370z vs Wrx Sti

Red__Zed

OP, I'm gonna do my best to cut through a lot of the crap that is being slung around.

OK, the question of which car handles better has been beat to death. It is probably a more fair comparison to say they handle differently versus saying one handles better. The Z has a significant amount more raw grip, and a more "pure" dynamic, stemming mostly from the RWD platform. It also (in stock form) has a whole lot more top end. The STI has a good bit less grip (mostly based on tires and weight), but offers the opportunity to get back on the gas much earlier in a corner than the 370z. These differences show in track times--the Z walks away on courses with long straights and high speed sweepers, while the STI tends to handle much better when things get tight, especially on an autocross course.

Of course, this is assuming the STI is stock-ish and the Z is lightly modified (oil cooler, etc). A tune does wonders for opening up the top end of the STI, and brings things a good bit closer on the higher speed courses. I'd see if you can find a used STI to dog and get a feel for whether you like it. The AWD turbo sled feel isn't for everyone, and you may very well decide you want to stay in a RWD coupe.

For DD duty, the posters that mentioned the door quality of the STI hit the nail on the head...worst doors in the industry, no question. Other than that, neither car is bad and it comes down to preference. Test drive both and form your own opinion. I personally found the Z to be better tuned for cruising, and the hatch space was actually pretty usable...but if you need a backseat, you need a backseat.


Now, for the mod-ability discussion that seems to have taken center stage. You may notice that the folks posting in this thread in favor of a 500+whp daily driver have something in common, notably that they have no experience with one.

There's a whole lot of dedication that comes with owning a heavily modified car, and anyone that has put more than a couple thousand real miles on one can tell you all about it. It's not necessarily bad, but no heavily modified car is "reliable" in the traditional sense. Things break, and regular maintenance takes on a different tone.

When the work is done right, it doesn't have to be a burden, but at the same time, you better have some familiarity with how your car works and how to fix things like boost leaks. If the work is done poorly, you wind up with stories like the blown motor on the STI.


While talking power, it's also worth thinking about your plans for it...street, strip, track?

The FI'd Z's have proven to be trap speed monsters which means it is a fun machine to spool up in, but there's less positive data for track and strip. Worth keeping in mind and doing research on. The only tracked Z's I've seen have been SC'd and even then running into heat issues when laying competitive times....


If you can post up more of your goals from the car, we can probably steer you better. There's a number of reasons why each car might be better for you, although I'd generally steer you away from trading a relatively new Z in for an STI without some sort of compelling reason.

do you have a link to this?