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Old 01-24-2003, 05:06 AM   #1
JT-KGY
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Default About to buy STi, question about Subaru's fit & finish...

I'm on the waiting list for STi with a local dealer.... but I'm
wondering about Subaru's fit & finish.... maybe a WRX owner
can help me out??

How's subaru's paint job? orange peels (like what I heard from
corvette owners)??

Fitment between panels? Is it tight like Honda or Toyota? or
rought like GM and Ford? In between?

Interior panel fitments? Does the car (interior) squeak whenever
it goes over a bump? (actually my BMW/VW does that)
I really dont care about noise from road/tire/suspension... but
I hate obvious squeaks that's from poor interior design/fitment...

Thanks for any input....feel free to add anything...
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Old 01-24-2003, 05:57 AM   #2
Frederf
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The paint doesn't suffer from orangepeel, but it is thin and soft.

The body panel alignment is a little worse than toyota/honda but quite close to them.

The interior squeeks are minimal if they exist at all. Nothing as loud as a VW.

Suspension/tire/etc noise is fine.
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Old 01-24-2003, 12:07 PM   #3
dubrx
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Fitment is good on my WRX. I've always owned american cars, so no suprise I would find an improvement in fitment.

Paint job is decent, but very thin like others have said. I can see some paint errors (uneveness) toward the bottom of the doors near the side skirt.

I have the clutch shudder problem right now, but I'm assuming the Sti has a much improved clutch system.

I have a dash rattle that's really annoying right now, I need to take it in, just haven't done it yet.

Other than those things the car is pretty solid and rides like a much more expensive car than it is. But I think there should be a little concern of spending $35k on a car platform (2.5RS) that is $15k less. I'm not saying the car isn't worth the money, because it certainly is, but I think the greater expectation should be on the improved components and not the basics of the car.
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Old 01-24-2003, 12:46 PM   #4
C-daleRidr
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I've got 60000 miles on my MY00 RS. Interior is still quiet. Only complaint is with the paint. Maybe it's better on WRXs, but it pretty much sucks on my car. Lots of chips on the hood. Yes, it has a few miles on it, but my wife's Civic has over 100000 miles and you can count the chips on one hand. Both have been driven a lot on highways. That's my only complaint. My interior has a few spots where things have caught it and cut into the surface, but it's nothing that's even noticeable. I'm expecting a little more from the STi, and you can be sure that I'll put a bra on it for any trip that involves much driving.
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Old 01-24-2003, 02:34 PM   #5
JT-KGY
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Thin paints are the norms right now... probably due to cost
saving or environmental concerns...
I have numerous chips on my hood (BMW 97 E36 M3)... and the
front lower bumper is literally covered with paint chips on
freeways...


I think the one thing that will really annoy me is the squeak/rattle
from dash mentioned by dubrx....


Btw, does the door closed with a solid sound??..
or does it sound cheap like those Civics??
Ok, I think I'm asking too much... probably time for a WRX test
drive..
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Old 01-24-2003, 04:28 PM   #6
hoodwho
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If you want aq more accurate dipection of the STi's interior, take a look at the new Baja... MUCH better than the old WRX's
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Old 01-24-2003, 04:28 PM   #7
cdstiwrx
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i have a plat silver wrx and the paint has been a big problem, my last car was a gti mk4 and the paint was far superior. my drivers seat back adjuster broke (i'm 6'2 and 215 lbs) and the secondary instrument bezel would buzz any time the temp dropped below 40 degrees.
the biggest problem though, is the driveline. the 1,3 and 4 injectors where replaced, then the ecu was reprogramed. the clutch shudders (I have 17,000 miles on it) in temps 50 degrees or colder and i have a sevre raw fuel smell that just can't seem to be located.
Recently we've had some very cold weather (below 0 at night) and if i don't keep it in the garage I'll have to put it on the charger for a liitle while in the morning or it will kill the battery while cranking.
But, it sure is fun to drive!
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Old 01-24-2003, 04:59 PM   #8
trinidriver
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Hi. I asked a similar question a while back and got a lot of different opinons - http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...uality+and+sti

Hope this helps.
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Old 01-24-2003, 06:01 PM   #9
Phill Kutilek
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I was planning on buying a sti. But my wrx developed several loud rattles in dash and I took it to dealer they told me.That SOA doesn't cover rattles after 12,000 miles.I think I'll be buying some-thing else.
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Old 01-24-2003, 06:07 PM   #10
JT-KGY
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Quote:
Originally posted by trinidriver
Hi. I asked a similar question a while back and got a lot of different opinons - http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...uality+and+sti

Hope this helps.

I guess some get what we're asking/looking for... some dont..

Give us the cheapest/lightest (for perf & cost) plastic for the
interior... just make sure it's screw down TIGHT!!

Is that too much to ask??
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Old 01-24-2003, 06:14 PM   #11
Torch
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Default Re: About to buy STi, question about Subaru's fit & finish...

Quote:
Originally posted by JT-KGY
Fitment between panels? Is it tight like Honda or Toyota? or
rought like GM and Ford? In between?
Those stereotypes are getting very old and make the author seem ignorant.

Bottom line is you get what you pay for. I think the fit and finish of the WRX is poor, but that is not why I purchased it.

Torch
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Old 01-24-2003, 06:23 PM   #12
JT-KGY
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Default Re: Re: About to buy STi, question about Subaru's fit & finish...

Quote:
Originally posted by Torch


Those stereotypes are getting very old and make the author seem ignorant.

Bottom line is you get what you pay for. I think the fit and finish of the WRX is poor, but that is not why I purchased it.

Torch
??.. so have you owned Honda, Toyota, GM and Ford to say that
my statement is merely stereotyping??
I do believe that Honda and Toyota's panel fitment is probably
ahead of everyone in the industry... and GM and Ford improving
and doing catch ups... Yes, I am ignorant, so I am here asking
people like you to enlighten me (instead of unnecessary insults)...

You get what you pay for?? Personally, I do not think my BMW is
better put together than a Accord or Camry...

Like my previous post... I'm not asking for expensive parts... but
basically hoping that the car is tighten down better... too much
to ask on a 30k car, I guess...
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Old 01-24-2003, 07:20 PM   #13
ANZAC_1915
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The build quality is pretty good (in the imported Subarus like Impreza and Forester).

Some of the materials (e.g. headling, carpet) leave a lot to be desired.

But heck, it is a Subaru --- I've never bought one for the looks or interior appointments.

Glenn
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Old 01-24-2003, 08:51 PM   #14
digitaltekniq
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- Panel fitment is perfectly good, on a par with Toyota/Honda at least (at least mine is).
- Paint sucks - it's useless, this is my only major complaint
- No interior rattles, after 20k miles of reasonably hard driving
- Some interior materials could be better (like the Baja)

Overall, I got what I expected, a functional, powerful and entertaining car for not much money.
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Old 01-25-2003, 03:47 AM   #15
Kostamojen
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Quote:
Originally posted by dubrx
Paint job is decent, but very thin like others have said. I can see some paint errors (uneveness) toward the bottom of the doors near the side skirt.
That "uneveness" is designed that way, its on alot of cars on the lower half of the car, its designed to hold up to rock dings and other markings from stuff better.
Quote:
Originally posted by Phill Kutilek
I was planning on buying a sti. But my wrx developed several loud rattles in dash and I took it to dealer they told me.That SOA doesn't cover rattles after 12,000 miles.I think I'll be buying some-thing else.
Wow, what a load... Tell that dealership off and find another.
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Old 01-25-2003, 09:01 AM   #16
hampster
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Default Panel Fit, quality, and rattles...

I'll chime in on the body panel fit...The current Honda's have a body panel fit of ~0.1 - 0.5 mm, whereas GM, Ford, and DCC (Daimlerechrysler Corp.) have panel fits of 1.0-3.0 mm.

I can't vouch for Toyota, VW, BMW, etc, but I would say that Subaru's panel fit is along the lines of Toyota's (middle of the road, ~0.5 mm to 1.0 mm). Of course I can see some pretty lousy spacing on my '02 WRX...one fender is misaligned, and as with every WRX I've seen, the bumpers edges don't line up correctly with the sheetmetal.

There was a good article in Ward's Auto World a couple months ago on this topic. Of course, since I'm going off memory, my numbers might be a little off, but this is what I recall.

In other areas, I think Subaru is most in line with Nissan as far as finish.

My car had two interior panels installed poorly (covers on seatbelt tensioners and door panel pieces). As far as rattles, I haven't heard any yet.

The chassis feels pretty stiff to me, which is good for minimizing rattles. While a lot of rattles that develp in cars are from interior components loosening up (ala' Ford), cars will also develop rattles if chassis welds start to break. In this case, the chassis is moving relative to the interior (instead of v.v.). It may sound strange, but cars can be expected to break some body welds throughout their life. If you search around (Autoworld, Automotive Engineering, etc), you can probably find the statistics on this also.
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Old 01-25-2003, 07:01 PM   #17
IS2000
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JT-KGY,
Quick question... where did you order the STi? I've e-mailed couple dealers, and most of them weren't that informative.
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Old 01-26-2003, 01:01 PM   #18
ZenBoy
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My $.02....

Brands I've owned so far: GM, Ford, Nissan, and Subaru; plus extensive experience with Toyota and VW. The Subarus have been the best by far.

The interior isn't the most elegant; it seems to favor function over form. They are getting more ergonomic as the years pass, however.

Mechanically, I've yet to find a car brand that is as rugged, durable and reliable overall. This includes Honda and Toyota.

The paint is thin, yes, but I have a MY00 RS with 54k miles on the clock, and I can count the paint chips on one hand. No touch-up work done, either. And yes, this is with 54k miles driven in a metro area....

Many people say that the paint is "wavy" or "uneven" near the bottom of the doors, but this is actually intentional - the paint along the bottom of the car's sides is thicker, softer, and sprayed over an undercoat that makes it more malleable so as to prevent chipping where it is the most common. I owned a Ford Contour with the same type of paint in that area, and it remained the most durable area of the paint after 75k miles. I'll gladly trade appearance for durability in that area of the car!

Bottom line: you get what you pay for. BUT, I will say that Subaru seems to give better value for the money than any others I've seen.

Zenboy
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Old 01-27-2003, 01:37 AM   #19
I ROBOT
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My car has a thin coat of tuffguard truck bedliner all over it. Its really durable, no dings.
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Old 01-27-2003, 02:39 PM   #20
C-daleRidr
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Quote:
Originally posted by ZenBoy
My $.02....

Brands I've owned so far: GM, Ford, Nissan, and Subaru; plus extensive experience with Toyota and VW. The Subarus have been the best by far.

The interior isn't the most elegant; it seems to favor function over form. They are getting more ergonomic as the years pass, however.

Mechanically, I've yet to find a car brand that is as rugged, durable and reliable overall. This includes Honda and Toyota.

The paint is thin, yes, but I have a MY00 RS with 54k miles on the clock, and I can count the paint chips on one hand. No touch-up work done, either. And yes, this is with 54k miles driven in a metro area....

Many people say that the paint is "wavy" or "uneven" near the bottom of the doors, but this is actually intentional - the paint along the bottom of the car's sides is thicker, softer, and sprayed over an undercoat that makes it more malleable so as to prevent chipping where it is the most common. I owned a Ford Contour with the same type of paint in that area, and it remained the most durable area of the paint after 75k miles. I'll gladly trade appearance for durability in that area of the car!

Bottom line: you get what you pay for. BUT, I will say that Subaru seems to give better value for the money than any others I've seen.

Zenboy
You've been lucky. Do you keep a bra on it for road trips, etc.?
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