the main disadvantage will be the spanking he receives from your STi.

 

compared to your sti (stock for stock):
handles worse, worse seating, worse acceleration, no awd, crappier build quality, 2+2 seater, smaller trunk, very old platform

 

wait til he gets smoked by a well moded WRX lol

-freddie

 

wait til he gets beat by an 89 nissan pathfinder!

 

My friend has an 03' Mach1. The handling on those cars are not as bad as you think. I have an 04'wrx and it handles better than my car. With $500 worth of modifications, he will easily out corner your car. The seating in the machs are so comfortable. Have you actually sat in a mach1? I would say its just as good as the sti. The mach1 is just as fast as the sti. 1/4 mile times are about the same. But if you were to race him on the freeway, you will have no chance. They are governed to 150mph. There 3rd goes to 110mph. Ford said that the new mach1s are the fast na cars that ford has ever produced. The build quality on mach1s are good. If we compare wrxs with fords, the quality is about the same. Our transmissions suck! The trunk size is identical to the sti. The car is actually very different than anyother car made by ford. I am in no way a ford guy, but I have to give ford its props for building a good car. I would have to say that the mach1 is definitely a match for an sti.

 

Your wrong. The STi is a match for the Cobra, not the Mach 1. Read Hot Rod Magazine. The wrx should be a good match to the Mach 1 but the STi will smoke it. The Mach1 is under 330 hp. The Cobra is 390hp and it ran almost even at the strip with the STi. As for the handleing, the WRX should out handle the Mach 1. It does have better suspension than the GT but not much. Depends on the driver. BTW get better tires on your 04' and you'll leave him in the dust. The Mach 1 comes with pretty good rubber as our WRX's do not. I do like the Mach 1 it's just not in the same class as the STi. Also I disagree with what you said about the fastest na cars they have built!?!?. GT40

 

If a 2003 Cobra (with its superior independent rear suspension compared to teh mach 1 live axle) can't keep up with the STi on a track (read HotRod mag, yes a v8-loving mag, where the STi whoops the Cobra on the track) in terms of lap times (think the difference was 1 or 2 seconds for a 1 minute lap), I really can't believe the Mach 1 to keep up well. It may be as good or better than the STi in terms of rolling acceleration, but it really will not handle as well.

As far as sitting in a Mach 3, yes, I sat in one and don't think it's as nice as an STi. Why didn't you buy a Mach 3? Not too much more than that 2004 WRX.

 

fwiw i dont really like the interior of the sti. i dont know what the ford looks like, but id imagine false woodgrain and lots of abs plastic

 

Not pretty Mike, not pretty. Look at the Corvette C5 interior and the Mustang interior is not laid out as well and materials are a little bit worse.

 

yeah i can imagine. I have ridden in a mustand before, cant say that i like it...

gluck on finals Andrew.

 

Mach 1, Mach 1...... Get it right. Sorry, i know its late, or early or what ever!!!!

 

Stock for stock, STi beats the Mach 1 no prob. But if he gets some nitrous and sprays, it's over for you.

 

one thing is true of both-

they both have signature sounds-
no other car will sound like a suby, and no other will sound like a mustang.
keep in mind that mustangs make great track cars. you simply can't beat the reliability of a naturally aspirated engine- i have owned mustangs and subarus-
in terms of overall performance the sti wins hands down, but for nostalgia my vote goes to the mach1-

however mustangs are notorious for seriously uncomfortable seating positions-which is why i would change the seats almost immediately.(they are such fat seats- how appropiate for us fat and greedy americans)

aloha from the summit of Mauna Kea

 

Mach 3, Mach 3...... Get a clue. I was making fun of the name. =P

Good luck on your finals Mike.