Undecided: Speed6 vs WRX (not STI)

[EvilTurk]

Hello everyone. I've been trolling the forums for the past month trying to gather as much info as I can. I want to buy a car next week, and I've been flip-flopping between the Speed6 and the WRX (not STI).

Aside from both having AWD, they are not that easy to compare. I had my mind set on the Speed6 and was ready to buy it. Infact, I test drove it 3 times already (nice dealer). However, I am now having second thoughts after reading about concerns regarding powerloss/flash issues and the need to use 93 Octane (91 isn't a problem, but 93 is hard for me to find). Are these issues prevailant with late model 07's?

Also, now that some of you have owned your car for a year or more, how do you predict its reliability. More importantly, without a shadow of a doubt, would you reccomend one (over the WRX) ?

 

[TampaBlackMSP]

Neither. J/k - they are almost too different imo - 6 is cushier, but yeah I'm about sick of tempermental Mazda tuning myself. Go with your gut, or the best price, interest rate, blah blah...

 

[EvilTurk]

Go with your gut, or the best price, interest rate, blah blah...

Thus lies my dillema... The price and insurance cost is within $20/month between the 2 cars.

 

[evilmonkeyMSP]

From what I've heard, unless you plan to mod the WRX you will be dissapointed....just get the STi

otherwise I say MS6

 

[Killer]

From what I've heard, unless you plan to mod the WRX you will be dissapointed....just get the STi

otherwise I say MS6

(werd)

 

[pHeeL tHiZ ViBe]

More importantly, without a shadow of a doubt, would you reccomend one (over the WRX) ?

yes absolutely..my friends 06' limited edition wrx isn't near as nice as my car on the inside. my car looks much classier on the outside. my car is faster than his stock v. stock. my car handles nicer(much more luxurious), and dare i say better handling performance wise..especially considering the size difference in the cars.

and that same friend has installed an intake, with a cobb downpipe, and has the accessport tuner with stage1 map. and he can't pull on my STOCK car until fifth gear (first)...

the only thing i'm concerned about is the rear diff mounts on the car, and i hear we have aftermarket solutions in the near future (breakn)

 

[jred321]

what are your plans for the car? how do you drive it primarily? do you autox/track/drag at all? do you plan to mod? to what extent do you plan to mod? honest answers to questions like that will help make your decision

the ms6 is more of a cruiser/dd where the wrx is more of a motorsports type of car. either way i think it's a good decision to have to make

 

[Mikey444]

If you want a real driving machine, go for the WRX. If you are more oriented towards luxury then get the MS6. The WRX will be more compliant when you drive it hard and fast. The MS6 is fairly heavy for a ATS AWD system, expect more inertia if you drive it hard.

 

[Karma_hunden]

wtf? I couldve swore I posted on this thread. Whos the douche erasing my posts LOL! rable rable rable!


anyways. what everyone said. I wouldnt get the wrx though, its to fugly, but if you dont care about driving a fugly corolla and a 5spd crappy tranny, yet very high in performance and a good AWD system with a big aftermarket, buy it.

 

[Micah]

The trans aren't crap, you just can't beat on them. I've got a 2002 with the notoriously weak trans - 70,000 miles behind me and it's still fine. I've got a friend with a 20g on his bugeye and his trans his fine too. I've heard of people destroying the tranny with the car completely stock as well. It's all in how you drive it.

 

[buit9110]

I've had my car for over a year now and nothing wrong yet, I also abuse my car to a certain extent. but in my opinion it has been reliable.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

As Mikey444 said..wrx for a driver's car. The 6 is a pig and you can definitely feel the weight once you start driving it to the limits. Note..that you can't feel this until you own the car for at least a month or so. One has to know the car before they can understand the limits.

 

[Karma_hunden]

I think the only part where the 6 would be a "pig" would be during the handling. The AWD 280lbs of tq makes the weight pretty bearable, and I actually feeel it has incredible power on 6th speed when it lies on 3-4k rpms (70-80mph) in the turbo range as you cruise down the highway--no need to downshift to pass cars.

 

[Newf]

honestly, the crappy bridgestones make the car feel much heavier then it is on ms6. I'm not joking, the tires may grip like hell, but that rim/tire combination kill the steering feeling and make it feel way to heavy, and are the loudest pos tire I've had to date. The car is not a pig by any stretch of imagination. Now, my fathers 03 Accord coupe, that feels like a pig, or how about a camry, charger, fusion, or any american sedan for that matter. I think PIG is a bad word to use. I went from a MSP to this, and yeah, the MSP was more nimble, but on real roads, roads with bumps, I'll take the ms6's handling every time. It doesn't skip over bumps like my msp did.

If you were comparing ms6 vs sti. I'd get the sti. But hands down, and I was in the same position as you last year ,well, i got the 6.

oh, and i use 91 octane daily. Can't get 93 here

 

[EvilTurk]

First of all, thank you every one for the replies and for not flaming me! I thought for sure I would have been flamed on a Mazda forum for wanting to buy a WRX, but you have all been quite honest.

I've been shopping for a new car for about 2 months now. Please keep this in context, it's my first new car and I'm about to spend $40k (canadian) of my hard earned cash for this. Most of you probably figured out, for a car enthusiest (or wanna be) there are limited choices for the $25 -$35k range (in a heartbeat I would drop $30k on a RWD or AWD v6!!! But there are none unless you spend $50k or more). I am not into the flat out speed, though I love it. It's the G's around corners that gets me giggling.

So that being said, I want something that is fun to drive but practical. However, my g/f (soon to be wife) and I want to have kids in the near future. Yet I don't want to compromise. Sound like a familiar dillema for some of you?

I have test driven the following cars: Infinity G35 sedan, BMW 323, Lexus 250, Nissan Maxima, Cadillac CTS, Civic Si, Acura TSX, Mazda Sport v6 GT, Mazda Speed6 and the Subaru WRX. I started early one morning so I could drive them back to back in the the same day to get a true feeling for comparison.

My top three:
1-2 Mazda Speed6/ WRX (undecided on the winner, hence this post)
3 Mazda Sport GT (v6)

(Wow, was I dissapointed with some of the "badge" cars. For example, dollar for value was very low on the IS250 IMHO....)

I don't plan on taking my car on track (yet), nor do I race with it. I have my Honda 600rr for that Yes, I am a bike junkie, but guess what; I toped it out at 285 km/h (177mph) and it does 10s on the 1/4 mile. To top that off, I can enter sweeping corners at speeds in execess of 200km/h. Until I can afford a super car (in my dreams) that can do that, I won't be selling the bike anytime soon.

*** sorry for going off topic there, but even thinking about having fun on wheels, 2 or 4, just gets me excited! ***

Bottom line is, I plan on going to the dealer and buying one next week. I am leaning very strongly towards the Speed6, but before signing the papers I just needed some re-assurance...

Thanks everyone!

PS all the prices I mentioned are in Canadian funds.

 

[EvilTurk]

One more thing. When my g/f test drove the Speed6 she was grinning ear to ear! She left a wet spot on the seat when we returned the car

Needless to say, for her birthday present I am sending to to Fast School (track days), so she can truley appreciate driving cars.

 

[Micah]

Find someone with a stage II WRX - go for a ride. It doesn't cost much to get there, and it's safe as hell if you drive it right. Later on upgrade to a PE1820 setup with an RA gearset and have a beast of a car.

The Mazda does look nice though.

 

[Karma_hunden]

Well, now that you have mentioned a fiancee and kids in the future, the tables turn. Stay away from the WRX unless you want to buy a Legacy Spec. B, however, that luxury Subaru is outperformed by the MazdaSpeed6.

I dont think you want to drive your baby in a compacted lightweight 5 spd WRX with the exahust sounding all over the place...Get the MazdaSpeed6, its quiet and fast (faster than the WRX that I have raced 04s and an 06s that seem to be as fast until 4th gear, where the Speed pulls away), yet it defends itself in turns, has AWD...in summary...the whole 9 yards.

I say go for it. Good luck!

 

[jred321]

I am not into the flat out speed, though I love it. It's the G's around corners that gets me giggling.

to me that says the WRX is the choice for you. a wrx with some decent tires (not the garbage all seasons they come with) will be way more tossable and fun in corners. i've seen more than 1 person with a baby seat in the back of their sti, or if you wanted you would get the wrx wagon for a little more storage space for baby paraphernalia

 

[evilmonkeyMSP]

How much does the STi run up there in CAD? It doesnt sound more pricey than the others you test drove...you'd probabyl be most happy w/ that over everything...