Wrx / sti vs. 228i / m235i?
 

Which would you get and why?

None. Because none interest me.

Would go for sti, if had to choose from these two option...coz its not BMW...

Plus I prefer Japanese car over anything else!!

I would have to drive them all, on paper agree with Dave, I'd spend my money elsewhere, but I'm not shopping in this particular sedan segment so my opinion is pretty much moot.

For a splash of something different though, Chevy SS? Caddy CTS? Luxo 'sporty' sedans have had stiff competition the past few years, Lexus, Infiniti aren't too far behind.

tl;dr ignore most stuff posted here, go drive them.

I'd go for the STI, lol but I'm biased cause I own one.

However, I really do like those M235i's. Much better looking than the old 135i in my opinion. As an overall package though, it just doesn't quite deliver what I'm looking for though.

Refer to this video and skip to the 14:00 mark lol
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDKrcZ7xLY8"]2014 BMW M235i vs 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG! - Head 2 Head Ep. 53 - YouTube[/ame]

BMW, mostly because I would be interested in doing European delivery.

-alex

Pros for the Subaru:
- Cheaper
- Cheaper to maintain
- More versatile
- Can be used more roughly




Pros for the Beemer
- Performance is nice
- More refined
- Semi-luxury / office going vehicle / does not look like a boy racer riced junk.
-cabin not as noisy

I mean what are your needs?
- Do you need a useable backseat for adults?
- Is AWD something you can take advantage of in the winter?
- What is your budget?
- What are you looking for in a car?
- What are you driving now?
- Have you, yourself, actually driven these cars?

Not enough info.

-I have had my fascination with coupes but I don't mind four doors on a Subaru. I dont have kids if that is what the question pertains to.
- I live in California. No winter here.... but I do like to travel/backpack/camp. Not that the car goes camping but subrau feels more at home with that.
- Budget is nothing north of m235i (even then its stretching it but I know how/when to save money on new BMWs).
- I like the brz but its a niche car. If I am to buy a car (my first car) with my limited money ( I need a car).... I want to buy something with high utility / all rounder.
- 2001 toyota camry 4cyl. Yes any car would be a ferrari given what I am coming from.
- FRs & brz yes. 228i yes. ecostang yes. wrx not yet. I will once I get closer to actually making the purchase... which is if my new job pans out. Already signed offer. Making sure my background checks, credit score stc meets their standards.


Like between the ecostang and frs... frs has def. has more roadfeel. But ecostang got me to 80 without me even realizing it.

But my broken in, age old camry had even more roadfeel than the frs :D


I liked the frs better... the whole experience was just more fun. mustang was fast and great for cruising... but not as exciting. Too much power for a novice driver like me and no fun if pressing the pedal get you there with no work.

I guess I should have posted more details in my question but


I am just fishing for inputs from other people. I understand how forum talk goes and people race cars on paper using keyboards but I am just looking for real world opinions from other people. Ownership experiences or their test driving experiences and such. Unless you have driven a wide variety of cars... for an average driver like me... a test drive will only tell me so much.

What I am looking for is opinions about quality of work / design of these cars and people's opinions of them. Both the m235i and sti have great reviews of them... what is your opinion of how they compare? and how would you choose?

Not a big fan of those WRX, steering is numb and doesn't feel as much grip as a Quattro.

That said, the bimmer.

Are you getting an auto or manual? Sti does not come in auto I dont think. WRX does. 228 vs 235 power can be quite different. More so than wrx vs sti.
How long do you plan to keep the car?
Auto=228
Manual=wrx

manual

Is this going to be your first manual car? I would say get a beater to learn on.

Otherwise since budget is a concern, I would lean towards the wrx mainly because depreciation on bmw is a lot worse than a wrx. And maintenance cost is much higher.

a year later and you're still asking questions about what first car you wish to buy.

interesting.

Wonder why the Evo X is not on your list... oh well!

I would choose the STI/wrx since it's the only "close" option to the Evo X... Scarcely!

+1 haha

I was waiting for this.

I abandoned my car then and let the Family get a new 5 series. It was either my car or theirs. In fact, I have wanted to get a frs since 2012 or 13 summer and I haven't... I am sure this makes you happier.

I decided to save money and I am def. in a much better place financially to get a car. I am glad I waited... I have more options now.

I have driven a manual before. But yes I would definitely need to practice. Some people say it doesn't really matter if its a beater or a new car.

Some people are also not going to pay for your car payments.

At the end of the day, you just have to figure out what fits your needs and budget best. I have an STI so I'm naturally a bit biased, but I'd choose the Subaru because of the lower ownership costs and reliability track record. Not to put down BMW or say they're bad cars, but I'd rather pay out of pocket to service a Subaru than a BMW.

I also enjoy having a versatile 4dr car after having owned the FRS for the past few years. In short: the STI suited my needsamd interests best out of all the cars I was looking at while fitting in my budget, so I chose it.

Everybody's situation is different, so you gotta decide for yourself.

Clutches are meant to be abused and replaced, if you care you won't do any serious harm to it, it's people who don't know what they're doing that damage clutches.

You're spending well over $30k on a car, hypothetically another $1k 4-5 years down the road on a clutch because you were hard on it in the beginning is nothing, realistically you'll probably sell it before the clutch needs replacing (unless there is a manufacturer defect or you decide to drift it or hard launch it multiple times every weekend).

Shit, there's a guy here with over 100k miles on his 86, autocrosses it 2x a month (so ~8-12 clutch dropping hard launches every month) and I think he's still on his original clutch.

Edit: I've got ~60-100 clutch dumps on mine at 42k miles, stop and go traffic, a couple hours up and down massive SF hills and it still feels great.

I understand.

I am single. No kids.

I am probably going to wait for 2017 models to show up.

I like the brz. But I feel I would be too afraid to take it everywhere. And it would need another $10k of investment to get it where I want it to be.

STI is nice. I can take it everywhere. Maybe $3k to $5k of investment eventually but that's it. WRX is even better.... but if further down the road I decide I want improvements then I don't want to spend a dime on wrx and rather have the sti from the get go. STI just might be a too flashy for my taste.

Evo X is nice as well but maybe too hardcore. Fuel economy looks like shit. I don't plan to make it a 5/6/700 whp beast. Also I think the interior and tech might be outdated given the model is pretty old at this point. limited trunk space.

BMWs

know what... I keep forgetting how much it costs to maintain one. I am not considering it anymore.

4 runner trd pro

that is an interesting choice.



I think I am torn between brz and sti. One has the true sports car feel among other great qualities. The other is more practical and for the most part factory tuned. I guess the next step is to stop asking stupid questions online and drive the wrx and see how I find it.

Do you miss owning the frs?

Sounds maybe you still don't know what you want. Or you do but not ready to buy it.

Why does a brz need 10k and sti 5k to get it where you want it.

What car offers what you want stock?

Do I miss OWNING it? No

Do I miss DRIVING it? Occasionally

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/bc/bc42d...7265c16c79.jpg

I'm not saying the WRX won't break down or need repairs after warranty but obviously BMW's could end up requiring pricey repairs.


It is not a bad idea or approach being cheap investing in your ride. I sometimes usually avoid associating with those type of people.


I looked into a 2015 m235i from a referral. Interestingly, it sold within a day at near what the original owner bought it for.

I think I am going to wait till 2017 MY

1. Looks like brz is getting a bumper refresh
2. see if they put a fa20 in the sti (most likely not but I can wait a few months to try my luck). I am no expert... but from what i have heard... that engine would be more reliable?

For $10k+ in brz...
1) turbo/tune etc to get rid of the torque dip and increase power so that it is not dusted/ is not slow in climbing hills.
2) better brakes ( dont need it but i just want something nice)
3) cooling or w/e else needed to handle extra power. I am guessing I wouldnt need this but might potentially.
4) Aero kit
5) Better wheels and tires


For <$5k in sti
1) Better looking wheels / maybe tires
2) aero kit

I see just as many people breaking wrx's, if not more than people breaking sti's.

I see wrx transmission, clutches, and engines going every now and then. I see EJ motors on the STI going out every now and then. The problem are the kids driving these cars. To put it lightly: most of them are total idiots.

They start these cars up for the first time for the day and immediately try going WOT in 6th gear down the highway passing people. Then they wonder why they're spinning bearings and place fault on Subaru for building a shitty car, when it's really just their incompetence as a driver that caused the failure.

I'll take the outdated, tried and tested EJ motor over the new FA motor in the WRX any day.

How to keep an EJ running strong:

-don't cheap out and buy shit parts
-don't use a shitty tuner if you tune the car
-drive in the correct gear
-let the car warm up a bit
-check the oil frequently (I check every other time I fill up)
-proper maintenance