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+--- Thread: Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! (/showthread.php?tid=9368)
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - NOS2Go4Me - 06-09-2006
Went out last night for a ride in my buddy's 2006 STi. What started out as a cruise around a few blocks ended up as a 1hr+ tour of North Bay and area.
I'm not sure what impressed me more - the fact breathing was a conscious effort for the first two gears from a dead start, braking from 40MPH to 0 was near instantaneous or that cornering made the new-and-improved sedan setup at home look soft and floaty (to me, anyways). It's a horribly disparate apples to oranges comparison, but there you have it. What a car.
Another thing is the gearbox. I couldn't believe the minute amount of effort that goes into shifting gears. We're cruising along, yakking about whatever, and shifting becomes an afterthought for him. Wow.
Also, the vertically-adjustable headlights are trick. :D
There's almost no spool to be heard, the blowoff is quiet as hell... the loudest thing is the factory exhaust. Understeer in a corner? Just add throttle.
Then for s***s and giggles I took him out for a boot in the Focus. A much shorter ride but it got it done. He was impressed by the new handling kit, and that its 120ish BHP was able to move it along so well for an automatic. I actually bent it into a couple of the same corners as he did at about the same speed and the Focus took it just as well - no tire squeal, just cornered with a marginal amount of roll. Of course, I was working the Focus a lot harder to keep up the same rough pace, but that's more than expected.
Man, I love Subarus. :)
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - ANTHONYD - 06-09-2006
Another reason as to why I'm going to do my damnest to make one my next car.
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - darkpuppet - 06-09-2006
ANTHONYD,Jun 9 2006, 08:06 AM Wrote:Another reason as to why I'm going to do my damnest to make one my next car.
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have you wedged yourself into a subie lately? I'm sorry, but for $50,000 I would like to have a wee bit more shoulder, leg, and headroom.
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - hardk0re - 06-09-2006
50K price tag is a little high for what your getting. But hey if I had a choice between the focus and an STi, damn straight i'm gonna get me an STi!.
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - naz - 06-09-2006
imprezas do not have much rear sear room this is true.. but the seat bolstering in the front is designed to be .. uh.. aggressive.. so maybe that is why you feel cramped?
i too want a STi as my next car. but before i make any next moves i need to take the 330i with sport package for a drive....
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - Aka - 06-09-2006
I also want an STi as my next car...
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - Phantom - 06-10-2006
Now go drive down to your local Mazda dealer, and take the Mazda speed 6 out for a test drive. 32kMsrb much better than 50k. AWD, Turbo, nice looking car.
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - NOS2Go4Me - 06-10-2006
Maybe the Mazdaspeed 3 when it comes out. The guys at North Bay Mazda have confided it'll be out by the end of the year.
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - Phantom - 06-10-2006
NOS2Go4Me,Jun 9 2006, 09:05 AM Wrote:Maybe the Mazdaspeed 3 when it comes out. The guys at North Bay Mazda have confided it'll be out by the end of the year.No AWD tho. If I was going to replace the focus, that would be the car, the speed3. I don't like sedans all to much. And I can live without the AWD. But comparing to a subie STI I'd compare the Mazda Speed6.
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Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - meford4u - 06-10-2006
Phantom,Jun 9 2006, 11:03 AM Wrote:Now go drive down to your local Mazda dealer, and take the Mazda speed 6 out for a test drive. 32kMsrb much better than 50k. AWD, Turbo, nice looking car.
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Try $36-39k. Just a wee tad more.
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - Phantom - 06-10-2006
meford4u,Jun 9 2006, 10:22 AM Wrote:Well I can't check for sure right now at work and can't view the site, but even at 36-39 it's still a hell of a lot cheaper than the subbie.Phantom,Jun 9 2006, 11:03 AM Wrote:Now go drive down to your local Mazda dealer, and take the Mazda speed 6 out for a test drive. 32kMsrb much better than 50k. AWD, Turbo, nice looking car.
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Try $36-39k. Just a wee tad more.
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Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - SVT ZX3 - 06-10-2006
Went for a ride in an STi @ auto-x, and yes, what a rush! The car is all about performance and it does that very well, but you seem to get little else along with it for your $50k. At a year or 2 old for about $40-$35k they seem a lot more reasonable. Above that I'm not so sure.
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - scoobasteve - 06-10-2006
Your best bet with an sti is to bring one over from the states...
with the exchange rate the way it is. i'm sure you could import one for under 30.
Ive seen them go as low as 20k on NASIOC
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - NOS2Go4Me - 06-10-2006
Brand-new, imported from the states was 43,500 CDN after it all settled... so he said last night. Not a bad deal compared to what they go for here.
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - scoobasteve - 06-10-2006
Yup...
I'd definatley take a used one though.
If i wasnt in a rush to buy a car this time i probably would have brought a used one over from the states
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - NOS2Go4Me - 06-10-2006
I'd consider doing that myself, actually. It really seems like the way to go.
Oddly enough, I'm more loyal to the Focus now than ever. Or perhaps not so oddly, considering its newfound handling prowess and the fact gas is still ~ $1.00/L here in North Bay :rolleyes:
TBH, I'm not sure what I'd enjoy more... a STi or the daily drivability and sexiness of a G35 coupe. Even the guy owning the STi wanted the G35 coupe and still does, although he doesn't deny the fun of the STi. :lol:
That car of his is seriously nuts. I mean the shift light is programmable and it beeps at you! DANGER TO MANIFOLD! :lol:
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - scoobasteve - 06-10-2006
Its definatley a tough call...
I would have definatley bought a g35...
its just for the price i paid for the 300, i definatley could not have found a 6mt w/ warranty remainng
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - Focus man. Focus. - 06-10-2006
MMMMMMMMMMMMM G35 Coupe!!!!
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - naz - 06-11-2006
when i was shopping for my car, i saw evolutions and some STis with very low miles for around 20-22k US for comparison's sake, a low mile wrx is around 15k US.. i can't believe how much more expensive they are used in canada.. i guess it must be toronto where every asian kid with loot from hk is bidding up the prices like crazy
Wow, Am I Ever Impressed! - SVT ZX3 - 06-11-2006
It's not just Toronto <_<