I've Gone And Done It Now

[Bounce]

Was at the dealership getting a CV boot clamp replaced (under warranty on the 2003 WRX).

They just got the factory display model (not theirs) of the 2008 STi in dark metallic gray. Placed a pre-order for one (same color) with Sirius receiver as the only option.

305HP/290f.lb on a longer/wider chassis (Forester) and only comes as a hatchback. 6 speed manual. inverted wishbone rear suspension replaces the rear independent suspension of previous models.

Brembo® performance brake system. 4-wheel disc, ventilated front and rear. 4-piston front and dual-piston rear calipers. 4-channel, 4-sensor Super Sport ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). Brake discs Front: 12.7 in./Rear: 12.3 in.

SI-DRIVE allows you to maximize engine performance, control and efficiency by choosing "Intelligent", "Sport" and "Sport Sharp" modes. This can be operated by using a rotary dial mounted on the center console or a button on the steering wheel. SI-DRIVE is like having three engines in one. Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-DRIVE ) enables three distinctively different modes of vehicle performance characteristics by regulating the engine control unit (ECU) and by fine-tuning the electronically controlled throttle.

Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) All-Wheel Drive: Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) All-Wheel Drive uses an electronically managed multi-plate transfer clutch and a mechanical limited-slip differential in conjunction with a planetary-gear-type center differential to control power distribution between the front and rear wheels. Featuring manual and three automatic modes, DCCD splits power 41% front and 59% rear. Sensors monitor parameters such as wheel slippage, steering angle, throttle position and braking to help determine torque distribution and direct it to the wheels with optimum traction. DCCD also features a limited-slip helical front and Torsen® rear differential.

 

[twowheelnut]

Nice, but I hope they make a bra for that fugly front end. Still, I wouldn't mind having one in my garage.

 

[Rogue]

You suck!

 

[kaitsdad]

So where do you put the sliders? :huh:

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Bounce,

Looks like a pretty impressive vehicle and probably as fast as your FJR.

Congrats!

 

[AStar]

Was at the dealership getting a CV boot clamp replaced (under warranty on the 2003 WRX).
They just got the factory display model (not theirs) of the 2008 STi in dark metallic gray. Placed a pre-order for one (same color) with Sirius receiver as the only option.

305HP/290f.lb on a longer/wider chassis (Forester) and only comes as a hatchback. 6 speed manual. inverted wishbone rear suspension replaces the rear independent suspension of previous models.

Brembo® performance brake system. 4-wheel disc, ventilated front and rear. 4-piston front and dual-piston rear calipers. 4-channel, 4-sensor Super Sport ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). Brake discs Front: 12.7 in./Rear: 12.3 in.

SI-DRIVE allows you to maximize engine performance, control and efficiency by choosing "Intelligent", "Sport" and "Sport Sharp" modes. This can be operated by using a rotary dial mounted on the center console or a button on the steering wheel. SI-DRIVE is like having three engines in one. Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-DRIVE ) enables three distinctively different modes of vehicle performance characteristics by regulating the engine control unit (ECU) and by fine-tuning the electronically controlled throttle.

Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) All-Wheel Drive: Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) All-Wheel Drive uses an electronically managed multi-plate transfer clutch and a mechanical limited-slip differential in conjunction with a planetary-gear-type center differential to control power distribution between the front and rear wheels. Featuring manual and three automatic modes, DCCD splits power 41% front and 59% rear. Sensors monitor parameters such as wheel slippage, steering angle, throttle position and braking to help determine torque distribution and direct it to the wheels with optimum traction. DCCD also features a limited-slip helical front and Torsen® rear differential.

How are you going to travel with the car and the FJR, I would think you would want to take them on the same roads?

 

[dbvolfan]

Congrats on the new buy! That is a beautiful color. Subie was only 5 yrs late in coming out with a 5 door STi!. Long story short, took the wife to the dealer to buy my STi in early '04 when they first came out. She was 100% on board. While looking over my soon to be mine STi, the wife wanders over and asks me why we cant get the HB model "over there" since it has more space and she likes HB's. I explain to her that despite the similar hood scoop and name that it is NOT what I want, and that it is not the same as "my" STi. In the end however I had to settle for a '04 WRX 5 door.

The new STi is sweet, however I wish they would get rid of that Malibu nose on all the new Imprezzas. C&D has a great review of it this month. Was a little surprised to see it was slower even though it had 12 more HP than the old one and that the price climbed so far North. A great car nonetheless!

BTW, I use my WRX to haul my FJR quite often in a 5x8 trailer with no issues so you can take 'em both to your favorite twisties.

 

[FJRMGM]

Congrats - Suburu builds a Mazda 3 now?

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

Congrats - Suburu builds a Mazda 3 now?

No -- but, they do build a Saab. Congratulations 'Bounce'.

I drove an '04 STi at the dealer when S.O. was buying her used '03 WRX Sportwagon (blue). I've owned AWD/turboed cars but hadn't experienced, 'till then, STi power. I had it sideways on the approach to the on-ramp and well over the 'ton' with two (or three?) gears to go. I said the the sales guy (in the other seat -- not saying a word): "This is just like a good sportbike -- you've got to get all over the brakes to merge."

One good piece of automotive engineering, imo. I don't know how you'll keep your license....? :blink:

 

[Bounce]

The '03 WRX has been fun and reliable; not something that all the competitors can claim. I had my tryst with Mitsubishi several years ago and, while the basic vehicle I had was generally reliable, the customer support (when I needed it) was at least a tier or two below that of what we've had with Subaru.

And, yes, it wants to run the same roads as the FJR. The WRX compensated somewhat for not being able to ride the FJR to the SFO: Fall Freakout this past year (and it allowed me to haul the ice chest full of beer and booze for sharing with everyone else). The AR hills were a hoot. I'm expecting more and better with the STi. And, if the STi is down a little from other STi's in the past, I'm anticipating it to still be at least a step up from the basic WRX I've been driving. The addition of the traction control items (SI-Drive and DCCD) should give the option to tame the wild nature of the raw STi's of the past (with the option to go "full tilt" when desired).

If you think the current front end is fugly, you should have seen the 06-07 design. YIKES! It looked like it had been sucking on lemons. I was more than happy to wait for that design to fade away.

Scanning about, I ran across this Popular Mechanics test report (for the '08 STi): https://tinyurl.com/3a4yjo

 

[Toecutter]

The '03 WRX has been fun and reliable; not something that all the competitors can claim.

Do you hang out on Subaru forums? Are they long-term dependable? The ones I see around town all sound funny. I'd love a good sports car, but I want to be able to thrash it and not have it fall apart, like the FJR delivers....

Many people can keep 'em running for a long time, but how do they handle being run hard long-term? I'm all about run-hard. Sounds like a good name for a movie! (PG-13).

 

[dbvolfan]

The '03 WRX has been fun and reliable; not something that all the competitors can claim.

Do you hang out on Subaru forums? Are they long-term dependable? The ones I see around town all sound funny. I'd love a good sports car, but I want to be able to thrash it and not have it fall apart, like the FJR delivers....

Many people can keep 'em running for a long time, but how do they handle being run hard long-term? I'm all about run-hard. Sounds like a good name for a movie! (PG-13).

They are VERY reliable...only achilles tendon has been the MT in them, especially '02/'03 and some '04 models. Hard to say how much of it was due to abusive launches and how much of it poor design. Subie redesigned the syncros and some components of the transmission after '03 I believe to relieve the clutch shudder. I've seen a lot of posts on ClubWRX.net from 18 yr olds who write that they "dropped the clutch at 6500k RPM's and now 1st and 3rd are grinding really bad...did I do something wrong or break something?" Personally I think it is 75% driver abuse and 25% design. Mine grinds occasionally going into 3rd.

The syncros in the MT can be sticky sometimes making shifts into 1st and 3rd tricky, especially when the engine is cold. I have 45k trouble free miles on mine and love it. There are many 150k+ mile members on the clubWRX forum. Just be careful about modding it and/or dropping the clutch on your MT and it will be fine. I like to run it very hard but avoid dropped clutches. Slip it just right and it can launch even better than simply dropping it. Unfortunately, unless it's modded you cant count on doing much from a roll in it.

Only other complaints you will find in common if you read enogh posts on it, especially 2004 and older models is the thin paint, front windshiedls that break too easily/often from debris and CEL's which are easy to get if you use less than premium gas or dont tighten the gas cap well enough.

Maintenance on them is a breeze...spark plugs and PCV are a little more difficult to get to than on most cars due to the intercooler but everything else is easily accessable and easy DIY.

 

[Bounce]

That reflects my experiences with the '03 WRX (non-STi). We don't drag race it since that's not where the power band is. It's not meant for that kind of driving. An American V8 can probably beat it off the line most of the time, but the first curve and that's all she wrote. The opposed cylinder engine reminds me of the reliability that I saw in all my years as a Gold Wing owner.

My best time between DFW and OKC was pacing a Viper as we took turns in the lead. I suspect if he wanted to move into max top speed areas, he might have left me, but he was clearly ham-handed in how to handle trafffic congestion (going to the shoulder one time when I got ahead). We ended up covering the distance in a little over an hour and a half. Not bad for a busy interstate during the day (NV outback would be a different story).

The gearing on the '03 WRX is pretty high. Highway speed limits in top gear feel almost like you're lugging the motor. When breaking it in (new) and trying to not jump over 4k rpm (about 9k red line) I was still able to do about 110 - 120 mph in top gear. And the STi are "tweaked" WRXs with more HP and better suspensions. In 08 reports are that even the body steel is stronger than on the standard WRX as Subaru chose to "soften" the WRX for the mass market while keeping their eye on the intended target for the STi.

 

[keithaba]

The performance of the STi is amazing for the cost. A car that can hold it's own with some of the most impressive super sports cars for 1/2-1/3 of the price. If I were to ever actually put money into buying a car (I drive a 95 toyota celica) the STi would be it!

Congrats, don't forget your radar detector!

 

[FJR Steve]

Looking at exactly the same vehicle (maybe different colour tho') to replace our Mazda6 wagon - due to occur in May next year. Will be very interested in your thoughts on the STi "bounce"

I am seriously considering this tho' :

 

[Jagermeister]

Was at the dealership getting a CV boot clamp replaced (under warranty on the 2003 WRX).
They just got the factory display model (not theirs) of the 2008 STi in dark metallic gray. Placed a pre-order for one (same color) with Sirius receiver as the only option.

305HP/290f.lb on a longer/wider chassis (Forester) and only comes as a hatchback. 6 speed manual. inverted wishbone rear suspension replaces the rear independent suspension of previous models.

Brembo® performance brake system. 4-wheel disc, ventilated front and rear. 4-piston front and dual-piston rear calipers. 4-channel, 4-sensor Super Sport ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). Brake discs Front: 12.7 in./Rear: 12.3 in.

SI-DRIVE allows you to maximize engine performance, control and efficiency by choosing "Intelligent", "Sport" and "Sport Sharp" modes. This can be operated by using a rotary dial mounted on the center console or a button on the steering wheel. SI-DRIVE is like having three engines in one. Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-DRIVE ) enables three distinctively different modes of vehicle performance characteristics by regulating the engine control unit (ECU) and by fine-tuning the electronically controlled throttle.

Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) All-Wheel Drive: Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) All-Wheel Drive uses an electronically managed multi-plate transfer clutch and a mechanical limited-slip differential in conjunction with a planetary-gear-type center differential to control power distribution between the front and rear wheels. Featuring manual and three automatic modes, DCCD splits power 41% front and 59% rear. Sensors monitor parameters such as wheel slippage, steering angle, throttle position and braking to help determine torque distribution and direct it to the wheels with optimum traction. DCCD also features a limited-slip helical front and Torsen® rear differential.

IMO, it looks like the front of the current Saab-aru 9-2. That's downright sexy, campared with the 06-07 look. And, it'll suck the doors off my Accord.

 

[Bounce]

I am seriously considering this tho'

my VW owning friends were putting the hard sell to me on the GTi and the R32. I was tempted but we spent a bit of time talking about what i like and don't like in cars. when they heard that i don't like to fiddle with the car to keep it working, they recommended i stear clear of VW. they love them but told me they are always having to do "little things" to them to keep them right (more than just routine services).

my past experienece with VW was "not good" when i had a Scirocco MkI that seazed up on me after my wife let it overheat. clearly not something to lay at the feet of VW (completely) but it was taking/demanding "special attention" prior to it overheating.

 

[Bounce]

The Saleswoman called me this past Friday. She said she got the call and "my car's built and about ready to ship". In Scooby-speak that means it's hit the port in the US, had my options added and is about ready to load on transport to the dealership. She didn't know exactly what "about ready" meant in people time, but said she wouldn't be surprised if it got here within the next two weeks.

After the 2003 FJR PdP, I learned that waiting ain't nearly so bad when it lets you negotiate a little (and this case avoid all the bling crap they tend to put on a high-demand in-stock model so you're stuck with options you don't want).

 

[Bounce]

Went and picked it up Tuesday night. Got the Sirius receiver activated yesterday and my lifetime subscription moved to the new receiver. The subwoofer, while not "after market hood-thumping" fills in the bass nicely for my needs.

Keeping it under 4k rpms for the next 1000 miles is going to be tough.

ODO after getting home from dealership

(yes everyone has wisecracked about the "check engine" light so don't bother)

Punch it and go to WARP SPEED!