Little help on buying an STI

[agepag]

So I have decided to purchase ans STI this summer, but I was hoping for alitle advice on which year I sould be looking to get? Is there a big difference between the 04-07 models? I like the 05' lights the best, but what about interior, are they pretty much the same, does one model year offer anything different? I was going to pick up the 08, but they are inadmissable to Canada from the US so I don't feel like spending $45,000 CDN. What about drivablity/comfort? I have never driven the STI, I own a Toyota MR2 Turbo, but now with a new baby I need something with 4 doors! Any comments are greatly appreciated.

[SonicWagon]

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

i like the 05's best. they have the same motor tranny and brakes 04-07 but the 05 has a nicer interior than the 04, and the 06-07 have plastic motor mounts and ecu problems, so i think the 05 is the most reliable cohesive package for the money.

Edit; 06-07 STI owners most likely wont agree though

[agepag]

Thanks for the info! What kind of problems with the ECU in the 06-07 ans whats the difference in the interior. Is there a site with interior shots?

[SonicWagon]

Thanks for the info! What kind of problems with the ECU in the 06-07 ans whats the difference in the interior. Is there a site with interior shots?

the ECU problem had to do with something with low RPM "bucking" im not entirely sure, i just have never seen that it was resolved, although you can void your warranty and reflash the map with a cobb accessport to fix the ECU bug.

[AwdTurboWrx]

07 has a vf43, 05 has a vf39. oh and if your in southern california come buy mine!

[agepag]

Thanks I found some good info in the STI tech forum, I am abit far from Southern Cali, Toronto Ontario Canada!!!!

[SonicWagon]

Thanks I found some good info in the STI tech forum, I am abit far from Southern Cali, Toronto Ontario Canada!!!!

you can have it shipped easily

[jmp2006]

Or, better yet, just fly down and have a nice scenic drive home.

[teflon_jones]

I don't know what your wife is like, but mine hates riding in my STI because of the harsh ride. We end up taking her car whenever we go anywhere. Just a word of warning...

[broosewee]

I vote for 05.

Interior update is nice and worth it.
Most aggressive front end of the GD.

That plus it'll be cheaper than the 06-07's makes it a win in my book. G/L with it!

[agepag]

I don't know what your wife is like, but mine hates riding in my STI because of the harsh ride. We end up taking her car whenever we go anywhere. Just a word of warning...

So how harsh is the ride? The reason I am buy the wrx sti is for the four doors, I just had a baby and the MR2 turbo only has 2 seats! But I still need something that is exciting to drive, hence the STI....

[jeffmm06]

i would go 07 just becasue i would rather get a car like that as new as i can. i would not buy an 05 now in fear of how much it has been used. Point is if you own this kind of car, you dont drive it like like you would a ford tempo. Thats just my opinion though. 05+ should have the same interior if i am correct...

[teflon_jones]

So how harsh is the ride? The reason I am buy the wrx sti is for the four doors, I just had a baby and the MR2 turbo only has 2 seats! But I still need something that is exciting to drive, hence the STI....

I bought it for the same reason and rest assured that the car is extremely exciting to drive, but the ride is extremely harsh. For comparison, I used to have a 2001 Porsche 911, which as a sports car had a very stiff suspension. The STI ride is much harder, harder than any car I've ever been in. Even with the shorter, stiffer springs I put in my 911 the STI is still a harder ride.

I've noticed that since I swapped my summer tires for my winter tires the ride is much, much better so I think the harsh ride is due in large part to the tires, though the suspension obviously plays a large role. So I don't want to scare you away because obviously I ended up buying one, but I'm trying to give you the benefit of my experience and warn you about what you can expect. I'll be getting a different set of summer tires than the stock Potenzas when the set I have wears out in a few thousand miles. I'll be looking at the ride quality rating on TireRack.com to find something a bit softer. There are definitely tires out there with similar grip that ride better. I'll probably try a couple of the tires I had in my 911.

On a side note, my daughter loves it when I floor it. She goes "wheee!" but then says "daddy be careful!".

[Lbleiweiss]

Hey tef any complaints about the 04 interior as opposed to the 05? You know about that great deal I have on that black 05 sti but if that doesn't happen I could easily get an 04 sti.. Is it worth it to wait? should I hold out for an 05?

[mjboudreaux77]

For 07 - I found the comfort of the WRX to be inversely proportional to the excitement of the STi. I test-drove both within 10 minutes of each other. If I didn't have a 45 minute commute each way to work - I would have gone with the STi in a heartbeat. The wagon was more comfortable and practical for my 3-kid family.