As the title suggests, I sold my baby on Monday (53 WRX).

I turn 25 shortly so I have thought long and hard about what to replace her with (as my insurance will go down) and for months I thought it would be a Hawkeye STI, but the problems with the pistons melting has put me off. Along with the £450 car tax bracket and the fact that chavs want to key an Impreza every time they see one. (As I experienced a few months ago).

For the reasons above, I will now be buying a 2005 BMW M3 or a 2005 Audi S4.

Value for money – nothing beats the Impreza and it’s disappointing that I will no longer own one. But I need something a little more subtle that doesn’t draw the wrong attention.

Has anybody else been swayed to move to a different car manufacturer?

BTW, I love the new Impreza Saloon and in a few years time that would certainly tempt be back to Subaru. Regardless of road tax and people wanting to ruin it.

 

M3 hands down if not going for another scoob. i would love to have an M3 but only being 22, (nearly 23) i have a few years to wait. but M3 would have to be the better purchase IMO

Adam

 

Pros of the M3 are the straight line speed (as long as it’s dry). But a massive problem is how it performs in the wet (shocking).

The Audi is a bit slower in a straight line in the dry. But in the wet it’s a lot quicker in a straight line.

An interesting point is that the Audi is quicker than the M3 around a track as the handling is much better and that’s in the dry.
In the wet, again the M3 is hopeless.

Both are quality cars (well built), lot’s of goodies etc.

It’s a tough one for sure.

 

Id have the Audi, then you have the best in both weather conditions. My mate has an M3, and he now doesnt take it out in the wet, its that bad.

 

Did think about it when I sold my hawk but £ for £ the 08 Hatch was the way to go for me, the M3's don't age that well and I could not afford the new shape! I love the all round practicality of the Scoob.

Only thing I did put some serious thought into was an RS4, but I'd had to put about 15k ontop of the sale of my Hawk to get a car the same age and with 4x the mileage!

 

I would love an RS4, but a 2005 reg is way over my budget I'm afraid. (About 20k for one I think from memory).

I love Scoobs and always will do. I will still give the scooby wave, even though they'll be thinking WTF!

Audi is the better all rounder IMO. But I like the straight line of the M3 (in the dry).

But the M3's are a complete waste of time 70% of the year with the weather we have.

 

Driven both.....i would remind you the M3 is this same place to sit as a 320D (more or less) and the Audi again, same as a diesel A4. This is the problem with euroboxes for me. All that said Audi to me felt like a VERY heavy car, lumbering almost and aged me 30yrs for driving it 5 miles.

M3 is a better choice for driving IMHO, but it is just a German eurobox, not that there is anything in particular wrong with that.

I test drive a couple of each of these and settled for a 911 Carrera 2S.

p.s. an M3 driven hard =13MPG (mate has had one 4 yrs)

 

But wouldnt it depend on the way you drive it?
just got to be more careful how heavy your foot is. if your like me then just have to be careful.

Adam