Best Year for Subaru WRX and/or STI?
There are so many Pros and Cons of every year! (except 08... it has so many cons, it's not included since it's the ugly turd of the family)
02/03: 2nd best exterior design in my opinion (depending on the day, it can be my favorite), real foglights, controversial bugeye, momo steering wheel, nice hood scoop
04: lame fogs, newer exterior design, momo steering wheel, gigantically hideously (and slightly offensive) hoodscoop, upgraded the seats
05: better interior, still lame fogs, nicer 6-cd player, no momo steering wheel, still rocking the obnoxiously large hoodscoop, and got climate control
06: best exterior design in my opinion, best hoodscoop design (similar to 02/03), similar interior to 05. Year 06 is when they added 2.5L Engine.
07: same as 06 except they replaced some aluminum components with steel....
Well, that's it for aesthetics (the easy part) who wants to make the mechanical difference list?
My vote goes for 06 on best aesthetics
My next question is, should I go for the regular WRX or the WRX STI? I would love the STI but I am just a chick that will drive it normally. Would it be "too much." I am not using the car for anything special.
My favorite interior is the 02 wrx-best seats by far as they ACTUALLY hold you in. Least favorite interior is the STI interior from any year(the blue is...a little much and the 04 STI steering wheel looks like a plastic toy).
Here's just a few things off the top of my head(definitely NOT all of them):
02: WRX arrives in U.S. and remains a 2.0 liter until 2006 when it received the 2.5 liter engine. Drive-by-cable throttle.
03: Different brakes? lol
04: New body style (agreed on the ridonkulously large hoodscoop). STI arrives on U.S. soil with the new DCCD transmission and the same heavy control arms as the 02-03 sedan design(wagons of all years between 02 and 07 had slightly narrower front tract). Keeps 5x100 bolt pattern. Most Subarus receive a drive-by-wire throttle.
05: STI receives lightweight control arms and 5x114.3 bolt pattern. Aesthetically almost the same as 04.
06: New, aggressive, body style. STI remains mechanically similar power-wise. WRX receives the 2.5 liter block (same as the STI even though slightly different engine code).
07: Basically the same as 06
08:New chassis. New body style. STI only comes in wagon trim on the Impreza in the USDM.
As for your choice: If you're just going to drive it normally I wouldn't waste the money and insurance with the STI. I drive an 02 wrx wagon and with a few simple modifications and a tune by HB Speed it has 30 more hp and 40 more lbft torque than the stock STI. The 02 wrx has drive-by-cable throttle which feels much more direct and not laggy like the drive-by-wire after 03. The 02 wrx has better seats than any other Impreza IMO. If you want the best value for your daily driver and not astronomical insurance I would go with an 02 or 03 wrx (also the cops don't bug you in a wagon).
05 is my favorite because they widened the tires from 2004, and it has the front end that I love. Although the 06 front end has really grown on me.
The new one is by far the best from an engineering standpoint.
Better turbo, better engine, etc...
Whether you get the STI or just the WRX, both are great in the 08-09 trims.
There really is no wrong choice here. I commend you for doing your homework on these cars and following the differences between the years. That is impressive. Either model you choose, please believe that neither will disappoint you.
