collegemt Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 I am contemplating trading my truck in on a STI so i decided to test drive one. I went to the same dealership I have bought 2 subarus from, so they are real good to me. The salesman acts like my friend. This is what he said during the test drive: " Slow down and let the guy in front of you get way ahead, then punch it" I almost started laughing. My thoughts: Handling: Great, I have never driven any pervious WRX's or STI's but this car rides very nice. Not to bumpy, but when punching it into a corner it feels much better than the stcok LGT suspension. Transmission: Shifts awesome, alot smoother than the LGT 5 spd, which I think is very managable. Power: This was kinda the breaking point for me: I was assuming I could buy a 08 sti for me (leave it stock and be happy) and my wife would continue to drive the 08 LGT (stage 2, about 2K into her so far). But then I realized I would have to mod the STI so that it would beat the LGT. The STI power is nice, it offers a bit more up top, but below 4k it is a dog (just like car and driver said). I know for a fact my stage 2 LGT would smoke it to 60 and the 1/4 mile. Conclusion: The 08 STI has tons of potential, I am sure stage 2 would offer a very fast car. But the fact is, in stock form, its performance doesn't match its sticker price. The one I test drove had a MSRP of 39K, and it didn't have the navigation. I am still contemplating the purchase, since I would have to dump about 2K into the STI for me to be happy. I am not sure if it is worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psucaptainkickass Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Ouch...39k w/ no navigation... Like you said, the suspension is better. Is suspension > power to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegemt Posted June 2, 2008 Author Share Posted June 2, 2008 Ouch...39k w/ no navigation... Like you said, the suspension is better. Is suspension > power to you. For me Power>suspension. I know that some of you may say that is dangerous, but rarely to I push my car too its limits around turns. I prefer straight line acceleration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psucaptainkickass Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 And we're talking about normal everyday driving, which for the most part is straighline. I agree with you that power > suspension...as long as the suspension can handle the straighline acceleration. meaning reducing bucking up and down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05GT Guru Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Im a straight line perfromance guy and i have driven an 08 STI and 08 evo, i thought the STI felt better than the evo X and i have driven alot of evo 9s and the 9 felt better than both on straights, even stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawl Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 40k is a lot to pay for a performance (albeit uber sterioded) version of an economy car. just saying. it's more than double the regular impreza's msrp. if you dont like ur current suspension in the legacy all you have to do is hit up a vendor over here and get a nice set of coilovers. problem solved. IIRC the old Stis had kyb shocks. if the current ones are similar then you can easily get a comparable if not superior suspension setup just by upgrading your LGT. the thing is you cant beat the short wheelbase handling on the sti if you like fun. i sat in one and dont think i could fork over another 20k to get a car that would be a downgrade (in stock form) from my current. YMMV, just my opinion car for sale. PM me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05GT Guru Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 I agree, the STI is really getting up there in price with the fully loaded version goin for more than 40k and now with the moves domestic companys are making i would wait 2 years or so and see what they throw out there for sport sedans. I know alot of the guys on here are horribly in love with wagons but i wouldnt pay more than 5k for any wagon so i def wouldnt pay 40k for a body style i dont even like, but thats just me and my wagon hating attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansGT Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 For me Power>suspension. I know that some of you may say that is dangerous, but rarely to I push my car too its limits around turns. I prefer straight line acceleration. Do you enjoy the rear end squat on acceleration and front end dive when braking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenc544 Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 the thing is you cant beat the short wheelbase handling on the sti if you like fun. The '08 STI with it's Legacy based platform doesn't have as short of a wheelbase as it used to be. It think it's 103" to 105" or something like that. The old Impreza was less than 100". Heck, even the base $34k is too much for a STI IMHO. The STI and Evo used to be M3 performance for 2/3 of the price. Now they are 335i performance for 335i price, but without the luxury or refinement. If you need the space, you would be better off trying to find an used LGT wagon and put the rest of money towards modding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Do you enjoy the rear end squat on acceleration and front end dive when braking? I do Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKLGT Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 um, did you have it in sport #?? if not, than yes, it can be a little lame in I or S mode, however having come from a stg 3+ LGT, the 08 STI even in stock form is pretty damn impressive. If it weren't than I certainly wouldn't have bought it. No doubt that stg 2 LGT is impressive on the low end, but that's about it. Even running stg 1 on 90 octane, the 08 STI handles better than my LGT ever did. Sure down the straight it's not quite as fast, but then again, I don't have a 100 oct race gas map either. I can almost guarantee that once I do, I will be running similar or faster times on this car than on the LGT, even after dumping $8K into it. I can slap on a downpipe, reflash to stg 2 and hit some impressive numbers. and though I am enjoying my 08 STI over my LGT in performance and handling, it is very much like my LGT in the interior and fit and finish, much better than our 07 in comparison. Ride quality is decent, better than my LGT on coilovers for sure. As far as paying $40K+ for one, well, that's way too much. $34-36K is a good price for what you get. Better interior, more room, better handling, more capability of performance, larger TMIC, a little better brakes (according to Jarrad from PDX), more function over form, all in all, I find this a superior vehicle over my LGT and our 07 STI (though hubby would disagree with the latter). show me another car with the same kind of performance, handling, capability, awd and over 300+ stock? Having DCCD, traction control, and SI drive makes this car a great performer for the money. Othewise, I'd have bought a BMW instead, but would have been a good $10K more for the same features I wanted. Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praedet Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Join the IMBA and get the STi for invoice-2%... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Or just walk in and ask for a better deal than that Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praedet Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 ^^^True, I did that, but not all dealers will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Either way, the price won't make it any faster stock The fact is that it is slowing down in it's old age Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praedet Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 So are we Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegemt Posted June 2, 2008 Author Share Posted June 2, 2008 They were gonna sell me a base STI for 32,999, i believe that is just under invoice, but I still don't think it is worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandonGT Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 i think that the STi's performance is great for the price. but i also think that the only subaru worth the money (and worth driving for that matter) is the legacy just because all the others are just so damn ugly. this is how it is always been even with the previous generation wrx/sti's. you get a ton of performance for a good price, but its like subaru completely ignored the looks i will say this though: at least the new STi does have that giant, hideous bench on the trunk and at least the interior is a little nicer (but still blows). the 04 STi is without a doubt the worst looking interior for a 30k+ car. and the 06-07 STi, well that earns the dubious distinction for the fugliest exterior for a 30k+ car. no offense to anyone who drives these vehicles! and im certainly not taking away from the fact that these cars flat out perform for the money and built extremely well and can be very practical. im just voicing my opinion exclusively on the looks of these cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldiablo Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 I love the look of the 08 STi's and really expected to be trading in my LGT after a test drive last week. I loved the braking power, interior and the suspension but was really expecting more out of the 305 HP. I drove her in all 3 modes and really let her have it in sport # mode. I expected an ear to ear grin, but - it didn't happen. I drove it on the same back roads I drive my LGT and honestly think I would make faster time in the LGT. If nothing else, it made me feel good about getting back behind the wheel of the LGT and made me feel better knowing that my marriage will remain in tact. I'll wait a couple more years and see what Subaru brings to the table. My VB Garage... Pumping the air back into despair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05GT Guru Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 If you want a everyday driver sports car i would go with something AWD, but i have never been someone who likes to put tons of miles on my sports cars, thats why i usually get a reliable car like my legacy and then soemthing fun and fast to drive on nice days where you can really get some cheap performance like my supra was, i had less than 14k in that car including the car itself and it went and 11.19 my first and only run at the track. But thats just what i like to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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