Chins

Posted a week or so ago that I'd signed on the dotted line for a new STI 8. Two days later the order changed to a WRX. Now a week into ownership, I'm not regretting it. Why the change ?

My feeling is that the STI has become a bit of label. Everyone wants the latest. I witnessed the ditching of the bugeye version, when the new shape came out. Also watched the values nose dive.

So buying an STI now, with the new one probably 6 months away seemed like a risky proposition. Knowing that I can be a label man as well, I know that when the new version comes out I will have to have it. Buying as soon as it comes out, at least gives me a year before the next version.

The USA with 2.5 litres, the Japs with its engine and other thoughts on better handling potentially on the way

Also with thoughts of such a short ownership, the PPP was out of the question.

So I went for an ex demo with PPP. Will add a couple of mods. Front fog light covers, and maybe high rear spoiler, but thats it.

Thoughts so far:

Interior: Not as nice as the STI's, but the dealer gave me a Prodrive ****, and aluminium gear surround which helps lift it. Seats are fine. Better everday than the tightish STI ones. After a year away from Jap crap, I'm still amazed that Subaru fit such a poor stereo.


Looks : I'm with Mr Lewis. No more Gold wheels for me. The STI would of cost me the dosh to change wheels as well. Quite like the std wheels. Car still sits higher than a Citroen Xantia with its suspension fully raised. Needs the front fog light covers. The rear spoiler is my biggest dilema. One minute I like the subtle approach, the other I want the full Monty. At least low flying F-18s are safe with my smaller scoop.

Handling: After my R32 I cant get over how well this thing turns in. Speed through the corners is increasing as I realise it will just turn in a lot sharper. A little too much roll, and a bit more feel through the steering required. Ride wise, its amazing. Feels almost as nice as the wifes 1.4 Polo

Performance: Whilst the R32 sounded a lot nicer, it so nice to hear the Scooby beat . The PPP feels great. A lot more driveable than my old UK STI. A person that shall remain namless said "The STI is like a good woman - it takes time to get to grips with and to find the hiden talents. The WRX is a slapper - it gives it without asking all the time" I guess I like slappers I'm sure on a track the STI would just edge it, but looking at the ingear times, I know the WRX is quicker in nearly all enviroments.


Best Scooby Ive owned ?

For everday driving, without a question. Its a car I could live with. For sheer thrills, probably not. The P1 still gets that, but for me the P1 could only ever be a second car.

Jonathan

Now wheres that twin turbo 2.5 Scooby

Oh and Scoobynet contrary to some posts on here, still adds loads to the enjoyment of the car. Probably the best BBS still.

[Edited by Chins - 7/8/2003 7:12:07 AM]

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

Jonathan, were you drummed out of the VW club for turning back to the scooby?

I bet the dealer was pleased to see you back as well.

Well done on your restraint anyway, but couldn't you have just kept the golf until the new STi 9 arrived? I'd guess that the value would have held better than the WRX too.

F

Chins

You are infact correct. The R32 would of been good to keep untill the new STI. However in the end, it was a bit of a pain to drive, plus I had a Z4 coming - which I owned for 5 minutes before selling for a profit - didnt order it with that intention though.

The WRX with PPP is a much better drivers car than the R32, but IMHO it doesnt looks as nice, sound as nice or hold its value as well. Could also do with slightly better build quality. Think it will be a classic though. I know I will lose a fair bit on the WRX - lifes too short though

Jonathan

Rum*

As always a top write up.....glad to see you back.....but for how long

Rum*

scoobycar60

Welcome back!

Truth is you are probably where the sensible money is at the moment(if that can be said about any scoob!)WRX with PPP is probably the best all rounder as a road car and I expect you beat the £20K marker. STI with PPP, 18/19"wheels Springs & suspension mods etc is the best part of £30K and the stereo is still cr@p!

Keep it bogo and perhaps upgrade the stereo....rear spoiler "lifter" kit is quite smart, but thats about it IMHO

Ross


[Edited by scoobycar60 - 7/8/2003 2:15:58 AM]

( R6 CDW )

I also have the wrx ppp, and agree fully. Be(@)st car i'v owned..
Like this!

[Edited by ( R6 CDW ) - 7/8/2003 3:39:42 PM]

mr.nick

Likewise, it's 03 WRX with PPP for me. The turbo is far less harsh and very progressive, but I did like my old Classic's smack up the **** whenever we hit 3000rpm and beyond.
As for the noise, well I'm forever turning off the stereo and just listening and listening... and listening. Would have preferred a similar spoiler to the UK300 on the 03, but you can't have everything, yet!

Enjoy.

vash

Lol....... mmmmmm i had the choice of a WRX... or an STI....mmmmmm well i got the STI8.. and wouldnt swap it for the world... Owns the WRX in every area in my opinion (ok maybe not in mpg but hey :P)

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I give him a week before it goes to TSL!

(Sorry a private joke between me and Chins!)

forest172

I had the STI instead, the looks alone did it for me!!!

Not to mention interior, brakes knowing it can easily be made to output 300bhp.

ian_sadler

See ya Friday

spanner75

i have an wrx with ppp ssshhh don't tell the girlfriend she drove it last night and after 5mins said "is this faster than before?"i denided everything.
i have to agree you pay all that cash for an sti and you don't get fog lamps just the covers booo , with ppp a 03 wrx will keep up with a 03 sti as well. bargain!!

blip

Chins - how would you compare the 03WRX PPP to the R32 in terms of performance and speed, in gear acceleration, etc?

I own an 03WRX PPP (and love it - apart from the rattles!!) and have yet to encounter an R32 on the road. Just wondered how they would compare if they were to meet

MurrayZA

blip - be glad you dont have an 01 like me - they rattle more 8-)

I'm looking at an 03 WRX too - the extra $ to get the "possibly soon to change" STi is just not worth it.

DrEvil

Chins - nice one, glad you're mostly happy with it. Enjoy

Boyakasha

iTrader: (2)

Guys the STi is not about to change. All this BS about the 2.5 coming here is a myth, Subaru have no plans to take this out over here. It was created for the US etc, and that is where it is going to stay. Twin scroll may appear in a year or so but that is not going to have any negative effects on second hand values of the MY 03s.

MurrayZA

You never know. The 2.5 US STi battles to keep up with their spec EVO and the UK spec just gets thrashed. We dont get PPP here so wont know about that. We have **** fuel too - which may expedite a bigger engine capacity coming to our shores.

Chins

Well after a nice day on the road with my Sales Rep hat on I can confirm the car is great day to day.

I have no doubt that the STI with PPP is great, but after a few conversations I have no doubt that in Dec the STI8 will be "so yesterday". Thats not to say it will be a bad car. IMHO - if you buy an STI, it has to have a PPP. Without it the WRX PPP is a quicker car. I always remember the frustration of driving my UK STI on the Motorway. The road would clear at 60mph and you had to drop it a cog or two. The WRX just felt fantastic today. Again no doubt that the STI with PPP would solve the problem and if I had bought my new Scooby in Jan, then it could well of been the STI with PPP.

Maybe it wont be the 2.5 this year, but next ? One of the non IM aftermarket suppliers mentioned active diff for this year ?


WRX PPP vs R32 - performance wise it is without a doubt the WRX. The R32 felt quick, but never really quick. Just look at its 30-70 time, almost 30% slower than the WRX. I certainly find overatking safer in the WRX. The R32 is still a damn good car, and probably a tincy wincy bit better than a std WRX.

The end result is its a Scooby and we all have slightly different priorities. I'm happier parking the WRX in a multi story for ex than an STI. Just a little more subtle. But at times I want the full in yer face affect.

I'm even happier knowing my cars better than Crisp's car At least DVLA knew how to register it.

As for Tango's TSL comments, its going to be hard to resist.

Just think if the Scooby was perfect out of the box, this place would be as interesting as watching the Womens Institute on a sponsored flower arranging evening

Jonathan

Jonathan

Buzzer

I see a ...........

Buzzer

........corner and 700 posts

Chungster

I test drove the WRX....didn't like the seats compared to the STI's. It built up speed quite well, but you never had that "turbo kick" feeling. Grip round corners was amazing though.

I had a long thought about buying the std WRX, then modding it with big wing, brakes, PPP (at least a year later) and the insurance that would cost me with it becoming a modded car.

So, I went and got the std STI Type UK instead. It basically had all the things i wanted (ultimately with the std WRX like wing/brakes/more bhp).

Insurance for me on the STI8 wasn't as bad as i thought (was also considering E36 M3 Evo) and I just went for it in the end.

4 days into my scooby ownership, and i love it to bits.
can't help the mpg (need to re-fill tomorrow, 230miles on first ever tank) and thats during running it in (no play above 4500rpm).

Will be interesting when the 1k marker comes up and i have the 7200rpm redline to attack!

But I have to say...if you don't have at least 3500rpm in 5th or 6th, you do have to drop down a gear to get the surge for overtaking purposes. But the gearchange is sooo short and quick that I'm beginning to like going thru the gears every 5 secs!

Lee

milne555

Chungster,

I bought the STi UK as well and thought I had made a mistake when the PPP came out for the WRX. But after an RB5 could not live with the dark interior of the WRX, only 5 gears, and inferior barkes. Still thought the STi was not as quick as my RB5 in the gears, but then got a PPP fitted. What a difference, totally different car to drive, the engine note is still quiet on motorways, but around town and through a tunnel with the windows down is unbeleivable. You can not buy an Sti and not get the upgrade done.

I have just come back from the USA amd have a mag with road test of the new 2.5STi against tuned 2.0 turbos including one with scoobysport goodies, and overall the standard car won the test. I wonder what a 2.5 with PPP would go like ? Should be around 355bhp and 350 lb of torque I would have thought

mmmmmmmmmmmm

Dave

Boyakasha

iTrader: (2)

The STi is the better car for me as I like the kick up the ar$e from the turbo that the WRX does not have. I like the steering feel as that is what it is, the feel on the WRX is a bit vague but it handles very well. The STi looks far better and the interior is also a lot nicer. Then there is the brakes, those Brembos are excellent, the brakes on the WRX are not bad, a vast improvement over the classic but still short of what it needs.

To modify a WRX to the standard of the STi would cost way over the extra £5k so I know where I would put my money.

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

So you think the new STi9 with twin scroll turbo, wouldn't hurt STi8 values - dream on buddy!

F

Boyakasha

iTrader: (2)

That's what I wrote, 'Buddy'

revitt

I don't get it.

I bought my STI 8 because it has great performance, excellent handling and a comfortable (ish) ride. Plus as my kids are 6 months old and 3 years old rear leg room isn't an issue.

I don't give a toss what the car will be worth in 6 months or 2 years time becuase I didn't buy it as an investment. In 3 to 4 years time I will have a look at the cost to change and decide what to buy then.

In the mean time I have 3 to 4 years of fun motoring ahead of me.

Boyakasha

iTrader: (2)

revitt, I would totally agree. I bought a EVO VI, lost a **** load when I sold but that would not put me off buying another EVO.

chiark

I think the point is that Jonathan *would* want the latest and greatest STI when it came out, but has taken the decision to go for what suits him best rather than just having the latest and greatest for the sake of having it.

Hope I'm not putting words in your mouth there Chins

The STI 7 is a great car, but is about as popular as a fart in a lift after the STI 8 came out. If the 9 (and it will come) has the DCCD, or the twin scroll, or serious suspension set-up rejig, then people will want the latest and greatest again purely to have the latest and greatest.

The 7 is a brilliant car, the 8 is utterly fantastic.

The wrx is, IMHO, the best compromise between day-to-day "livability" and ***** out performance but I've done 6k miles in 3 months, mostly motorway, and I wouldn't have enjoyed that in the STI. Sure they'd have felt more special for the 10 miles of each journey that I can use it, but the other 290 miles would have been a lot less refined

Or perhaps he's just getting old like me

Nick
(03 WRX without PPP, and starting to seriously consider whether it really needs PPP or just a nicer sounding exhaust )

pbee

I have a copy of Sports Compact from the US, where they test 3 modded MY02 wrx's against a 2.5l MY03 STI, They mention the 2.5 was used to get in the emiision regulations. a 2.5l not so highly tuned puts out less emmissions than a highly tuned 2.0l STi. As a 2.5l emmisions are allowed to be higher due to the larger engine capacity.

So if this is correct unless the emmission regulations change why would Subaru even contemplate bringing a 2.5l version to europe, the US is the exception not the new rule.

I wouldnt expect a new sti for the UK within a year when the STi 8 is selling well. Maybe a new special edition, and then a replacement near the end of 2004 or early 2005.

Just my opnion, Why would Subaru take a hit of remoddeling the my03 just for 1 years sales ??.

SImonJG

I would imagine that there will be changes to the STI, just to keep the car in the headlines etc. If they bring in changes or updates every car magazine will have to test it, so they get lots of cheap publicity.