox feels like you're hand-feeding torque to all four wheels. Every hard turn feels like you have three friends, Suspension, Steering and Brakes, and they're telling you all their secrets. And every second you spend in the Recaro seats? That's a lasting embrace from the one that got away."

"If you want to fall in love with an Evo, take it to the curviest road you can find and make about 20 laps. It's not just about how quick the steering is, how deftly the suspension manages changing loads, or how well those differentials stir up the power when you're exiting corners, although these traits will undoubtedly impress you. This car talks to you. You feel it reaching out to you through the steering wheel, the driver seat and the pedals, and you do what it tells you. You feel like a pro."

From the Robb Report:

"If its (Evo) not on your ten all-time best enthusiast cars list, then your list is incomplete"

Hell, it ran an 8.11 at the Ring (in the damp). That's right up there with the big boys.

It isn't my job to sell Evos to the masses. Just my opinions and perception. Now I better quit before C4 crashes the party and tells me what a pile of crap every other car but the Mini is..........

 

I'm really not interested in bashing either car. To each his own right?

If you are interested, head up to San Rafael and ask to test drive the owner's 2006 MR that they use for a demo.

 

There are a lot of evos in SF. That's where I saw the middle age man and the senior citizen driving their MR and EVO. But to get back to the number of evos on the road, there may not be as many on the road as the MINI but is because its market is so specialized that they don't sell many? At least here, and you shuold know this, buying a MINI off of the showroom floor at MSRP is not all that common. Being able to buy a RS or a EVO on sale or off of the showroom floor isn't uncommon. The MR is different and may skew the numbers. I went to the dealership in serramonte and look at the EVO last year. I came back a week later and the same ones were there. They aren't exactly flying out of the showroom.

I think an EVO is a great buy, even better than a MINI because of it's features, and the fact it can be had for under MSRP. But I give the MINI credit as well. How many mass produced cars can retain hold it's value over the years like it?

 

Great suggestion. When I go to the mitsu dealer here they pretty much ignore me even though showed up in a BMW and I am in my forties.

 

yea, you better quit before he gets wind of this because there is no other car better than the MINI!

 

Great Choices!
I've test driven the Golf R32, owned both the WRX wagon and Jetta TDI...damn, you're not female and available, are you?

 

2006 vw gti white

 

Seriously - ask for Snorre or Eric (co-owners - Snorre is an ex-rally car driver). SRM is one of the few dealers that will let you test drive an Evo without giving up a kidney. His test drives give Webb's a run for the money.

Next door is their in-house tuning shop which houses Paul Fischer (Evo Tuner Savant from Down Under) and Beau Kelly (Dr. Evo). They run a full race prep dyno/shop owned by SR Mitsubishi.

Great people and atmosphere - it gives you an alternate look at the other types of gents who drive Evos.