227hp AWD. Price. Fun Factor of 10! 6-disc in dash. Momo wheel. Grippy seats. Makes friends jealous. Ever widening selection of aftermarket parts. Fits my 6''2" height fine. The wagon has definate advantages over the sedan as far as space and everyday usability but why no front flares??

Keep in mind that all my gripes are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. For a car under $25k this list is relatively short. -notchy gear box - goes away some with use but still not Euro. -stock tires could be grippier -turbo lag, low end torque (see above) -pretty weak headlights, give us HIDs stock! -sub par AC (but a rockin heater!) -CD changer is noisy and slow -awkward fit for bike racks (you have to mount them backwards...works fine, looks funny). -drifty in crosswinds -eats up the 93 octane

I picked up this gem in mid August after my MY01 Volvo V40 wagon was totalled in a rear end collision. So far it has been smooth sailing since the first day. With just about 10k on the odometer she is running smooth and glitch free. Like everyone else who has spent serious time in the WRX, I''m gonna tell you there is lack of torque on the low end and in the stock config she has some turbo lag issues. Those all tend to be around town concerns and don''t really affect the car on the highway or on the back roads, where the car really shines. For those who are making decisions based soley on a 5mi dealer test drive, keep in mind that this car really breaks in around 3k miles and then again at 5-7k. The gear box becomes smoother, the clutch lighter, and the engine breaks in a bit. The WRX is a car that begs to be driven. You will find yourself playing "Ross Burns" on drives to the grocery store. If you are looking for luxury and creature comforts, jump to a different car; the WRX isn''t for you! No gimmicks, no bells & whistles...just a fun car to drive. I can''t wait to test drive the MY03 WRX Sti version!!

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MY01 Volvo V40 - little bigger wagon but not as fun. Would recommend if you are turned off by the Scoobie''s lack of leather/sunroof/wood grain. MY99 Saturn SL2 - under powered, drum brakes in rea

power, utility, value

brakes/ABS, stock tires, handling

I purchased the wagon in April. I was very close to buying an Outback wagon, only to give in to the lure of horsepower. After reading various magazine reviews of the sedan, I was disappointed that my impressions did not seem to match those of the testers. It turns out that the wagon is "dumbed down", suspension wise. WHile I still don''t know about any differences in the struts, the rear swaybar is smaller on the wagon, enhancing the understeer, and understeer it does. It pushed badly on dry pavement, and is much worse in the rain, giving up at moderate speeds. An inexpensive fix is to install a sedan rear bar. The tires are also horrible, so expect much improvement when they are replaced. The drivetrain is pretty cool. Plenty of power, but the response at low revs is nothing to get excited over. On a hot day with the AC on, you''ll wait an eternity for it to pick up revs. This is the nost annoying aspect. In the city, you''ll notice the lag, but get the car out where it belongs, and the problem disappears. Brakes are a sore spot. They could be stronger, but that isn''t the biggest problem. The "brain" which conrols the ABS is easy to fool, and could put you in danger. On occasion, when braking across washboard pavement, the computer is fooled into thinking that the vehicle is already sliding, even though it isn''t. It can relaes brake pressure, extending the distance required to stop, unnecessarily! I also had a scary experince while executing a quick u-turn, when the computer decided that I didn''t really need braking. It was wrong. The interior quality is fine. This isn''t an Audi and it doesn''t cost as much as one. It''s based in Subaru''s cheapest car, and isn''t intended to cater to the whine and cheese crowd. It''s a bully and like most bullies, tends to be rough around the edges. Yes, it doesn''t look so good. Didn''t buy it for the looks. The front facia is overdone, and the sedan trunklid is unfortunate, though the wagon is more integrated. I guess my biggest problem with the car is that all of the systems are not perfectly matched (engine/brakes/steering.) Each has its own personality, and do not work together in perfect harmony. It''s not a big deal, and I do like the car, but it just isn''t magic to drive. Very good, but not magic.

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None

Speed, handling, all around performance, AWD. In general, the FUN factor. This car is a ball to drive.

Turbo lag, lack of low end torque, styling, performance in windy conditions

Read all the reviews here, on other sites and in the car mags and you will know the strengths and weaknesses of this car inside and out. I have had no surprises in the 3 months I have owned it with one exception. This is the worst car I have ever driven in the wind. Yes, it gets blown all over the road. Other than that, I knew what I was getting: a very, very fast, great handling, fun to drive car with quirky (some call ugly) looks and an inexpensive interior. I have come to like the interior, and to become comfortable with (and even sometimes intrigued with...shall I even say like?) the looks. You have to learn how to drive this car, though, to minimize the turbo lag and and lack of low end tourque, and I am still learning. You simply must keep the rpms up or you will have little power. As one published review noted, you have to buy this car on faith because there is no way you can ever know what it is like to drive from a test drive. I have read many uncomplimentary reviews from folks who drove this car for 15 minutes and gave up on it (no doubt, unhappy with the lack of power at low rpms). In fact, my first test drive was somewhat disappointing. I drove a bit conservatively (I felt bad for the nervous salesperson who told me he wanted to live to see his children graduate from college, as I roared down the highway at 80). However, I sensed there was something with this car that I was not experiencing. After the second test drive (on curvy roads with a salesperson who did not blink as I took turns aggressively, down-shifted freely to keep revs up, and alternated between accelerating and braking) I looked at the salesperson, said "thanks, that was fun" and went home and told my wife that I could love this car. I loved my two (1990, 1995) Eagle Talon Tsi AWD turbos and would not have hesitated to buy another if they still made them (Oh, how I wish that beautiful Mitsu Eclipse they make had AWD and a turbo..). This WRX is the closest thing to a Talon. It is quicker and handles better but has more pronounced turbo lag and less low end torque. I like it very, very much. I hope I will learn to love it like I did my Talons.

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1990, 1995 Eagle Talon, Tsi AWD Turbo; 1991 Dodge Stealth twin turbo

Handling, motor, seat comfort, trunk space, PRICE!

Brakes, turbo lag.

What a great car! I needed a reliable daily driver to replace my 1998 Audi A8 that was going off lease, and the reviews just looked too good to be true. I bought it sight unseen, placing my order before the cars shipped. Had it dropped in my driveway a few weeks later and I love it - its absolutely amazing what $25k will buy in a sports sedan. I did get the STi suspension from Subaru (lighweight control arms, struts, springs, bushings, etc.) and its well worth the $2k or so it will cost installed. It takes the handling from very good for an economy car to very good for any car!

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''87 Porshe 911 Turbo, ''86 Ferrari 328GTS, ''83 Ferrari 308, ''98 Audi A8

It''s a fast car. Good leg room/head room for 6 footers. 6 disk in dash stero. The seats are are cool also. They hold you in as you take a turn.

Stock stero system. The 6 disk cahnger is a great idea but it needs to be a little more powerfull.

I have had my Wrx for almost a month now and I love it. It handels so much better than my old blazer. I can actually take a turn without having to worry if I am going to flip or not. I like the fact that it has a turbo on it. Mine did not coem with a spoiler so I want to go purchase one soon and also fix it up with some aftermarket parts. If anyone knows where to get some after market parts please tell me. I can''t seem to find much lately. Anyway this is a great car it''s a very fun car to drive. Plus I am abotu 6''3 and I have pleanty of head and leg room in it. So all you tall folks wanting a small import race ar buy this one.

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01 toyota celica it was way too small for me though. I could not see out the back window of the celica. 99 Chevy blazer which was a great car for the 4 yearsi owned it but it was time to get back into

2.0L turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, articulated seats, Momo steering wheel, and instrumentation.

Very difficult to list, since I can''t really think of any. The only minor weakness, in my opinion, is the 5 speed shift mechanism. It feels notchy, especially getting into 1st gear. 2nd through 5th were not bad at all, but I feel there is room for improvement.

I recently had the opportunity to test drive several vehicles within a few days time, the Acura RSX, Lexus IS300, and Subaru WRX. My favorite of the 3 was definitely the 2002 WRX. This review mainly focuses on this model. It was a sunny 65 degree day, and the dealer just handed over the keys to a brand new white WRX 5 speed sedan, with only 93 miles on the odometer. After carefully adjusting the mirrors, seat, and completing an adequate warmup, the WRX was ready to go. I eased out onto a long 4 lane road and proceeded to open up the 2.0L engine. Power felt very normal below 3000 rpm, for an engine in this class. Throttle response was excellent, but above 3K rpm the engine power came on frantically, thrusting me back in my seat as the 217 ft/lbs. torque became available. Engine power was smooth and very, very strong. I''ve driven everything from popular imports and American musclecars to Mach .92 jet aircraft. I can tell you with great certainty that this car is a wolf in sheep''s clothing, and is sure to embarrass many expensive performance cars. It was difficult to keep my foot out of the throttle. Turbo lag was non-existent under the conditions I experienced. Instrumentation was excellent. My car had the optional boost gauge mounted on the steering column. The steering response was excellent, and the Momo wheel felt great. Interior noise was pretty low. I would say a 3-4 max. on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the noisiest). My only gripe was that the shifter is somewhat notchy in feel. Hopefully the aftermarket will produce a quality alternative. I did not care for the Titanium STi optional shift knob, it felt too small in my hand. Some folks on this site complained of the interior being "cheap" and low quality. My impression was that the RSX and IS300 were definitely better quality, but the WRX was on par with any Honda I''ve ever driven. Not bad in my opinion. I''m 6ft 2" and had plenty of leg and head-room. Exterior fit and finish was pretty nice with quality paint. The wing was not something I would have ordered, but to each his own. The all-wheel drive handling was absolutely awesome on winding roads. Different than the 2-wheel drive vehicles I have driven in the past, and it take a few minutes to adapt. The car felt like it was on rails. Subaru has done a great job on the WRX. Anyone want to go V8 hunting?

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2002 Acura RSX, 2002 Lexus IS300, 2000 Pontiac Firehawk, 91 5.0L Mustang, and 99 Honda Civic.

-Great motor -Kick-in-the-pants handling -Loaded with standard features like the six disc in dash cd changer -Extra bonus of a back seat AND a trunk!

-Needs more torque down low, but STi and the aftermarket should easily solve that. -A bit more body roll than I prefer, but an aftermarket rear sway bar will take care of this, as well as the car''s tendency to push. -Interior a bit plasticky and cheap feeling, but what do you expect for 25K? -Leather not an option. Yeah Yeah, rally cars don''t have leather right. Well this is a daily driver, NOT a race car, and let''s face it, leather looks better and lasts longer.

I reviewed every car available on the market before purchasing the WRX. The finalists ran the gamut, from the Corvette, to the Lexus IS300, the Audi A4, the BMW 325Ci, etc. Notice that these are all either rear wheel or all wheel drive, which ruled out cars such as the Acura RSX, Toyota Celica, and Mitsu Eclipse. You true driving enthusiasts out there will agree that a front driver just isn''t a real sports car. ;-) Anyway, the WRX gives me performance so close to the Corvette that justifying the extra twenty grand just wasn''t possible. Plus I get the added bonues of two more doors and great gas mileage. And its performance blows the Lexus, Audi, and Bimmer out of the water, and it still costs thousands less! This is a truly rewarding car to drive on a daily basis, and should satisfy ANYONE''S appetite for performance on public roads. This is a great car for a great price.

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''94 Ford Probe GT ''89 Ferrari 328 GTS

color Blue. In person amazing color. Speed. This thing is fast. Handling- Very flingable and tossable. AWD gives feeling of amazing stability in curves. Interior is as good as it gets for an atypical vehicle such as the wrx. Blue/Black seats are sharp.

THE 1000 MILE BREAK IN PERIOD THE 1000 MILE BREAK IN PERIOD THE 1000 MILE BREAK IN PERIOD THE 1000 MILE BREAK IN PERIOD AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Before signing on the dotted line I read every review out there and 100 from this site - Went for the test drive, expecting slight dissapointment. Shocker! The demo model was faster and tighter than I could ever have imagined. Picked up my blue 4 sedan the next week. Amazing, simply amazing. Keeping it legal is a challange and a P.I.T.A ''cause this thing wants to fly all the time. Sound at idle is just as amazing as at 7000 rpm. Total value this car - total value.

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87 iSUZU I MARK RS. TALK ABOUT BANG FOR $ 92 HONDA DEL SOL. EXTREMLY FLOPPY UNDERPINNINGS,LEAKY ROOF, CLAUSTROPHOBIC INTERIOR. GOOD VTECH ENGINE.

All-Wheel drive for traction, turbocharger for speed, sport-tuned suspension, and all the goods for everyday driving practicality-A/C, full power, 6-disc CD, etc.

ZIP

One-of-a Kind, nothing even comes close! The car combines handling, maneuverability,responsiveness, and speed as well or better than other performance vehicles costing 3 times as much. This is a car designed for someone who isn''t interested in the dozens of cookie-cutter models on the market, or who doesn''t want to pay for upscale "furnishings" provided by the other cars of this class (read: BMW, Porsche, Audi, etc.)Simply put, this is a real driver''s vehicle that excels in driving performance as well as being able to serve as an everyday transportation vehicle- with the added bonus of staggering acceleration and cornering found in very few other cars.

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Austin-Healy Sprite

Speed and handling, AWD, styling that is great for what it is

none-Only car that that I have ever paid sticker price for. Dealer would not deal

I am not an expert---However, I have had this car for about 2 months now, and I must say it is great. There is no negative, I have seen. It is fast and handles great. Some have commented on lack of leather and sunroof as a weakness. If you think that is a weakness, this car is just not for you. It is a Rally inspired behicle, and I assure you no rally racecar has leather or sunroofs. For what this car is, it isa the best. A very greatr performing fast car. Make now doubts, it is the only car in its class.

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1998 Mittsubishi Eclipse GST-No comparison WRX is much better especially in handling