WRX STI - is it a risky £20K+ purchase?
 

Hi,

Looking for some advice about the WRX STI 2014 - I used to own a classic turbo about 7yrs ago and loved it but had engine issues etc.

Now i'm looking for a fun weekend car and have been looking at the wrx sti's as they offer something different to the golf r etc...

There doesn't seem to be many active users on the forums, so it would be interesting to know what's everyones experience with the 2.5 engine reliability and has the issues that damaged the earlier hatch models been sorted.

The Subaru warranty is around £600 a year so for a weekend car costs could mount up also considering the high tax - before I test drive i'd like to find our what the enthusiasts know.

Many thanks

Don't think anything has changed, so still a risk I'd think

sure ive only heard of one new shape go pop and I seam to remember the guy had modified it loads ??

I've had my 17 STI since April and it's not quite done 5K.

I've had 2 classics and when I was choosing I didn't want the Golf R or S3 and it was either the STI or Focus RS. Focus was quicker but I preferred being in the STI. Meant more to me being a Subaru fanboi :)

If it's been looked after properly then I would say it's just bad luck if it pops. As Andycat says, I've seen one that's popped so far.

You could always try to find a post 17 STI. I know it's out of budget but local dealers as a pre-reg for £29,999. First year tax is high but afterwards its only £140 :)

I had the same choice but went Focus RS instead and love it, it's a stunning vehicle.

The newer STI's just didn't do it for me, The road tax was was silly + MPG (but saying that I'm only getting 23.3MPG out of the focus) + the chocolate 2.5 was just a no no .

Hey thanks for getting back to me and you've confirmed what I was thinking - it's no longer the bargain performance car like my old impreza was for me.

Now I'm older and can finally afford a newer car the 2.5 engine and the competitors have made it that much more difficult.

I've got a lightly modded civic type-r which is cheap to run, fun to drive and takes a hammering, but its been left behind with all the new super hot hatches on market - great time to be choosing a new car though.

Although the new Sti is a great looking car
I would be nervous unless buying new with a 3 year warrenty
I said I would never buy another unless they would give me a five year warrenty

So many good cars out there

BMW 140i
Honda type R
Golf R
Focus RS
Merc 45 AMG
Audi s3 or TT
Mustang

I've bought a MY16 car and it's actually performing very well. I'm not afraid of putting mileage on the car in any way and I intend to let Subaru do the servicing for me.

The car does have a warranty (which is of value to me), they also offer an extended warranty to and I have every intention of purchasing it. It'll give me peace of mind.

In terms of reliability, well, i'll soon find out. I do plenty of miles and will chronicle my adventures on here as I go. Should I have a failure, I'll see what the score is at Subaru, however, at present, I intend to keep the stock tune as it's certainly sufficient power wise for a daily.

If Subaru are unsupportive if I have a failure, I'll probably visit RCM and get them to resolve. I'm currently investigating any preventative steps I can take to ensure the engine stays in top nick. I understand a Killer Bee oil pickup & a catch can setup with pickups from Crank & Valve covers which returns to sump are the recommended adjustments but I've yet to confirm that.

I know a couple of guys with the new sti and they are loving it, no problems as of yet and they’ve had them for a year or so. A friend of a friend has a focus rs and the engine blew up on 19,000 with the recent headgasket problems on them that have come to light.

Since I’ve had my bugeye in jan I’ve seen a ton of negative comments about the uk/USA 2.5 engine that Subaru seem to know there are weak aspects of, but carry on making anyway (the so called chocolate engine).

Why is this? The JDM engine is different and doesn’t have this inherant weakness? Why not use the better engine for all markets? Although a small cross section of customers on here, it certainly seems to be causing the hard core to move away from a Subaru.

Won’t be able to buy a new uk sti from 2018 because of the emissions Subaru are saying. Can still import 1 from japan and the USA though but will obviously cost more. They are releasing a lovely looking s208 in japan from 2018.

20K on my '14 STi, zero issues from new, bought in July 2014. If you are buying 2nd hand the only worry for me would be, how was it treated by the previous owners? Same applies for any car. It could have been run on 95ron fuel for all you know ;) Plus a proper dealer service history is key.

True but,

BMW 140i - This would be my choice well a 240i, but at least 36-44K new, not in the same ballpark as a new scoob which is 10K cheaper.
Honda type R - FWD meh, looks sh1t.
Golf R - Dull, pricey.
Focus RS - Earlier models have more issues than the old 2009 ej25, otherwise better overall, still more expensive new.
Merc 45 AMG - Yea nice but again 40-50K new
Audi s3 or TT - meh, TT girls car
Mustang- Good shout, but even thirstier than the scoob assuming you get the V8, which should be the only option oh and handles like crap.

Love the a45 and new type r’s. type r’s are bullet proof and Honda are trying to be different looks wise rather than the usual bland boring cars we see on the road these days.

It's marmite though isn't it the type R for me it looks a mess, i preferred the look of the previous "new" model, even that was a bit much; all those huge pieces of black plastic in the rear bumper that have no purpose for example.

Yeah agreed with you on that one, you either love them or hate them. I love it, it stands out and has a great engine aswell. I’d rather spend £30,000 on one of them rather than spend the same on the new rs, especially with the new headgaskets problem that has come out in regards to them. Guy at work has a mate who’s headgasket has just gone on his rs, only done 19,000 in it.

The Type R is Front wheel drive and I wouldn't even consider it on that basis.

The A45 AMG is an expensive car out of the box - £50k or there abouts with Mercedes AMG servicing costs.

The VAG solution is technically competent but doesn't have anywhere near the same level of driver involvement.

Yea not good for the RS, plus the cracking block and coolant loss on the earlier 2016 models. Buying any new car these days is a leap of faith.

This is why the 140/240i appeals to me although its only RWD (shame you cant get the xdrive variants in the UK) it handles really nice, fast as fook (out of the box) and the engines are sweet as a nut/bomb proof.

The only thing I can see wrong with the bmw 1 and 2 series are the looks. I just wished that they’d be more bold and make them look ‘less boring’ other than that it’s a very good car.

Yea agree I hate the bread van look of the 140i and the 240i is understated as you say, i would only consider a 3 door, like the front of them, the rear lets them down, but look pretty decent in the flesh. Interior and tech is really nice. If only they looked more like an M2 but not with the M2's price ;)

So far.

For what, engine reliability? Well, there are quite a few out there tuned to well over 4-500 brake with no changes to the internals. That speaks volumes.

If i had a budget of 30k my first choice would be a Merc C63 Coupe you can get a nice low millage example probably from a dealer with warranty Second choice would be a used A45 again you can pick these up for under 30k
For me Subaru have been left behind over the years I would never use a dealer for servicing on any car use a specialist they are cheaper and you get a better service

I had a 400bhp forged newage sti about 6 years ago, have since had a golf r for 2 years, and now onto a new M140i

Impreza was a great car, however insurance terrible, hard to find local dealer for the constant niggles and mapping, noisy, uncomfortable, no warranty

Golf R - brilliant car, took an absolute pasting for 2 years solid and never went wrong, from point to point it was very fast and 4wd very useful, just a bit boring after a while and a poor soundtrack

M140i , stonking car, genuinely feels as fast as 400bhp newage sti, the torque and acceleration above 60mph puts it in another league, standard near enough as fast as an M2, with a 180 quid tuning box they are going 410bhp+ but its a lot for the chassis and its almost on the limit as standard.

I have driven a new STI and it lacked character and feel that the other options out there are far better and offer far more potential sadly, Subaru has lost its way with the new models and cannot compete with the modern super hatces

Yep I agree the superhatches are better, but for me they are in their own category compared to the scoob now, they are priced at least 5-10K or more over a new scoob. You get what you pay for ;) So I guess i'm saying is there much else out there at the scoob's price point that's better in reality? New cars not used. The Type R and golf R I think are the closest in base price, I tested both, I'd take the scoob over both of those anytime to be honest.

you say that, you can get a M140i for about 27k after dealer discounts, if I am reading it right the new 2018 impresa is being priced at around £32k OTR? so after discounts (if available) there is no such price difference

27K? where? lol it would be very basic though and not have any options, not even keyless entry which the scoob has by default.

32K? mate mine was less than that from new 3yrs ago almost with a 5yr warranty and a remap included and I didn't get a blinding deal. If you could get new scoobs now they would be under 30K, with delivery mileage.

just get yourself on the BMW forums, plenty of cars being had around that price, equally the Subaru at its price will be in base spec....

Keyless entry or comfort access is a pretty crap optional extra by any means, the idrive on the BMW and premium interior makes the whole experience infinitely better then a Subaru, I am not a BMW fanboy either, I love subarus but you really can get a much better car for the same money now sadly!

I have looked around and the 140/240i with a few options I would want was knocking on for 40K! base price was 34K ish, i'll look into more I guess.