i would like to get a subaru wrx for AWD but i am a little discouraged about the others aspects of the car...

1- slow/imprecise steering rack (16.5 ratio )
2- slow/not willing gear box + ratio that are to tall
3- short on low end torque
4- suple suspension ( body roll )
5- relatively cheap interior
6- expensive ( to buy and fix )
7- four doors....
8- heavy car....

i love sports cars, willing driver's machine, light, precise, communicative and well balanced car to just toss around with very little effort. i just dont understand why people love their subaru. what gives you chivers when you drive a subaru? what makes a wrx a sports car? tell me except AWD and power what makes a subaru a fine drivers machine??????

 

sounds like u want a porsche more than a subaru

 

Not so sure I agree with you on all those points....4 doors are great for a few reasons..you still have your sporty car with rooms for the friends and insurance isn't going to rape you as they would a 2 door coupe. Personally I would love subaru to bring back a 2 door wrx but who knows. As far as the interior being cheap I don't catch your drift on that. Everything seems pretty decent to me, now given it isn't a bently or anything but it's not a Kia Rio either. I love working on cars so I enjoyed changing out my suspension but if you compare the wrx to the evo they have about the same body roll...

Cody

 

A lot of these issues are kinda subjective.

I wouldn't exactly call the WRX expensive. Sure, it may cost a bit more then a Celica or something, but you get what you pay for, and you pay for more power. Also, I've been with Subarus and Toyotas for years, and Subaru's are not expensive to fix at all.

There are only a small collection of cars that offer >=230hp for less then a WRX (and I don't think any are AWD).

I much prefer the interior of a 05 wrx over the interior of an 05 SRT-4. But then again, the Audi A4 interior is much nicer. Again, you get what you pay for.

The weight is actually not that much. 3000lbs these days is kinda average for a street car with all its safety equipment that is necessary. Its a touch on the heavy side, but not really by that much.

The four door issue is mainly taste. Many buy Subaru's because of the practacility of it. Its got 4 doors. Sometimes 5. And its fast. Some people like to go fast and be able to pack two bikes along with them.

The lack of low end torque can easily be avoided. I only feel a lack of power when I bog a launch. Granted, my turbo spools 2000RPM which is a significant bit lower then WRX's, but anyone who knows how to keep the revs up between shifts usually doesn't have a problem.

I will give you the points on the steering rack and the suspension though. It can feel like a pig to drive sometimes. But, coilovers and steering rack bushings make the car much more fun to drive (if your willing to part with $2k-$3k). The gearbox is a slight bit tall, but I find myself running out of each gear rather quickly when I go in a straight line.

Anyways, I bought my Subaru Legacy 2.5GT because for the money, I couldn't find a nicer or faster car. If you don't like the interior of the WRX, check out the Legacy or the new Tribeca. The interiors are certainly a big step closer to most luxury brands.

 

Why did I buy one? It was a great value, a fun daily driver and I fear no powder day.

1 - it's fine for a street car
2 - can't argue, but it has a very positive feel
3 - it's never been an issue for me
4 - the chasis is very solid, and is a nice compromise between sporty and practical. For example, I don't need to slow down for most speed bumps and I don't scrape my front lip when driving in the city.
5 - it's a cheap car
6 - it's a cheap car
7 - a coupe would be nice
8 - relative to new cars, it's not very heavy

If you've driven one and don't get it, look elsewhere. Different strokes for different folks.

 

I think your expectations for what performance you can get at this price might be out of kilter. There are very few cars that can beat the bang-for-your-buck you get with a wrx.

1 - the steering feel is as good or better than most other cars at this price point (the Miata and Mini being the exceptions I can think of)
2 - the gear box is admittedly a sore point
3 - never had a problem with low-end torque, at least with a manual tranny
4 - supple compared to what, precisely?
5 - I got my '05 wrx for under $23K. The interior is nicer than comparably priced cars.
6 - It's not expensive to buy and fix. Not sure what you're talking about.
7 - A coupe would be nice, yes. I assume you don't want a roadster, as you're already complaining about the "suple" (sp) suspension.
8 - AWD tends to make for a heavier car, yes, but it's stretching a bit to call a WRX a "heavier" car.

So you want a coupe with BMW steering, an RX-8 tranny, V8-low end, Evo MR suspension, leather and exotic wood interior and Elise weight for under $20,000?

Let me know when you find that car, I'll buy two.

 

haha...well said...+1

 

Try a WRX Wagon... it has FIVE doors...

 

I just dont understand some ppl. He came on a Subaru forum and tried to bash the Wrx. No one on here is going to agree with him. we love this car. and mostly evrything about it.

 

This guy is just trolling.

 

You'll never know how good a car it is until you drive it.

I strongly encourage you to take a test drive. They're free after all.

After that, you'll either love it or decide its not for you.

For < $25k, the list of desirable (for me) sports cars is very short. WRX, SRT-4, RSX-S, Civic Si, Scion tC, VW GTI & Mini-Cooper S (I left out Miata because I'm male but to each his/her own). Its not the fastest, best handling, nor most refined of the bunch but I think it strikes the best balance of all these things in one car.

I have two kids so its like the WRX Wagon was made just for me.

 

A buddy of mine bought a new miata and brought it by. As he pulls up, he's playing freaking Tears For Fears. I told him not to stop in front of my house.

 

And those dumbasses at Mazda changed the name to MX-5. Don't they know anything about brand equity?

 

AFAIK, the name Miata was only used in the US. In Europe, it has always been MX-5. Having said that, why change it now?

 

Err, in comparison to what? What is the point of this thread? If you don't already get it, then you never will. I own a wagon that i can pack full of **** and go camping with my girlfriend, then the next week take autocrossing and compete with cars that cost 30k more. I've owned subarus for years, and they are bulletproof and uber-reliable. I've highcentered my outback on logs and rocks, and it kept going like nothing happened.

Like I said, if you don't already get it, you never will.