Subaru WRX STi

Only negative I know of: Trany is weak, and will not handle much more power.

 

From what I understand, the STi has a much better gearbox than WRX's

 

I dont know to be honest, all I know about the cars is from one of my friends 'rants' about his. The only negative things all were about the trany.

 

I agree' i live near to a subaru main dealer and seen trany's in bits,not dismantled the bits flew out the side of the crap alloy castings,i dont know how they put 4 camshafts in one crap engine,oh and the bits are expensive to,a good friend of mine has one,well the dealers had it more than him,and i told him not to by the jap rubbish.

 

FWIW, I've heard that the 5speed has the ability to handle more torque than the six in highly tuned applications...

Then again, I don't know jack.

 

Not much better they do break.

 

I don't know where you guys are getting the "weak tranny" idea. The 6-speed in the STi is pretty darn stout. Quite a few people I know of are running 400-500 whp on the stock box. Most consider it relilable up to around 600. Read up over at nasioc.com for more info.

I have an '05 and absoutetly love it. For the price, it's the most fun per dollar on 4 wheels. The level of grip is redorkolous and the torque and speed come on nicely. The Evo just isn't as fun, especially for daily driving. The extra .5l the STi has comes in handy.

Get an '04 or '05 (has a better interior) the '06's are not so pretty.

 

Ryalex has one. But he doesn't drive it or park it so well.

 

The leasing co. I work for is partners with the Subaru dealer in Dallas, so I've been tempted recently to pick up a Subie for myself (wife's not so interested in the idea though). I drove a '06 WRX the other day, and WOW! Very quick, very nice ride and handling, all for aobut $25k. I've driven an STi as well, and it felt a little peppier and a little stiffer, but still very impressive. The '06's have more insulation and a few other little quality upgrades, and the exterior changes are a matter of personal taste (I like the '06). I've heard of people blowing up trans and motors, but I have a feeling, just like any other car in the world, much of that is due to the drivers.

Now, if I could only get the wife to see things my way...

 

^true Know at least two people on their second and third trans

also another negative they hit a brick wall after third gear very slow over 100mph

 

Also, can owners chime in regarding maintenance costs on these things? (cost of minor/major service, etc?)
Is it true that these things eat up brakes and tires like there's no tomorrow and that brake service was $$$$ with all of that bling brembos on it?

FYI, Mitsubishi is now offering 5yr/60K bumper to bumper warranty on '05 models, IIRC. I would guess that Subies are more reliable than Mitsus in general, but the two extra years of coverage seem pretty enticing, as I like the Evo and Sti almost equally...

 

The trannys are only weak if you abuse them, ie dropping the clutch @ 6000rpm in an AWD car-- the drivetrain is going to get traction, so something has to give. For normal spirited driving it will last.

The STi and even the WRX are cars that have very enthusiastic cult followings, the owners LOVE them. They are not beautiful or flashy, but do everything well, are fun and fast, and reliable.

 

I owned an 05 until recently. They are really good cars, reliable and good power. The tires are really hard riding and loud. They are a pretty small car so the cockpit can be a tight fit. Dealer service can be hit or miss. The STI transmission is different than the base WRX and is strong.

 

I own an 04 and I also used to sell the parts for these cars. They do NOT have weak transmissions... I don't know where that came from.

Unfortunately, I'm selling mine. I just don't need another car. I would keep it if I could!

 

My trany bit came from my friend who has a tuned WRX (upgraded turbo, intercooler, and exhaust, with chip). I know his 0-60 was low fours as it would blow my old NSX NA2 out of the water in a straight line (and that car was ~4.8seconds to 60). He told me he was starting to have issues with 3rd (or was it 2nd, its been a while).

 

I am actuallly using the money i saved for an F-Car and purchasing an 06 STi. reliable, quick, AND... i can use it in the winter.. slap on some snow tires and BOOM its just as bad ass as my SUV.

 

I do a lot of track days with the WRX club and have made good friends with a number of the WRX owners with highly modified cars. The 6 speed STi gearbox is fine, it is the 5 speed in the cooking model that is the problem.

 

Well, at least they have good brakes!

 

You will love it for a few weeks.

I replaced a 2000 Audi S4 (biturbo V6) with an STi (purchased without the stupid wing- I had the dealer swap trunks with a spoilerless Impreza).

The motor is unbelievable, tranny is great, brakes are great, but........

It's really a cheap little car. Very crude heat and AC. When you are used to BMW or Audi quality, this car just doesn't stand up.

The car rides unbelievable rough, much worse than my factory 944 Turbo Cup race car. I am admittedly an old fart, but it was just too rough, too small inside, and too goofy looking (blue seats!) for me.

I had it 6 months, swapped for a Legacy GT, which was better, but still not German, and then I bought a one-year old Audi S4 V8, which I love except for the lousy mileage.......
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yea you wont like any car after driving and m5.

 

how is it better than an evo for daily driving? did you own an evo before, or is that what they tell you at nasioc? because we have STi guys that drive our cars and tell us straight out that they love how responsive the steering is, and how the car goes right where you point it, and how the suspension doenst feel sloppy, they just dont like the boost taper at 5k rpm (which can be solved by a 50 dollar part)

i love my evo for daily driving, sure the suspention is hard, but that just adds to the fun. slower than a STi, not really considering the engine is 0.5l smaller. (interestingly enough you should look at dyno sheets of stock STi's to the wheel. i dont know what they do, but an '05 evo will do ~250 wheel, and if you put on a turbo back exhaust and tune it, thats about 280 to the wheel) also did subaru fix that knocking problem? i heard they had a problem, and it sounded pretty serious. but im sure they fixed it by now.

what i like about the STi over the evo: DCCD (the torque distributer, whatever thats called) i dont really care to be able to change it (via the little knob) but it would be nice to have a rear (power) biased car
torque on demand
sound of boxer engine

what i like about the evo:
bigger inside (im 6'2") including headroom in back seat
has radio standard (from what i saw on the window sticker the STi doesnt)
has floor mats
rear wing doesnt bounce at freeway speed, and looks better IMO
the I4T id much easier to work on than a flat 4 (like a million times)
and for the most subjective, i like the look of the evo better
SEATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (anyone in the STi/evo crowd knows what im talking about)

these cars are so close, the potential owner really needs to decide for themself which they like better (more speed/drag racing - STi, more turning/turning confidence - evo, easier modability - evo, slightly better interior - STi)

 

My opinion is based on driving a few Evo's (some modded and some stock), talking with friends who are Evo owners, and the state of the parent company (not so good). I also owned the first Mitsu rally inspired car to be brought to the U.S., the Galant VR-4. In addition, like WriterGuy on the forum, I work at TDM, and am lucky enough to drive a different new vehicle each week -so I'm up to date on what's out there.

To address some specific points made above:
-I had heard rumors of a knocking problem in the first few delivered in '04, although that was resolved with a software upgrade.

-Only '04's came without a stereo standard. You can get an evo this way as well, so I don't see it as being an issue. Just pay for what you want.

-Not quite sure about the floormat statement. Mine came with them, don't remember if it was an option, std or if the dealer threw them in. I would not consider buying one car or another on floormats though

-My rear wing doesn't bounce, nor have I heard of anyone elses bouncing.

-Yes, I do like the Evo seats. Some of the best I've sat in for a stock car under $80k.

-The suspension is very tight, and can be a big change, especially if you're coming from a luxury car.

-AC works great on my car. I set it to auto and just adjust the temp.

-No it's not a BMW, but it doesn't cost as much as one either


I bought an STi because I liked the whole package better than the Evo. Between the engine and drivetrain, I liked the way the STi drove in all conditions. There was just more fun factor with the STi, while the Evo never really had enough torque.The interior was leagues ahead of the Evo (especially the '05 STi), although neither are as nice as I'd like them. Another major point was that my local dealer sells performance parts and is very liberal when addressing warranty issues. I've also been a Subaru rally fan for years.

Just drive both and make your own decision, that's what I did.

 

i have an wrx sti with ppp pack on, it has done donnington park, oulton park, croft circuit, magny cours, spa francorchamp and the nurburging this year and has never missed a beat. it eats 355's and is about as quick as my 360 round the doors, but it killed a 360 spider round spa. I had an audi s3 before it and wont go back to audi, i was put off by too many problems with it mailny electrical.

Horses for courses i suppose