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WRX or STI???

Pens1566

Pens1566

Lifer
Currently drive a 6spd '09 Accord coupe, looking to switch cars because I now need a 4dr for occasional car seat duty (newborn) and recently relocated to somewhere that winter driving is an issue. Wanted to stay with something fast.

So I've been going back and forth between the Limited edition of the 2 cars in the title. Car will be a DD, mostly interstate that is windy/hilly with a good bit of snow in the winter. Leaning towards STI because it'll probably be something I keep longer and if I do end up selling it, the resale will be higher. Cost isn't an issue.

And before anyone asks, I'm not considering an Evo. Don't like the looks, and the interior is inferior. It does matter to me.

Convince me one way or the other.
 
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Pens1566 said:
Currently drive a 6spd '09 Accord coupel, ooking to switch cars because I now need a 4dr for occasional car seat duty (newborn) and recently relocated to somewhere that winter driving is an issue. Wanted to stay with something fast.

So I've been going back and forth between the Limited edition of the 2 cars in the title. Car will be a DD, mostly interstate that is windy/hilly with a good bit of snow in the winter. Leaning towards STI because it'll probably be something I keep longer and if I do end up selling it, the resale will be higher. Cost isn't an issue.

And before anyone asks, I'm not considering an Evo. Don't like the looks, and the interior is inferior. It does matter to me.

Convince me one way or the other.
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STi isn't a daily. Ride is too hard to be a commuter.
 
The STI will be horrible in the snow unless you put snow tires on it. The stock rubber works well on warm dry pavement but it is useless in the snow. And you'll have trouble finding cheap wheels you can mount snow tires on that will clear the brakes.
 
WRX is quite a bit cheaper, a bit softer than STI and obviously not as fast. It's still a quick car, or pretty fast if you're looking at more recent ones.

I recommend WRX. There's always room for upgrades if you feel the need anyway.

Regardless of whether you get the WRX or STI, Subarus are some of the best cars to have in the winter. The AWD system is awesome! Obviously you should get good winter tires regardless of the car you have. You may need to spend a bit more for a set of winter wheels, but it's nice not needing to pay someone to take your summer tires off your rims and put winters on them. So easy to just swap your other set of wheels yourself!
 
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JulesMaximus said:
The STI will be horrible in the snow unless you put snow tires on it. The stock rubber works well on warm dry pavement but it is useless in the snow. And you'll have trouble finding cheap wheels you can mount snow tires on that will clear the brakes.
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I had no intention of running either car on its stock tires in winter. I'll be getting a 2nd set of wheels and probably some blizzaks or alpins.
 
JulesMaximus said:
The STI will be horrible in the snow unless you put snow tires on it. The stock rubber works well on warm dry pavement but it is useless in the snow. And you'll have trouble finding cheap wheels you can mount snow tires on that will clear the brakes.
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It's a given in a snowy climate to change between sets of tires twice a year. I have them swap tires back and forth on the same wheels. It comes out cheaper than reprogramming TPMS sensors on two sets of wheels.
 
zCypher said:
WRX is quite a bit cheaper, a bit softer than STI and obviously not as fast. It's still a quick car, or pretty fast if you're looking at more recent ones.

I recommend WRX. There's always room for upgrades if you feel the need anyway.

Regardless of whether you get the WRX or STI, Subarus are some of the best cars to have in the winter. The AWD system is awesome! Obviously you should get good winter tires regardless of the car you have. You may need to spend a bit more for a set of winter wheels, but it's nice not needing to pay someone to take your summer tires off your rims and put winters on them. So easy to just swap your other set of wheels yourself!
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With TPMS mandatory now, you still get to pay them $75 to reprogram the car for the other set of TPMS sensors twice a year. You also have to spend $300 on a second set of TPMS sensors, on top of the cost of a second set of wheels.
 
Jumpem said:
It's a given in a snowy climate to change between sets of tires twice a year. I have them swap tires back and forth on the same wheels. It comes out cheaper than reprogramming TPMS sensors on two sets of wheels.
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Not everyone knows this. I've seen many a wrecked STI on the Suby forums because someone didn't know this.
 
So now a days on new subies it is just best to keep the same set of wheels, and go back and forth between summers and winters??
 
z1ggy said:
So now a days on new subies it is just best to keep the same set of wheels, and go back and forth between summers and winters??
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That's what I do on my Outback. Remounting and balancing tires is cheaper than swapping wheels (with tires already mounted) and then reprogramming the TPMS sensors. Additionally, you save on the cost of the second set of wheels and second set of TPMS sensors.
 
Even the base WRX is considerably more sporty than a V6 Accord, let alone the i4 models. Test a WRX and see, I'd recommend it over the STI when weighing purchase cost, fuel economy, maintenance costs (brakes/tires higher on STI, along with insurance), etc. STI is a bit more robust in performance, and has a much tougher transmission IIRC. WRX can be modded up to and beyond stock STI levels, but the WRX transmission becomes the weak spot.

*** -- this was based on information gathered a couple of years back, the transmission situation may have changed by now, but the rest is basically common sense. Both are indeed pretty darned sweet.
 
Check your insurance rates on the WRX before committing, for me (25 y/o male, clean record) it costs more to insure a WRX/STi than it would an M3 or my 335i, and not just a little bit more, it was significantly higher.
 
PhoKingGuy said:
Check your insurance rates on the WRX before committing, for me (25 y/o male, clean record) it costs more to insure a WRX/STi than it would an M3 or my 335i, and not just a little bit more, it was significantly higher.
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It cost me the same to insure a BMW 335i, a Toyota Camry and Honda Civic; there is something fucked up with insurance rates in Florida...
 
RavenSEAL said:
It cost me the same to insure a BMW 335i, a Toyota Camry and Honda Civic; there is something fucked up with insurance rates in Florida...
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Nope, it has more to do with the type of people that buy each vehicle. They just look at their financial risk. The type of people that like certain kinds of cars are lower risks to the insurance company than people that like others.

Apparently the people that chose to buy a much nicer car are less likely to get in accidents than people that buy cheaper cars. Maybe they care about the cars more and are more careful, or possibly that group is just more responsible. The insurance companies don't really care WHY it happens, they only look at the statistics and adjust their rates accordingly.
 
Sti owner here. The 08+ stis are soft, no worries about dd ing them. If cost is not an issue don't even consider the wrx. My insurance for my sti is much cheaper than for a wrx, and also much cheaper than most other "soft" cars.

Anyway, I've owned mine for near 5 years. It has been rock solid, and it is heavily modified. If you have any specific questions about ownership let me know.
 
I've heard before that STIs are cheaper than the WRX on insurance in some instances due to the demographics of owners. STI owners tend to be older and less prone to claims due to the cost of the vehicle.

Some interesting info in here though. Much appreciated. I've had no luck locating an STI anywhere within 500 miles, and even if they had them the dealers aren't willing to allow test drives.
 
Pens1566 said:
I've heard before that STIs are cheaper than the WRX on insurance in some instances due to the demographics of owners. STI owners tend to be older and less prone to claims due to the cost of the vehicle.

Some interesting info in here though. Much appreciated. I've had no luck locating an STI anywhere within 500 miles, and even if they had them the dealers aren't willing to allow test drives.
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So they expect you to buy a car without driving it? When I bought mine, the salesman I had dealt with was busy with another customer. He gave me the keys to the STI and told me to get some dinner. I came back an hour later.
 
Pens1566 said:
I've had no luck locating an STI anywhere within 500 miles, and even if they had them the dealers aren't willing to allow test drives.
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Won't allow test driving? Find another dealer. Seriously. When shopping for my wife's 2011 WRX one dealer wouldn't let us test drive the STI. We purchased from the dealer that would.

Don't know about earlier year models or 2012 models, but with 2011 models the STI was noticeably sprung more stiff, resulting in a more jarring ride over the WRX. Both of us test drove the two vehicles on the same roads, so we basically did 2 passes per vehicle. There were areas of concrete expansion joints and the WRX would take them in stride while the STI would "skip." I did like the STI transmission better - seemed to shift more smoothly. However, we got the short shift kit for the WRX which made it a bit better, plus it "broke in" after a while and now shifts better than when new. The STI was also louder, though the WRX is no noise slouch. Even though ours is stock, I've been asked (by an owner of an older WRX, no less) which aftermarket exhaust I was using. 😕

We do have snow tires on a separate set of wheels for ours. I went one inch under in wheel diameter, and got some cheap $99 alloys from Tire Rack. Also went with narrower 205 cross section tires. That's supposedly the "conventional wisdom" of snow tires, to go narrower tires that are not as low profile. Zero problems clearing brakes.

We did not bother with TPMS. The idiot light on the instrument panel comes on, but it in no way affects the vehicle. It doesn't go into any kind of "limp mode" like some vehicles will. I don't know if this changed for the 2012 models.

Have you considered the Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Limited? It is basically their Legacy mid-sized sedan with the 265BHP WRX engine and a 6-speed manual (instead of WRX 5-speed). Since you have a newborn, the Legacy will have a LOT more trunk space than the WRX (regardless of sedan or hatchback version).
 
Seriously. My last car purchase, I went somewhere that didn't want to pull the car I got out of the showroom for a test drive. They lost a sale, and the dealer across town got the business instead.
 
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