STI Wing

I know several STi owners who switched out to a stock WRX deck lid. It is a direct replacement. There seems to be an unending supply of STi spoilers on ebay. I don't know if that's because people take them off the STi or folks who own the STD WRX want to look like the STi. BlueSTi "Scary-Fast"

But if you do a trunk swap, make sure that you swap the springs as well. I've read that the spring tension is different due to the weight variance.

BTW, I drove an STI last week and I can't get the damn thing outta my head now. I might end up unloading my Audi A4 (1.8t) Avant for one of these ugly things. Best car that I've ever driven!

Another one about to take the fall, Just wait till you really learn how to drive it. You'll be sideways off every roundabout and best friends with the tire shop manager!!!

Oh shut yo mouth:)! I'm trying to get a "grip" and at least put this off until spring. That way I can take advantage of the stock rubber until fall (sure wouldn't want to take on winter with those tires). And if / when I do get one I do hope to take a driving course. I live in Ohio and the Mid Ohio track is not too far from me. Only problem is that they use RSX's.

I take it you are across the pond and have the 2 liter Subie?

Yeah, that's the problem with the Sti. I drove a used WRX last summer. Nice and tight, but a bit of turbo lag. Naturally, I HAD to wonder what the STi was like. I made it about 2 months. Drove it, bought it.

I've had it about 4 months and let me tell you, that beastie grows on you. Sure, the power was the first thing that lit my fire, but it's not what stays with you. The car is tight without being tempermental. The sound is subtle but definitely there, it's a gas to turn off the stereo of flit from stoplight to stoplight. There's a light growl as you drift into idle and a clear whine when the turbo hits. No attracting the cops unduly.

The ride is firm but not terrible, except on my dirt road. I've gotten to know every pebble and twig. Even that smooths out at 50+.

Subaru did a great job balancing the design. The '05 seemed a little more civilized and the interior is more single minded in style. The wheel fits the look better than the '04's. I drove both at the dealer and I thought the engine of the '05 had a more seamless transition boost. The datasheet numbers didn't change, but I'll swear Subaru remapped the brain. It might also have been the normal difference between two cars, I'm hardly an expert driver!

I'm sure that others (ie: Evo) are quicker or (TT) sexier, but they're too far left or right for my taste. One time my wife and I got into a streetcorner drag on the way home from our way-conservative church. As Leah Andreone said: Dr Jeckel doesn't have to Hyde.

There are things I'd like to change. I think it sits an inch or so tall on the suspension and I wish Subaru had a bit wider choice of colors. I'm just scared to play with aftermarket stuff like pipes and coilovers for fear of making it less practical.

PS: Part of me could do without the wing, but the little boy in me kinda digs it, too. I need both trunks, swap them out depending on my mood :-)

Philip

Add me to the list of converted.

I was set on an WRX until I drove an STI during lunch today. Now I am sitting here crunching numbers figuring out how to put this together.

I've had about 46 vehicles since I came to the US in 86 but I tell you this, I have never wanted another car this bad.

Does the feeling go away?

You're all a bunch of "enablers":). I second the above feeling. I've worked the numbers in Excel and am really only waiting to see what the word is on the new B7 platform A4 with the 3.1 liter engine which is expected here in the States in late winter. My suspicion is that the A4 will be a tad too civilized. And then there's that great big new grill which frankly looks out of place on the smallish A4.

Just wish that the STi butt wing was an option.

Many thanks for the input from you current STi owners.

Yeah we have the 2.0 Turbo with 261bhp but im considering buying the 305bhp prodrive performance pack.

I heard those imprezas are a lot of fun in the snow... I cant wait till it snows here in Scotland!!! My dealer says he gets hundreds of calls from impreza owners desperate to tell them 'what they did' in the snow and how 'sideways' they managed to go round the roundabout 3 times!!! but i expect your snow may be a little worse than what we see in SW scotland

I know what you mean about the driving course tho, im considering doing this myself aswell. I can heel toe, left foot brake etc but id like to get some more instruction on how to pick lines through corners, vanishing point technique for the real road,and how to get out of trouble .

Get a test drive from somebody who is not scared to drive the STi to within an inch of its life and I guarantee you will buy one very soon.

Ross

No...

I went to the local shop some 1/2 mile away, took me an hour and a half to get back!!!

Ross

Oh yeah!... Scotland. I love Scotch whisky:)... just can't afford as much as the price has gone through the roof here in the States.

While my STI drive was, at best, a 6 out of a ten for aggressiveness, I have ridden in an Evo at about a 10 over 10 and just loved it. I'm not capable of that kind of driving without some serious schooling. This online prater is making it very difficult to control my car lust. Gotta breathe deep and chill.

I envy you... Scotland would be excellent country to tour in your Subie.

Byron

I am patiently awaiting my test drive with my older brothers SCCA Winner neighbor. My Brother who went on a joydrive with him in the Evo has sworn never to set foot in that car again - lol.

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 05:20:58 GMT, "AustinMini.OsiTech.Net" wrote: .

Nope.

It's an addiction. IT nibbles away at you until you finally give in and buy. Don't give me any crap about running the numbers, you can't ever justify IT in a logical way. IT is pure, gut emotion.

The only thing that'll sooth the itch is to sign on the line.

But then it gets worse. There's no worse feeling that sitting at you desk, workstation or diner table doing something meaningless when IT is sitting unused. IT calls to you like a vampire.

Oooooohhhhh, drrrriiive meeeeee. Ahhhhbuuuuuse meeee. Oooooooohhhhhh.

You become obsessed. You secretly think that everyone is watching you as you drive by. But, unlike a hypochondriac, you're right, they are. The kids openly drool and the midlifers watch from the corner of their eyes (in case SWMBO should notice).

I've actually gotten special treatment just because of my STi. I drove to a concert and the parking attendent opened the VIP gate so I could park it next to the main door. I went to the community picnic and the cops handed me my entry form for the car show and pointed toward the stage. I've had people jump out of their cars at streetlights to tell me how super the car was.

Now get this, it's stone cold stock.

No, the feeling doesn't go away. It gets much, much worse

Give in, now!

Philip

Well, I'm still going to hold out until spring so I can check out the new A4 & (maybe) A3. But I have to confess that I've actually dreamt of the STi. Like the Evo, it has to be driven to really understand how go it is... just wish the wing was an option:)

Byron

It gets to the point where you are aware of the wing, you can see it in your rear-view mirror everytime you look, but you just learn to tolerate it. Mostly it seems the people who want the STi for the performance are trying desperately to reduce the attention-drawing appearance of the car. They want a true sleeper--one that doesn't look like much, but kills everything on the road.

You always have the excuses, "It came stock," and "I haven't gotten around to doing anything about it." To some, it's a secret pride. =]

Well, the wing is a bit a gauche for those of us who are a little bit (or maybe quite a bit) older than 18. But really, its a non-issue if you're truly shopping for performance w/o regard to image. I recently flirted with the S4 because the image (and luxury fittings) are just right, but I am completely unable to fool myself into thinking that the drive was even in the same league as the STi. The S4 may be prettier, more luxurious, and more befitting of a thirty-something commuter, but it's not nearly as fast or fluent or as much fun as the STi. As good a car as the S4 is, it just feels a bit clumsy in comparison. Maybe the RS4 will be just the ticket... or a Saab 9-2 STi (Saab Technica International).

I'm jumping in the middle of this thread, but I have to add my voice to the chorus. I am a middle-aged professional, and my patients think it's great that the ol' doc has such a "young-thinking" car. Everyone in town knows it's me, which can be a downside, but I have also received some of the preferential treatment in the car as mentioned in a previous message. Cute young ladies smile, wave, and flirt as I drive by, and young men unabashedly stare and drool. One of the neighbourhood youngsters actually came over while I was washing it and offered to help!

My wife absolutely hated the car at first. She called it "yet another midlife crisis" and dubbed it the "Matchbox" car. Oddly enough, as the accolades regarding the car have steadily mounted, she has begun to love it, and now talks about "what fun" it is.

I was immediately in love with the BBS wheels and Brembo brakes, which both denote a serious performance car, but the hood scoop and wing gave me reservations aplenty. Now that I've had the car for nearly a year, I can't imagine the car without them. It has an "in your face" attitude that is propagated by that big gaping scoop and over-the-top wing. If I wanted refined and boring, I'd buy German. ;-)

...Ron

Thanks for the input. It's interesting to hear from someone beyond the Fast & Furious age who's actually been living with the Subie for a spell. I'm 58 but have a pretty hardcore background... kick boxing, mountain biking and so on so I'm used to "roughing" it a little. In fact I never even owned a bed or mattress until last year:)

My present Audi A4 Avant is a great car (sports suspension) but the 1.8 liter engine is a disappointment. This January/February Audi is sending us the B7 platform A4 with a 3.2 liter engine option. But initially it will only come with an automatic transmission (yuk!). And it might be a tad pricey. OTOH the A4 series has done pretty well for reliability for the last few years... especially as compared to some of its German brethren.

BTW, I loved the short through shifter on the STi that I drove. I can't imagine buying one without that option.

So the long & short is I'm gonna wait for the snows to pass and then see if the local dealers will do me right. They're going to have to bend some because my Audi dealer has been first rate (Fred Baker Audi in the Cleveland area).

Byron

Oh yeah, RS4 baby... now I'll just have to print up some money. Seriously I do like the S4 but I just can't see dropping that much $$$ for my wheels.

After all, I'm poor inbred white trash and might have ta sell my sister just to cover the insurance:)

Byron

PS: I do believe the S4 will drop the STi on the high end of the speedo. But how often do you really get to do a 140 mph in Amish country?

Just kidding. Honest...

Good luck with your decision. One of the reasons I love the Subie is that in many ways it is the "anti-BMW". I like the fact that it is not particularly luxurious inside, and the ride is on the stiff side. I've got the Kartboy shortshifter and bushings installed already, and now I'm working on getting a little Momo steering wheel put in without deactivating the passenger airbag.

My background is on bikes (I still have 2 Ducatis) and I've spent years exploring remote backroads. With the Subie, I've got the perfect vehicle for exploring all those unpaved roads that I've had to pass up while on the bike. I'm getting pretty good at kicking out the rear end on those gravel turns! ;-)

...Ron