I need to get a new car soon since I think my car is about to have problems. I've always wanted the WRX STI however the STI will not come out till another 1.5+ years. I can get the WRX locally without a problem but should I wait for the WRX STI to come out next year and buy a cheap car for now? Does anyone offer a tradeup policy for cars so I can pay the difference is I want the WRX STI in the future?
What are the differences between the WRX and WRX STI except for the new disc, engine, turbo, and seats? Can I buy a WRX now and modify it to STI specs and still be cost effective? What mods would I need to produce 275+ hp and such as the STI has? I really wanted to wait for the STI however my car may die and any point. Please give me some ideas. Thanks.

STi is not for sure yet, as for power two words Cobb Tuning (http://www.cobbtuning.com) They have the setup for like 300 at the wheels....hehehehe thats a lot.:D :D :D

Andres

buy a WRX so you can use your current POS car as a trade in while it still has any value.

There is no confirmation that the STI is coming over. If it does, then it sounds like a limited production run (1500 cars) and will most definately be over $35,000

Get the WRX, and use the extra 1.5 years to mod it to STI performace levels... That's what I will most likely do.

I'm in the same dilemma. You'll see to the left that I have a 2000.
The STi is ohhhhhhhhhhhh so tasty a possibility, but then again, by the time the sucker gets over here, I'll probably have mine paid off (or close to), and can maybe do the kind of mods that would bring it to STi level. Granted, it's a 2.5 and not the 2.2 preferred platform, but...

If I have the money at the time I'd either give the RS to my girlfriend and do an STi, or upgrade mine and get a Miata or S2000 or something like that. It's a tough call. This is assuming I'm not broke, of course. :D

EDIT: (pic) 'Tis nice to dream, though... :cool: What a view this would be for the 97% of people on the road I could pass!!!
http://www.fantasycars.com/sedans/japan/sub_newrxsti3.jpg

-S2-

I think we need to devote an entire forum to just "is the sti coming"

:)

buy a WRX so you can use your current POS car as a trade in while it still has any value.
since when did the WRX become a pos car. i wish i had a WRX.

He never said he had a WRX, he said he has a POS car that he is thinking of trading in for a WRX, or WRX-STi. :p

My advice to you:

Wait: you will not be disappointed. :D

JJ
www.imprezawrxsti.com
All STi, All The Time

Got one on order, eh? That's cool. :) You must have a dealership with a brain!!! hehe

I've put my name "on the list" for one at my dealership.

Whether or not that means anything, remains to be seen...

-S2-

If I was asked to describe the New Age WRX STi Version in 2 words, I would say this:

LIGHTWEIGHT

POWER

Neither will ever be able to make it over here in its original form.

Lightweight=no airbags, no bumper beams, no door beams.
Power=less than 3 cats, 100+ octane, bigger turbo.

If you know what it took SOA to bring the regular WRX over here, you will understand where I am going with that. Best case scenario, you'll get an STi. It will be a "visual" STi rather that the real STi version that Japan gets. Plus, STi name cannot be used in US.

So anyone wants to buy a WRX SPT Version which is basically a regular WRX with few extra ponies, some body kit and bigger rims (or something similar to that) for ~$28,000-$30,000.

Hehe. Go ahead.

Well that's what we all know will probably happen, but we have to hope, man. :)

I don't think it's unreasonable to see a WRX, with the 276hp. turbo and the good tranny and six-speed, with the new suspension. Maybe it'll keep the support beams and air bags, but to that I say "Good." I'll sacrifice a little speed for safety, personally.

-S2-

Well my inital reasoning was that I'd buy a WRX now and trade up to the STi once it comes out. Now that I've had my car for about 4 months I can't imagine getting rid of it. Even at my lazy pace of mods it'll probably be near STi levels of power. Of course,.. I still won't have STi seats, a 6-spd, or the cool headlights (amoung other things),..hrm,... maybe I'll get an STi after all :)

I wouldn't wait though,... you'd be missing out on a lot of fun over the next 1.5+ years waiting.

-Gerlando.
http://www.clubSTi.com

I located some GREAT STi pics, just now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://car.nifty.com/news/001024news-1/wrx.htm

For example, speaking of those headlights... :D
http://car.nifty.com/news/001024news-1/DSC00072.JPG

(Found off of http://www.mrtrally.com.au/performance/WRX-RA01.htm )

-S2-

Originally posted by Imprezer
If I was asked to describe the New Age WRX STi Version in 2 words, I would say this:

LIGHTWEIGHT

POWER

Neither will ever be able to make it over here in its original form.

Lightweight=no airbags, no bumper beams, no door beams.
Power=less than 3 cats, 100+ octane, bigger turbo.

If you know what it took SOA to bring the regular WRX over here, you will understand where I am going with that. Best case scenario, you'll get an STi. It will be a "visual" STi rather that the real STi version that Japan gets. Plus, STi name cannot be used in US.

So anyone wants to buy a WRX SPT Version which is basically a regular WRX with few extra ponies, some body kit and bigger rims (or something similar to that) for ~$28,000-$30,000.

Hehe. Go ahead.

why dont ya just go over to japan when it comes and buy the real sti, then ship it back here :) some cars are cheaper there anyways.....

haha.... that would be tite....
but they have it, and we won't....
and it would cost bundles to ship it over, change to left-drive.... it would never pass smog, never be able to be registered, end up costing more than just shipping over the sti parts and putting it on a wrx....
but dang that would be sweet to look at....

:rolleyes:

hehehe...along that line of thought

I was installing my Defi gauge pod and hardwiring my Valentine 1 up last week..
and to route the V1 phone wire, I took off the dash top

well that's where the VIN # sits!!!:eek:
it's not permanantely fixed to the car!!

I instantly thought, how easy it would be to buy a wrecked dash, from a US WRX or RS and ship an STI over from say......Germany or Taiwan???? both have left-hand drive:D :D :D

Don't bother waiting. You will usually know a car is coming out about 12 months before it arrives. Do you want to wait over a year?

Do you want to be put on a waiting list when SOA announces only 1 per dealer?

Do you want to pay premium MSRP, or possibly mucho $$ over sticker?

Do you want to pay some big repair bills on your current car, regretting not ditching it earlier?

i say go with the wrx. if anything you could always enjoy modding your car to beat the
sti. don't go with junk car. well if your patient i say the sti but you'd have to have some
cash and a lot of patients. up to you.

Imprezer: why cant the STi name be used here? Its used in every other country.

the same reason Trust is known as GReddy in the US, copyright laws etc, since the namee or abbreviation is already in use by another company...

Just personal opinion here.
STi = less future improvement since it already have bigger turbo, better exhaust, etc. Even if you spend money on mods, probably you won't see as much improvement from a WRX upgrades.
Expensive it will be, and also the insurance.
A regular WRX, you can do lots of mod to bring it close or same to STi modded level. But, of course not better than a modded STi.
The regular WRX should have just as same potential as the STi. Watch these: You can get a bigger Turbo/intercooler and FEEL the difference right away. Get an aftermarket Exhaust and FEEL the difference now. Better suspension/tires and FEEL the difference. After that, you can call it STi or whatever you want it to be. Isn't that fun?
Another thing for STi is that, you get more stares and attention, and maybe on the negative side, it is in danger when you can't watch it/park it outside...... Watch out your baby and worry....

Thanks for all of those who replied to my posting. I picked up my 2002 WRX Red manual yesterday 9/22/2001. I really wanted a nce car and didn't want to wait another 2 years to get the STI. Someone reminded me that I can always tradeup. The car is the bomb so far; I've gotton 10+ complements in less than 5 hrs of owning the car. Sweet!

Congrats on the purchase! I too was hesitant at first, and now I just wait semi-patiently for my WRX to come in (should be less than 7 days...)

This will be a long 7 days hehe! :lol:

__________________
Vineet Singh
http://www.eaglecars.com/

I beat all the Asians in Asia make fun of us.

WE DONT HAVE STI :(

Yeah I beat they're making fun of us on how we accept the WRX and not the WRX STI version for now. I really wanted the STI but 35K+ is not in my budget and you know that the dealer's are going to rape us in price. I'll see how much better the WRX STI feels as compared to the regular WRX. I might trade up later if it really is a big difference or I might just spend another 3-5K after the warranty period and get the after market turbos and ECU and make it 300hp+.

By the time all the hype is done I bet the STi won't be worth it.
Bah... I'll just sell my girlfriend or something for the new Audi S4 Avant when it comes out. :D

-S2-

Don't bother waiting. You will usually know a car is coming out about 12 months before it arrives. Do you want to wait over a year?

Ummm... Wrong. Plain Wrong. Sorry. :) I know you mean well.

The WRX is a great example. When was it that SOA 'confirmed' the WRX coming here? Jan. 9th. (Many people knew a month or 2 beforehand... but wasn't made 'official' until the beginning of Janurary)

When did it arrive? March/April.

Timeframe? About 3 months after it was 'official', 5 months max after rumors starting becoming fact.

They can do it again ya know. I have Autoweek magazines from a year ago and it was all just pure speculation. And also, many said at the time, in print, SOA denounces plans for WRX in the states.

People also said the WRX would be at least $30K. What did it come in as? $24,495 Sedan/$23,495 Wagon.

We've been pleasantly surprised before. I think and believe it will happen again. :)

I, for one, am an optimist. I wanted a WRX wagon when the rumors were flying around last fall, and they were decried, never here in the states.

Give it a chance and put all this 'No it won't' bull to bed. You never know until it happens.

I have a WRX Wagon in my driveway to prove it... and room for an STi in the stable too.

--kC

Hey, so long as you've got the bucks for both KC.... !

If you ever do get both, you let us know. I gotta see that garage!
:D

Hopefully the STi treatment will be on the wagon here in the U.S., too.

-S2-

Hey chuglobal, that is what they said about the WRX too, but look what hapened. We get the WRX, with a sticker of about $25k, and already you can pick one up below sticker price. Heck, people were buying them below sticker price when they first came out.

Imprezer, I thought ALL New Age Impreza's had 3 cats? Also, just because they might not be able to use STi, doesn't mean they won't think up some gimicky name, like 22B, RB5, P1, etc. Also, we know they can give us more power, better handling, better brakes, and a lighter weight all without doing anything illegal. Also, with all the supposed Japanese sports car that are coming over, and that we can already buy, Subaru is going to need to keep up with the other Japanese companies so that they don't lose face. For example we Know a new Z car is coming, we Know Toyota is not sitting still, and will be coming with something, the chances of Mitsu not bringing something over to challenge the WRX are almost non existant, and usually Mitsu sticks with 276 hp, and doesn't downgrade. Plus the Skyline might come over, and awd Focus should be forthcoming, plus Mazda is coming back into the sports car scene with at least 2 models that would compete, plus the chances of me knowing everything about the Japanese, and other companies are very slim, Audi is coming with all sorts of stuff, as is VW, not to mention the American car makers, especially with GM owning some of Subaru they will get AWD and power stuff. The odds of the U.S. not getting a WRX STi level car in both name and performance are extrememly slim. It COULD happen, but my(nonexistant as of yet) money is on the STi getting over here.

Finally, if you have the $ now, DO NOT WAIT, you could be waiting only a few days for all we know, but chances are we will be waiting a few years, when the sports car market has fleshed out like I mentioned above. I know if I had the $ to purchase the WRX, I would never be able to wait for a car that could come in 2 or three years, because by that time I would be able to mod the WRX to far superior levels of performance than the Japanese Spec STi has now.

Yeah that's why I went ahead and purchased my WRX last Sat 9/22/2001. I find it very amusing how so many people have complemeted me on the car and it's not even a too expensive car. But it's all good, I'm going to drive the WRX and watch for the STI if and when it decides to come out.

Yup, get one now and trade it in when the STI arrives. Who knows how many will be shipped to the US, price, and if there will be STI and/or STI PRodrive editions. Why nnot drive a WRX until then...

just my $.02

-anders

Speculating on upcoming models is almost as much fun as about politics. Its an interesting dance the manufacturers do. On the one hand trying to gauge consumer interest, on the other to guess what the other makers are doing and offer something comparable, better, or a superior value. If Mitsubishi brings over an Evo, will Subaru bring the STi? Almost certainly: it gains a great deal of cachet from having a high performance AWD rally car, and it can't surrender the best performance title to Mitsu without a fight. But then again, will the costs of importing another model be justified by the profit or the halo effect? Here's where the marketing and sales people are probably frantically projecting and measuring consumer tastes.

So we have a game where Subaru and Mitsubishi are staring the other down: if one brings over the top dog, the other has to follow. But who will press the button first? What could result is a desperate race by both manufacturers to bring over the Evo and STi, being convinced the other is coming. Subaru probably has the luxury of waiting on the STi. It has an excellent reputation, and sales are good. Mitsubishi though, is clearly rudderless. The Evo could be just the thing to re-establish its sales and reputation in North America.

Frankly though, there's no reason for the STi NOT to come to North America: the new Euro spec STi looks as if it will certainly pass North American emissions and crash test standards (indeed, it was probably designed for them) and probably won't be difficult to certify. The STi would be another boost for Subaru's reputation here in North America, cementing it as a maker of exciting, high-quality and high-performance AWD vehicles, the Japanese BMW. That sort of brand image is a valuable thing. Since the costs for importing the STi are almost assuredly only the certification costs (the R&D and design having been done for the Euro (global?) spec STi) it's an affordable proposition to bring it over. They could sell a few thousand of them and make a profit. What's there to lose?

My guess is that car is here late summer to early fall 2002, exactly the same specs as the rest of the world, minus perhaps the Brembos and seats.

By the time finally we get STi (SPT?) version, Japan might have Version3 already.

We only have 91 octane and we put a lot of mileage on our car. I won't be surprised if they detune the motor to save a safety margin.
A lot of japanese cars won't see more than 30K miles on their odometer in its life but here over 100K miles is not unusual.

Originally posted by fanatic

since when did the WRX become a pos car. i wish i had a WRX.

ok everybody give a nice round of applause while I hand out the "Paying Attention" prize.:lol:

Originally posted by Frank_M
hehehe...along that line of thought

I was installing my Defi gauge pod and hardwiring my Valentine 1 up last week..
and to route the V1 phone wire, I took off the dash top

well that's where the VIN # sits!!!:eek:
it's not permanantely fixed to the car!!


criminal! hehe. It's also stamped on the chassis and in a few other places as well.

Hmm I wonder if a "detuned" STi could fairly easily be re-tuned, if that's the case when it ships?

Ideally I'd like to have my girlfriend take my car if the new one comes, but.... I don't know if I can afford that, unless I somehow have the cash for a down payment. Though by that point in time I'll be shopping for mortgages, so... probably not. :D

-S2-

Europe gets the new STI in January. According to AutoWeek it will make to the States in 2003 as a 2004 model. Horsepower is 261 and torque is 253. It has active valve control, water spray for the intercooler, Brembo brakes, 225/45/17 on gold wheels and the 6 speed tranny. They also reort a special Prodrive edition will be produced. No word on whether or not it makes it over here.

Here's my two cents. If you plan on modifying your car, go ahead and buy the WRX. If you plan to leave the car stock, wait for the STi. Here's why:

When you upgrade a car, you generally replace things like wheels and suspension components and add horsepower equipment, such as upgraded ECU, turbo, intercooler, etc. Sometimes you even add a front spoiler or other visual pieces. Paying an additional $5,000 to $10,000 for upgraded STi parts that you're going to upgrade some more doesn't make sense.

Audi TT owners will tell you this also, as there is a 180 hp TT and a 225 hp TT available. The 225 hp version has an upgraded turbo, ECU, and running gear. If you're going to replace it anyway, replace the cheaper 180 hp equipment instead of the more expensive 225 hp equipment.

On the other hand, I assume you want the fastest WRX you can buy. If you like to leave cars stock, then wait for the STi, if we are going to get it.

Right but with the TT example, isn't the 225-hp. car a six-cylinder, versus the 1.8T's four?

If that's the case (and I *think* it is), then it's a matter of whether you want a four or a six, and some people are devoted to the number of sparkplugs they like in their cars!

-S2-

Both are 4's.

Hello everyone, this is my first post so I hope it's ok to offer my opinion...

If you want STI performance today, check out aftermarket tuners like M2 Performance (http://www.m2performance.com/) Their prices don't seem too unreasonable considering what they offer in their packages.... and no by the way I don't work for them :)

Also, Body kits by Syms look awesome! Here's a pic.

Well, the back looks kind of cool....


ehh.... Except for that spoiler, which appears to be constructed out of a couple of snowboards and some cut milk crates or something... :confused: Very ugly, IMO.

Siper2,
I agree with you on the wing. I like this one more:

oooo!!!!
PAINTED snowboards and CHROME milkcrates!!!!

haha but yea, these are for function not looks anyway....

Hard to see something like that as being seriously functional, when so many outrageous, non-functional, appearance-only wings are out there, that are about the same size and look very similar.

But....

I'm not doubting it, either. You just wouldn't catch me with one on my car. Functional or not. :D

-S2-

haha of course....
some need it for downforce, but most don't!

i would never get one, it's too out there,
not to mention asking for cops to shoot you.

i prefer filling my trunk with useless possessions and school stuff that i can't even sort thru.

i think somehwere they are still selling the trunkmonkey too!
:monkey:

haha peace,
mak

Definitely appreciate your candor guys... waddya think about this one:

Nice design, too tall.

i don't like it,
but if it comes with the girl, i'll take it!

Dang, I didn't even see her....!! :eek:

I must be gettin' old.

If you have the money for WRX Sti get this now....

M2 WRX
0 - 60: 4.8 sec 1/4 Mile: 13.1 sec 60 - 0: 102 ft. Slalom:73.6mph

For $13k more than a WRX you will trully SPANK any Sti! and many modded WRX's...http://www.m2performance.com
:devil: :devil: :devil:


http://www.m2performance.com/images/Wrx.jpg

Originally posted by L8Apex
If you have the money for WRX Sti get this now....

M2 WRX
0 - 60: 4.8 sec 1/4 Mile: 13.1 sec 60 - 0: 102 ft. Slalom:73.6mph

For $13k more than a WRX you will trully SPANK any Sti! and many modded WRX's...http://www.m2performance.com
:devil: :devil: :devil:


http://www.m2performance.com/images/Wrx.jpg thats a good idea

hmm....

24K WRX
13K M-2 Performance
_________________
37K Performance Machine

32K WRX-STi
5K Upgrades
______________
37K Performance Machine

I'll bet I could whoop up on that M2 WRX with a STi with 5K in upgrades. Face it guys- the STi is a much better base- performance wise. If the STi comes in at 30K as many say, that is another 2K to play with. Even **IF** it was 35K, I bet you 2,000 in upgrades could get you more in a STi. :D

I am prepared to back up my bet, if I have the money to do it at that point in time- :)


JJ
www.imprezawrxsti.com
All STi, All The Time

just wondering, what would u spend that 2000 - 5000 on to make the sti better?

There's ALWAYS room for improvement!!

Even people with Ferraris do upgrades. :)

I'd start with coilovers then move to programmable engine management. I have full confidence that the correct parts above could stomp some ass...

JJ
All STi, All The Time
www.imprezawrxsti.com

Yeah, that sounds about right. The raw ingredients for an ass-whooper are there with the stock STi. Great intercooler, great turbo, great fuel system, great transmission, great brakes, great engine internals. None of this stuff needs to be changed for 350hp. All you need is a good uppipe/exhaust system, some engine management, and a set of coilovers and sways and you will have a serious ass-whooper of a machine.

Isn't the exhaust system already great, though??

And how about that suspension, what is it the STi Version 6? 7?
Damn hard to imagine any better, but then again.... Maybe not.
:D

Another option is Cobb Tuning (http://www.cobbtuning.com/projectwrx/wrx-stage1.html) Can't beat a car that can do 0-60 in 4.25 and have the handling and brakes to add the icing on the cake-o-whoop-@$$ !!!