08-09 WRX/STI Questions

Whappeh

Whappeh

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I'm coming up on a change of career and am getting some money. Housing payments aren't an issue, and so I was thinking about investing in a new car. I currently drive an 06 2.5i MT. I love the car, but feel its lacking a bit of the oomph.... and my lady can't drive the manual, so anytime we go on a driving trip, or we get stuck out somewhere, I need to be the one driving.

So I started looking around at some 08/09 WRX and STIs. I know the 08 WRX got some bad publicity from what I've read (Underpowered?), so for the extra few the STI seems appealing... but the WRX has the one thing that, even though its a taboo, is enticing: The Automatic. So, here are my questions:

1) Is the WRX Automatic a travesty to drive?

2) Would you spend the extra money, if you could, for an 08 STI compared to an 08 WRX?

3) Would you just take all the extra money, mod the 06 I already have, and then take extra leftover money and buy a bike and spruce up the home?
 
Only one way to find out. Go test drive them.

Some people can tolerate an automatic better than others. I would say to go for the STI, but as you said, your lady wouldn't be able to drive it.
 
Naturally I'd drive them all before buying, I was just wondering if there was a grand consensus or something (IE: The WRX Auto Tranny has too few gears, or the WRX has too little power, or the STI's value isn't worth it, etc).
 
Well, I haven't had the pleasure of driving the newest WRX/STI, but I have driven with the previous generation and those were great. My brother in law use to own a 2004 WRX, but his was a 5-speed. It felt plenty fast to me, but it was nothing compared to the 2007 STI we test drove. That monster felt in a different league. I would say it's worth the extra money, especially if you were planning to buy a WRX to mod or just modifying your current Impreza. A factory stock STI is perfect as it is, imo.
 
The 2008 WRX had a smaller turbo so it made about 224 hp. It also had blander styling and I believe softer suspension. In 2009 they put in a much bigger turbo with 265 hp and better suspension. If you were to get a WRX, it would be 2009 all the way as the differences between the two are huge. Also, they don't make automatic WRX's anymore. You can get a Impreza 2.5GT, but that has the smaller turbo so only 224 hp. I heard that the auto is pretty bad since it is only 4 speed so you end up revving high at highway speeds.

STi's are obviously nicer with a better interior, 6 speed gearbox, suspension, drive-train and engine, but I don't think that it is honestly worth it if you are on a budget. Just go with a 2009 WRX and if you decide to modify it, putting in a downpipe, exhaust, and tune will put you in STi territory in in terms of performance.
 
I'd say get the STi and teach the gal how to drive a stick.
 
p0w3r said:
STi's are obviously nicer with a better interior, 6 speed gearbox, suspension, drive-train and engine, but I don't think that it is honestly worth it if you are on a budget. Just go with a 2009 WRX and if you decide to modify it, putting in a downpipe, exhaust, and tune will put you in STi territory in in terms of performance.
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The only thing I don't like about that idea is how much more does a STI really cost over a WRX? And how much are all those modifications going to cost? And how many other things are upgraded on the STI over the WRX, like brakes, suspension, drivetrain, etc, to handle the extra power?

To me it seems like a much better idea to just get a STI and keep it stock. Or save some money and buy a WRX and keep it stock.
 
Whappeh said:
I love the car, but feel its lacking a bit of the oomph.... and my lady can't drive the manual, so anytime we go on a driving trip, or we get stuck out somewhere, I need to be the one driving.
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Teach the GF how to drive a manual. It isn't that hard, as long as she can walk and chew gum at the same time.
 
'09 WRX or it isn't worth it. '08 WRX as mentioned above was sacrilege...and the '08 STI (from personal experience) is a problem child.

Now, if you for some reason ended up having a choice to get an '08 STI, as long as the car is clean and the service papers are in line, it isn't a bad choice at all.
 
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TomCat said:
The only thing I don't like about that idea is how much more does a STI really cost over a WRX? And how much are all those modifications going to cost? And how many other things are upgraded on the STI over the WRX, like brakes, suspension, drivetrain, etc, to handle the extra power?

To me it seems like a much better idea to just get a STI and keep it stock. Or save some money and buy a WRX and keep it stock.
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A turboback exhaust with downpipe from Turbo XS costs about $1,000 MSRP...if you look around you can sometimes get it on sale for about $800.
A Turbo XS intake costs about $170.
Then get a open source stage 2 tune from Torqued Performance which costs $70
To load the tune you just need a computer (laptop preferred) and a Tactrix Openport 2.0 Cable for $170.

This brings a total of $1410 (if you did not get the exahust/downpipe on sale, which in case it would be even cheaper). This puts your power output to around 280 whp and 320 lb-ft of torque, which is more than a stock STi's 230whp and 270 lb-t of torque.

Of course this assumes that you installed your own mods, but its not difficult to install an exhaust and intake. You still miss out on the goodies that the STi has but you will be faster than a STi for a coupe thousand less. As if its a good deal or not, I certainly think so but for the one that wants to keep a stock car under warranty then the STi would make more sense. I just personally feel that the WRX is the best performance bargain of the century.
 
p0w3r said:
A turboback exhaust with downpipe from Turbo XS costs about $1,000 MSRP...if you look around you can sometimes get it on sale for about $800.
A Turbo XS intake costs about $170.
Then get a open source stage 2 tune from Torqued Performance which costs $70
To load the tune you just need a computer (laptop preferred) and a Tactrix Openport 2.0 Cable for $170.

This brings a total of $1410 (if you did not get the exahust/downpipe on sale, which in case it would be even cheaper). This puts your power output to around 280 whp and 320 lb-ft of torque, which is more than a stock STi's 230whp and 270 lb-t of torque.

Of course this assumes that you installed your own mods, but its not difficult to install an exhaust and intake. You still miss out on the goodies that the STi has but you will be faster than a STi for a coupe thousand less. As if its a good deal or not, I certainly think so but for the one that wants to keep a stock car under warranty then the STi would make more sense. I just personally feel that the WRX is the best performance bargain of the century.
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I agree about the WRX being an incredible performance bargain too.

And you could give it more HP than an STI for a few grand less, but will it be faster around a track? I'm not convinced. I've read lots of magazine comparisons with tuner cars, companies that modify Corvettes, Vipers, 911's, etc into 600, 700, 800hp monsters. And yet they're almost never faster around a track than a stock ZR1, ACR, GT2, etc. The factory upgrades a lot more than just the HP. The entire car is upgraded and tuned with the extra power.

From what I can see, you could get into an STI for about $5k over the price of a WRX, second hand anyway. I think that's a reasonable amount of money for that much more all-around performance. Of course, these AWD rally style cars have always made me weary. So many things that can go wrong on them. Upgrading power to a level the car was never designed to handle could be asking for trouble. Of course, I have no idea how over-built the WRX is.

Also, if you want your car to maintain it's value, modifying it is a bad idea. Not many people are comfortable forking over a lot of money for a car someone has screwed around with.
 
TomCat said:
I agree about the WRX being an incredible performance bargain too.

And you could give it more HP than an STI for a few grand less, but will it be faster around a track? I'm not convinced. I've read lots of magazine comparisons with tuner cars, companies that modify Corvettes, Vipers, 911's, etc into 600, 700, 800hp monsters. And yet they're almost never faster around a track than a stock ZR1, ACR, GT2, etc. The factory upgrades a lot more than just the HP. The entire car is upgraded and tuned with the extra power.

From what I can see, you could get into an STI for about $5k over the price of a WRX, second hand anyway. I think that's a reasonable amount of money for that much more all-around performance. Of course, these AWD rally style cars have always made me weary. So many things that can go wrong on them. Upgrading power to a level the car was never designed to handle could be asking for trouble. Of course, I have no idea how over-built the WRX is.

Also, if you want your car to maintain it's value, modifying it is a bad idea. Not many people are comfortable forking over a lot of money for a car someone has screwed around with.
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It wont be faster around the track, since the brembos will fade less and the DCCD diff in the STi will make it handle better. However, daily driving wise the wrx will be just as fast or faster. The WRX has a very strong engine and the new turbo is built to handle the extra power. The only main weakness is the 5 speed since it cannot handle high power levels, but that is usually around 350whp.

5k is still a pretty big chunk of change when you are already buying an expensive car, modifying gives you the option to upgrade when you are ready to spend more. Though I do agree that typically a modified car does depreciate it a bit more...but usually not over 2k more from what I have seen. Besides you can always part out and return to stock. Then not only will you have a stock car, you can also sell your parts at forum. Though some may argue this can be deemed as unethical :p

I am pretty biased to the WRX as I was personally planning to get a 2011 except I didn't have the option to wait for one to come in stock. My friend has a 2010 WRX Stage 2 and that thing definitely feels much faster than my other friends STi in terms of acceleration. However, the STi does handle better...though you would have to be pushing the car pretty hard to notice.

It really is just two complete trains of thought. I think it really comes to this: If you have the money, an STi is still an STi, making it a more well rounded performer. However if you want to save money and experience ~80% of what the STi has to offer, then get a WRX.
 
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I'd search the forums for STi suspension parts (or better aftermarket equivalents) and bolt those on. Then, upgrade your wheels and tires. If you really want to boost power first, do what pow3r suggested, although I would shell out for upgraded brakes, lines, fluid, etc. Also, better tires will make a large difference as well. '08 STi's had teething issues with the ECU, so you're better off upgrading.
 
Depends what you want to use the car for. For track, the extra bits on the STI definitely make the extra dough worth spending. On the street, a WRX (tuned or otherwise) will do just fine.
 
All I know is that my parent's 2008 auto Legacy GT is completely awful to drive, and it's a 5 speed. I imagine the WRX's 4-speed is even worse. Just teach her how to drive manual. As Jezza says, how hard can it be? ;)
 
Dr.Kamiya said:
Depends what you want to use the car for. For track, the extra bits on the STI definitely make the extra dough worth spending. On the street, a WRX (tuned or otherwise) will do just fine.
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Street only, I'm not a track driver.

I've narrowed it down to WRX or just mod my current car and save some money... so I'll have to see which way the job goes now. :D
 
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