I've been browsing and doing research online in an attempt to decide what my next car will be. I currently own a 98 Honda Civic with minor mods (i/h/e)... It's pretty damn slow in my opinion. I'm getting a new job that pays much more, so now I can get a new (faster) car. I've been looking at the new Civic Si, the RSX Type-S and the WRX... The WRX seems much more appealing to me, although I do love Hondas. I was wondering if there are any previous Honda owners who can tell me about their experiences they had with the switch. How are Subarus in terms of quality compared to Honda? What's it like to actually have torque lol... I'm a father of two, so the 4 doors is more appealing than two, also, and the AWD seems to be a lot safer in most weather conditions, so I've read. Just wondering if someone could give me some pros and cons on switching. Thanks in advance!


edit: aiming for 02-05 WRX's, trying to keep it under 20 grand.

 

Hey man, FWIW, if you can afford the extra $2000, get an '06 WRX TR. You can probably get into one for about $22,000. For the record, you will add about $40 on to your monthly payment by doing so. If you can't afford the extra $40, then just continue to save. '02-'05 WRXs are great, but a lot of much-needed improvements come with the '06 models.

 

im a former HONDA OWNER myself =] 2003 Civic Si sold that piece of crap it was worthless compare to a WRX current im driving a 2004 WRX love it as hell, cheaper insurance and extrememly great for long distance trip high speed anything yo! get a WRX TR like 05 STI say! hope that helps a little

 

Hell yeah. Hondas are so.........feminine.

 

My husband owns a 2002 civic SI and I have a 2006 WRX. We both prefer to drive mine over his. I really enjoy driving my car and feel much safer with it, I met a couple other people who own WRXs and all of them seem very happy with their choice and its nice to have 4 door sedan insted of 2 if you have a family. A little more power is really nice too, these cars definately have more torque its such a big difference between the two. I think you would be very happy with the change. As Far as insurance its about the same for both cars.

 

Your husband needs to get his own WRX so he doesn't have to beg you to drive yours.

 

The other car in my family is a 2002 Civic DXG (which my dad daily drives), what I drive right now is a 2005 Impreza RS and if it's relevant at all, I have driven a 2004 STi. A few things I've noticed with the Impreza is that the clutch travels deeper than the Civic however requires less effort to depress, however due to the low-vibration nature of the 2.5 boxer, it's difficult to find friction point at first. While having shorter throws, the shifter on the Impreza feels clunkier, especially in really cold weather. The torque is delivered rather smoothly throughout the powerband, so acceleration (at least in the naturally aspirated engines) is pretty linear, and not to mention that the AWD and increased torque makes it easier to climb a wider variety of hills and slopes. Now I've never noticed this while driving, but when I sit in the back seats as a passenger, I've noticed there's slightly more cabin noise in the Subaru. The rear passthrough on the Impreza sedan is not nearly as useful as the 60/40 split on the Civic, so if you want something a bit more practical, get the wagon. I'm not sure about a 1998 Civic, but mine had a flat floor in the rear, which I sort of miss. But all-in-all, I love the Impreza so much more than I did the Civic.

 

Since being in the tuner world since 1997, my first tuner car was a 1996 civic coupe. I tricked it out to the fullest from jdm suspension to a b16b(civic type r)motor. Power wise is a big difference from NA to turbo, though I cant rev high as compared to the b16b motor. Traction and control, I love the AWD but i think I could make it as stiff on my WRX as I had my setup on my civic, and also considering having kids. Its less stressful as compared to owning a 2door. So in conclusion from FWD to AWD, they have its ups and downs but I enjoyed my civic and now enjoying my subaru. Hope this feed back will help you.

 

Honda has some of the most positive manual transmissions in the business. That's what they're reknowned for (aside from fart tips and huge wings). You're not going to get such good positive throws from a manual as you will from Honda.

While I hate Hondas and would NEVER own one for performance purposes, they are still a good car and I wouldn't be against looking at them when my wife looks for her next vehicle. She couldn't care less about performance or cars and could be totally happy with driving a Camry.

 

I went from a 1991 Acura Integra to a 2003 WRX Wagon.

Both cars were admirable for different reasons.

The Acura was a more refined car. The way the engine wound up all the way to the redline was amazing. Very little vibration or noise compared to the WRX. Not to say the WRX is harsh but the Acura was just smoother. When you hit around 5500 RPM in the WRX something lets you know it, whether its the gears, engine or exhaust, I really can't tell. The fit and finish of the Acura was better(inside and out) as were the ergonomics. Where the Acura sucked was its front wheel drive. If you tried to drop the clutch at higher rpms you were met with massive front wheel bounce. Suspension was okay but a little soft.

Most of the advantages the WRX has over the Acura are performancer related. Better acceleration and handling. Better exhaust note(stock).

What is it with Honda and torque? I just don't get it. Do Honda engineers have something against torque. What did torque ever do to them? Well, for whatever reason, they've decided to build cars with a lack of it, which is a shame. The Civic Si has 197hp and 139lb/ft, what is the deal with that?

I'm a family guy so the kicker is that the WRX can be had in a wagon. You can't have kids and have a 2 door car, it is just too much of a damn hassle. Especially with infinks. Honda really doesn't make a 4-door car that an enthusiast would like. With subaru you can get a WRX, Forrester XT or Legacy GT that will spank comparable cars from Honda/Acura.

But like the guy above said, if you don't care about performance, get the Honda.

 

I just traded in my 2003 RSX Type S for a 2006 black STI about three weeks ago. I absolutely loved my RSX and beat the living **** out of it from the day I bought it. It was honestly a great car and I had absolutely no problems out of it. I had 343 whp at 12 lbs. of boost for over a year. The motor and tranny were completely stock (besides turbo kit and lots of fuel mods) and I was revving to 8800 rpms for about 18,000 miles. When I parted my car out and traded it in, the car was still in perfect running condition. Compression was perfect across all cylinders and the leak down test showed that the motor seemed to be fine.

I do miss my RSX and I really miss the good gas mileage. I was honestly in the same boat as you were before I originally bought my RSX. I had my heart set on the WRX but I ended up going with the cheaper RSX (which I proceeded to dump thousands of dollars into). I realize that my STI will be tons of fun once I start modding.

 

The STi's probably more fun than the RSX as is, considering the upgrade in the handling department.

 

I had a 2000 Type R. It was an awesome car. I wish I could have kept it and still buy the Wrx. If you have kids, the Wrx is the best of both worlds, as you can take the family on trips and still have fun with performance.

The ITR's insurance was crazy and just worrying about it getting stolen everywhere you park was hard to deal with.

 

Ummmm, no offense, but who would steal an Integra?

 

The Type-R is one of the most stolen cars in the country, if you look at it as a percentage of those cars available. The Type-R probably puts down more power than a WRX at the wheels (because of the AWD drivetrain loss in the WRX) and handles very well for a FWD car (double wishbone all around.) The chasis is seam welded and redline is near 8500 rpm I believe (although it can run higher.) Piston speeds approach F1 territory. And as somebody said earlier, the clutch feel of a honda/acura is extraordinary.

But...after all that...the Type R is two door, difficult to get into the back seats, and although it handles very well....AWD is very good. I own a WRX but my brother-in-law has a Type R. At the track, our times are similar...he's faster in the straights and I'm faster around the turns. But I have a son, and 4 doors is much more practical than 2...and I have some fun with the WRX.