Liveit2theMax

G'Day All !!!

Yes, another newbie on the scene probably asking the same questions that have been asked a million times before .............

I'm looking to buy an 03 - 04 Scooby but I'm not sure to go for a standard STi at £15k (265bhp) or a WRX PPP with (265bhp) for £12K - Will I see the benefit of the extra £3k if I go for the STi ???

Gutmann pug

This one has been done a number of times, shame the search facility is down else you could have found similar threads easily.

Ask an STi owner and he will say his car is superior. He will also say that his car is easily uprated to 300bhp using ppp.

Ask a WRX owner and he will say he is happy with his purchase and doesnt want the harshness of the STi. Ask another WRX owner and he will say he wished he bought the STi in the first place.

Personally I would suggest you test drive both. I bet you buy the STi


Gary

TelBoy

LiveIt - if you're interested i have access to a beautiful 53 plate black Mica STi, only 27k, unaltered and completely standard, for £14.5k. I'll personally vouch for it. Let me know if you want any further details.

Tel

Dave_68

You need to test drive them, see which one suits you...I drove all 4 then bought an STi PPP.

Dave

corradoboy

Might not if you drove MY WRX PPP. The owner of a very well spec'd Sti PPP TSL333 recently rode in mine and said there was no way his could ever be as fast on the road as mine without spending IRO £1.5k on suspension mods. Power isn't everything

Gutmann pug

Nice car corradoboy, just not an STi

corradoboy

Yeah, I'd like the extra diff and the quick rack, but prefer the 5sp 'box over the tiresome 6.

Gazz300

Go to a meet and ask people. Drive some and do your research until you know what you want. I bought a WRX300 back in September. Looking back I was very green. I drove that and the STI. I thought the STI was too harsh for daily use.

If you get the bug (and you will) you will wish you had the better brakes center diff wheels etc. If you can stand the ride of the STI every day just for the good times then get it. If you can go to an STI with PPP even better. If you only want a car to push on the straights with much better economy then its the WRX. If I went out tomorrow to buy it again then it would be the STI with PPP. End of the day its your choice. Just make an informed one.

Crazy Chick

Oh hello. Fancy seeing you here.

The Chief

Are the speeds higher in gears on the WRX due to the STi having a six speeder i.e. third and fourth and the WRX having 5

The six speeder has always put me off an STi

Gazz300

You stalking me?

Liveit2theMax

Thanks for all your comments - Spent all last night thinking about ...WRX STi WRX STi .... the only thing I found is that it made my brain hurt !!! (but I suppose that could have been the missus !!!) Got the feeling that If I buy a WRX I'll only end up wishing I'd bought and STi !!!! Think the heart is going to win over the head !!!

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Test drive em both. Just bare in mind that

a) They differ in much more than just power outputs; they're actually surprisingly different to drive.
b) Regardless of which one you go for, you'll want more an end up modding it!!

Ns04

Paul3446

I've been debating the whole STi versus WRX dilemma for a while now, really I want the look of the STi, without the running costs. Would the PPP pack achieve this? Can anyone list all the PPP mods? Or point me somewhere that does, sorry if this has been done a zillion times before!

NorthDownsScooby

Subaru website, funnily enough under Accessories, WR sport.....

Paul3446

Thanks, flippin' hell £112 + fitting for 2 plastic mudflaps??? There's some serious markup on those isn't there?

alloy

STi hands down

corradoboy

WRX PPP = Prodrive (Scorpion) BB, Prodrive (Samco) I/C hose, remap, removal of centre cat. 220>265PS

STi PPP = Prodrive (Scorpion) BB, uprated fuel pump, high flow DP cat, remap, removal of centre cat. 265>305PS

If I remember correctly.

Both cars NEED the PPP to make them what they should be in the 1st place IMHO. A combination of EU emmisions regulations and IM/Subaru/Prodrive marketing and profiteering mean they have to be modified aftermarket to make them truly outstanding machines. The STi is better than a WRX PPP with the same power in some ways, mainly the better steering feel due to the better rack, the better Brembo brakes and slightly better suspension. A few quid spent on these areas on a WRX and they can be as quick, or even quicker than an STi for less overall £ outlay. As an example, the STi PPP TSL333 owner who commented on mine recently paid IRO £19k for his car just 6 months ago, I have had my WRX for 2 years but paid £3k less even back then. The mods I have on mine did come cheap as I am a sucker for a bargain, but at full retail would come to less than £1.5k to make a 265bhp car quicker on road than a 330bhp car. If you have IRO £12k, you could do much worse than consider buying mine

smith martin

I have a 04 Silver WRX with PPP that has had some further upgrades that take it to approx 290 BHP . It is for sale at present via Litchfield Imports if you are interested

Regards

Martin
07721 591678

SivMY05Sti

I've had both with PPP- if you have the WRX you will want the Sti, put up with the harder ride and save for the PPP

Stevie_h

I have recently gone from a 03 WRX PPP to an 03 Sti (tsl333). Performance aside for now, the most notable difference between the two cars is ride. The Sti is hard and stiff and the WRX is soft and comfy. The WRX suffers from greater body roll, but this can be remedid with a (cheap) uprated anto roll bar. However i dont think the wrx handles any worse, its just that it requires more (driver) confidence at high speed cornering. Having said that though, when the road is really bumpy, the wrx is better because your not being thrown about all over the place.
Next the Gearbox, the 5 speed has widley spaced ratio's and a smooth feel. When gunning it on the back roads you perform less gear changes than in the STI which can lead to smoother progress. The downside is that it feel a little lazy(even though it isn't). The six speed is relativly hard and more direct, which requires a little more effort from the driver to perform smooth gear changes. The closeness of the ratios also means that there are more gear changes (especailly on the standard car if you want to keep it in the power band), the advantage(to some) is that the power delivery is more frantic and exciting.
Steering on both cars is good, WRX steering wheel is HUGE, sti steering wheel is smaller.
Brakes on the WRX are adequate and an improvement on older generations, the STI's Brembos dont really stop that much better but they are much more resistant to fade.
The Power delivery on a WRX PPP is very smooth allowing for decent throttle control(for a turbo car). the power starts coming in between 2500rpm - 3000rpm.
The Power delivery on the Standard STI very 'old skool', lots of lag. The power comes in suddenly, closer to 3800rpm.
The power delivery on my tsl333 comes in at about 3000rpm,not as smooth as wrx though.
Generally the STI is more focused car, with a more direct feel, its tuned to be more aggressive, probably not best suited to long commutes(although its not that bad!!). The wrx is softer and more tuned towards smoother power delivery and feel, definatly best suited for longer commutes and a better all rounder.

Ste

T123VOR

iTrader: (2)

If I could of afforded it I would of bought an STI without a doubt ( I have a WRX PPP)

Gutmann pug

I tried the WRX first then the STi and wished I hadn't....Bought the STi then when it went in for its 1,000 service I tried a spec C and starting wishing I hadn't again.......

However I have now found the ultimate. Just sold the STi after 3 great years and bought a rover 420SLi .... Cost me less to buy in total than the STi costs every month

53

iTrader: (41)

WRX PPP MY03 are so cheap now they possibly make more sense bang for buck... get some prodrive springs and a nice set of 18's you have a car to be very proud of....But if money was not an issue of course you would go for an STI, but then which one, another set of decisions! Not sure the STI for me would have been worth the extra 1000's not when the WRX is as good as it is, which for most people is pretty intoxicating. Plus I would be much more concerned about the STI getting vandalised or nicked because of its more conspicuous styling.

Zip Boing Arial Whoop

Owned a classic then a Sti (uk) and now a WRX (05) SL PPP with Sat Nav, Eibachs, uprated front pads, new windscreen wipers and PIAA bulbs....

Would never buy an Sti again, still want my classic back, WRX is a great car, if I had to buy a subaru again it would be my WRX. If I had to buy another car tomorrow......Well... I would probably buy a modern car...Like a Golf Gti...

As others have said, real world speed isn't about 6 gears, upside down, inside out Brembo, Burberry, or other brakes / suspension.. You have to live with the car (and financial problems) every day.. so check each out...eat your popcorn and take your choice.


PS.. For what its worth the WRX is a better Trackday car and a faster a to B car than the Sti ever was.....Flame Suite ON!

Dave_68

No flames, but just interested why you would consider the WRX a better trackday car & faster A to B...

Just curious..

mgcvk

If you have £15,000 to spend nowadays on a Subaru then best buy is an 03 or 04 Sti with PPP or TSL or similar. Its great value for money for a car that originally cost £27,000 plus. I have an '03 wrx (which I bought 2nd hand) and I love it. I couldn't afford an Sti new or 2nd hand at the time. Given the 2nd hand options now, the Sti would be completely obvious choice and cheaper to insure than my mildly modded wrx.

Stevie_h

I would like to add to my previous comments and say that the STi is not an upgrade to the WRX. To me an upgrade means you get 'more'. This is not the case, the STI and WRX are designed to appeal to different markets. The WRX is a more user friendly day to day car that offers a good mix between performance and comfort. The STI is less user friendly and is aimed at those who want a more focused experience who are willing to sacrifice some comfort. Of course the STi has more tuning potential out-of the-box but the difference is only about 40bhp (eg wrx ppp - sti ppp), a noticable difference, but not earth shattering.
In the end i prefer my STI because i dont have a big commute anymore, but if i had to do 100 miles a day again i would definatly miss my WRX PPP.

Ste

Stevie_h

Interesting comment, but there is some truth in it. First i dont think the Wrx is a better track car, this is one area where i really feel the STI would excel. The firm ride and brembos would really shine on a track when compared to the WRX. On the track, the wrx feels underpowered, the brakes fade and the ride leaves you with no sensation of speed at all.

However in terms of the WRX being a faster a to b car.......Possibly, it depends on the road condition. On a really badly surfaced road the STI can be a bit to stiff, this can give you the impression that you are being thrown all over the place, whereas the WRX just soaks it all u, giving the driver more confidence. Also when i fitted an uprated rear Anti roll bar to my WRX i found the handling to be excellent. The body roll was severally reduced, the ride stiffened a little, but it still rode a lot better than the STI. An excellent comprimise.

In terms of outright performance, i dont think there is much in it between the WRX PPP and STI PPP, there is just not enough power difference. In choosing between the two cars, you should ask yourself, do i want a good all rounder or a slightly more focused but comprimised alternative.

Finally, all the above is true for the MY03/04 cars. The MY05 STI is fantastic in terms of handling and is really in another league to the previous models.



ste

Gutmann pug

The brembos must certainly do not shine on track. Although they may be better than the brakes fitted to a WRX.