Hi All, Very cool there is an active local subie forum. I was playing on cl and sending my wife candidates for my next toy. Mustangs, Camaros, Malibu Wagon and a WRX wagon. She picked the WRX. I have yet to try an awd turbo car. I love the sound of a boxer engine with tuned exhaust. I am 6' 5" and we are a family of 4. Wanted something that we could all enjoy together. It will be a tight fit but it's not like I will horsing around with the family in the car. Not sure if I will get one yet this summer. I may wait until next spring and spend a little more than I would now. Seems most stuff in my current price range has rust. Anyways hope to own one ASAP and look forward to having an awd toy in the garage. Rob
Another fun option would be a Forester XT or Legacy GT. Still the same AWD+Boxer+turbo, but might be more roomy for a family of 4. Something to keep in mind during your shopping.
Heartily seconding readymix's suggestion. Legacy GT and Forester XT are both much more practical for "family" use. My kid was still in a car seat when I had my STi and it was almost butted up against the front seats. With my legacy, he had A LOT of room to spare. It's a dramatic difference. Lots of parts bolt up between platforms too, if that interests you.
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/4460607080.html This thing looks sick even to my young dumb wrx driving self
Forester and Legacy are definitely an option. Whatever I get it will be a toy not a dd. So it really only needs to squeeze the family in when the kids want to go for a joy ride. I really like the Forester XT. It would be a cool platform to STI out. Ryan the CL ad has been deleted.
It was an outback XT (lifted LGT). All will be able to fit 4 adults in a pinch (WRX, STI, FXT, LGT, OXT). I have fit 3 adults in my 06 FXT on a road trip and we could have squeezed 4 but it would have been uncomfortable. An LGT 4th or 5th gen will be much more comfortable for a long haul.
First, welcome to the forum! I'm 6'6", so I understand the height factor. I've had an 05 and 06 impreza, and now an 08 sti and 12 legacy. For front passenger leg room, I will say that the 08+ impreza/WRX and 10+ Legacy/Outback are by far the best in terms of leg room (meaning I was cramped in my 05/06, but I have more than enough room in my 08 and 12). My 12 legacy sedan still has plenty of back seat room with my seat all the way back, and plenty of room in the trunk. My gf has an 11 outback, and there is an ungodly amount of room in the rear cargo area. The 09+ forester should also have a ton of leg room and cargo room. Depending on your budget, you may also want to check out the A4 Avant (wagon). It's pretty tough to find a nice AWD wagon/hatch that is not an Audi or Subaru. Good luck on the hunt, and feel free to post your questions here...but searching first is helpful.
Welcome! I have a 2011 wrx for sale w/ a "tuned exahust." Check it out in the FS section. I'll sell it to you for $23000 (lower than KBB).
Another option to add to TMF's list of acceptable AWD cars would be Infiniti G35x/Fx35. If you're looking for power and ride comfort, that's what I would do. Wife got one a couple years ago, I don't think she will ever own another Subaru at this point.
This! The lady drives a 07 G35x and in terms of power, ride comfort, road noise its been amazing. Interesting AWD too lol welcome to the forum Rob!
oh yea DUH, I almost bought a G37x lol. Good call. Only downsides with the G37 is that they are not available in a wagon format and the rear seats are a bit cramped...but otherwise a great car. FX35 might be a better option, but I'm not sure what those run these days.
Thanks for all the welcomes. My budget will probably allow for a clean 02-04 WRX. TMF could you fit in your 05/06 with a helmet on?
The FX35 is essentially your G35 wagon. It would be like the Outback is to the Legacy. They ride a bit higher, but they are about the same dimensionally, they just added a wagon backend to it. Same engine, virtually same interior.
Yup, plenty of clearance for the helmet. If you can swing it, you might want to shoot for an 06+ WRX to get the 2.5L (vs the 2.0L in the 02-05). Same turbo, but the extra displacement makes a difference. Although the 2.0L motor is arguably more reliable. 02's are also known to have glass transmissions, but some seem to hold up fine. Regardless of what you get, a thorough inspection, including a compression test, is highly recommended.
Tons of aftermarket support. As curry stated. They share basically the same stuff as the 05-09 Legacy. You can buy mine Most of the main things are done. Did I mention it was a limited in a 5 speed And the main mod......MNSubaru sticker.
Outback XT seems like a decent option. Looks like they weigh about the same as a mazdaspeed 6. Feel free to pm me asking price and details. Probably out of my current price range but fun to dream.
Only hard part to find for outback xt and legacy wagon is correct exhaust.......not that stuff derp runs that just comes up short
If a guys goal is to end up with around 300whp is it dumb to start with a wrx? Should I just save longer and get a STI?
Why do you want 300 whp? What's the difference between that and 280 whp? Getting stuck on numbers is foolish, especially given how much those numbers vary from dyno to dyno and shop to shop. The transmission will become the weak point, which is why people often swap in STi 6MT's. The path is there if you want it.
Sorry I should of worded that more carefully. I know I would be happy around 300whp. I understand that dynos can vary greatly. What I am curious about is at what point is a guy better off just saving and getting a STI over a WRX. From what I read last night a WRX Stage 3 with a protune at say DB is similar performance to a STI stage 2. If a guys goal was to have the above would he be better off saving and getting an STI? A little history. My last two performance cars were a 99 Cobra with all bolt ons and about 300rwhp and a 90 Mustang LX Vortech S-Trim tuned for e85 about 400rwhp. Between the two cars I prefered the 99 Cobra. It had enough power to have fun, it was simple and reliable. That being said my goal would be to have an AWD Turbo car that is reliable and not over done to the point it has to be on e85 and have strange corks. I want a fun street car that I can jump in, have some fun and do some track days.
I'm thinking an STI would probably make sense for you then, although I don't know what the used market for them is like in the region, and you'd have to get it inspected by a good mechanic to make sure it hasn't been totally bagged. That way you already get the stronger 6-speed tranny/DCCD/front LSD/bigger rear diff, better brakes (which are not super cheap to upgrade), decent-ish stock suspension, lighter weight (since it's your 'fun car' the increased noise and NVH shouldn't bother you , etc. Basically you've already got quite a few thousand dollars of upgrades done by the factory for you that you'd have to pay for on a WRX (plus labor if you don't do the work yourself), so that can be considered when looking at the price differential between the used STIs and WRXs. Availability might be a bigger problem...
Your goal is "300whp" now but generally peoples goals shift so you might as well prepare. I started out saying I wouldn't mod my wrx but now I have a bigger turbo and E85. STI the engine is weak, wrx the tranny and engine are weak. Expect to break something when you start modding. If you can get an equivalent STI (same year and miles) for only $5-6k more than a wrx the do it because that's about what it costs to do the full 6 speed swap all said and done. Engine comes down to tune, how you drive it, maintenance, and luck. You may or may not blow your engine. I would say start looking for both wrx and STI for your chosen year and you will get a better idea what you can afford. Then budget for some kind of failure. Have you thought about a 2015 mustang gt? Haha
Reliability and modded subarus are not a good pairing. The more stock you can keep it the happier you're going to be on the reliability tip. Around 300 tends to be the tipping point where folks start to seriously worry about the transmission. If you want 300awhp+ more than you want DD comfort, then save for the STi so you get the transmission and LSD's. The rest of the "extras" are kind of meh outside out a track environment. On a track is a whole different story. STi all the way if you plan on tracking more often than getting groceries.
Thanks for the replies. Sounds like an STI might be the best option. Like mentioned test drives, budget and availability will play into the equation. Now where can I find a Bugeye Aspen White Wagon that's stock and in mint condition .
