to let me get back to reality before i drove the z (driving the undercover tank), i drove an 08 wrx. had a short shifter and a spl exhaust or w/e. was a cool car, had the fun power of 1st gear, but after that the trans seemed notchy, and awd really takes power away from the car. i could drive that day to day, but it was almost 'bland' covered by a fun awd launch. turbo seemed laggy at 70mph. going from 5th to 3rd and redlining, it just felt like it was held back.
drove an 06 z today. lets just say that i now know what im getting in about 2 weeks. has everything i want. low end grunt, revs high very nicely, brakes awesome, and no blind spots. love the trans. throws are where i want them. not too long, not too quick. like the revs under 3k at 70mph for freeway driving. took me a second to learn the clutch in this thing, but after i got used to it in 5 minutes, im used to it, and the car begs to be driven. audio is good enough imo. although there isnt much room in the hatch for anything, it works for me. i tend to travel very light as it is so its not a big deal for me.