Buyer's Remorse on 08 WRX. Please Help

[guitarchris76]

I have been trying to put a positive spin on my recent purchase of an 08 WRX. I got a loaded brand new o8 for 22k. I went to get a car to mod and wanted something fun but professional looking, but after hearing all of the great reports from 09 owners and reading all of the magazines reviews of the 09. I can not help but feel like I have now ended up with an inferior car. My wife keeps telling me that there will always be a better car and there could be somthing about the 2010 that would make me regret the 09. I still can't help but feel like my cars sucks now, even though I loved it before reading all of the reviews on the 08. I have never been into Subaru's and although I had a choice between the 08 and 09 the dealer did not point out the big difference between the two. I figuered that the year newer did not make sense to pay 7k more fir what I thought was the same car. I just wanted to vent this and maybe get some opinions from other's out there. Thanks. Try not to rag on me too hard.

[wrx wagone]

Both the 08 and the 09 can be made much better with suspension improvements. The only real ***** IMO about the 06-08 WRX is the TD-04 turbo. That turbo is barely large enough for the 2.0L.

Basically, you are a turbo swap and some suspension upgrades away from having a better car than an 09.

[timber]

Originally Posted by wrx wagone

Both the 08 and the 09 can be made much better with suspension improvements. The only real ***** IMO about the 06-08 WRX is the TD-04 turbo. That turbo is barely large enough for the 2.0L.

Basically, you are a turbo swap and some suspension upgrades away from having a better car than an 09.

Agreed. Grab a VF39 and a tune, slap some suspension bits on there and you are good to go.

[RedWRXwagoN]

A few simple mods costing less than half of the $7g's the salesman wanted for the 09' will have you car flying past an 09. The 09 still has the same glass tranny. Just be happy with what you have, you can easily get your car up to 09 speed for less than you would have paod for the 09.

[wait3]

But then there's the warranty to consider as well... if you spend the smaller amount of money upgrading to '09 level' mods rather than just getting an 09, you still risk losing powertrain coverage if something goes wrong, depending on your dealer.

[guitarchris76]

Thanks all. My dealer seems pretty open to me performing some minor mods. They are even going to install them for me. I already have a SPT exhaust and a short throw shifter in it.

[08WRXME]

Maybe its just me, or the fact that I have had relativly slow cars before ( 1992 dakota and 1996 buick) but I think the 2008 its fast enough. The car's got butt-tightening acceleration, good handling, and a well-appointed interior. dont get me wrong, I will change parts out, but for the price the car is really nice.

Maybe its because I don't drive like I did when i was an idiot 18 yr old..... lol

[timber]

Originally Posted by 08WRXME

Maybe its just me, or the fact that I have had relativly slow cars before ( 1992 dakota and 1996 buick) but I think the 2008 its fast enough. The car's got butt-tightening acceleration, good handling, and a well-appointed interior. dont get me wrong, I will change parts out, but for the price the car is really nice.

Maybe its because I don't drive like I did when i was an idiot 18 yr old..... lol

Agreed,there is nothing at all wrong with an '08.

[08WRXME]

Only thing I regret is that Subaru has an awesome footwell light set availible for the 2009 WRX and not the 2008.

[njkayaker]

i have seen several 0-60 numbers for the 08. like 5.6 and 5.8.
those are good numbers and the car is quicker then a lot of the other cars on the road. many of them way more money. my 04 XT was rated stock 0-60 5.3. i upgraded to stage 2. comparing my xt to the 08 wrx the big difference is the amount of torque and it did not fall off as much at high rpm's like the 08 wrx. i can't remember what my XT was like running stock but i bet if i upgrade to stage 2, the 08 WRX will have way better torque and pull at the higher RPM's. i still smoke the majority of cars at stop lights running stock that test me.

i could of waited for an 09 but didn't want to wait. i saved a bunch of money on the 08. i think financing on the 09 is 2.9% 2 years and it goes up the more years you add. my loan is zero % for 2 years. if your paying interest on a loan your paying a higher price on the car. add that interest to the price.

Colemans where I picked up my 08 for $22209. Check out the prices.
Coleman Subaru, Trenton, NJ, New Jersey Subaru dealer, new cars, used cars, Forester, Outback, Impreza, auto repair, and auto parts.

[guitarchris76]

Maybe its because I don't drive like I did when i was an idiot 18 yr old..... lol

I agree. My car is used as a daily driver and we put the carseat in it on the weekends if we are going someplace that may be a nice drive. I got my share of speeding tickets when I was younger and I pretty much stay within the posted limits now so would probablt not even notice the difference in an 09 if I had one.

[Spincycle]

Originally Posted by RedWRXwagoN

A few simple mods costing less than half of the $7g's the salesman wanted for the 09' will have you car flying past an 09. The 09 still has the same glass tranny. Just be happy with what you have, you can easily get your car up to 09 speed for less than you would have paod for the 09.

I have read several places that the tranny was upgraded for the 09, where do you get your info that it has not?

[Me&05WRX]

Originally Posted by guitarchris76

I got my share of speeding tickets when I was younger and I pretty much stay within the posted limits now so would probablt not even notice the difference in an 09 if I had one.

Don't feel bad that you bought the 2008 model. Just as you said, you wouldn't notice much of the difference on the 2009 WRX (2009 Impreza GT would make it literally the same as the 08) given the fact you are a business professional and a family to drive around with.

From the looks of things, it is serving you and your family its purpose and I think it's a well spent money if it's doing so. There's really nothing to feel remoseful about in your case. Even if you were racing your car (1/4 mile, auto-x or race tracks), regardless your car being 08 or 09, you WILL upgrade the car in terms of performance to match that of your hobby, life-style or whatever purpose it is that suits you.

In my opinion, it is a waste of money modifying cars in terms of performance solely for daily-use purposes (far too many times, that's more of a reason to street race than anything else). The stock form of the car is more than enough to serve your current needs.

And don't worry too much of the reviews on the 2009 WRX or how inferior the 2008 model is. The last I check, you would probably hit someone on the public roads driving the same manner they did to squeeze out every bit of numbers they can get.

[subydude8]

i dont wanna be mean or anything but didnt u post something last week saying u were happy u got the 2008 over the 09! i might be crazy but id love an 2008 cause id swap out suspension and everything else plus its cheaper! and im even debating on doin that since my dad is buying my 04

[Rule10b5]

Loaded for $22k and you're upset?

You stole it.

For a total of $2500 or so, including labor, you can do an intake, oil catch system, and full dp, mid, axle back, accessport and professional tune.

That'll put you $4k under an '09.

You'll eat an '09 alive, and surpass a stock STi in the quarter.

And if the suspension bothers you, spend $1k and you'll trash the '09 and equal or better the STi.

And until someone links an article from a major magazine or SoA, all of the nonsense about the '09 transmission being upgraded is bull****. It's the same garbage transmission it's always been. Twits, all of them.