My wife and I test drove a 2006 WRX for the lack of an STI and were not impressed with it. The seats were hard and protruded in uncomfortable places. The ride was nothing to brag about but Ok by me. Lastly, I have a 1990 Carrol Shelby Dodge Daytona turbo and I think it would have given the WRX a run for it's money, if it didn't beat it. What I'd like to know is how do the STI's stack up in these areas? We finally found a dealership with one in the showroom and at least the seats felt great, a big improvement over the WRX's. Any 2006 STI owners out there with some insight into these questions before I go out and spend over $30,000.00?

 

I used to own a '86 Shelby GLHS Omni which was just as quick and as good in the handling department as your Daytona. I had additional mods like an adjustable boost controller and an upgraded ECU, as well as a bolt-in 6-point roll cage.

My '02 WRX is superior in every way to the '86 GLHS and the '06 is even better. The seats are subjective as far as comfort goes, though. The WRX is a much better car than any Dodge of that vintage although it should be, considering how much more they cost (in today's dollars).

The real question is what are you looking for in a new car? Do you do track days at road courses? This is where the STI and the WRX really outperform anything else in the price range other than the Mitsubishi Evolution (comparable to the STI).

The ride quality in the STI will be a lot stiffer than what you are used to. It isn't for everyone. I would also suggest reading car magazine road test reviews for a more objective opinion since this is, after all, an Impreza message board. We're a little bit biased.

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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

I used to have an '85 non-turbo Omni GLH.

 

I got too used to driving cars with a lot of nards. If you check the post about "What did you have before you got your Subi" you'll see I've had my share of very guttsy cars. I want something that will peg me back in the seat and get my heart rushing bigtime. I want 13s in the 1/4. I'm not so concerned about the ride, especially after owning that '69 Vette. What a bumpy rattlebucket! You'ld know it if you ran over a paperclip! All kidding aside, I know the STI won't have a great ride to it and the price is sky high but it does everything else I want it to do and then some.

 

If you're looking for something with a little softer ride, but with decent power maybe you should look at the Legacy GT. I have an 04 STi the power is nice ,but the ride is harsh and even worse when it's below 30 degrees outside. When you buy an STi you know what you're getting when you buy it. A race car.

 

An '06 WRX should turn easy high-13s with nothing but an ECU reflash or a Cobb AccessPORT with appropriate map. I've been looking high and low for a full magazine road test on the new WRX but haven't found one yet. The STI should be an easy 13-second car with no mods whatsoever. Is 93 octane pump gas available where you live? If so, a custom dyno tune or the appropriate Cobb map for an AccessPORT will yield a significant boost in power across the board for both cars.
We all came from somewhere. I miss my GLHS.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

it's either 89 or 93 octane, rarely is there anything in between. It doesn't matter anyway because I don't want to get into anything that will require computor changing on the car. I don't know diddly squat about that stuff.

 

I have the Cobb AP for my 05 wrx, and I feared having to do the reflash myself, but it was soooooo easy, the manual walks you through the process really easily, just make sure you do it at home in case something happens so you are not stuck somewhere with a dead computer(rarely happens to people, only a few).

If you are gonna get a wrx or sti you WILL reflash the ecu, especially if you have any kind of impulse to modify your car, its one of the easiest steps to more power and with any power package is the first mod you will NEED to make.

 

yes, i had a 04 wrx, then went to an 05 sti. World of difference.

 

Everytime I drive by STi, I smile, because I know that their redline sucks...

 

yea but enuf of a huge powerband that redline doesn't even matttttttter, not through the turnss

 

Diesel trucks have even huger powerband and even lower redline. Is that better?

Higher redline is always better.

 

Will the dealer let you take the showroom STI for a drive? Most places will consider it if you set it up in advance with them.

Otherwise I would recommend taking an 05 STI for a ride. Not much in the difference department performance wise between the 05-06.