konceppt

Hi guys.
i have had to let my unreliable jap import 96 wrx go.Owned it for a week and the gearbox went bang.I really loved the drive and the pulling power of the engine after never having owned a turbo car before.
i can just see it potentially costing me way too much money.
Now i am considering going to a subaru dealer and getting a newer car on finance so i get warranty and history e.t.c
i dont like the bugeye so it will be newer than that and maybe even brand new.
what i want to know is:
1) Does the new car handle better than the old facelift model?
2) Does it have the same or more power?
3)Is the drive better than the old one?
Basically is the grin factor the same or better.
i loved the feel of the turbo spooling and being shoved in the back with hard acceleration.
does a newer car do the same?
i have driven other high powered new cars and the feeling isnt the same.
There is nothing worse than having a big engine with huge power potential
and the manufacturer using a ****load of computers to take it all away from you.should i stick to the old shape and just buy a 2000 model thats a bit more reliable?

the_msp

Test drive...?

hoskib

iTrader: (1)

1) must be mariginal difference, 05 onwards got the revised suspension and A-DCCD that was a bit better than -04. i think 06 onwards got a different diff, but i can't see the average joe noticing much difference.
it will be loads different to your old classic though, much less understeer and a more focused drive
2) 2.5 engine will have a little more power and torque than your classic, 2 litre will be slightly up.
3) yes if you're talking about ride quality then yes, it's a much nicer place to be than in the classic. even with the rock hard REO70's it rides over bumps better and smoother

you'll miss the big smack in the back of the classic though, easiest way to describe the power delivery is in a classic you get shoved along, in a newage you get pulled along. my money would be on the newage getting up to speed quicker though

all in my opinion of course, but i came from 2 classic to my 05 sti and even though my old classic was remapped to 277/270, my sti (265/260?) would leave it behind on anything other than a straight line

funkyspider

Work out what newage model your budget will allow and find a WRX and an STi of that model, both unmodified. Test drive them both so you have a good baseline for your decision. The STi will obviously be quicker but if it's a daily driver/family car then that might not be the only factor. Listen out for any knocking from the rear suspension, particularly in an 03/05 STi as it's a known fault. Also maybe compare a JDM with a UK model.

If buying privately have a good face to face chat to the seller to try find out why they are selling. Its amazing how many people seem to buy subarus only to find a fairly major fault within a month or so. Leads me to believe that the owners have been told about a problem and sold it on quickly. I got caught by a head gasket problem myself when I bought mine - wasn't a happy bunny, but learned a valuable lesson !