impreza sti

hey guys do you think an impreza is a good car for a 16 year old and what are the cons and pros of it i know insurance will be expensive any help will be appreciated

this will be my first car now i am thinking of an evo which is best

Neither the STI nor the Evo are good starting point for a 16 yr old. From an insurance standpoint the 2.5RS is a better option - either the STI or Evo will be astronomical in insurance cost.

Plus, I'm a firm believer in the "you need to learn to drive/wrench before you get a toy car" philosophy. In hindsight, as a 16y/o, I would have killed myself seven times over in an STi or an Evo. And I'm a safe driver (a VERY safe driver). No wrecks, one ticket in over a decade of driving on America's streets. I also vote 2.5RS, but for different reasons (though insurance costs are a legit reason, also).

EDIT: Also, learn to work a naturally-aspirated car first.

... 20 miles in the snow... uphill... both ways...

man that sucks because im going to be responsible for gas and half of Insurance how much would the total cost be of insur. if you know and if i had this car i would take care of it i mean come on 30,000 is a lot of money and i havedriven a celica stick shift for a while and im a calm driver

Oh yeah. I forgot about the fuel factor. Paying top dollar for premium sucks. You better have a pretty good job (or a high allowance). The excellent WRX quality is worth the extra amount paid in fuel, but some weeks it's gut wrenching. Especially when my wife stacks her half-as-much gas bills next to mine (she drives the Saturn). The high-strung turbo engines burn more fuel, and more expensive fuel, than other 4-bangers on the road.

so firstly I would vote for the 2.5RS as well, it's sill got 173hp and 166 lbs of torque, so it'll still have guts, and a celica can't hold a candle to the STi with a sub 5 second 0-60 and .9g of lateral grip, it sounds like fun, but it's (i think) a lot bigger gap than you think it is. if you absolutley don't want the 2.5rs, then go for a WRX, it's got allota jam still, but is cheaper to insure and better on gas.

Well you best bet is going to be to go online and do some rate quotes. My insurance is $325 a month, its all going to depend on what coverage you want

I did some research when I was getting my currect WRX, online quotes tend to be higher than what you can get from an actual agency. Second to that, insurance rates are based on age, driving records and vehicle make and model. An RS will be significantly cheaper to insure than any turboed vehicle at 16 years of age.

well you know if i buy the wrx im probably not going to buy another car till like if it lasts then ill have it till im 20 somthing you know and if i get that other car the 2.something then i rather keep the celice and wait til im 18 to buy the wrx. Oh and how reliable is it

WRX's are reliable, do some searching.

Did you consider getting the wagon? The insurance is significantly cheaper on it.

Wagonz Rule! No, seriously. I'm just as fast, and on the non-race days, I can get my whole bicycle in the car without taking it apart. Plus, on race days, I can get myself, a passenger, tools, and EIGHT tires in it. With space left over.

u don't wanna hear our advice cos u really wanna get one....you're just gonna do what you want anyway.


IMHO, 16 yo shouldn't be allowed to drive. You don't let them drink or go to war, yet you allow them to to take control of an object that can easily kill themselves and other ppl.

However, as society dictates you are allowed to drive, a WRX isn't even that fast anyway...stock that is. However, it's faster than most things out there. e.g. camrys etc

If you're going to get a fast car anyways, which I know you are if you have the money. You'll either get the WRX or buy some econobox and chuck eveyrthing money can buy into it and end up with something faster than a WRX.

In that case, I would advise you get the WRX. It's the safest "fast" car out there simply because it's AWD which will minimise the chances of you killing yourself.

However, if you want some really good advice in regards to driving, get an econo FWD vehicle and practice your ass off. Take some advanced driving courses and when you reach about 20, you should be fine with any car and you won't kill yourself.

hey guys do you think an impreza is a good car for a 16 year old and what are the cons and pros of it i know insurance will be expensive any help will be appreciated
2.5 RS is best. Your insurance probably won't be cheap with a WRX because of stories of stupid kids your age driving these cars irresponsibly. Here is one i remember
http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65828&highlight=wrx

:shakehead It's a shame.

Wow, that saturn link....mmmm....too bad I cant read it because I'm not a member of the 17 yr old girls club...I mean Saturn club website.


Lol,....j/k, but seriously, cant see shite w/out a membership

oh that sucks. well the link basically says a 17 year old was speeding in a 04 WRX and drove into a pole splitting the car in half. the 17 yr old driver was ejected and killed (no seat belt on) and passenger died also. if you search online you'll see other stories out there showing an STI and a 17 year old don't mix well.

there's a BIG difference between a WRX STi and and a WRX...

oh that sucks. well the link basically says a 17 year old was speeding in a 04 WRX and drove into a pole splitting the car in half. the 17 yr old driver was ejected and killed (no seat belt on) and passenger died also. if you search online you'll see other stories out there showing an STI and a 17 year old don't mix well.

Let's help you out here. It doesn't matter WHAT car you're driving, if your 17 and speeding and cause an accident or kill yourself, you've proven that the insurance companies are right and that you're a liability.

The big problem is the kids that get in an AWD car and think they're invincible. Watch the WRC and you'll see that AWD even in the hands of the best drivers is not the answer to all situations.

man, my first car was a 95 impreza L when i was 16, thats right 1.8l fwd base as they come, 110 hp. nothing more prolly less..i still think if i would have had my old integra gs-r or even my 2.5rs when i was 16, i wouldnt be posting this thread right now...my insurance was gonna be like 355 monthly on a wrx and my insurance on my 2.5rs is like a little over 200...and ive had tickets, cause i was a ricer with a weld-on muffler and intake back in the day and thought i had a race car...dont worry about reliability if its a subaru its not gonna break...and if you do wreck it...hard...its gonna hold up alot better than say a honda/acura or celica, just w/e you get learn your car, but away from where you could hurt other people trying to learn it...

hey guys do you think an impreza is a good car for a 16 year old and what are the cons and pros of it i know insurance will be expensive any help will be appreciated

I don't have time to read all the posts, so I could be repeating something, but here goes:

for a first car, no. learn to drive, then buy it. But coming from someone who just turned 17 and does actually own an STi, it is really easy to be irresponsible with the STi. I'll admit, I haven't been a law abiding citizen in mine, but that's another story in itself. The STi is a great car if you learn to respect it for what it is. IT IS NOT A STREET RACER. IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE A STREET RACER. It is a RALLY car. If you're going to race it, race it on the track/dirt, but don't put street glow or a body kit on it. The stock spoiler is big enough, don't get something bigger.

But that's just my :2cents:

WRX's are reliable, do some searching.

Did you consider getting the wagon? The insurance is significantly cheaper on it.
Did you get quotes on this when you bought yours? My car was $150 a half more than the TR when I bought mine. I figured that the back end would be alot more expensive to fix if the wagon was rear ended. I don't know, maybe I need a new insurance company.

Did you get quotes on this when you bought yours? My car was $150 a half more than the TR when I bought mine. I figured that the back end would be alot more expensive to fix if the wagon was rear ended. I don't know, maybe I need a new insurance company.

Yes I got quotes.

How do you figure a wagon costs more to fix - and if you're rear-ended, why do you care what it costs? The other person will be paying to repair it.

i assume he means if it costs more to fix then they would charge more for insurance due to the higher repair rates, and u could back into someone in a parking lot

Yes I got quotes.

How do you figure a wagon costs more to fix - and if you're rear-ended, why do you care what it costs? The other person will be paying to repair it.

Unless you live in Florida. Then you have a 1 in 4 chance that the person rear ending you doesn't have insurance. Ahhhh, gotta love this great state....not

Even if it did cost more to fix, it doesn't matter. Insurance rates are based on the cost to fix a given car on average, and since fewer people with wagons ram them into things at high speed than do people with sedans, the average cost is lower for a wagon. Therefore, the average insurance rate is lower on a wagon. If nobody ever crashed a Koenigsegg (and nobody ever stole them), the insurance rates would be low. Just for the record, they aren't low.

Yes I got quotes.

How do you figure a wagon costs more to fix - and if you're rear-ended, why do you care what it costs? The other person will be paying to repair it.

Insurance companies factor in the cost of fixing a car in all kinds of accidents not just the ones that will be caused by the policy holder. They do this because they may insure the car that is ramming your ass at 20 mph and they want to make sure you pay a little bit for the extra repair costs. Insurance isn't a science, it's highway robbery and it discriminates against men on a ridiculous level.

There are alot of parts that are likely to be damaged in a low speed crash that would otherwise have been ok on a sedan. Rear window, rear wiper, defroster, pumps for liftgate. This is one of the reasons that SUVs are notoriously expensive to fix after low speed impacts to the rear.

and since fewer people with wagons ram them into things at high speed than do people with sedans, the average cost is lower for a wagon.

I wonder why my company (USAA) wants so much more for my car than a TR then?

USAA must have estimated that they would spend more on average for your car than for the TR. Probably because the total MSRP of your car is higher than that of the TR, and all other things are pretty much equal (number crashed, number stolen, seat belts, ABS, four doors, etc.). That back window is not as much of a deal-breaker as you might think, because a rear-end collision is usually paid by the other party (even when the other party doesn't have insurance, your insurance company hauls them into court).

USAA has a good reputation in the insurance business, but when I called around for quotes both in Texas and here in Alabama, they were the highest price of anyone except the "we'll insure anybody" local companies. State Farm was about 30% less than their next-lowest competitor (Progressive), and my SF agent is awesome. I've heard so many great things about USAA, though, that I think I must have some factor (YWM-ness?) that they despise.

I am 23 years old and I pretty much agree with everyone else about a 16 year old getting an STI at that age... INSURANCE is OUTRAGEOUS at that age.. I am currently looking to buy an STI or S2000 (deciding bw pro's and con's). I starting off driving fwd cars and firmly believe that kids need to learn how to drive before getting into the these rockets.. go get a gti, civic si, or even a scion tc and do whatever you want with it (learn from stock)... but learn how to drive before you go out and race some vette doing 150 and good god knows what happens next... yes those cars i mentioned can become racers but not keeping up with regular vettes out of the box... learn how to walk before you run!!! Statistics show!

:iamwithst I fully agree, when I drive my STi, it's just too tempting to drive irresponsibly. That's why I limit myself to driving it only once and a while. Most of the time, I'm driving my 'Yota Camry Wagon. Plus insurance rates SUCK to pay on the STi!

Also, S2k vs. STi? No comparison. AWD conquers. Plus, when you're older and you have a family, you'll thank yourself for buying a 4 dr. car.

Amen to that. I don't even have kids, and I'm already glad I bought a four-door. If I have any stuff whatsoever that I have to transport, and my wife wants to come, too, then the drop-top wouldn't cut it. Briefcase + wife + convertible = no good. (think giant lawyer briefcase... like with actual briefs in it, not businessman briefcase with cell phone and five contracts in it)

even if i live in florida... with all these mountains around! I know i'm leaning towards the STI but still!!! I will admit i'm a little unhappy that the rear seats in the Sti don't fold down... (thats what I heard) why would they do such a thing...