Subaru WRX / 911

[brawlins]

Going to work yesterday, I decided to take my 996 on some twisty back roads. A WRX was behind me and I was quite impressed with his ability to keep up. I was doing (shame on me) about 80 mph. I'm guessing I would have gained some distance if there had been some longer straight spots, but it was fun anyway.
The SC comes out tomorrow. Choices, choices.
- Bill

[m325ix]

slightly modified STis reach 400HP + awd + brembo brakes...impressive for sub $30s car.
Don't forget that WRX STi won last year's WRC

[Victor]

Here we go again.

Do a forum search on WRX. Hours of reading material. In summary, they are cheaper and faster than almost all 911's. But lack in prestige / pimp factor.

[Sonic dB]

...and its ugly.

[Victor]

....oh yeah, UGLY.

But drooled over by school girls none the less. Go figure.

[thabaer]

I thought STi prices started just over $30K without any options.

And you should check out the plethora of dead WRX stories on some of the boards, refusal of warranty w/ no proof of owner abuse.

Still potent bang for $$$, just not quite the miracle some believe.

[fintstone]

I have come across a couple WRX and neither seemed very fast. Puzzling enough, I came across a VW GTI (looked new, but low with fat tires) that was really fast. I couldn't really test him due to traffic, but he was trying to push me...but he was certainly quick 0-60. He might have been a challege. Anyone come across any hot GTI's?

[atlporsche]

you should come down to snellville...

you could have the best of both worlds...a subaru motor in a 912 body.

sjd
*ducked and covered*

[HuntForFun]

A buddy has a GTI and it does perform. Several of us went to Detroit for a weekend and on the way home we played tag up to 125 mph on I-80. Darn thing hung right in there with me. I have riden in it a few times and it a real nicely put together ride. The big tires give it a nice look and some extra grip. It ain't much on ice though as he found out this winter.

[nostatic]

the new GTI R32 looks to be pretty damn fast. 240hp, 6 spd tranny, AWD.

[brawlins]

I wonder how high-boost turbo motors like the EVO and the WRX will stand up over time?
I always thought the high-revving S2000 motors would kill t hemselves. I noticed this year they added a little displacement and dropped the redline.

[sithot]

Having driven one at 10/10ths I will vouch that the car is serious.
Should any of you run across one and the driver has talent and the road is "not straight" you're going to be left for dead or have this little buzz-bomb all over you like cheap suit.
I was as impressed with this car as anything I've driven in a good while and that includes some pretty heavy hitters.

Would I buy one? No: It's a throw away car. Can't imagine getting any kind of trade-in value in 2-3 years.

Tom

[dotorg]

sithot: beauty of that is you can get one dirt cheap in 2-3 years.

The WRX (and STI, expecially) are beasts.

[Victor]

No need to even wait that long. I have been keeping an eye on the market for WRX/STi's and they seem to drop about 25% in the first year!

[cegerer]

The "GTI" was probably the new R32. A buddy just bought one. He got rid of a WRX to buy it. THe WRX is faster. However, the build quality, comfort and feel of the R32 are better (and it looks better!). It's said to be the best chassis, best handling vehicle VW has ever produced.

[masraum]

Brawlins, I believe the main reason for the displacement bump in the S2K was to recover some of the missing torque from the prior motor. Pretty much every magazine that reviewed the S2k complained of the lack of torque from the motor that required it to be revved to really perform and most people hate to rev their cars as much as we generally love to rev them. The reduction of redline was probably due to the increased piston size.

[MichiganMat]

More and more problems are coming out with the WRXs though. The trannys are trash and the engine has to be constantly tuned. You add an exhaust and suddenly you need a boost controller, and ECU flash, and a bunch of other gear. Theres also a bunch of talk of detonations with STIs, seems they don't like pump gas (especially in CA). Im on my second Scoobie (no WRXs) and I have to say that the build quality isn't too good in those cars. The materials feel cheap and brittle for the money paid. The EVOs in comparison feel much more complete, but who knows what kind of gremlins will start coming out in the coming months.

[fintstone]

Guess that explains the GTI. I had wiped the floor with a couple of WRX, but the drivers' ability was certainly suspect...young guys and the cars just seemed way too slow compared to their rep.. The GTI had a driver that was a bit older and really seemed to know what he was doing...and no tubo lag. I thought at the time that he had nitrous or something because previously, GTIs were not quick at all. I think he was maxing out the car's capability. I think I could have taken him, but not positive... I was only doing about 85-90% due to the traffic problem and he had a bit more room to work. I was able to keep up, but could not gain ground. Of course, we were only running approx 0-60.

[wrx paul]

I love my wrx. But which car do I choose to drive on weekends........The porsche. My wrx is fast but I think the 911 handles way better and has more hp/lbs ratio. As far as build quality on the wrx, I think mine is fine. Just got 3rd gear replaced though and it was clicking since I had it new, they just finally apporved the warranty work at 32k. Other than that its been a great car. Of course I would sell it in a heartbeat to get another 911.

[nostatic]

If you could lighten up the R32 I think you'd have a pretty competent car...of course then you'd lose the nice interior perks.

They seem to have gone through almost all of the running gear and suspension to dial it in pretty good off the showroom floor, but I think there is still work that can be done on the suspension. I think the styling still needs a bit more help, but it is miles ahead of a WRX sedan. Plus its a hatchback