Hi...

Been a fan of scooby's for years and at 38 I now found myself single - on the look out for WRX - Just spoke to the dealer at Chelmford he sort of suggested that the WRX PPP may be a better option then the full blown STI looking at a 2003 model.

I drive from Pitsea to Wanstead every day and ferry my kids around at the weekend.

Until I spoke to the dealer I didn't realise there were so many difference between the WRX PPP and the STI

What do you guys think?
PPP or STI

Cheers

Ian.

P.S. is there a regular meet up in Essex for scooby owners ?

 

Hi mate I have a STI which is driven by the wife every day to work with no problems it can still be used as an average every day car
Personally I think STI all the way more power and stronger internals and the car seems to look more aggressive. Also very similar MPG.
In my case I was also considering a WRX but I think I would have regretted it a year on or tried to mod it to get similar power to the STI. I am not saying the WRX is no good just that the STI is more of a complete car!!!!!!!!!
Oh and you 6 gears its a must for the motorway.

 

STi.

Sorry, no compromise for me. It's not just the go, but the stop and everything else that accompanies the STi that would make me choose that over the WRX, every day of the week.

 

a lightly modded wrx will be as quick as a standard sti, but not so harsh to drive. so it depends whether you want to plan further modifications, obviously an sti can be made to go a lot quicker for the same cost. having said that, a lot of people and you perhaps will always be aware that the sti is the ultimate version, and you are having second best. my advice would be to test drive both, although i know i would go for the sti and live with the harsher ride as a worthy sacrifice.

 

Yeah look at the Essex Scooby Crew section on front page!

Think its 3 meets a month (been a while for me thou)

 

Thanks guys...

So what is the BHP of a standard STI then and is there such a thing as a STI PPP ?

Cheers

Ian.

 

about 280bhp

 

the bug/blobeye sti are 265bhp which would be what a wrx ppp is, sti ppp is reported to be 305bhp but not all produce that.

Aaron

PS. Oh and sti would be my choice having had both Wrx and sti.

 

i stand corrected, although ppp is what people go for to maintain the subaru warranty. outside of warranty much higher bhp is attained for less money. the sti and wrx are easily tuneable and there are lots of tunes scattered all over the uk specialising in subaru

 

i had a 2003 wrx with ppp and now a 2004 sti

sti deffo m8

u will love it when i brought the wrx i regretted not getting the sti in the 1st place even though i still loved it.

 

I've done 25k in the last year in my STI and it's never missed a beat, is easy on motorways getting about 31mpg. They aren't expensive to service, even from dealers if you shop around and the parts are pretty good too.

The problem comes when you start doing serious mods but I've friends with 380/400 with minor mods and they see no issues at all.

Fuel isn't too bad but it depends what you'll be doing with it. I get 40p a mile with work and I make sure that I make that scheme work for me over the financial year. If I did the usual 15k a year for personal miles I still think it'd be a good car to have but in today's climate i'd get a 3.0TDI A5 Quattro.

If money and running costs work with your wages then go for it

 

WRX is kinder on the family !

STI is a bit more hard-core, but if the modding bug is likely to bite, STI is a better starting point imho

dunx

 

I drive a STI PPP 2003 as a second car, think it would bancrupt me to use it as a daily driver...but it depends how I drive it...Pontypool to NEC and back £50 in fuel!!!!

But bringing it back from Cornwall, keeping to 60ish so the wife could follow did the whole journey from Penzance to South Wales on £30 and still managed 2 more days before I had to put more in!

 

I had a 04wrx as a company car lightly modded plus all the handling goodies was a great daily drive @ 280 bhp good on fuel and more than capable in the twisties and on the motorway it went off the clock in germany fully loaded
Now i run a sti type r @ 320bhp as a weekend/ odd trackday toy and the two are miles appart.
I loved my wrx and as a daily drive / dads taxi it's way more suitable than a sti, i also would'nt bother with a ppp i'd buy a cheaper non ppp and spend the extra cash on a few light mods with a reputable tuner.
If however you think the tuning bug is going to bite the sti is a much better starting point, running costs and outright speed there is very little in it a well modded wrx is a match for anything out there in the real world and the right hands

 

STi, without question. Having been down this expensive road before, if you have to compromise buy ford, if you want a scooby, buy an STi.

Dealers use this line to shift WRX PPP's when in truth they aren't any easier to live with than STi's. Post 2005 they share the inverted type suspension and its only the 5 gears that make them more relaxing (rather than comfortable) to drive. Pretty much everything about the STi is better and the cost difference when buying used makes buying one that much easier.

I had a 53plate WRX PPP. I had to change to prodrive springs because the standard WRX ride was so warbly at motorway speeds. I slightly modified my WRX to a nice level, although for what I paid the STi is / was always the better option. PPP improves the standard car but don't be fooled into thinking you have STi power by going down this route. The brochure promises much more than I ever saw out of my car as a standard PPP.

I now have a MY06 STI (Spec D discreet model ), unquestionably the better car. I can honestly say I would never buy another WRX, I can't see the point ? Prices as they are they make STi's great cars for track, family, commuter whatever. The only problem is tax/insurance and petrol but these are shared by both models.

WRX IMHO is the Porsche boxster to the STI 911. You only buy one because you can afford the other. In the current climate affording an STi at WRX prices isn't difficult to hunt down.

Fond memories though

 

See above. My daily driver is a 2003 STi PPP and although maybe a bit harsh at times there's no way i'd ever consider the WRX

 

Had both, still got the STI dont make the error i first made by buying the wrx. JAY

 

Having had both Sti for me.

Check insurance before taking the plunge on either model. you might be in for a shock

 

Test drive both, see what you prefer, the wrx is more suited as a daily driver, gives you enough performance to keep most people happy, the STI is rawer, but has more uprated parts (which are more expensive to replace, ie brake discs) but comes better equipped.
The STI is thirstier, both the wrx ppp and a standard STI will require super unleaded fuel only, servicing is slighly more expensive on the STI but not by a huge ammount, but test drive them, then pick

Tony

 

There are three threads running from different Scooby Netters asking a Similar question, So i've copied and pasted my answer's!


Bought a brand new 04 WRX and loved it to bits, Spent quite a bit on her trying to turn it in to something that it would never be an STi, Bit the bullet and bought a hawkeye 3 months ago, I'll never swop it! If your budget can stretch to an STi then do it, think long term because when you have some spare cash you will start modding.

I wish someone had given me this advice when I started looking at Scoobs.

Simpsons !

 

Thanks so much for the replies people...

Ian

 

JFDI

 

Have to say i was in the same boat as you last year and saved a little more and got the 04 STI. Most def a better car, the only problem i have now is i just don't drive enough.

PS. I'm based in Barking, not far from Wanstead and looking to sell.

 

I grew up in Barking...

How much are you looking for ?

Ian

 

STI

If you test drive both, you will notice the difference.

Ive had mine for 6 weeks and cant imagine driving anything else.

 

Of course the Sti is the more focussed car, if that's important then it's no contest.

If your looking for something a little more civilised, then the WRX (with fettling) can still be a great car to own. My current WRXPPP doesn't cost much different to run than my wife’s old MX5.

Allan

 

If it's performance you're after, it has to be the STi, the subjective difference in performance is much greater than the 40 or so bhp between the std cars would suggest; it's a very different driving experience and, of course, the STi is a stronger base from which to modify.

The WRX these days is really more of a brisk family saloon than an out and out performance car.

The only real reason for going for a WRX is if comfort is a factor, but if that's the case, then is a scooby really for you IMHO. The other reason is purchase price/insurance, in which case, wait till you can stretch to the STi would be my advice

To put things in context, I have a Classic UK turbo, when it was std, its 215bhp went quite a long way as it is significantly lighter than the new age cars (about the same power to weight as an 05std STi), but when I had it modified to 320 bhp + it became the car it always should have been.

If you went for a WRX, you'd need to have it modified to at least 280 bhp in my opinion to get the proper hit you'd expect from the car!

The Sti's start at around that mark and there is scope for significantly more form the engine and drivetrain. That said an Sti with PPP would have you grinning for quite some time, I suspect!

Ns04

 

Cool thanks for replies...

 

Plenty of people on here selling good priced versions of both. My friend and I both have bug STIs, his is a WRX mine a JDM STI. After two years of modding it still isn't as tight (bigger roll bars, uprated arms etc) or as quick as my near standard (exhaust, fuel pump and map) STI. I use it as a daily driver and motorway miles. The 6 speed box is an absolute winner as are the Brembo brakes as standard. If you're worried about harshness have a look for the Apex coilovers in the group buy section and have them on a softer setting.

You really should drive both though.

 

For what it's worth I can offer a slightly different perspective
I went the other way - from a 2004 JDM STi (API 350 ) to a 2005 WRX PPP. I had already owned classic turbos and an STi3 but when faced with a 120 mile a day commute I went for a JDM Blobeye WRX.

After 6 months of happy comfortable commuting (motorway and A/B roads) I traded in the WRX for the STi. In terms of performance there was no difference (JDM blob making about 250bhp v STi 350bhp). It was even quicker than the STi3 (300bhp). However, because the car was my daily driver I never really, and I mean 'really' enjoyed her like I should have done. With an impending house move I decided to trade down to a WRX PPP and commuted more happily until buying an old hack to commute with instead.

Now I have the WRX PPP just for weekends I have fallen in love with driving scoobs again and want another ST1

Not sure what I am trying to say I guess in summary, the STi is undoubtedly a much better car but if you need a daily mile muncher maybe the WRX will do a better job.