i was looking at a 370z. because of the economy, i decided to spend some money on my 2003 WRX, which was already paid for. i did all of the labor myself.

complete ground control shocks/struts, replaced the bushings with 'performance' (not solid and not softer rubber) units, sti lower aluminum lower control arms, stiffer steering rack bushings, whiteline ALK. kept wheels and tires stock size.....

evoIII 16g turbo, larger injectors, up and down pipe, cobb turbo back, larger turboXS topmount, larger fuel pump, cobb access port 2.

i tuned it myself. i can run e85 or high test or a mixture. i use a wideband 02 and a laptop running access tuner race...

on e85 i run around 21 psi max boost. its a fine daily driver, the stock wheels/tires combined with the upgraded suspension gives me all the grip i need on the street. its quicker than the 370.

the 370z obviously would be a 'nicer' new car. but from a performance standpoint the wrx is better and it is in a daily driver.

if i had started with an STI of course the results would have been all the better...

my opinion about the 370z is mixed. the engine feels 'strained'. it has the oil issue and finally if it had 400+ hp (or there was a version that had that hp) it would be a killer and i would buy one. in the end, with the economy, i felt it came up a bit short on performance, though its a good product for its price.

my opinion about subies, WRXs and STIs and tuning is that theres some good stuff left on the table if you dont get greedy. many MANY folks get greedy with boost/power and very quickly get in way over their heads monetarily. often these cars go back to stock and on the market making it a bit risky to pick a used one up. but anyway if you are conservative you can up their performance to a level that is equal or better than 99 percent of whats available on the market OEM (i leave out z06s, cobras, vipers, 911s etc).

i like the hatch STI's... was seriously considering one as my dd. one thing i didn't like about it was the spool. it quickly reminded me it was a 4 banger when i was slightly out of its torque band.

i think the STI is best driven stock. maybe do adjustable swaybars to tune out the understeer a bit. that's about all i'd do. ended up passing on the STI though. bascially i was done with the local subaru dealers with their poor customer support.

GL, driving in New Jersey in the Winter. I took my 350Z up there in the Summer like 2 yrs ago and there is not a pothole that I could miss. After that my Z rattle like crazy inside until I traded it for the 370.

(Psst! Ken! open the hood of the Fit in your pristine garage. It's a 4 banger!)

I also considered the STI or WRX in the hatch as a DD. Went with the Mazda for better fuel economy (sorry, slightly off topic).

Yep from a roll it would be close, and a fully bolted Z with a tune would more then likely beat you. I had a friend with a Stage2 09 WRX which is faster then the STI from what I heard. I beat him from a roll with just CAI. Your Subby is deff a better car to live with everyday especially in winter. But the Z is so sexy, An STI or WRX was my second choice.

yes, stg 2 09-10 wrx is faster than stock STI, but nowhere close to stg 2 STI. STG 2 STI is almost 100bhp jump from stock. Still not too fast on a roll... i used to have mazdaspeed 3, stg 2, and i really believe that it is faster past 110mph....'


what you guy's think about 135

Just get a Supra!

135 is nice, but I would spend the extra money and get the 335. I think the 135 is weird looking.

but that's my point... it reminded me of my Fit when the STI was in lower rpm's... it was like im not paying $31.5K for a new 09 STI if it's going to remind me of my already paid off FitSport each time im driving in traffic during the commute...

i also checked out the new Mazdaspeed3 with the huge :D .... the rear footwell was about 3-4" narrower than my Fit so passed. i still got little kids riding along so need the wider foot wells. in that respect the STI and xB both had about as much room as my Fit (which is quite wide). :)

do it, ive driven both very modified and the z is way better.

Just busting you Ken! For a commuter car, the Fit is great!
Mazdaspeed3 is a nice blend of function and performance, but yeah, those rear seats are tight-ish. Sleeper of a car.
The WRX hatchback is a nice looking car, and would definitely consider it if I were only going to have one car. But to the OP, I'd recommend the Z if it fits your lifestyle/location. I never stopped dead in my tracks to stare at a Subbie!

I just sold my 06 wrx stage 2 for the sports manual Z.
The suby had some nasty torque and the power delivery was simply inmediate, the Z feels slower but its not, unlike the suby there is power everywhere at any gear but you have to rev the Z a lot to get the power out of it like any low torque car. I know I will definetely miss AWD soon simply cuz you never lose traction.

The biggest sales point besides exterior looks and interior quality was the way this car handles! this car handles like NOTHING I've ever driven, its just amazing.
I will miss the suby but this car is a step up.
Also I went from getting looks from teenage boys to some nice ladies staring at the Z :tiphat:

Interesting. I've owned a 2000 2.5RS that was traded in for a 2004 WRX that had exactly zero issues going up to stage 2 AP, that was traded in for a 2007 STi that had exactly zero issues going to stage 2 AP as well. My wife also had a WRX and an STi and both of those were perfect as well as far as maintenace went (also modded). The only problems STi and EVO owners get from my experience is when they try and push the stock parts too far. Like try and push 24lbs of boost through a stock STi and sure, you might run into problems. That should not count against the car though.

I went from the STi to an IS350 because I wanted a more refined car with a little more luxury and not such a harsh ride. While I never regretted the purchase, I truely missed the 6spd and the rush of the Sti in stage 2 form. I sold the IS350 outright and started looking at the Z. Finally landed one and love it. It is quite a different driving experience from the STi. The STi is much easier to get big HP out of, but the Z IMO is more fun. The gearbox stock for stock is a lot nicer and more direct in the Z and it feels like it handles much much better (probably just due to the size of the car and how it feels). Everyone that gets in the Z with me comments on how well it handles.

So ultimately it comes down to what you want out of your car. If you want a very quick sedan that you can haul 4 people, and mod the heck out of and make quite a bit of power, keep the STi. If you want a sports car that is a definite looker on the road and is fairly quick, not as receptive to mods, but does everything pretty well and is more refined than the STi... go with the Z.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...STI/tint12.jpg

to

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/IMG_1040.jpg

I really liked the look of my STi after doing a few subtle modifications, but the Z looks soo much better. Good luck in whatever you do.

I wouldn't get the Z unless you can afford F.I. ... You'll never be fully happy until you feel boost again.