Rhett Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Im Looking at buying a good daily (for now) for when I get home in June. I am wanting 4WD or AWD. I have looked at Evos (more than I want to spend) and the VW R32 (idk if Im a fan.) So I have came to a WRX maybe an STI. So this is why I am asking you all for help. What is the Diffrence from a WRX and a STI (Engine, internals, tranny, electronics, break size) and if you were planning for in the future maybe a new turbo, motor build up with a tune would the STI be worth the extra money? What should I look for when buying one, what are the factory problem areas? And what would be the best thig to do after geting one just for a good upgrade, Intake, down pipe, exhaust, tune? Thanks for the help Im kinda new to Imports I only know Honda/Acura and Nissan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buteo Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 WRX: 02-05 are 2.0L, 5 spd(weak), smaller brakes, not as good suspension. Black interior, small td04 turbo. 5x100 06+ are 2.5L, STI: 2.5L w/ bigger turbo (vf39,43,48), 6spd (strong), brembo brakes, better suspension (aluminum sway arms etc.) 5x114.3, BBS wheels Im sure there is more, but thats the most important stuff. Be careful buying a modded car and know who owned it. I wouldnt purchase one... Good mods are uppipe (wrx), downpipe, ecu reflashed or tune. That yields around 230ish whp on a wrx and 280-300 whp on an sti. IF your planning on going with a bigger turbo, get the sti. Saves you from worrying about replacing the tranny. Your insurance company will love you for it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhett Posted March 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Thanks the Insurance company is something I didnt think of I wonder if it will be bad with my GTand a STI?? Probs! I really would like to get an STI and just give it a tune and be done and have a fun Daily, but I dont know if I want to spend the money. Any one on here with a WRX regret not buying an STI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buteo Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Thanks the Insurance company is something I didnt think of I wonder if it will be bad with my GTand a STI?? Probs! I really would like to get an STI and just give it a tune and be done and have a fun Daily, but I dont know if I want to spend the money. Any one on here with a WRX regret not buying an STI? Ive thought about it...but the wrx is plenty fast enough for me and I dont want the insurance issues. I have been thinking about selling my wrx and getting a new sti, but this is only after a better job and i can afford the payments associated with it. check out http://www.nasioc.com and read up on the stickies. tons of good info there. oh and ps. a wrx with only a few mods will walk away from an sti. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhett Posted March 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Ive thought about it...but the wrx is plenty fast enough for me and I dont want the insurance issues. I have been thinking about selling my wrx and getting a new sti, but this is only after a better job and i can afford the payments associated with it. check out http://www.nasioc.com and read up on the stickies. tons of good info there. oh and ps. a wrx with only a few mods will walk away from an sti. Yea Im not going for the fastest car in C-bus or nething like that. Its just that Im geting ready to put a new mootor in my stang this summer and need something else that I can come out and play with. And I am also looking ahead for next winter (Stang not good in rain, screw snow). How are the moded WRXs in snow, any issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trbmiata Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Where to start..basic run down. Sounds like you are going to be buying used so Ill try to get you as much as I can remember. 02-05 wrx's are 2.0L 5speeds with r160 rear diffs whcih tend to break at high horse power levels. ej205 engine code. tdo4 tiny turbo. Pretty basic motors hold about 350hp before letting go, same with the 5speed. 06-08 wrx's are a 2.5L with 5 speeds. engine code ej255. td04 turbo as well. They have a little more toruqe but lack any top end. 5 speed trannys are still weak. 04-08 stis are all 2.5L with 6speeds and R180 rear diffs, bigger than R160 and hold more power than can be thrown at it. 6 speeds can hold a crap ton of power as well, 600+ and have dccd which is just a way to transfer power between the front and rear wheels.Engine code is ej257, every strong motor that can hold up to 500whp, 450whp is more realistic with out breaking anything. All sti's come with brembo brakes fornt and rear along with bbs wheels.04-06sti;s came with a vf39 turbo while the 07s came with a slightly better vf43, not sure on 08s. Couple things to notice......04 stis have 5x100 lug pattern while 05-08 switched to 5x114. All wrxs have 5x100. In addition they changed the wheel bearing design in 05 which most people with 04 tend to swap to. In 07 the sti's got a little longer gearing which was a major complaint about the previous years 6 speeds. Yes the STi is worth the extra money. A complete 6speed swap with axles, diff, breaks , ect.... will cost anywhere from 5-7k depending on year. That alone is worth the cost not to mention the better interior, wheels and more stout motor. First mods....Downpipe/exhaust with some sort of EM. with a accessport from cobb tuning or open source. There is a ton more info but I dont want to go on forever. Check out http://www.Nasioc.com your can read anything you ever wanted to know about subaurs. If it were me I would search for a 05 sti with low miles, they look the best and dont have the negitives the 04s had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buteo Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhatch Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 I have an 06 sti and have had the rear struts replaced on both sides twice already and they could use it again but aren't under warranty anymore. Also if you're looking for an in dash sirius unit, go for an 07 +. I wish I had known this before I bought mine. Earlier models can be upgraded - see Spaceghost- he knows a lot about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorne Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Depends your goals a 03 WRX can be got for less 14k. I would not touch a 02 WRX with a 50 foot pole unless it had a 6 speed swap or a STI RA swap. that 02 tranny is very weak and known to blow to smithereans. From a tuner stand point I wish i had a sti swap in my bugeye because i love my bugeye. BUT the 2.5 motor is more capable then the 2.0. AGAIN depends how far you plan on going. I have a mid 12 sec wrx that could be duplicate minus the tranny for pretty cheap. If you get a wrx or sti shoot me a pm I can flash your ecu on the stock setup. Saturday morning I tuned a stage 1.5 WRX downpipe + catback (NO UPPIPE SWAP). it made 220whp. Thats good enough to run a solid 13 sec. So think about your goals. There is a good inbetween option. the 06/07 have the 2.5 motor. a stage 2 on those is fucking sick. it makes me cry everytime i see the dyno sheet. They spool faster they make more tq. as for the 5speed. As long as you get a laste year 03 or better you should not have to many problems with less then 280whp. I've seen people go further. The stock ej205 has been proven to 380whp daily driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 I *HIGHLY* recommend checking out http://www.iwsti.com It's a great community and very helpful. There's also a ton of STI information in the stickies. I use IWSTI for my main source of info and mostly use NASIOC to cherrypick what I can't find at IWSTI. Otherwise, I stay away from NASIOC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhett Posted April 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 QUESTION, it may be a dumb one. Is a wagon a bad thing? more/less weight? Opinions...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaSSon Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 QUESTION, it may be a dumb one. Is a wagon a bad thing? more/less weight? Opinions...... Less manhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 QUESTION, it may be a dumb one. Is a wagon a bad thing? more/less weight? Opinions...... Higher center of gravity, less rigidity in the back. Plus, because of the smaller track width, suspension mods are slightly tougher and it's a bit more difficult to get good amounts of neg camber. It can be done, but you'll need to swap some sedan parts. But, you can throw a ton of stuff in teh back of a wagon and they CAN be made to handle. A friend of mine has an RS (non turbo) wagon with a very modified suspension. He chases down bikers on The Dragon with camping stuff in the back and kayaks on the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 From my experience, I'd go with the STI... Even the '03+ 5 speed trannys are still slushboxes. The 5 speed tranny is by no means a bad box but it was built for rally racing, not for a 5k clutch dump. The 6MT is built like a pussy, you can beat that bitch up all night and she'll still want some more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Actually, the Subaru 5MT started life as a 3-speed tractor tranny designed to handle only about 50 horsepower. They've just added more gears and made design tweaks as they've needed. The STI is different car from the WRX. Better engine, better transmission, better driveline, better suspension, but worse seats ! Owning both, they really feel like different cars. The STI is much firmer and noisier, whereas the WRX is smooth and quiet. But for racing the STI's gearing is MUCH better and makes the WRX gearing feel SO TALL. I really need to steal Thorne's transmission one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tindall2006 Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Thanks the Insurance company is something I didnt think of I wonder if it will be bad with my GTand a STI?? Probs! I really would like to get an STI and just give it a tune and be done and have a fun Daily, but I dont know if I want to spend the money. Any one on here with a WRX regret not buying an STI? Your military, do you have USAA? I was playing 87 a month liability for my laser, and when i got my talon I switched to USAA, i now pay like 60 a month for both cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 I *HIGHLY* recommend checking out http://www.iwsti.com It's a great community and very helpful. There's also a ton of STI information in the stickies. I use IWSTI for my main source of info and mostly use NASIOC to cherrypick what I can't find at IWSTI. Otherwise, I stay away from NASIOC. Also if you are looking for local input, COS is a good site too (not that i am biased or anything) Mods always depend on what you want to do with car ultimately. So keep that in mind as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Have you considered a B5 S4 Audi? AWD, comfy, and getting cheaper by the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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