Hi I am planning on getting a WRX.
Other than the obvious does anyone know if there are any differences between the sedan or wagon?
I know there is a slight weight difference but Im curious if there are handling differences.
Also, I understand the 2005 WRX is coming out sometime soon. Is there any major differences between the 04 or 05? If so maybe I should wait, that is if they are close in price. :)

the wagon doesn't have the flared fenders... so it's difficult to fit anything larger than 225 tires, or at least that's my understanding.

I'm interested to know this as well. I heard there are suspension differences. What exactly are they?

The sedan has a wider track, and in the 02/03 had a larger rear sway bar (20mm vs. 17mm)

Thanks for the input. Anyone with more info (and trying to add to their post counts =p) would sure be helpful. Im not sure which one to go with, decisions, decisions.........:confused:

Handling differences are minimal.

Go with the most useful. Wagons have much better carrying capacity and the roof racks are very useful.

Sedans are ..... sedans.

cheers

:starts chant: Wagon! Wagon! Wagon!

:banana:

80lbs increase in wagon I believe, also you get rear folding seats which isn't available with the sedan and it's $500 less.

;)

The wagon has stiffer rear springs IIRC and a slightly higher rear-weight bias. The 04s have the same rear bar as the sedans. I would not expect any big changes for 05; IIRC there is a major redesign planned for 07.

Anyway, I love my wagon. It's so much more practical than the sedan, it was cheaper, and I think it looks better. :banana:

There's a possibility I'll trade my RS up for a WRX when summer's here.

I've been having the Wagon/Sedan debate myself, and though it's very superficial, I really like the look of the sedan much, much better.

For me, there's a nasty stigma attatched to wagons...

I know it's really very shallow, but I can't get my head around the fact I like the way the sedan looks so much better.

thinking of trading the rs for a wrx ina few days...trying to decide if the deal is really good enuff. anyway, i really like the wagon would rather have it over the sedan but myoptions are low around here and the deal on the trade for the sedan is awesome! they are gonna payoff the 98 rs ($8100) give me $7000 toward trade on it for a 02 silver wrx with 17,000 miles for $17,900 @ 4.9 %

I bought my 2004 WRX sedan a little over a week ago and have been loving it.

I evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of a sedan and wagon:

- Sedan is lighter
- Sedan has a trunk (I live in Chicago, 'nuff said)
- Sedan has wider wheel base

- Wagon has more room to carry stuff
- Wagon is cheaper
- Wagon's price includes it's spoiler

Since people are bringing up the 02/03 vs the 04 or possible 05, there have been many subtle changes for the 04 from the 02/03 besides the body look. I don't know all of the details on the suspension, but they made subtle improvements to reliability, lifespan, and ease of maintanence. Replacing an air filter for a 02/03 is a 19 step proceedure involving disassembling everything around the air filter. In the 2004, you pop some tabs, slide out the old one, slide in the new one. They also did some small things to make the interior look more refined.


So to sum up, if you want to get a more multi-purpose car then I recommend the Wagon. If you want to get marginally better performance (or if you plan on racing it), or if you need to be able to leave stuff in your car and keep it as safe as possible, then go with the sedan. You can still manage to take it snowboarding / skiing.

For the record, the wagon comes with a cargo area cover to keep prying eyes away. I always use mine regardless of whether or not there is anything inside. It is the same color as the interior and is relatively inconspicuous. I haven't yet been in a situation where I wished I had a sedan to protect something critical.

Then again I'm moving to Chicago at the end of the year, so I might yet change my mind. ;)