Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Subaru Impreza WRX STi
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This dealership has 9 2005 STis...small town (Allentown, PA), but the largest Subaru dealer on the East Coast, if I'm correct in what I'm reading.
There are coupons floating around for 3 years' free service on 2005 Legacys and Outbacks.
-juice
I mean no offense to ANY dealer (having been a service manager), but I do my own maintenance using synthetics and kid gloves. I don't want some 18 year old wrenching on my ride....
One guy went to Jiffy Lube and they drained his tranny oil instead of the motor oil, then proceeded to overfill the engine oil. OOPS!
I think the covered the repairs, at least.
-juice
I've also seen our own guys make mistakes - bear in mind, even at a dealership, the guy working the lube rack isn't a 20 year master tech...he's a 19 year old kid getting started, albiet with a much brighter future than the Jiffy Lube kid, but getting started nonetheless..
-juice
I'll make my decision today - I drove the '05 this morning...
But if you're talking strictly new cars, I would say a 2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am w/ the WS6 perf. package. I know, they don't sell it anymore, but it would have been in the price range as new (32- 34K).
Sure, and a 9 year old Supra or RX7 could take the 6 year old Corvette in both, as well as a 9-10 year old Porche 911 Turbo.
Elise can take either of those two cars in both handling and 0-60, though cost and driveability would be an issue.
A base Z (29k) plus the Nismo (3 to 6K?) would keep it in the price realm of the STi. And it would be "stock" considering it's Nissan official performance arm.
STi - 5.2 secs.
Evo - 5.3 secs.
350Z - 5.4 secs.
Pretty damn close!
BTW, The 350Z isn't any heavier than the Evo or the STi.
Per Edmunds -
STi - 3263 lbs.
Evo - 3263 lbs.
350Z Track - 3225 lbs.
I will give you that the RX8 is a better daily driver than the 350Z. It has a far superior ride and interior. The 350Z is faster gets better gas mileage, but less practical.
The Evo/STi can hold 5 people!
A G35 coupe would by my choice from Nissan/Infiniti for that reason.
-juice
- Though the Evo and STi are considered at the top of performance in the $30K and below, the 350Z is not far behind. Yes, the 350Z tends to plow in turns, but still is a very solid handler.
Regardless of the awd weight penalty, the fact is they weigh more than the 350Z.
Considering we are strictly talking performance capabilities, I was not factoring in practicality.
- helical Front limited slip differential (replaces suretrac)
- added yaw-sensor for center differential (lateral-g sensor remains, too)
- power steering oil cooler
- steering wheel changed (ratio changed slightly, too)
- wider 8" wheel (replaces 7.5") with dual opposed STi logos (different bolt pattern, too)
- rear wheel arch flares, body colored
- Immobilizer key, 3 supplied. Needed to start car
- changed climate control
- added air filtration
- smoked headlight lens
- re-designed keyless remote fob
- extra seat cushion side bolster material
- center console cupholders, replaces the one by the center vent
- AM/FM/CD changer w/ bass, mid, treble adjustments, 6 spkrs
- door armrest redesigned, now cloth, includes mirror controls
- new colors
- rear cup holders added
Hopefully, some of the mechanical changes have improved the 2005's handling. I have a 2005, but I can't compare it to the 2004, because I never drove one. People have described it as different, though.
-juice
But let's assume HP and torque are the same. Each would then show some advantages.
Throttle response would typically be better in a V6 engine. It would likely have more displacement to match the power of the turbo. There'd be no "turbo lag", as they call it.
Turbos require an engine load to build boost, so they require time to spool up. That time is referred to as turbo lag. Modern turbos have reduced lag significantly, but still they need time to build boost and obtain maximum power and torque.
So V6 wins for throttle reponse, i.e. immediate thrust.
However, turbos have an advantage at altitude. Most are capable of producing excess boost, so they use the BOV (blow-off valve) between shifts to bleed that off.
At altitude, the air is thinner, a turbo can use that excess boost to compensate for the thinner air. So basically it's not wheezing like a normally aspirated engine would at altitude.
So, back to your question, what would be better going uphill?
On a long uphill, especially at altitude, I'd pick the turbo. You see the hill coming so you can add throttle before you even begin to climb. As you do climb, the turbo will not lose power.
The V6 will do fine until you get to much higher altitudes, then it'll start losing power as the air thins out. At very high elevations, it'll be producing less than the stated 200 HP.
If you asked which is better for point-and-shoot city traffic, especially at sea level (not Denver), I'd have said the V6, for the better throttle response and more linear power delivery.
-juice
-juice
Seems like some of you STi drivers need some driving lessons. I know for sure that this was a bone stock Honda Element. The driver was persuaded into entering it in the SS 4wd class and ended up beating a handful of WRX’s, imprezas and two STi’s in the same class, plus one STi in the SM 4wd class. Pretty sweet.
It’s still a nice car, I just know someone who owns one and races it and he is definitely a terrible driver.
A local group of buddies went to an Orange County, VA, event and the quickest vehicle overall in the first run was a Ford Explorer. Outran several EVOs and WRXs that just could not get traction.
At the same event a few cars were literally beaten to death, headlights hanging out and one foot in the grave.
To be honest a Forester XT would be much, much better suited to an event like that. What would be fun would be to see the same driver in an Element and Forester, and then to compare the times.
In the Rally 4WD class, note that the winner and the last place are both the same model car. Driver skill plays a huge factor.
-juice
Thanks for any advice.
Pros: outstanding wet traction; above-average dry traction (I'd go so far as to say better dry traction than a lot of dedicated dry tires); long treadlife; improved road feel and handling (subjective impressions). They are fine in moderate snow as well; I've driven in up to 7-8" with them but swapped them out after that as I didn't want to risk damaging the wheels on which I've got them mounted (weak excuse, I know).
Cons: somewhat noisy; expensive; occasionally experience tramlining when on grooved pavement; did I mention expensive?
Hope this helps.
Ed
;-)
-juice
Treadwear rating on the Pilot Sport A/S is 400, traction AA, temperature resistance A. I've put about 10,000 miles on them total between the two Foresters, with very little shown wear except on the outside shoulders where I drove, um, a little aggressively.
I'd say go for it.
Ed
I looked at '04's but would not have bought one; not enough luxe for my tastes. In my opinion the increase in interior appointments and features such as cruise control for '05 is well worth the extra price; for me, they turn the car from a pure go-fast piece into something that can be lived with on a daily basis. Add the notable performance improvements such as the helical front differential, wider wheels & track, aluminum rear suspension bits, and so on, and I'm happy I waited.
Likes (remember, after only two weeks):
- all that power!
- engine, mechanical and exhaust sounds - clink, grind, whine, rumble, roar, this car gets right up in your face about its purpose and potential - and I like that
- crispness, immedidacy and 'tossability' of the handling, in particular the default rear bias of the AWD setup
- nifty gauge cluster, combining significant gee-whiz factor with many genuinely useful functions and good visibility in all lighting conditions
- set-and-forget climate control
- *great* headlights
- silky smooth cruise control
Dislikes:
- small steering wheel cuts off top of nifty gauge cluster
- NVH can be a bit much on certain (read: crappy) roads
- smallish trunk with no passthrough
- wing is not my style and attracts too much of the wrong kind of attention
- doesn't come in a wagon
Speaking of wings, I took mine off and took some pictures. I put it back on for now, but it is definitely going to go. I'll post here when I get the pictures online.
Cheers,
-wdb
-juice
http://wbaseley.photosite.com/sti/
Let me know what you think!
Cheers,
-wdb
To me the STi is a Tribute to WRC and so the wing is fine.
-juice
The half wing doesn't look too bad to my eye either, and from what I've seen/heard from others it looks better in the flesh than it does in pictures. I believe I may spend a bit of time and energy figuring out how to make caps for the ends.
As for the car being a tribute to WRC, I couldn't agree more. That's one of the primary reasons I intend to retain the ability to restore the car fully to its original look; in my mind, that's the way it is *supposed* to look, even if my personal and practical tastes run a bit differently.
Cheers,
-wdb
Bob
Let's just move on.
If I find something satisfactory I will post here. Please do the same!
Cheers,
-wdb
Ah yes, the "air" thing. On my way home I took the back way (as I tend to do ever since I bought my first Subie 5 years ago). Perhaps I let my mind wander a bit, which is definitely not advisable in a car with the potential of the STi. As I approached one of the whoop-de-dos on this particular road I happened to remember having shifted into 6th gear a few seconds earlier; 6th gear, on this road? Uh-oh. A glance at the speedo confirmed that I was going a good 5 to 10 mph faster than I intended.
Too late now! I was on top of it. I hit the riser and launched my STi into space. It got eerily quiet for a second or two as the tires lost contact with the pavement; I cringed inwardly, waiting for the car to crash back down to earth. Instead, to my surprise and delight the suspension handled the matter without even bottoming out! The car touched down on all four wheels at once, did its equivalent of a very well controlled deep knee bend, and continued on down the road nice as you please. Here's your hat sir, thank you very much! In any other car I have ever owned there would have been a much, much heavier landing, replete with suspension travel stops being given a rigorous testing, loud bangs and crashes, and who knows what-all else.
This little hot rod continues to amaze and please.
Cheers,
-wdb