I bought my 05 WRX back in September and I love the car. But, I'm starting to question if I bought the right Subaru. I want more out of the car. In hindsight I probably should have waited a little while longer and saved up more for a down payment on an STI. I already checked with my insurance and its only a little bit more a month for the STI. Also, I plan on doing lots of upgrades to whichever car I end up keeping and I think the consensus is that its much better to start a project with an STI than a WRX.

Comments? Flames? Advice?

 

Im actually going through the same thoughts right now and have pretty much decided on an STI. The only advice I would give is see what the 2006 will offer. At the very least if you dont like the 06' you can get an 05 cheaper.

 

depending on what you paid for your WRX, you're likely, unfortunately, to take a beating trying to trade it in so soon. There's strong rebate and financing offers that you'll be contending with, and you'll end up eating all the tax, registration etc. and in the first year, you pay a lot of interest, and not a ton of principal, so after a year, you'll likely owe about 22K- your down payment on the car, and right now if I was appraising an 05 for trade in, the MAX I'd be able to give you would be 17.5, simply because it costs me about $500 to get a car on the lot, no matter HOW new it is, then I've got to mark it up enough for people to haggle it down and still turn a profit, (usually about 3K). But I have to have the LIST price on your used one be lower than what I'm advertising new ones for (which right now is $21,700), or nobody will even look at it. So I'd be looking at stickering a used 2005 at $19,995, which means I'd have to buy it for 17 or 17.5.

 

do you need DCCD? do you need larger brakes? do you need the 6speed tranny?
decide(and write down) exactly what you PLAN on modifying. will you make it into a daily driver with decent performance? or will you make a gutted out track beast?
i have been in the business of selling cars for 3 years- i see this all the time. if i were to offer financial advice- i'd say keep the WRX. you will lose money irregardless. but if you know that you WILL spend money on your car to compete with an STi(which is way too much)- then i say sell or trade. depending on the values in your area of Colorado- you might get some decent money on your car.
but if so do it now before the values drop some more.

personally i say keep the wrx. i have been fortunate to have the 2. my wife has the wrx and i have the STi- i must say that she hates riding in my car. "too bumpy"






aloha from the summit of *-^-Mauna Kea-^-*

 

Dude that is so lowball, i traded my 04 in with 20k on it for 19. With subaru trade in program you should be able to do well, I don't know how they will work it with an 05 tho.

 

this will help. appreciate what you have. you already have an amazing car. if you really dont want it fine, get STi, but if they are jus second thoughts that u htink bout once in awhile. it jus seems like u dont really appreciate what you have. when you really appreciate what you have.. that is when you will be truly happy.

 

Yeah, that's totally understandable. After a while though, anything can get old, even an STi. I went throught the same pondering after purchasing my '03 WRX. Then I looked at the Road and Track magazine test results for the STi. The STi was .5 second faster on 0-60 than the WRX, with virtually identical handling specs. The WRX, being lighter, did better on the slalom, if I remember right. Of course, 1/4 mile times are much better on the STi, but it has that big 2.5 liter turbo. Then again, that means the STi doesn't have the cachet of sharing the WRC 2.0 liter powerplant that the WRX does.

So I asked myself if I wanted to pay another $10K to go 1/2 second faster on the 0-60?

What I did was to do about $2500 in upgrades to the WRX, just to get it handle the way I like. I look forward to driving it every time I get in and still love the way it runs, sounds and moves. Then I did some upgrades on the house and the boat. I just said no to the STi. But then, if I was making more money it might have been another story.

The thing is, wanting is always better than having.

 

I agree the wrx is an awesome car. For me i had 20k on my 04 and I had sold my second car (fast car). The WRX just wasn't enuff for me and modding it would be a pain with the weak tranny and I like warranties now days. I decidely to get a sti because I figured I was paying so much for my wrx i might as well have what I really want.

 

slow04wrx: I'm curious what dealer gave you 19K for an 04 with 20K on it, and what you paid for the car you bought from them. If I can find a dealer that will take 04's for that amount in trade, I would first trade my car to them, and immediately afterward, trade every used WRX on my lot to them, because they're going through the chutes at auction for 17 all day long. How long ago was this? Keep in mind that the cash rebate is now $1250, which means you can buy new for WELL under 22K, who in their right mind would pay more than 19 for an 04, when you can get a new 05 for 2K more?

If you paid sticker price for a car, and they gave you 19 in trade, that's a different story, because they're just pushing mark-up from the new car into your trade.

 

I traded it 2 weeks ago. I got a new 05 sti, with short shifter/armrest ext./security upgrade/ floormats/wheel locks for 31.9

 

you basically got about the same deal that I would've given you had you come to my store, except I would've sold you the STi for $29,900, and given you 17 in trade for your car. It's only a question of pushing mark-up around. If you don't believe me, call up the dealer that you bought your car from, tell them you have an 04 WRX with 20K, and need to sell it because of an emergency, and ask them what they'd be interested in buying it from you for. They'll say 17K.

Congradulations on your new STi though, and on negotiating a pretty good deal!

 

Agreed they'd say 17 but subaru has trade in incentives going on. You couldn't sell me an sti for 29.9.....thats bs sorry man, invoice is 30,800 with no options. I got my car for like 200 over invoice. Not 1 single person has got their car for under 30,500 for an 05 on all the msg boards.

Also i know how dealers work, and how they will throw some cost onto one end or the other. But lets face it man, you can't sell sti's for almost 2,000 under invoice (including options).

 

Unless you really like the big STI wing and the legitimate STI emblems, the WRX is just fine. It makes me think of the days when Acura Integras were the "in" car; I had an LS and was able to beat modded GSRs, so it was no big deal to me. The Type R was cool, but stiff, loud, no sunroof, etc.

Much the same way, the STI is cool, but not "better" by most people's standards. It is louder, stiffer, has an ugly wing, and is a big theft and vandalism target.

No thanks.... of course I'd eat my words if they made the STI wagon here .

 

Well, for starters I realize that going through with this wouldn't be the smartest financial decision. But, neither was buying a new car. I'm at a point in my life where for the first time I can afford the things I want. So why does the STI appeal to me more than my WRX? The biggest reason for me to upgrade is the 6spd. Of course, the larger engine is a better base to build upgrades off of as well.

Lets say I hung onto my WRX. In 3 years when my warranty is up I would be swapping out the drivetrain. It would definately get a 6spd and as of right now I am undecided on engine options. Possibly a spec c, built ej22t, or something from crawford/axis. I want to run EM that would allow me to switch between different octane maps. My plan is to Autox with some track days and the occasional trip to the drags. Eventually the car might just become my weekend fun car and dedicated track vehicle. I have a sportbike that I could always hang onto and use that for around town stuff.

A few things I don't like about the STI are the wheels, interior, and wing. My WRX came from the factory wingless so the STI wing would have to go. Possibly I would look into getting some different seats and changing out the wheels would be my first priority. By no means am I wanting an STI because its "cool". I have been a subaru fanboy and around the subaru online community for at least the last 7-8 years. For me it is strictly a performance and upgrade decision.

As far as selling my current WRX I would definately do it private party unless the dealer gave me an awesome deal on it and the STI. I am not really in a hurry to do this so I could ask high privately and take lower if the right buyer comes along. Something I have noticed is that they seem to hold their value really well here in Colorado. Before I bought I test drove an 02 with 30K+ on it in what I would call "decent" shape and after talking with the guy he wouldn't budge from 18k. Also, once it was sold I could hang onto the money till the time was right to purchase the STI since I have alternate transportation. Thank you for all the comments so far. Keep them coming.

 

SLOW04WRX- I'll sell anyone who wants one an STi for 29,900, pick your color. I'm not gonna hijack this thread to argue it with you though. If you don't believe me, just call me at work (401) 365 1200- ask for Jason, tell all your friends too. I've got plenty to go around. Don't be sore though, you did get a decent deal on your car.