John.

My advice would be to invest in an Audi S4. While my 93 5 cylinder S4 was still stock, I have had those WRX cars try to run me. Let me tell you this, they are quick down low, but once you are abouve 50 MPH, well the WRX becomes a spec in the mirror. My car now has the Lehman Stage 3 setup (RS2 Turbo and exhaust manifold, with lehman software) which added another 95 HP. Enough said.

I think the turbos on those Subaru WRXs are probably pretty small, which explains why they run out of boost at the higher engine speeds. Probably designed for low end and slight mid range, but not all out high end.

Invest in a good Audi S4 (I like the older 5 cylinder model) and you will have a car that performs better and holds its value much longer than the Subaru.

blu951

I think your right hmmm.

Modena 1

I am sure you have a great S4, but according to my experience and what i have read on the web, S4's are horribly unreliable. They are fast cars, but the 5cyl S4 you speak of i'm not even sure was available in the states with a turbo (aftermarket is another story).

As for the newer 99-02 S4's, they have been notorious for going through turbo's and tranny's...very expensive stuff. I know of 4 local S4's that have all had that problem...and it gets worse, if you had it modified (ie chip etc.) you are stuck with the $10,000 tranny bill. Audi USA has been paying out their *** for these cars....no wonder the new S4 is NA.

shaheed

all US spec S4s from model year 92-94 were 5cyl and turbocharged....in my experience they were *very* solid cars.

MySwiss

As mentioned earlier,I used to get 320hp or 250rwhp at the 4 wheels from my TurboXS stage3 kit.At the track, on the only stretch that was long enough to overtake, I would often disappoint many track only cars such as AC Cobra replica with modified mustang v8 developing somewhere around 400hp and a Porsche 993 race car that supposably puts down 330rwp.These two cars could never overtake me on that stretch until we it the braking zone, at which time we would be rolling around 110mph.I did get beaten on the Highway by an 1993 S4 but my car was stock.Suffice to say that this prompted me to take care of the power issue of this car soon after.Once you mod this car it changes everything.It becomes a highway monster as well as a dragster (high 12s to low 13s easy without nitrous).

The power is always available ( with this package), from 3300rpm to redline it pulls like hell.I honestly can't tell what the top speed is cause the speedo was clipped at more then 150mph line and it was still pulling hard with 16.5psi.

For sure the 951 will beat wrx moded or not on the highway,but only past 130-140mph,cause a modded rex always has power on demand (no lag)on the highway.All this at the expense of gas consumption which is Viper like.I will take my 951 to 170mph (according to the speedo) at least once a week and it feels rock solid,whereas the wrx above 140mph would start flotting and the hood would start lifting like a kite and scare the hell out of me.

When I get my chance next summer,I will put my modded 951 against my friends new STI at the track and on the street.Then I should now if I feel like plunking down 45,000$can for this beast or keep my 14,000$can Porsche

GaryK

The 92-95.5 Audi S4/S6 is a very solid reliable car, with the exception of the 016 tranny which is very similar to the one in our 951's. The '92 model experiences pinion bearing problems which typically require replacement of the whole box. The later cars had a somewhat weak 1st gear, but it's fine unless you repeatedly do drag starts. Really, an excellent car, more reliable than the 951, a much better daily driver, particularly in inclement weather, but far from track-ready.
I haven't driven the WRX yet, but the ugly appearance and tiny cockpit are enough to ward me off.
'89 951
'92 S4

Mark G

I think jchaley said it best. It makes a great car for my wife that I never have to fix. I don't hesitate recommending it to my non- porschephile friends up here cause the awd makes it a good snow car. Not as good as my previous Audis, but bang for buck and reliability are hard to beat.

944 Hooligan

i've been a pasenger and a driver in the new scooby. it's a fun car. is it a porsche? no. is it reliable, quick, well-built, and offer good bang-for-the-buck? hell yes. not too mention no oversteer for those of us who have heavy right feet post-apex and suddenly see our *** in front of us.

out of all the japanese marques, subaru is the only one that i feel has managed to nail ergonomics the first time on every one of their cars. i can honestly say that the wrx falls right into position with very little drama.

the sti will be a missle, and i would stay far away from mitsubishi. for those of you who feel the interior quality on the scooby is poor, the lancer is much worse. i mean, has anyone been in the current lancer available to the u.s.? frightening.

the new z is the car porsche should be building. but let's face it, it will be some time before we get an affordable new porsche. remember when that was going to be the boxster's job? and when we do get it you can guarantee it will be some iteration of the current audi/vw four popper, and instantly be labelled as a bastard non-porsche.

ehh, i am on a soapbox. get the mercedes compact c-coupe, it is the funnest new car i have driven and it's german. the build quality is top-notch, it's loaded to the hilt, it's a supercharged 6 with good numbers. and let's not forget that mercedes supplies porsche the tranny for the 996.

over and out.

Modena 1

Thats interesting, because I prefer the ergonomics of my 1995 integra gsr to the scooby. The seating position is too high, there is too much headroom (read: cabin feels too high) and i can't seem to get comfortable...Maybe its just that i like "slinking" into a coupe rather than sitting upright....but then again, the wrx isn't a coupe...

I really wish I liked the wrx, because i would be getting a new car instead of looking for an old one...

944S2 with WRX

My friend sent me a link to this page.

To tell you the truth, a 944 Turbo will thrash the WRX all around. My 1991 944S2 handled better, braked better, gripped better, and so forth. The only area that it couldn't beat the WRX was practicality and acceleration. To say the least, if practicality isn't a problem, stay with the 944 Turbo. You'll miss the feel of the Porsche. However, if you do trade up, you still won't be disappointed. The car is still raw and is more of a "wild stallion." What I mean is that the Porsche is like a trophy horse that was meant to kill the derbies while the WRX is a stallion that has quips.

There are 3 things you should consider however.
1) The WRX, and anyone disputing this fact needs his head checked, is a lot safer in any weather. It has AWD and the best crash rating for its class.
2) You can't rally/drift a 944 Turbo anywhere near as well as the WRX.
3) If you can spare 35000 dollars, get a WRX STi. I'm sorry to say, but it will waste a 944 Turbo, 944 S2, and 911s (even if they were all slightly modded). I've seen countless times where the 911 gets its **** handed to it on a track with professional drivers at the wheel.

944S2 with WRX

Oh yeah, and don't get an S4 if you can get a WRX STi. S4 while sporty, will get wasted by a WRX Sti in performance and doesn't give that "fun factor." The only place it ups the WRX STi is luxury.

DangerIsland

I'm confused. At first you say that the 951 will thrash the WRX, then you say that the STi will waste it. Is the STi really THAT much faster around a track than the other WRX? And would it still beat a $35k 951?

944S2 with WRX

Yes, a WRX STi is a whole new level compared to the WRX. The WRX STi has 300hp/300 lb-ft torque, a driver controlled center differential (can change the power distribution from 50-50 front-rear to 35-65 front-rear and a roll of the switch), front and back LSDs, Subaru Tecnica international (STi) tuned suspension, a 6 speed (better use of the power band), intercooler water spray to help cool the oil lines, better seats, brembo brakes, larger and wider rims, better aerodynamics for speed and the list goes on.
The WRX has 227hp/227 lb-ft and nothing of the sort listed above except a rear differential which even that is a smaller R160 unit as oppose to the STis R180 unit.
The WRX STi is a high/mid 12 second car while the WRX is a mid/low 14 second car. Handling, the WRX would pale in comparison to the WRX STi.

The WRX STi is nearly 10k more than a WRX, but you get your money's worth.

blu951

Sounds like a heated comparsion between the 951 and 02Wrx or the 03wrx(sti). I need to mention how about the Mitsu evo7? I know the current Lancer (OZ)is a piece of sh*t but, any word across the water on how they rate?
Very interesting opinions on both cars and I must say the S4 kinda has a reputation for going through trannys, turbos etc...from my sources.
Though I've heard great things about the S4 don't get me wrong.

white 944 turbo

A buddy of mine has and Audi s4 and it has some work done to it and he is running 20psi and when I got a ride in it I was not impressed. His brother worked for a place that specialized in modifying Subaru cars and he told me that a mildly modified Audi s4 will blow away a modified wrx and his modified 951 would absolutely smoke either one. Sure it matters on the levels of modifications but the subaru he was talking about was one that has over 300 HP, not an sti but a modified wrx. As for high to mid 12's in a stock sti, I just dont see how.