I am thinking strongly about buying a Impreza but dont know if i should get a WRX or an STi. I love the looks of both, more the STi though and the interior is just perfect. I love AWD turbo and everything iv read about the STi seems unbeatable. Iv got about 11 grand to put down on one or the other..should i put it all as a down payment or how much do you think i should? Plus, how much do you guys pay monthly on one. Was thinking about a SRT-4 :confused: but want AWD for the snow here and just cause i love the punch you get off the line. Thanks :D

I put 15k down and financed for 36months so I'm paying around 347/month for my wrx. My car had the premium package and short shifter so these payments would be a little lower with a regular trim wrx I would say put as much as you can down to keep the payments reasonable. Just make sure you have enough cash for regular maintance and odds and ends of course. I would drive both and see which is best for you. Either car is fast enough for daily use. I didn't drive the sti because I was afraid I'd like it too much and it really isn't practical for me since I have a pretty long commute. I also hear it doesn't have a trunk passthrough, which is a must for me. So if you need that feature you should check to see if it has one.

I have no advice as far as financing goes. As far as your decision goes, I would never base buying a car on looks, but alot of people do. Then again those people tend to spend their 30k on SUVs. The STi is a driver's car.

The next portion of this post is assuming you aren't a good driver like 99.99999% of the population:

If you've never driven a fast car, the STi may not be the best place to start. If you have no 'real' driving experience, i.e. road racing, auto-x, canyon driving, or if you've never driven a car with more than 200hp, start with a WRX and if it's not enough trade for the STi. That's what I would do given the option.

The WRX was my first fast car, and I'm glad it was instead of something else. This car has saved my ass a couple of times, thanks firstly to the suspension, secondly to AWD. Had it been an STi I would've gone off a cliff.

The thing is, cars, for me anyways, come in a number of categories. There's cars like the miata, that has enough handling on tap to make an EVO jealous, but not enough horsepower to really get you into any trouble you can't get out of.

Then cars like the WRX, with mediocre suspension/tires and a fair amount of hp. You can hurt yourself, but it takes a little longer to work up the speed to do so than in... The STi, upgraded suspension, brakes, and tires, make good use of the extra 75 hp, but unless you know how to use the upgraded suspension/brakes/tires you can kill yourself twice as fast as in a WRX.

Next on the list is SRT-4, with a few mods you can kill an STi in the straights, but with FWD having that kind of power on the street is almost asinine. Mediocre suspension + fwd + gobs of power = slow and painful death. Lastly, and, apart from SUVs, what I consider the most dangerous, ponycars. The mustangs and anything powered with an LS-1. I love these cars. The SRT-4s of the past, they've got huge engines and you can make them REALLY fast REALLY cheap. But most handle worse than my old civic, and only have sticky tires on the back. Scary.

If you are a good driver then go for the STi and enjoy it. Don't buy it for the interior or the trunk passthrough. Buy it because you enjoy driving. Thats why they make it.

If you consider yourself a good driver, then really give it some more thought. In a room of 100 people asking for the hands of all the honest people in the room, you'd count exactly 100 hands. Same goes when asked of all the good drivers in the room. No one will willingly admit to being a ****-for-brains behind the wheel just as no one would admit to being a liar.

Sorry to type your...eyes off??? I just don't want you to hurt yourself like alot of people who just jump in a fast car and go WHEEEEE I'M A RACE CAR DRIVER!!!

I put 15k down and financed for 36months so I'm paying around 347/month for my wrx. My car had the premium package and short shifter so these payments would be a little lower with a regular trim wrx I would say put as much as you can down to keep the payments reasonable. Just make sure you have enough cash for regular maintance and odds and ends of course. I would drive both and see which is best for you. Either car is fast enough for daily use. I didn't drive the sti because I was afraid I'd like it too much and it really isn't practical for me since I have a pretty long commute. I also hear it doesn't have a trunk passthrough, which is a must for me. So if you need that feature you should check to see if it has one.
HUH....my 04 WRX doesnt have a trunk pass though........Does your 05????? If so then I am pissed..... :furious: I found out the back seat doesnt come down while trying to put a big piece of pvc pipe in there :mad: The WRX got to be the only car with no trunk pass through.

Oh but it does. Just a very small one. Check behind the back seat arm rest.

STi = no passthrough
WRX,RS sedan = armrest passthrough
wagons - fold down seats :)

well you mentioned "launching off the line"

maybe you want the sti then....

new i would go Sti.

used you could go WRX...half price, spend $1500 and get a Stage 2, then upgrade the springs and tires, rear sway. Total of maybe $2500 for perf. so figure $18.5 ish. which is a heck of a lot less than $32k.... :) there are a lot of little things and perf things you will still be missing from the sti, but you will have a better everyday car that will seriously rip....

im probably the only one pushing used WRXs...lol. I only buy used cars, 2-3 years old in good condition.

Oh but it does. Just a very small one. Check behind the back seat arm rest.+

:lol: I guess I over looked it, well its better than nothing. But th whole seat should still fold down :mad:

agreed

Mitsu EVO MR. Just to get the blood boiling ;)

Every now and then I compare the two, like is the STi reallly worth extra $9-10k compared to WRX? Both '05s are nicely equipped. But is the extra $10k worth the little extra power, performance, and prestige?

If it was my only car/daily driver, I'll go with STi and just live it up on daily basis, but if I were to have kids, then I may settle for WRX. Both are great cars so you really can't lose with either one (Just IMO).

EVO is nice in the fact that they offer 10 year/100k mile warranty. But what good is it if they go bankcrupt soon?

I faced this same decision a little less than a month ago. Was it really worth it for the extra? Then I thought about what the extra was, little things, like a tranny, wheels, brakes, motor, exhaust, interior. Suddenly the differences didn't seem small but neither did the price tag.
I'm the kind of person that always wants something better, so I knew if I got the wrx I'd eventually want to put the brakes on, suspension, wheels, turbo, etc. I figured I'd save myself the hassle now and ended up with a new sti. Best part of all in my opinion is that it sort of has all the mods, and if it breaks in the next three years its not my problem.
I'm using it as my only car and so far its not been a problem. I only finance for 36 months and financing in november was only 1.9. I'm not sure if the rates have changed yet or not. If it is still that low I'd recommend putting some of the money down now and using the other for payments. That way you know you're paid for a while.

Although I do love my sti, I also have a 2002 wrx with stage 2 vishnu. The stage 2 with H&R suspension and some other bolt-ons make my '02 my special car. It's a TRUE sleeper and it's a bit more fun than the Sti. What the Sti has over my '02 is that it has its warranty still. Also the DCCD is perfect for autocrossing. I would say get a new or used WRX and then play with it for a couple of years. Then start modding it right before the warranty is gone. I'm telling you, you'll never feel better than when you smash an M3 in the face knowing you spent about $25K less than they did.

I had a wrx for 4 months. It was a stage 2 with a few other mods. I test drove an sti and had to have one. The STi in my opion is a much better car than the wrx. More power, much better suspension and the tranny is not even close to as weak as the wrx. You can find used sti's with low miles all over for $26-27k. With just a few upgrades on the sti you will be having fun at autocross events, and be spanking vettes, and other highend sports cars. After having both I would never give up my sti for a wrx.

srt is faster than any car in the world

get a truck

ford lightning r teh fastAR 0r dodgE srt-10

How about an 05 used STI? I got an 04 used WRX. Got it for a great price and the thing is in mint condition. Plus it came with a cool spoiler that I like, not the stock rear spoiler (which I also like btw).

Don't finance with the dealer unless you are insane. I'd negotiate with then as if you were. You'll get a lower price on the car. Then just give them a check for the whole amount when you sign from a bank.

I think the seats in the WRX are much cooler than the STI's seats. But the STI has cooler guages. STI is faster, of course, but I've drag raced an STI around here in Chicago and I blew him away for most of the run. They handle better. A lot of people around here (including me) invest a lot of money on STI parts for their WRX's. So the STI is a better deal in that respect because to buy all of the parts separately really adds up fast.

If you have the money, I'd go for the STI. I would have but I couldn't afford it.

I would assume when you say drag raced an STi you mean at a strip. But then I notice your "location". Please don't race on the street. It's stupid and it makes my insurance go up.

Second, you may have had an STi for most of the run(i.e. until his turbo kicked in and made up for the crappy bogged out launch that he undoubtedly does time and time again and then blames the car for being slow off the line), but it's never anything to brag about.

If you beat an STi, the reason is plain and simple, because the guy in the STi is a ****ty driver. Either that or the guy wasn't racing you. And I shouldn't say ****ty driver because I'm sure some F1 guys can't dragrace. But it's not something to brag about.

If you're spanking lightly modded WRXs with a stock one then that's commendable. But frankly, the only reason you should be excited you beat an STi is if you've got something like a Stg 4...at which point you should be beating STi's.

Anyway, none of that matters, just don't street race. Don't be stupid.