The Lightning is really a crazy truck. I didnt' find out the hard way but I talked to the guy and saw his slip... Running 13's and he's pretty stock...

Don't matter I love the WRX, the handling is great as I found out today.

The high school let out today, and at a red light some punk in a CRX wanted to go... I gave him a good second head start, and blew him away it was great. Not to mention this car def. get's looks from the ladies... seeya

 

I raced the VR4 about 2 months after I got my car...the clutch was already going out (not my fault...they replaced it free) but I lost the 1/4 by about 3 car lengths. He also got me off the line.
BUT my clutch was slipping and burning and they knew it.

Later I raced another friend's turboed civic si (2001). This dude has spent about 9 grand and a lot of heartache on this car and he beat me badly after about 65 mph. I totally took him off the line and up to 60, but after that he told me later that he was doing 138 when I was doing about 109 (we compared based on the distance).
This dude has beaten a Viper, many mustangs and vettes, and just about any import he's faced.
But who cares about straight line performance? With FWD and 15" rims, this dude wouldn't stand a chance on any real race course.
About the VR4, that's where I get sick of hearing about Japanese cars outperforming American cars at the price. When that car came out (I worked at a Mitsu dealer and drove them often) they cost in excess of 40 grand loaded. That's the same as an M3, Corvette etc. It's a great car, but at it's price point, shouldn't be compared to the WRX (which sells for less (adjusted) than the Eclipse GSX (210 HP BTW) did at the time). With a few minor mods, and a working clutch - I know I could really take it to the VR4.
Also, from my (BAD) experience in hitting stationary objects, the WRX suspension is effectively bulletproof.
Oh, and also, the guy with the civic has lost to a WRX w/ a fuel management system at the track.
Got a High School story too...Some punk w/ a new Tiburon (171 HP ha ha ha) goes to the high school by my parents' house. I have smoked him from standstill, rolling start, 3rd gear, you name it. This kid keeps trying. It's hilarious and the other day he yelled "Get a real car". I couldn't stop laughing.

 

the neon SRT-4 should give a WRX a good run for its money. however it is a neon and will probably be in for repairs every other week.

and Mitsubishi is supposedly bringing two turbo lancers over to us. One will be the Evolution VIII to compete with the STi and the other will be about the same spec as the WRX. Should be around the same price too. (Read this in my last motortrend)

 

Want to know what can beat the WRX here goes a list under 40k

Cars that can beat WRX Stock for Stock:

Toyota Supra N/A/TT
Mazda RX-7 FD3S Models TT / Single Turbo
Mustang Cobra/Mach 1/Steeda/Roush
Chevy Camaro Z28/SS
Nissan 300ZX TT
Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4
Dodge Stealth TT

Cars WRX Can Beat:
Honda Civic Si/CRX/Prelude/S2000 (yes it can)
Chevy Caviler
Nissan SE-R/240SX/Maxima/Sentra
Mitsubishi Lancer/Eclipse(RS/GS,GS-T,GT)
Toyota Camry/Matrix
Ford Focus SVT/Mustang/Mustang GT
Mazda Protege
VW Jetta 1.8T/Bug Type S/Bug/Golf/GTi

Cars about even:
Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
Dodge Eagle Talon


well i could go on for awhile longer but you get the point..

 

the only problem is the car mentioned are rarely stock, now a days theres so many sleepers out there that you have to think twice. my friends got a zo6 looks stock from the outside but the wine from the supercharger is a dead give away.

 

A lot of cars are really fast--until you get to the 90 degree turn at the end of the straight! If it can't turn and burn, I don't want it.TC

 

If the Mustang GT can get a good launch (or the WRX bogs) it will ET quicker and always MPH faster. Basically it comes down to the launch, but the GT is the *faster* car (race one from a roll).


Oh, and you can add the 2000 S4 to that "Win" list.

 

yeah, i can say the gst, or tsi (fwd) in my case, loses much less in parasitic drag. taking off from a start is a little hard with the fwd, once the turbo spools, you tend to wheel spin if you don't control your throttle well. someone who knows how to drive the car though, would give the rex a run for his money, and probably end up showing him his tail lights. this is based on personal experience.

-PJ

 

I love my WRX (3 weeks and still grinning!) but the real cars you have to worry about are the 60's muscle cars! Yeah, I love the turbo 2.0, but ya gotta love 6+ liters of stump pulling torque. Who here wouldn't want an 800 HP Hemi running on pump gas? So what if it doesn't turn, it'll do 140 in the 1/4. Yeah buddy.

 

i have to admit, watching a guy i work with tear the 315's off the back end of his chevelle wagon (don't remember what year) while sitting still in the parking lot is pretty impessive. another guy came buy one day with some olds body, but had a caddy engine in it. talk about smoke! he tore a whole in the pavement. now, i can smoke my tsi, but i can't just sit still and tear the tarmac up!!!

-PJ