The Base Model is very underestimated. But to me the base is one of the best Base models offered. The price blows me away, and the Base also has the same power as the Track. There aren't too many car companies out there that give all these goodies in their Base models, especially for the price. Plus it has a 6 Speed, in the WRX they only sport a 5 Speed.

 

Now I am not entirely sure on this but I am almost positive that all WRC rally cars are 4 bangers. More than that the WRX is like a direct offshoot of the STi the Subaru uses for the WRC events oversea's. Why are there so many WRX haters on this site? This is pretty much the only place that I have seen negative comments about that car. It is a 10 best winner, and get rave reviews from a ton of people. They are great cars and part of a whole movement of cars toward a more sporting image. I came to this site because I am a fan of CARS. Not just the Z or just the integra ( mine right now) or the WRX, but all cars.

Stop all the hatin.....

peace
97 integra gsr
04 350z track....

 

WRX is a great car. Great performance. Price isn't too shabby.

However, the vast majority of people aren't too fond of its looks and more than one magazine has referred to the interior as unrefined.

If all you care about it performance it is a great car. I'm looking for the whole package.

BTW: When it comes to price---with options the WRX ended up being like $27k+ for me.

 

I just think that the Z is way more bang for the buck than the WRX. Sure the WRX has performance and AWD. But that is ALL it has, Plus the Base Z comes with 17" rims, which you have to option out for on the WRX. The Z also has an amazing look to it, while the WRX looks, well.. like a frog. The Z is sexy looking while the WRX really needs help with a Brazillian plastic surgeon.

 

I originally bought a WRX about a year ago. The bang for the buck was my main reason. Fast and AWD seemed like a good idea for Colorado daily driver. The only other new AWD sports car was the 225 Audi TT and the WRX was $12K cheaper.

I bought my WRX in midnight black, which I thought looked at least a little sporty, although in a weird/sick sort of way. I kept telling myself that I would get used to the looks and that it was practical to have a 4-door that wasn't a cop magnet.

After I got it broken in I quickly found that the AWD felt a lot more like FWD than RWD. I also found that it was way under powered off a stop until you got it up to 3,000 RPM. Sure, you could drop clutch launch it, but that's not really practical to do when you're pulling out into traffic. I had several close calls waiting for that turbo to spin up and get me up to speed. When I was able to move the car I felt like I was abusing it to keep the revs high enough into the power band.

As time wore on I liked the looks of the car less and less. I couldn't keep the black paint clean to save my life. I was embarrassed to show the car to my friends.

After 3 months I was convinced that I would never be happy with it. I asked a couple of dealers what they would give me in trade. Mine had almost every option available on it and I paid near MSRP of about $26K plus glass etching, delivery/processing, sales tax, and extended warranty. After I got the extended warranty refunded I was still out about $28.5k. Most dealers wanted to give me 18k for it. The one I bought it from said he'd give me 20k.

At this point I hadn't even heard of the Nissan 350Z. A co-worker of mine had just bought a Porsche Boxster that he was happy with, so I started looking at those. I was looking at loosing $9k on the WRX and spending $43k on I Boxster. I just couldn't stomach loosing that much money and the base Boxster really wasn't fast enough for my taste. I decided to hold onto the WRX until I found a better option.

I ordered my 350Z in June and it came in in October (which was a very lucky break). I traded the WRX to my original dealer for a used Jeep to use on snowy days. I got $19.5k for the WRX. I got to apply most of the original sales tax to the Jeep deal, but I figure I still lost aobut 8K on the WRX. It was the worst financial mistake of my life. Even worse, by this time I had been driving that WRX for an agonizing 11 months and hating it more and more every day.

I'm now very happy with my 350Z.

In retrospect I think my biggest mistake was expecting the WRX to be a sports car. It's really more of a sporty sedan, a balance between utility, performance, and value. That may work well for some people, but it really didn't fit the bill for me. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I've vowed to never again consider any car that is black, turbo-charged, or made by Subaru.

 

You have just perfectly illustrated what I was saying. When you think of bang for the buck you have to consider a lot of factors more than just the engine. The WRX certainly looks good on paper with the turbo and AWD. But like I said, it isn't the greatest looking car and it isn't all that cheap---especially considering it is a Subaru which has questionable resale value.

Used S2000s are still selling for nearly $30k and Nissans have always held value well. While the Z may be slightly more expensive it will be balenced out if you ever sell the car.

As I said, the Z is the total package.

 

NCSUteg: Personally I am not a hater of any car. I hope I didn't sound this way.

When I test drove cars I was considering. I couldn't find anything I liked. I drove: RSX-S, CL-S, BMW 330, Mustang-GT, WRX, Integra-R. That is actual test drive and pricing with the dealer. Most people wouldn't spend this much time in a car.

But for none of the above cars could I have justified spending what was being offered.

RSX-S was 23,500 + I would have to spend another 5 K to make it look decent. Rims, Lower etc.

CL-S About 31,000 with what I wanted.

Mustang GT Convertible, 24,000 with what I wanted + another 3000 for wheels.

WRX 27,000 with options I wanted.

350 Z 27,000. I could change the rims but after seeing the Z in person the 17's don't bother me that much.

I am getting a $ worth. Why I am getting a new car, stylish look, good performing engine. and over all a top ride if you look at the competition.

There is another post in the forum something like "Is the 350z priced correctly?" Well I think so and I think Nissan did a fantastic job. I wish there were other competeing models but there isn't if you look at the OVERALL package.




RE: WRX: Its a nice car and I actually like the look. Especially if you change the rims to some 18's. But its just overpriced for what you get.

 

I have both cars and this is a tough question to answer. Both cars will haul ****! I definitely think the Z is much more refined, slighly faster, handles better, looks better but is a little more expensive. My Subaru has cheap interiors and is not as solid as the Z. However, I think that the Subaru is the best bang for your buck if you get the cheapest model which I think is around 24K. This does not mean that I like the Subaru better, actually I think that it is a piece of crap compared to my Z, but I do think that it is a lot of performance for little $$.

 

I love the WRX but I have to admit that the Z wins hands down in the styling department. That in itself had swayed my decision to the Nissan Z, next generation car that will definitely turn more heads than the Sedan WRX...

 

Have you guys seen the makeover for next year's WRX? (check out the webpage here). I think this makes the car a lot more attractive now that it doesn't have the bug-eyes. The following is a pic from the STI version:



Here's the non-sti WRX which has a smaller hood scoop and tail. I think this model looks the best:

 

The subaru is a cheap ugly looking thing with performance. The Z's styling is worth more than the wrx by itself. The Subaru WRX looks like a .....................Subaru

 

The new STi doesn't look like a frog, but compared to the new Z? Sorry the Z still owns the STi in the look department. But at least the STi isn't so damn ugly anymore.

 

I thought the ugly looks with performance was the charm of the Subaru. Sort of like a scawny nerdy looking kid who can bench press 300lbs.

Some of these icons are so kewl!