Subaru WRX

Not sure if there are any WRX enthusiasts on this forum but thought I would give it a shot.

I am on the market for a used WRX and just wanted some opinions from people who (hopefully) know more about them than I do.

I am looking at either a 2006/2007 STI or a 2009/2010 WRX. They can be had for right aroud $20,000. My question: Is the new WRX (2009/10) just as fun to drive as the 2006/2007 STI? Why would I pay the same price for a 2006/7 STI as a 2009 WRX? Its only a 35 HP difference.... I like the look of both vehicles so styling does not matter all that much.

Thoughts?

Kevin, A good friend of mine at work is selling his 2009 WRX. He bought it new, commuted for 2 years, and just bought a 335i. He is looking to sell.

It's dark metalic gray with gun metal (BBS Style) wheels. Clean looking car. Navigation, sat radio, all the good stuff. He's asking 23,000 obo. Ski racks too.

Hey... I was just in the same boat as you.

(all the following info is based on me selling my 00' prelude and 00' civic --- I've had rice rockets for a while)

I wanted an AWD (wisco winters) Sedan with some zip and to get at least the MPGs my prelude did (~26) - so WRXs were clearly on the list. I test drive a new body style WRX Sedan and a 04+ STI..... after driving both, I felt the newer one was more worth the money.... but I didn't go with either.

Honestly they both felt cheap to me. They were fun to drive but lets face it, those cars = tickets / accidents, or the thrill wears off. I ended up going with a an 06' Lexus IS250 AWD - and am soooo happy I did - I spend a lot of time driving so the creature comforts are what sold me
It was an 06' with 50k miles - every single option (back cam, navi, auto sun shades, etc etc etc) also had black 18" rims, tint, and was in great shape - picked it up for 16k -- I'm also pulling like ~31 mpgs on the highway and average about 28)

The car has a little switch where I got go from ECO / POWER / SNOW mode depending how i want it to drive, which is awesome (still slower than WRX though by about 50 hp and 50 torque)

If your end game is a 100% zippy drive -- wrx,
if you want to have some fun driving (is250 handles like a dream) awd, with good mpgs, and some flash, may want to check out a is250

The 07 Sti and 09 WRX are built on different platforms. The 09 WRX shares the same platform as the current Legacy and Forester and is about 500 lbs heavier than the older generation but has a more refined and solid feel overall. Honestly I prefer the rawness of the 07 because it reminds me of a sports car. Also I really like the frameless doors. The 09 is a lot more luxurious though.

Oh forgot to mention, there is no comparison in terms of performance between a 07 STi and 09 WRX. The STi is better in every way.

J-Rod, thats a hell of a deal, wish I still lived out west.... ! The limited WRX's out this way are all in the mid 20's...

Thanks for the info guys, i'm going to test drive both for sure. I did find an 09 with 13K miles thats super clean and am leaning towards that right now. I really want to take the 06/07 STi for a ride though.