**UPDATE**
So i contacted quite a few dealers and im debating if i want to order my STI. They say it can take anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks to receive the car. As of right now, that means i wouldnt get my STI until sometime next year :-(

Although i think i can get a pretty damn good deal if i ordered it. I had a couple great offers on STIs that dealers have in stock but i feel if im buying this car to grow with me i should buy it with everything i want on it. There are a bunch of options that are small and cheap but id love to have come with my car.

So what do you guys think, should i just buy a STI a dealer has and then maybe see if i can add those options later or should i just order the car directly from SOA and get exactly what i want?

Will

**OLD POST**

Hey guys,

So i sold my 05 STI a while back and bought a 07 Lotus Exige S. I have had that for a while and am now selling it. Im considering coming back to the Subaru community.

I was thinking about buying a 05 STI again, doing some autocrossing, modifying it to my likings, and enjoying what i once had again. Probably have a small car payment so i can keep some cash to play with. Then Subaru decided to come out with the new 2011 sedan STI's. So now im trying to decide if i want to splurge and buy a new 2011 STI and go the route of having a nicer car to hold me over for a while. I have to admit i love the interiors of the new 2011's and the exterior isnt bad either. I dont think i would modify it too much and i would have a bit higher payment. Just thoughts flowing through my head. Havent even sold the Lotus yet, just dreaming about coming back to the Subi community.

Any thoughts, opinions, random comments?

Will

 

The 2011's might be a higher monthly payment, and aftermarket parts will cost a lot more once available

But they are NICE! I wouldnt mind having one

 

Yeah i agree on the monthly payments. I also got to thinking and kinda figured if im going to be paying monthly payments i almost rather them going to a nicer car that might last me longer then an older car that might not last as long. Unfortunately 05's are starting to get old and most have high mileage, been modded and demodded more times then i can count, and dont exactly have the cleanest exteriors. Its almost worth it to me to pay a higher payment for something that will last longer.

Dont mind too much about the aftermarket price, i will probably try and not modify it so that i can keep the warranty intact (i say this now), doubt itll happen. If i did mod it it would be minor, sways, coilovers, rims, exhaust, and tune.

Just bored at work and cruising around i found a 07 STI Limited with only 19k and one owner for 25k, great deal, if i was ready to buy, id fly down there tomorrow and buy it.

 

There are some clean cars out there still. 11 months ago a friend of mine bought at 04 STi from the original owner with only 35k miles on it or something like that. The car was CLEAN inside and out. Just gotta look around for those great finds

 

Yeah definitely and im in no rush anyway. Still have to sell the Lotus and then start the search.

Im starting to lean towards a new 2011. I like the idea of purchasing something new, with a warranty, that i know can follow me for the next few years.

Just need to decide weather i want the sedan or hatch, i think i want the sedan, a hatch just isnt an STI.

 

id go with 2011 STi, badass and like u said warranty and will have higher re-sale val.ue when the time comes.

 

What don't you like about the Lotus?

 

I think the mods for the 2011 STi are few and far between, and cost a lot!

 

There are alot of clean no mods STI out there. Someone was just selling 04STI with only 5000 miles on the car! I think the 08 plus just suck! They slowly take away the sport and add luxury! They have only made the car worse and worse as the years have gone on!

 

Yeah definitely, i know i will take a loss driving it off the lot (if i choose to buy it from a dealer and not wait maybe until a first owner sells). But in the long run, 5 years from now that 05 STI will be worth dirt and the 11 STI will still have some value in it.

Its not that i "didnt like" particular things with my Lotus, i just miss owning a subaru, they are two TOTALLY different machines and i like the feel of the STI. The Lotus is a pure track car, there is nothing about it that says drive me everyday. Although i could, the service would be just too difficult. The nearest dealership to Sacramento is Reno (dont want to drive through the snow and sand), Bay area (got to love that traffic), and San Jose (again got to love that traffic). Unfortunately the Lotus just isnt conducive to what im looking for right now. Maybe in a few years when im further along in my business, have the room for a toy, i will pick another one up. Selling it has nothing to do with the car itself, Lotus vehicles are pure beauty and craftsmanship.

Thats okay though, im really not looking to MOD it right away. I had my modding fun with my 03 WRX and then my 05 STI. This really is going to be a car that i can just enjoy and grow with. Couple years down the road when there is an abundance of parts and they are normal price, thats when i will start modding.

Yeah i found a 07 STI Limited with 19k and it had never seen rain or snow and was an LA car. Never seen a cleaner used car. Only asking $25k. Unfortunately someone already put a deposit on it.

an 04 STI with 5k is great and all but its still an 04 STI and the value is still going to go down. Even if it does have less then 10k on it, the value still drops. Truely the only way a low mileage car can retain an even close to new value is if its a garage queen and only driven to maintain mechanical smoothness (collector car). Ive learned this through buying my Lotus as there are a lot of 05 Lotus with low mileage and people asking close to new pricing. Its still an 05 and its still almost 6 years old. yes it does hold more value but not brand new value. I rather buy a car that will grow with me.

I dont necessarily agree that the sportiness has gone away and luxury come in. Yes a lot of nice luxurious items have been added but its a far cry from a Lexus or BMW. If anything i think its good that subaru has done this. Their interiors have come a long way since 02. Personally everything in a STI in 2011 is nothing to get excited about, **** my Kia have more luxury items then an STI does; although i feel the STI has finally caught up with the technology age. Im sorry an STI is not a Lotus, an STI needs to have creature comforts. As far as sportiness goes, if anything from what i have heard they have made a lot of improvements on the suspension of the STI. This being HUGE as we have always been plagued with steering issues. Although yes i have heard that the power feels more subdued, the fact of the matter is the power systems are identical and nothing has changed (a common complaint among the subi community). Cobb has even put down great numbers on the new 2011 platform. If anything i think 2011 was a step in the right direction for subaru after their huge mistake in 08, going to the hatch (although it being rather useful).

Just my 10 cents.

 

Sell you my car for the right price! Car has 4,100 miles on it! Check out www.finelineimports.net under "blog" section under Factory Fresh 07 STi! Car has never seen rain, it's my garage Queen.......

 

Wow that is a very beautiful car. Why are you getting rid of it? Sounds like FLI did an amazing job on that car.

 

I've decided, its a 2011 STI sedan for me. Going with the base model as i really dont want the leather. Sunroof would be kinda cool but i absolutely love the alcantra and leather seats in the base model, and now that heated seats are standard on all STIs, theres really no reason for me to get the LTD. Glad to save a few grand there.

Shingle Springs Subaru actually has a SWP STI right now that im probably going to check out sometime this week. Still need to sell my lotus but hell, ill go see if they will give me a decent price on trade.

Trying to decide if i want Silver or White, any thoughts? How is white with swirl marks? Thats why i like silver, it literally never shows scratches or swirl marks.

 

WHAT. How do you figure?

It will have a numerically higher re-sale value yes - but he will have taken a MUCH larger hit on depreciation overall..

It all depends on your goals..

If you want something you can thrash on and get into trackdays / autocross with - I'd go with an 05 STI..

If you want a daily driver that you are constantly worried about keeping the paint factory fresh on then go with the 2011.

Only you can answer that.

Thats why I went with something used.. I'd have gone STI - but the Wagon pinged the wife's radar as something practical.. Now its an 11 second something practical - and since someone else already gave its paint a few years of use I'm a lot less worried about it.. - And it only had 24k miles on it when I bought it last year..

(And when I refer to "paint" Im talking pretty new car'ness in general)

 

I see where you are coming from about the depreciation. I didnt think about it that way and it completely makes sense. I guess where i was coming from is my $18k 05 STI with no warranty will probably have some problems in the next few years. That 18k is going to go up as i have to pay for those repairs. If i buy a new STI although yes its around double the price, ill have the warranty and that should cover all the problems. Also in 5 years it will still look nice (because i baby my cars) and will still have some good value (if you can call it that) left in it. That 05 will already be all tore up unless i can find some garage queen (rare and hard to find). I guess the honest truth is im looking for a brand new 05 STI and thats simply not going to happen. Its just a better idea to go with a new 2011.