If I was looking for a good track car, but still wanted to drive the car around town, i would probably look more at the EVO MR than the RS version.

If I'm not as worried about absolute track times, I would be more inclined to get a RWD car than an AWD car. There are just more fun things you can do with a RWD car. Absolute traction is not as great as the AWD, but for the fun factor, nothing beats the tail out enjoyment of RWD. I had a chance to drive the 911 TT vs. the GT3 on the track for a brief time. The TT is heavy, corners great, and is so planted. But on driving the GT3 the engine revving, the tail out just had me absolutely giddy. I've also had an occasion to drive my 911 (Carrera w/ sports suspension ) vs. a Carrera 4 on the track. My car was more fun, maybe not as confident pulling out of the corner. I even drove the GT2 (456 hp version), an absolute rampaging beast. Turbo with RWD & no Stability Management, an exhilirating, yet white knuckle ride.

 

My 3 friends and myself got out alright except for 2 concussions and a sprained finger. I don't think the Evo held up very well but that was mostly due to the location of some parts. The hood is not very long so the intercooler had to be damaged and I believe the turbo might have been damaged too. The damage was far enough into the front end that the front tires looked exposed from the front. I really can't say how it compares to other cars because this was my first accident in over 13 years of driving and over owning several vehicles. From what I could see inside the seats actually appeared to have bowed from the impact. The good thing was that the car (unlike most mitsus) was valued at almost exactly MSRP by the insurance adjusters so there was absolutely no negative equity on the car when it was time to buy again.

 

That's good to hear. I've heard that the '05 Evo is better off in a side-impact now because of the reinforced aluminum beams in the door. If it wasnt for those I would go with the STi and its side-impact airbags.