Did you ever regret a BRZ over an STI?

[gramicci101]

Not even a little. When I bought my BRZ the WRX and STI felt terrible. Like I was sitting on a tall bench. They were fast, but did not feel like I was really engaged in driving them. To me, the BRZ is everything they aren't. It's low, direct, and exciting to drive. It's a much better car for me.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by carsebuco

I'd rather drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

That reminds me of this:

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Part of my ego protection toolbox goes like this:
I'm faster than the more powerful cars behind me because I'm a better driver and slower than the cars in front of me because they have more powerful cars so of course they are faster.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

That reminds me of this:

Perfect!

[GalloVecchio]

I had the STi Launch Edition... now I have a BRZ. Love both, but not comparable. AWD vs RWD, practically half the power. For me it was a practical decision. I loved the power and grippiness of the AWD STi, but it just ate gas and always seemed to have some small stupid problem. Plus EVERYONE wants to race. In the BRZ, people still want to race, but I mostly ignore them because pretty much everything is faster than me now

Moved South and went to the smaller RWD car. The BRZ is fun, sounds great (Corsa Exhaust and K&N drop-in) and handles great (Pilot Super Sport), coilovers coming next. Gas mileage is great and it's a great looking car. That's my 2 cents...

[XiNAVRO]

I personally would never be able to understand the need to ask the question, since I have made my choice based on what I like. No matter what the specs, reviews by whatever magazine / some ex-BBC Amazon Prime show stipulate, the key thing in the end is how I feel behind the wheels.

Some people like their coffee black. Some put more additives higher in volume than coffee itself, top it off with whipped cream and spice, and call it coffee. Some go for straight green tea with nothing in it. Some go for the fanciest David's passion fruit tea with three dozen flowers and citrus added in.

Preferences, crazy I know.

[MidEastBeast]

If I wanted an STI, I'd call up my ex gf

[nikitopo]

The STI is basically a performance sedan which offers much better utility. It is not a 2-seater real sports car. It is not as fast as some might think. It is strong on traffic lights and will beat a few stronger cars. However, on a quarter to mile run it is just slightly faster than an entry level '14 Porsche Cayman.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz-yJpGzkh8"]2015 Subaru WRX STI vs. 2014 Porsche Cayman | STANDING MILE - YouTube[/ame]

[TylerLieberman]

I had a '13 FRS and got a '16 STI exactly 2 years ago. Couldn't be happier.

I miss the FRS every now and then, but the STI is just the best all around car I've ever owned. It does everything I need it to, is capable of more, and is still fun to drive.

I loved the FRS, but when it was time for me to move back out here to CA, the FRS just didn't make sense. I was going to live in an apartment (still am) so I wouldn't have a place to work on it and continue modifying it. Wouldn't really have the time to mess with it between being a full time employee and student either. Plus, I've just grown tired of buying cars and spending $15,000+ in mods on them, just for the car to still be worth nothing in 4-5 years time.

I decided to buy something that was more "ready to go" out of the box and wouldn't require as much attention or money to be spent for me to be content with it.

2 years later, this is where I'm at:


The car is really simple. Springs, upgraded brakes, wheels, axleback exhaust, some bushings, an air oil separator, and that's pretty much it. All in all, like $5,000 total, and aside from window tint (scheduled for next week), I consider the car to be done. No interest in doing anything else with it, unless I decide to keep it for a long time.

Couldn't be happier with the choice.

[JSube]

I traded my '15 STI for a '17 BRZ performance pkg in March. I'd owned the STI since new, added a couple engine protection mods like an AOS and a conservative tune to correct the lean fuel mixture at hi rpms. While I was at it, it seemed reasonable to include a turboback exhaust with the tune. The power was lovely, highest HP car I've ever owned. Took it to a few track days, including Road America. Enjoyed myself, had a blast when it snowed.

But after 2 years I realized that, while the STI is a performance bargain, the AWD chassis for me was...boring. SO much grip everywhere. All the power did not make it feel light or nimble and the DCCD settings really didn't change any of that. When I thought about the mods I should do to track it more this year; oil cooler, maybe a diff cooler, maybe a larger baffled oil pan, maybe a bigger turbo that's made for sustained WOT and maybe another thing or 3 I hadn't thought of yet, I realized I didn't love the car enough or have the desire to drop more money into it and make it impossible to trade-in.

The BRZ is 500 lbs lighter than the STI, loses 100hp and is RWD. Translated, that makes it a sports car in my book. It has a space behind the front seats for my dog, with my wife comfortable in the front. The new final drive in the '17 doesn't make it fast, but neither does it feel slow. The Brembos & Sachs dampers cost me $1k and they work wonderfully well. I will do a header/exhaust/tune on it, which will cost me $3400 in parts I can install myself. But right now in full stock trim on track (with tires & pads) I'm quicker thru technical sections than many of the high HP cars that pass me on the straights. And I love it on the street- so alive, connected and smile-worthy. These crappy, "Prius" 215s they put on the car? They're awesome, entertaining and noisy!
Yeah, I'm way happier. Not because the STI wasn't a great car, I probably wouldn't mind having both. But the STI never really felt like a sports car to me.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by JSube

Yeah, I'm way happier. Not because the STI wasn't a great car, I probably wouldn't mind having both. But the STI never really felt like a sports car to me.

Well said.

[funwheeldrive]

Originally Posted by TylerLieberman

I decided to buy something that was more "ready to go" out of the box and wouldn't require as much attention or money to be spent for me to be content with it.

I think this is a good point. If you want a car that is pretty much done from the factory you need to pay up front with the initial cost of the car. The STi outperforms the BRZ in almost every aspect, but it is also 10k more. Some people don't mind dumping thousands into a brand new car, while others would like a more complete package out of the box. Most cars at the 25k range will require some modification to really get the most out of the platform. If you want something really aggressive from the factory you need to up your budget to around 35k (Camaro ss, mustang gt, focus rs, sti) It really depends on what your goals are and where you are at in life.

[TylerLieberman]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

I think this is a good point. If you want a car that is pretty much done from the factory you need to pay up front with the initial cost of the car. The STi outperforms the BRZ in almost every aspect, but it is also 10k more. Some people don't mind dumping thousands into a brand new car, while others would like a more complete package out of the box. Most cars at the 25k range will require some modification to really get the most out of the platform. If you want something really aggressive from the factory you need to up your budget to around 35k (Camaro ss, mustang gt, focus rs, sti) It really depends on what your goals are and where you are at in life.

Bingo. I loved the FRS, and I still think that was the most fun vehicle I've owned so far. For the money, it's hard to beat in terms of engagement.

I just grew tired of buying a car and then spending $15k+ on parts for it to be content with it. I got tired of always feeling like I was just one or two parts away from being "finished". So much time and money, and you don't really get either back when you sell the car. Even if you part the car out and sell stock, you still lose a good chunk of money in the process.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if I end up getting something else to play with again in the future when I'm ready to play with something. I just wanted something that required less so I could focus on work and school over the next couple years.

The question is just whether I will get an 86/BRZ or an MX5.... or something else.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by TylerLieberman

I just grew tired of buying a car and then spending $15k+ on parts for it to be content with it. I got tired of always feeling like I was just one or two parts away from being "finished".

You can also heavily modify the STI ($15k+). Especially, if you want to be on same performance level with the 911 guys

[TylerLieberman]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

You can also heavily modify the STI ($15k+). Especially, if you want to be on same performance level with the 911 guys

You can modify anything as much as you want, if you want to. Also, $15k is extreme overkill to compete with 911s... unless we're talking 911 Turbo or GT3.

My point is that with the FRS, I was nearly $15k into it and still had items on the list to add before I could feel like the car was done. I still had another ~$5,000 in planned mods for me to feel like it was good for what I wanted. Axles, final drive change, oil cooler, radiator, bucket seats, etc.

Sorry to say, but the FRS in stock form was just plain boring for me. Especially in traffic. After adding a few items, it was an absolute joy. Especially on track or back roads. The daily commute was still somewhat bland though. I modified mine 1 week after purchasing, so I never really knew how it was in stock form. The last three months of my ownership though, the car was 100% stock, and I didn't care for it at all.

With the STI, I don't feel the need to add so much. Aside from tint, I can say I'm done and still be content with the car.

This will differ from one person to the next, but there is a right car and a wrong car for every person, based on their needs/priorities. For what my needs/priorities are right now, the FRS was just the wrong car.