Well I'm getting my permit in 3 months, passed my written test in December so all Ive got to do is now do my 6 hours of driving at school. Recently I went to a local Subaru dealer and looked at a new WRX 5 door, the WRX and the WRX STi now share the same body, the WRX comes with 265 horsepower instead of 305 from the STi, Im not too worried about power, just want something thats mod friendly and something that I can have fun with. This seems to fit the ticket, AWD, good on gas, and Subaru reliability. My dad loves the car, and we've been back and forth to different dealers in my area comparing prices and looking at option, I think this might be it, what do you guys think ?

 

brand new car as a first car is a bad idea in my opinion, but rich people do what they want I suppose

 

^ no doubt. most first time drivers crash their first car lol.
but hey, if you go the dough go for the STi, theres not much of a price difference.

 

yep, I agree with the other two posters, your 1st car should be an old beater, I'm glad mine was. I abused the crap out of it. Bump into things when backing up, scrapped/scratched it accidently.

 

yeah I wouldn't get a new car as a first car. buy a beater and learn how to drive stick with it and like after a year buy the new WRX.

 

Maybe you could start with an older WRX. The newer model WRX mods will probably be more expensive and less "tried and true" than the mods that you can do on older models. If you've got the money for a new WRX, then you've got the money for an old STi. IMO, the 6spd alone is worth it (also the reason I opeted for the spec.b )

 

Either a WRX or an STI is a terrible car for a first driver, but people with money often make stupid decisions. It's guaranteed you're going to hit something with the car, and with that much power, it's pretty much a given. I'm on my 2nd Subaru, both STI's, and active on Subaru forums and every month there's another kid that crashes their car. In the winter it's one a week or more.

Do yourself a favor and start off with a base Impreza if you really want a Subaru. You said you don't care about power, so that'll give you everything you need.

 

If you like the car, then go for it. As long as you're careful and not reckless it won't be a problem. Also since you're a first time driver, insurance will be more on the STi than the WRX.

 

The STi is the highest price/value car for insurance on the market. i.e. insurance price/value of car.

 

We're talking about a 16? year old male that just got his license. "Careful and not reckless" is impossible, especially in a 265 HP car.

 

Hahaha usually the case but there are exceptions to the rule (1/1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)
Just keep it on closed roads and away from public and you're good, least you can do is just mess up your car.

 

Nothing but trouble. With brand new fast moded car u not gonna back donw from a race it a male thing. Do yourself n parent a favor drive a beater until u have enough driving skill

 

I would also advise to go with another car to start off with. But if you do go with the wrx, the transmissions don't take aggressive driving well, esp with more power/mods.

 

i feel like an old man agreeing with everyone else... but i bought a 2.5RS as my first car, then traded it for a WRX after six months. wrecked the bejesus out of it. insurance is high, gas mileage isn't that great... but they're fun as hell. the 2.5RS was perfectly fine, but i have no regrets about the WRX. i have an STi that's my daily driver now and have thought about trading it in for something else, like a new M3, but i just don't want to give it up. it's too much fun (once you learn how to drive it, that is).

the smart thing to do would be to get a beater.

 

Go for it! Or buy an older WRX and mod that. Learn the car and basics. I personally don't think an awd 4 cyl car for a first car is a bad idea. Good news about the wrx's are that theres a plethora of mods available so you can have some fun and learn all about motors and what works. IMO, half the fun of car ownership is modding it!

I was driving (and racing) 500hp rwd cars at 16...it got me used to control and I'm glad I had those opportunities at a young age. Never crashed either, though I blew a ton of money on mods and parts. I was a bit reckless though and my first speeding ticket (80 in a 30, ouch!) was enough to make me realized that you gotta pay if you wanna play!

This is all in my own honest oppinion of course. Just drive safe and learn your car. Don't push the limits on the street. I'm not a fan of hatches so I'd go for an older WRX, personally.

Best of luck and drive safe!