the evo is hands down more reliable than the sti. be realistic, how long are you really going to keep it stock. with minor upgrades you can make 350 to the ground in the evo and it is still very reliable. as far as handling, the evo is setting track records all over the country right now, that speeks for itself. go drive both of them and compare the feel. the sti feels much larger than the evo but the body roll is deceiving, it still handles very well.