I'd go for the WRX, since I test drove one, and it was absolutely amazing. Plus it's new, so you'd know exactly how it was driven, and you'd also have a full warranty.
I bought a '15 WRX, but didn't even consider an STi because I don't think it makes sense for me as a daily driver.
Do yourself a favor and buy a STI. You won't regret it. The good news is I happen to have a cheaper 2008 STI with all the goodies a newer STI would have. All for a reasonable price of & 19,099.99 or $19,499.99 with extra set of rims/winter tires. Lol all jokes(not really) aside. Go with the new WRX if you are in a rush to buy a new car or else be smart and wait for whatever new DI motor Subaru will throw in the STI.
Trying to pedal that STi of yours pretty hard, eh? Too many miles and mods for me, thanks. Not in any sort of hurry, but I'm looking to buy late Q3 or early Q4 of this year.
I'm just messing around lol but yeah it's probably going be another 2 years before they swap out the engine on the sti. I think wrx's engine is just a better platform right now compare to the outdated ej257. I'm just hoping Subaru brings over the turbo on the wrx to the brz. I will switch over once that happens.
Another reason why it's hard to justify a new STi over an older one, the engine and powertrain hasn't been updated in years.
Yeah, If I was in the market for a new car and I was debating between a new sti or wrx. I think I would rather go for an evo.
It's really tough to answer without know what you really want in a car. Please explain what is most important to you in a car, and I'll share my opinion
Yes, please elaborate to him how the 2008 Aspen White STI is the best model year Subaru has ever made lol
I've been driving my 09 2.5i automatic hatchback for six years. I desperately want a manual and more power. The practicality of the hatchback has served me well because I like to get out and go camping. With all the coolers and kitchen sinks I like to bring, the trunk is full and no one fits in the back seat. I have enjoyed tinkering on my car, but have reached the limit on what I can do without swapping in a different motor. Considering the cost to do that I might as well sell my car and buy a new one. Having six speeds would be really nice as well, not a requirement for me but certainly a strong consideration. I'm starting my career in June and will be commuting about 40 miles a day so having something reliable is important. To summarize: Power Reliability Practicality
Hands down, WRX hatch. A lot more power than what you have now, plenty to tinker with, plenty of cargo room, and should be more reliable than an sti. The money you save buying a used WRX hatch vs buying a new 15 will get you a nice used one with a warranty plus a better stereo (if that's what your after for interior). Now if you said you're rallying, racing, going for 400+ whp or want to shift all the time, I would have said sti. But it really isn't necessary. IMHO, you buy an sti for the magic limited slip differentials and stronger transmission. Otherwise the WRX is a great all around car and DD and will be 90% as fun a an sti but much cheaper and [hopefully] more reliable.
Ford Focus RS? I agree with Jordon. Look at a used WRX hatch. They can be a lot of fun with only a few modifications.
Well another plus of sticking with an older WRX hatch is that everything that I've put on my car, light bar, suspension spacers, subwoofer box, ect..., will transfer without issue. Having that twin scroll turbo would be reaaaaaal nice though
Here's my 2c - keep your reliable, practical, AWD-for-the-winter, good-MPG-on-regular-gas, automatic-for-easy-40mi-commute, presumably-paid-off 09 2.5i and drive it til the wheels fall off. Make it your DD, the car where you don't freak out if someone dings the door in a parking lot or it gets scratched while camping (buy a rooftop cargo carrier if you need the backseat room). Just beat on it and have a blast. Take your cash and buy something ridiculously fun to drive in the summer/track/wrench on/etc. That way it doesn't matter if something breaks leaving you without a car to drive to work, and so you can also afford to modify it at your leisure instead of having to rush to get it back together and working overnight or during the weekend. Also it can be purpose-built instead of the inevitable compromises if you try to make one car do everything. Re the above you have three realistic options IMHO: Pick two of them, split those needs into two cars, or throw lots of cash on top if you want all three in one car (and still be prepared to get heartbroken when your 'reliable 400WHP DD Subaru' breaks down and you can't afford a new engine/transmission/blah)
Lol ask Nuke about twin scroll...every time I bring it up, he talks me down lol. Basically twin scroll doesn't make that big of a difference, esp considering the costs. Sounds like you'd appreciate the space of a hatch more than quick spool (and it might only be a 500 rpm difference, but I haven't seen dyno plots).
You make a valid argument. The car is completely paid off, it already has dings and scratches, and it is quite practical. However, I've been driving the car since high school and I did a lot of stupid sh*t back then (as we all did) and it feels like I'm still living with some of those mistakes on a day-to-day basis. Keeping the car since it's paid for and picking up some weekend cruiser is an interesting prospect though. I'm just not sure I can keep living with some of my "ambitious but rubbish" high school modifications. Yes those can be fixed over a few weekends and none of it would break the bank, at some point I would like to start fresh and do it right from the beginning. I'm certainly not looking for some 400+ HP DD or even weekend bomber, hell I only have 125 WHP to play with currently, getting into a WRX would be a nice step up in power while keeping the practicality aspect of a hatchback. This is the argument that I have been having internally for a while, welcome to the party. Nuke is always good about talking people up or down on things. He was the one who really got me hooked on having a 6-speed haha. I guess I haven't been looking at the spool time as much as I've been eyeing those gas mileage figures. Currently I do about 21 miles per gallon of dino juice, granted I'm up at altitude that's still not great even at sea level I was lucky to see 23. Most of the commuting that will be done back in the Cities will be highway miles, so there's that. More fuel for the fire.
Having owned an older 06' STi, 13 WRX, and now 15 STi, do yourself a favor. If you don't mind the rather harsh feel of the tight suspension get an STi hands down. The WRX was a great vehicle, but I felt like something was missing.
My buddy brought up a good point the other day about practicality. I'm moving back to MN from Montana and currently I do a lot of camping and getting offroad in general, back in MN this probably wont be the case. After thinking about that for awhile I think this is now a two horse race between the 15' WRX or STi. The low placement of the turbo on the WRX worries me though for when I eventually do get into muddy stuff. I have a nice dent in my oil pan currently but a new pan doesn't cost nearly as much as a new turbo. The real difference will be in how they feel to drive.
A nice heavy duty skid plate will help avoid any undercarriage damage. I'm not sure how low the turbo really is on the 15 wrx though. I think you will be happy with either and it's going to boil down to your personal preference and budget.
They placed it in front of the oil pan on the new engine. Some nice 1/4" steel should help deter any unwanted bangs, I'll have to crawl under a car and see where mounting points could be and design one from there. The hardest thing is deciding between a good choice and a good choice. http://autospress.com/2013/11/new-2015-subaru-wrx-photo-video.html/2015-subaru-wrx-engine
5th gen lgt was the mule for this layout, more or less. Nothing a 3/16" plate from primitive can't fix. The trade off is insta-spool.
I figured that's why it's almost in the exhaust ports. Maybe the engine needs to be flipped upside down so the exhaust is on the top and all the spinny is away from the ground.
