What should I do?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 410
What should I do?
Im faced with an odd desicion. Im about to trade in my 03 fully loaded Max SE tommorow. For a 2006 2.5I Impreza 173hp auto 
. Major downgrade. Only advangtage is the mileage, my car is at 95k, and its having tranny issues, shakes alot after I fixed everything that could make it shake. But I know im going to miss the VQ so much. Im not sure what to do here guys.....what would you do?
. Major downgrade. Only advangtage is the mileage, my car is at 95k, and its having tranny issues, shakes alot after I fixed everything that could make it shake. But I know im going to miss the VQ so much. Im not sure what to do here guys.....what would you do?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 410
And it needs other things like bumper repaint and wat not....steering wheel re wrap.....but I know im going to miss everything this car has, espcailly the powerful VQ, I really dont know what to do.....I mean the Impreza is really nice, has spoiler, nice fog lights, 144 miles lol, and its AWD which is awsome. But the engine and tranny is keeping me from doing this, are these easily modifiable? BTW the STi is out of the question, to much $. But how can I make the 2.5I like the STi as far as performance? I really dont think I should let an engine stop me from buying a nice new car......
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 102
If you're planning on doing this tomorrow then it seems you've already put time and thought into it and have already made up your mind. IMO there are a lot of really nice used cars out there to be had. You get bent over as soon as you drive your new car off the lot and the value drops thousands of dollars. I hope the new car works out for you and is trouble free.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 263
The 2002-2005 Impreza WRX was a finalist for my Next Car, along with the 02-03 Maxima (I ended up with an '03 6-speed Maxima). So I totally researched those.
I HIGHLY recommend the WRX, especially the wagon/hatchback for the stealth factor. Its directly-linked shifter is FAR superior to any cable-operated shifter (as in the Maxima and all new FWD Hondas). Its seats have incredible lateral support. All I hear from co-worker owners about thier WRXs are words such as "fun" and "love". It's a very well-done. reliable car.
I think if you get the non-turbo model you will be VERY sorry - I've read that those are much slower. However they're more affordable on insurance.
My reason for not getting the WRX was that I found my Maxima, and the insurance was MUCH higher on a WRX. Having 3 children, I also wanted the extra roominess of the Maxima, and a sunroof (only premium pkg WRXs have sunroof + heated seats, and headroom is limited on those).
I HIGHLY recommend the WRX, especially the wagon/hatchback for the stealth factor. Its directly-linked shifter is FAR superior to any cable-operated shifter (as in the Maxima and all new FWD Hondas). Its seats have incredible lateral support. All I hear from co-worker owners about thier WRXs are words such as "fun" and "love". It's a very well-done. reliable car.
I think if you get the non-turbo model you will be VERY sorry - I've read that those are much slower. However they're more affordable on insurance.
My reason for not getting the WRX was that I found my Maxima, and the insurance was MUCH higher on a WRX. Having 3 children, I also wanted the extra roominess of the Maxima, and a sunroof (only premium pkg WRXs have sunroof + heated seats, and headroom is limited on those).
Sorry to hear about your decision but it is definitely justifiable. How long had you had the Max?
I rented an 05 WRX in the Dominican Republic on vacation once. Great car, and the one I rented was not the turbo. Even took that bit$% OFF-ROAD... Great handling too.
I rented an 05 WRX in the Dominican Republic on vacation once. Great car, and the one I rented was not the turbo. Even took that bit$% OFF-ROAD... Great handling too.
if you got money to drop, then buy it, if not then keep it. im planning to keep my max as long as i can. buying a newer car just because it has more milage and bad tranny seems like a dumb idea. liek i said, if money is no object then buy what ever you want. im sure the maxima can last for another 10 more years.
screw the WRX idea for the reasons why your getting rid of the max.
you dont know who owned it before you, WRX has a good chance that it was beated on by a teen like myself when bought new, done stupid bolt-on stuff and then later on daddy and mommy gave them more money and bought like a 350z/g35 and sold that back to the dealer, de-modfied because they think they can save some money. and got a new G/Z or w/e
honestly thats about the only reason holding me back from getting a USED WRX. i had 5 friends who did that, honestly i would be one of them but i'm not blessed with money up the.. =P
you dont know who owned it before you, WRX has a good chance that it was beated on by a teen like myself when bought new, done stupid bolt-on stuff and then later on daddy and mommy gave them more money and bought like a 350z/g35 and sold that back to the dealer, de-modfied because they think they can save some money. and got a new G/Z or w/e
honestly thats about the only reason holding me back from getting a USED WRX. i had 5 friends who did that, honestly i would be one of them but i'm not blessed with money up the.. =P
Don't you know who I am?
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 945
From: East Granby, Connecticut
Originally Posted by rmd0311
I rented an 05 WRX in the Dominican Republic on vacation once. Great car, and the one I rented was not the turbo.
All WRXs are turbo.
The car make/model is not Subaru WRX. It's Subaru Impreza.
The Impreza comes in three forms:
Subaru Impreza RS (now called the 2.5i for 06) which carries 173 hp, also, the ONLY Impreza that comes non-turbo.
The Subaru Impreza WRX (turbo) which is now a 230 hp car for 06 with a bigger engine (2.5L up from 2.0L, which was 217 hp in 05), and finally:
The Subaru Impreza WRX Subaru Technica International (A.K.A STi) which is also a turbo, and has it's standard 300 hp for 06.
just thought I would clear up some of the confusion that was obvious in this thread.
***EDIT***
Oh yeah, and as for trading in the Max, I must say that the ONLY impreza I could see good reason to trade a max for is the RS/2.5i. The WRX and STi models get rotten mileage, I find to be kid cars that people on the road are more annoyed with than impressed with, Impreza is small, not as classy, and like was said before, used as a toy for teens who like bolt-ons. The max is far more comfortable, impressive, and luxorious for me. The RS/2.5i should at least get a little better gas mileage than a Max, and fit better in parking spaces. Maybe that's what some people are looking for. But the turbos, I just wouldn't trade a Max for one of those things, though the STi may be faster, I still see it as a huge downgrade.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 263
I went the other way. I sold my '99 BMW 540 6-speed b/c I was sick of the maintenance and repairs eating my money and my time, and bought a 2003 6-speed Maxima HLSD. My rationale was that with the 6-speed, power/weight ratio, and sedan design, the optioned-out Maxima would be a reliable but close performance and luxury substitute to the 540.
Sorry, it isn't even close. I am now sorry I did it. Not having much money sucks, because what WOULD have been close is a 6-speed 2004+ TL. A friend has one of those and I've checked it out. Also, the 2003+ Accord EX 6-cylinders are tight but saddled with a 5-soeed auto, until 2006.
Sorry, it isn't even close. I am now sorry I did it. Not having much money sucks, because what WOULD have been close is a 6-speed 2004+ TL. A friend has one of those and I've checked it out. Also, the 2003+ Accord EX 6-cylinders are tight but saddled with a 5-soeed auto, until 2006.
