New here and new to Subaru

Hey everyone, I came upon this site searching for reasonable sounding information before I became serious about buying my first Subie. I liked what I have read so far which is still not enough however my confidence went up after reading the thread about what to look for before purchasing.

I ended buying a 2013 WRX STI limited, Pearl Blue, with only 36k miles (completely stock) and the only owner was a Co worker who I knew didn't beat on it. Couldn't pass up the opportunity because I've always wanted a Subie.

I'll get pics up soon. Look forward to the new adventure
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Welcome to IGOTASTI!! You're going to absolutely love it here!! Congrats on getting a WRX! Is it a sedan or a hatch? Can't wait to see pictures of the car!

What other cars have you had in the past? How does the WRX compare to them? Is there anything that you don't like about the car? What do you love about it?

What're your plans and intentions for the car? Will it be just a daily driver with spirited driving here and there; will you be doing autocross; will you be going to track days; or will it be a combination of all?

I urge you to create a member's journal and document your journey with the car from here on out. You should also ask questions BEFORE you pull the trigger on parts for the car. Ask any and all questions! This community as a collective will either answer your questions or pinpoint you somewhere else where your question can get answered!
 
Well this would be my first fun car to note in my ownership history. I also have a 2010 Altima (daily driver) and a 2011 Chevy Silverado 1500 (household hauler) but the Subaru (Sedan) is now my weekend car. The last stick shift I had was an 89 BMW 325i but it took a dump and I didn't have money to invest on fixing at the time.

I currently live in northern Illinois, originally from Chicago, and let me tell you the roads up here are way better to have fun on than the constant stop n go in the City.

I plan on maybe turning car into a track car when I'm comfortable with my knowledge of this brand. But for now it still has a warranty that's being transferred to me so I'm going to baby it until I can start upgrading stuff. There's going to be a lot of spirited driving however lol.

I will be reading up on as many threads here for research/opinions to figure out my course of action. When it comes time to actually start making changes I will be asking more questions. I've already read many useful threads that answered some questions that have popped up in my mind.

I look forward to this new adventure in the Subie community!
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
The WRX is definitely a big upgrade in comparison to the other cars!

The first thing that you should have done was read the owner's manual. If you already read it once, read it again. Your ever expanding knowledge and experience will always come first before anything else as YOU will operate and dictate everything that occurs with the car. If you're not on the road driving and getting accustomed to the platform, you should be reading and researching.

The "best bang for the buck" will be your knowledge and experience. The "driver mod" is quintessential! Next, would have to be tires as they are the driving force keeping you and your car on the road. A lot of people make the mistake of neglecting tires, as I also did many times when I started playing the game. (However, I was 18 when I started, so I may have been way more naive than most.)

You should strive to perfect these three (knowledge, experience, and tires) crucial aspects before anything else. Play your cards right and aim to minimize damage. Learn from OTHER PEOPLE'S mistakes as it is free and we can go as far as to say that it is priceless! :tup:
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Hey everyone, I came upon this site searching for reasonable sounding information...

Wonderful! That's exactly what we strive for! This community was created--and grew--in large part due to the metric ton of bullshit information and asshole people on many of the other WRX STi related forums. People were always arguing and insulting each other in between giving terrible advice. So we made it a point to be as unlike them as possible.

There is a ton of good information here and lots of good people willing to point you in the right direction. We'll all go over your modification desires and help you decide what parts and configurations will be best. Fortunately for you, many of us have already wasted thousands of dollars and man hours learning what NOT to do. :lol: And I say this as my STi is in 80 pieces in my garage right now. :subaru:

Anyways... Welcome! I hope you enjoy it here. :welcome:
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
I plan on maybe turning car into a track car when I'm comfortable with my knowledge of this brand. But for now it still has a warranty that's being transferred to me so I'm going to baby it until I can start upgrading stuff. There's going to be a lot of spirited driving however lol.

Well, its a track car already if you just take it to the track! And as Alin sad, the best bang for your buck is experience.


Part 1:

So do this (seriously): Sign up for the very next autocross near you as a Novice. If you're paranoid about waranty and that somehow Autocross will void it (it wont) see below. I think an auto-x should be REQUIRED for any new-to-you car purchase. If you want to go one level up, sign up for an HPDE event near you. Even better experience by far, but much more expensive, all-in.

If you have no idea where to start to find an auto-x/HPDE, just google it with a city name near you or visit: https://www.motorsportreg.com/ (no affiliation).


Part 2:

You can start to do suspension upgrades without worrying about what most people consider their warranty (engine). It's possible, but unlikely, that anything you do now you'll want to un-do further down the road as you become a pro track driver. Consider some swaybars and endlinks. They'll REALLY dial back body roll without making the drive noticably uncomfortable. If you chose right and/or get adjustable swaybars, you can dial out the massive understeer and really change the dynamics. Maybe research some springs and/or struts and/or coilovers. Many people want a lowered look anyways, so if you can get some extra performance out of them, why not. This isn't the freebee in terms of performance without harshness, so you'll want to do more soul-searching here. There are a ton of bushings/mounts/etc... that introduce even more slop that can be substituted to tighten everything up. But these, too, may introduce more NVH into the car, so know what you're getting yourself into. Depending on how you define suspension, you can look at new wheels/tires. Tires make the biggest single difference to handling, but as a consumable, they can end up getting expensive. Wheels provide looks and can also provide performance with new offsets, wider widths, weight, etc... Research will be your friend here.

Building off the weight savings from the wheels: a way to improve power-to-weight ratios is to remove weight! On my mostly-stock-power STI I had a fair bit of weight savings through wheels, carbon fiber fiber trunk, carbon APR wing...the whole list is in my journal. And there are some people who can go crazy with it. But if you dont want to do power, consider weight.


Finally the warranty/track thing from part 1:

How to 100% avoid any warranty issues for "racing" is to have a friend register for you (just so its in a different name) and remove your license plate as soon as you get there. Now no amount of googling, will turn up that you were there, nor will there be any photographic evidence of your car on a track doing some sort of "forbidden" activity.
 
Thank you guys for the info. It's greatly appreciated and definitely giving me a starting point for what I hope to enjoy with this car.

Some details I forgot to share, as to what the previous owner chose for perishable parts, are he put Bridgestone Potenza S-04 pole position tires and swore by using Hawk HPS brake pads with Centric high carbon 125 series rotors.

I do notice how rough the ride feels but the traction it's amazing. I really hate to get this car dirty because it's in pristine condition however I did find a gravel road and decided to take some quick turns that felt amazing. I did not try drifting it by any means since I have no experience in that department.

I've honestly not done enough research outside the everyday driver market of products so these are foreign to me, for the moment.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
You should strive to avoid doing donuts in the future as all of the oil transfers to one side of the engine, starving the opposite side.
 

Eagleye

Tinkerer
Welcome, that is a rare find with those miles. Keep digging around the site, a lot of great info to keep you busy for a while.
 
Yes it looks just like all the others but this one is mine lol. Took long enough to share a photo.
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Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
How many miles have you put on the car since you got it? Is it living up to your expectations? Are you having a blast driving it?
 
I sadly have not put too many miles on it since my work schedule keeps me very busy. It absolutely has surpassed my expectations in performance and I love it. I finally drove it on sports # mode, Lord oh Mighty, it gave me butterflies stepping on the gas and feeling the power.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Maximum smiles per gallon! :tup:
 
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