What does everyone think about 08 WRX's

[swing2hard]

I might be buying an 08 WRX sedan & wanted to know what people thought of them?

[ScoobyNuby]

I love mine. I don't understand why so many people hate on them. I think its a great car.

[MiLaB21]

i like them a lot, just not the taillights, especially on the hatchs, personally id get a 09

[06wrx4me]

I think Subaru made them a lot better for 09 for the same price.

[wrxtreme06]

Originally Posted by 06wrx4me

I think Subaru made them a lot better for 09 for the same price.

wheres that teikyo guy? we need to hear his opinion just one more time!

[swing2hard]

I can buy this 08' with 2,000 miles on it for $20k, windows already tinted, he is even throwing in a brand new subaru sport exhaust still in the box with deal, showroom condition, no scratches or anything. doesnt sound too bad of a deal to me.

[Grasmonky3]

Originally Posted by 06wrx4me

I think Subaru made them a lot better for 09 for the same price.

I agree. I LOVE my '08 and despite all the hate the '08 has gotten, I wouldn't trade it for any year preceding it. I haven't looked back once since buying it but that doesn't mean Subaru hasn't improved the car in many many ways for '09.

I would put money on you being able to buy an '08 for a lot less right now then you would an '09 simply because demand for the '09 is going to be much higher and there are going to be far less of them around.

That being said, test drive them both, square the figures with your pocket, and get the car that makes the most sense for you. If you can get an '08 for $22K-$23K I'd jump on it but if you start finding yourself in that $25K+ range, it would make much more sense to get an '09.

I don't think I need to tell you that you shouldn't let anybody's opinion (despite the fact that I just gave you mine) sway you from getting the car that you like the most and that makes the most sense for you.

EDIT: According to your post above, I personally think that's a steal unless you think 40 more HP and 2,000 miles is worth $5K-$6K.*

*I know I'm simplifying the upgrades but for $6K I'd imagine you could improve the '08 to '09 standards and then some.

[06wrx4me]

Originally Posted by swing2hard

I can buy this 08' with 2,000 miles on it for $20k, windows already tinted, he is even throwing in a brand new subaru sport exhaust still in the box with deal, showroom condition, no scratches or anything. doesnt sound too bad of a deal to me.

Depends. Many 08's had a piston ring recall including the STI's. It was soo bad they yanked all the turbo models off the lots for a few weeks until they could determine which were affected. Of course they sold many cars before the recall so that car at that price makes me weary. Personally for $5k more I'd get the 09.

It has:

Better grille
comes std with Sports styling package
new turbo
significantly more power
stiffer suspension and bigger bars
its Rev A so all the bugs were worked out from 08
and more.

For me all these things are worth $5k and buying an 08 in light of all that with longevity in mind is being an irresponsible consumer.

$20k or not, in this economy there are some better steals to be had, but do what you will its your $$$.

[ScoobyNuby]

Is it from the dealer or private party.

If pp, then try to lo- ball the hell out of him. 2k on a brand new car says to me he is in trouble and needs out of it. 17k sounds better than 20k

[Houstonwrx]

I was going to keep my 2005 WRX once I looked at the 2008 and read about it, then my dealer called me and told me about the 2009. When he got one in I went down and took a look, took me about 3 minutes to decide I wanted it. Picked up a 2009 in charcoal gray, not sure if that is the real color, that night, and I freaking love it.

To me, the change in wheels/tires, turbo, grill and engine are well worth getting the 2009. I dont care for the way the 2008 looks and its really not much different, those changes they made are huge.

I never drove a 2008 so I dont know what increase the HP and Torque do compared to the 2008, but I know its a HELL of a lot faster than my 2005, which admittedly had less HP and torque than both of those.

Honestly, thats a good deal, but I'd wait, if you think the same way I do, its worth it to wait.

[Grasmonky3]

I guess I should admit that I agree with everyone who says the wheels on the '08 look pretty crappy.

I think the charcoal color of the same wheels on the '09 look better but not by too much.

What all is the $20K getting you. Premium package? Aero kit? STI short throw shifter? Mesh grill? Ignore my post above if it's $20K for a standard '08 WRX without all the stuff I just mentioned.

As a point of reference, I paid about $25,000 for my 2008 WRX with 52 miles on it. That includes the premium package (aero kit, mesh grill, fog lights, and upgraded stereo), STI short throw shifter, Momo shift knob, and all weather mats. If I include what it cost me to get the SPT CBE and window tint, my total comes to about $25,650 (installation price included). This was almost a year ago (10/24/2007). It's pretty safe to assume demand for the '08s are a lot lower now with the release of the much improved '09.

Given all that we know about the price and upgrades of the '09, as well as the problems of some of the '08s (The VIN list of all models affected can be found online I'm sure.), and the likely demand of the '09, I agree with the posters above who say you should eather push to get that $20K pricetag lowered or spend the money for the '09.

[BOOOSTIN]

The 08's have caught a lot of Flak for several reasons, some may be justified some are as shallow as "I hate the new bodystyle".

This happens all the time whenever a new bodystyle is released on most cars, it doesn't mean its a bad car, it just means that you haven't adjusted to the new bodystyle.

The 09 is getting quite a bit of love, practically the same bodystyle so what gives?

[RayfieldsWRX]

Originally Posted by BOOOSTIN

The 09 is getting quite a bit of love, practically the same bodystyle so what gives?

Many of us aren't really about the bodystyle. The '08 got a rep pretty quickly for being "soft" compared to the previous generation WRX's. The '09 gets stiffer spring rates, more horsepower, and a few other touches geared towards the enthusiast. It still doesn't look "distinctive", but if it performs and feels like I want it to, that's most of the battle.

[06wrx4me]

Originally Posted by RayfieldsWRX

Many of us aren't really about the bodystyle. The '08 got a rep pretty quickly for being "soft" compared to the previous generation WRX's. The '09 gets stiffer spring rates, more horsepower, and a few other touches geared towards the enthusiast. It still doesn't look "distinctive", but if it performs and feels like I want it to, that's most of the battle.

Precisely! Plus from the ****pit its hard to see the outside of the car , so 90% of the time its all about how it drives....Function over form.

FTR I drove the 08 even wrote a review. I noted it as a definite upgrade over my 06. That being said when I was buying my 06 had the 07's been completely new (read 08 model) and upgraded for the same price, it woulda been dumb to buy the 06.

[swing2hard]

OK, looks like we got 1 guy in 20 that even remotely likes the 08's