I traded the STi for a 2005 Forester XT

Sorry to see another STi driver make the jump from the 'dark side'

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I guess this means you're gonna have to change your sig.

I really liked the STi. It was a blast to drive. But, not the best of daily drivers. It would have been a fun car to have as a second car but not as a daily commuter. The harsh ride and noise just wore me out. It just didn't make sense for miles and miles of interstate day after day. The FXT on the other hand is a pleasure to ride in. You gotta love those heated seats! It seems to strike a good compromise between comfort and performance. I just had to have something I could live with on a daily basis. The STi is not your best choice as a commuter or long distance vehicle. SilverFXT "Hey you just got smoked by an SUV!"

"Use the Forester, Luke."

"The Forester is strong with this one."

"The Forester is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."

:-)

I think you are talking about duct tape; it has a light side and a dark side, and it binds everything together

Yep, I'm pretty sure it's duct tape. Hey wait, my FXT is just about the color of duct tape! It is the Forester!

SilverFXT "Hey you just got smoked by an SUV!"

It'll be interesting to see how long before you get bored. I went from '96 Impreza turbo 5 door with very few amenities but a hoot to drive to a '99 Forester turbo sport all weather which had the lot. A comfortable and uninvolving drive. I got totally fed up with it after 6 months and dumped the lease at considerable cost to get another Impreza WRX 5 door. Many creature comforts and a great drive with more than enough performance available. I agree the STi is not the ideal every day car but the WRX certainly is and a far better drive than the Forester IMHO.

I'll second that, I do 1000m a week in my WRX & it rocks!

Nige

-- Subaru WRX (The Bitch)

Series 3 Landrover 88" (Albert)

"If you tolerate this then your children will be next"

I happily commute in an '02 wrx wagon. My only complaints are noise/buzz on rougher pavement and occasional clutch shudder cold.

The new Legacy GT looks interesting but the rex is paid for...

-rick-

I've never heard of the '99 Forester Turbo Sport. I didn't think they put a turbo in the Forester until just recently.

I doubt I'll be getting bored soon. My wife has been driving the FXT most of the time. When I bought the STi I had driven the STD WRX. In a side by side comparison they are totally different cars. IMO, the STD WRX has a horrible amount of turbo lag. The STi would snap my neck off the line where I felt like I had to flogg the STD WRX to get any performance out of it.

The 0-60 and 1/4 mile time for the '05 FXT and the WRX are almost identical. If anything the FXT is just a smidge faster. Truth be told, my wife just wanted something a little more civilized. I'm actually looking at picking up an early model DSM and doing a little work on it. I had considered an older WRX. But, there doesn't seem to be that many available.

SilverFXT "Hey you just got smoked by an SUV!"

Forester Turbo Sport = UK model. Handling between Forester and Impreza is chalk 'n cheese...and that's what I missed in the Forester the most....not even close to the chuckability of an Impreza Sheer grunt is academic if it's a slouch in the twisty bits and we have lots of those in the UK!

Welcome to adulthood. :-)

Yousuf Khan

That's pretty good, can you come up with any Star Wars references for an Outback? :-)

Yousuf Khan

You mean you paid all of that money for an STi, and it didn't even come with heated seats? This must be an American thing. So the Canadian STi's come with heated seats, anybody know?

Yousuf Khan

Episode V - The Empire Strikes Outback.

They do. They come fully loaded; stereo, anti-theft, A/C and climate control, heated seats, auto-dimming mirrors, etc. All the enemities of home...

The '04 model fo rthe U.S. came pretty much stripped. No stereo, heated seats, or floor mats for that matter. I think the '05 models now come with a stereo. But, good luck listening to the stereo in an STi. There is so much road noise and background noise that you have to really turn the music up just to hear it! Most of the time I left the stereo off. I would rather listen to the sound of the engine. That sounded better than any stereo anyway.

SilverFXT "Hey you just got smoked by an SUV!"

Or how about: Outback Won Kenobi?

Yousuf Khan

Sounds like they are marketing it like a Ferrari. Those things come with pretty much nothing either: you have to put it all in yourself. Yousuf Khan