I have been thinking about getting a new car lately. So I have narrowed it down to 3 choices:
2004 STi - probably something with some mileage on it. I would have to get a car loan that would stretch me pretty thin. And lack of fold down seats limits cargo room drastically.
2002 WRX Wagon - horribly practical and yet still fun to drive. Could afford it better, but would I constantly think to myself “It’s not an STi”?
Take the money I have saved up and dump it back into my civic to fix the things I don’t like about it. Problem is when I’m done, it’s still a civic. No car payments though, and it should be faster than the STi when done
I would like useful input on this, please. And don’t just say “STi”, I would appreciate justification of your answer. Also, don’t suggest other cars either - I have already narrowed my decision to these cars and am not entertaining alternatives at this point.
Civic is a DD right now. I would probably get a winter beater for next year if I keep it.
As far as mods, well the list is already heavy, and it would be tweaked out a bit from here. I have had the civic for about 4 years now, and it has become much more fun since the motor swap. And the turbo will help out a bunch. Here’s another deciding factor: Autocross. Tires for the STi would cost at least twice what the slicks cost for my civic. AND I would need to buy another set of wheels. Plus snow tires in 18" are pricey too. The STi would be competitive in AS with slicks, but the WRX will never be truely competitive in DS. The Civic, with my intended mods, should make it more of a force in the FWD SM crowd (I hope ).
id keep the civc for a little while longer and get it to where your content with it and have no car payments , then in a year or two when the prices of the sti or wagon go down a slight bit then start looking for one.
I’d be kicking myself for buying a wrx wagon, but that’s what I chose.
my reasoning is that it’s stupid practical like you stated, not going to break the bank, and it’d allow me to save up for something worthwhile down the road.
lets say you dont own a house now, but want to soon, because of family, relationships, moving for a new job, w/e. you own an STi that’s raping your bank account… to afford the house you sell the STi, get something lame and have a horrible rate and owe a crapload, since you didnt have much to put down.
plus the wagon is a step up? from the civic… and it’s not a civic ( no matter how fast it is ) ( ignore the fact i drive a civic also )
The wagon will still be fun to drive, while being practical.
You said if you keep the Civic you’re getting a winter beater. That’s way too much Civic love going on right there. Must get you away from the Civic before there is no going back.
i vote the wagon. if you mod the crap out of the civic, you may lose some of its abilities in autocross if thats what you plan to keep doing with the car. with turbo you may find yourself breaking too lose with the boost and not being able to carry a corner because of it. that and no matter what its still FWD. and having a peice of shit in the winter is a huge pain in the ass, trust me. it just plain sucks driving a $400 car that breaks on a weekly basis for 6 months out of the year.
get the WRX wagon and lightly mod it and enjoy it for what it is, year round…like fuzzyfish
im pretty sure that him and 99_civic_si already rock a supercharged b-series at auto-x, so i doubt that driving a car with some boost will cause any problems
honestly, youve got this much into the honda, keep it and put a bit more into it. I just finished paying off my loan, its a big :tup: when you finnaly do, stay away from loans for as long as possible
hard to vote for something like this, as in all threads like this. only you really know your needs and preferences. just drive all of them and see what you like :tup:
I’d keep the civic as the winter beater and drive the STi when it’s not winter. If the civic won’t make a good winter beater, then Go for the wagon, but you will never be satisfied, you’ll start modding it and pretty soon you’ll be right back in the same boat as you are with the Civic.
The STI can stay practically stock. Intake, ehaust if you absolutely must but that’s it.
i am in the same situation. but I am thinking about keeping my focus, looking at wrx’s or sti’s or buying a beater.
I only drive 4 miles a day, i see no need for any more payments so I think I will go with a beater next year after my lease is up unless I can get a sti cheap with warranty. I am dreading making payments for 5 years for a car that will run out of warranty and is only driven 4 miles a day if that
probably something with some mileage on it. I would have to get a car loan that would stretch me pretty thin. And lack of fold down seats limits cargo room drastically.