Subaru dilemna: WRX STi vs BRZ

Sup Veeky Forums, I have a dilemna over my next car:

First important thing I need to mention is that I'm living in Qatar, so the choices on the market are not the same as the US or the Europe (you won't find any Civic type-R, Genesis coupe or Focus RS for instance), plus the second hand market is absolutely pitiful for sports cars, so a brand new one is mandatory.

Basically I need a daily driver that can also do trackdays, shouldn't be FWD (so no Veloster turbo), should be MT (so no 370Z, only available as AT) and should have some manner of practicality (so no Miata).

Which, leaves only the BRZ in the affordable new car range, which would be the end of that if the Subaru dealership didn't offer a nice price cut on its last 2016 WRX STi.

The jump looks very tempteing to be honest, even it it's a 12k jump, since the WRX Sti has much more...car; more space, more equipement, AWD, more power and boost.

Yet obviously the BRZ is the driver's choice and would actually work as a daily, but its practicality might be an issue (I don't know if would even fit a standard size suitcase).

Then there's the trackday matter, the Losail race circuit looks a bit too big for the BRZ whereas the WRX would have all the space in the world to stretch its legs.

So in the end, both have pros over the other: the practicality and track potential (relative to the STi) of the BRZ worries me, while I'm not sure about the STi's punishing ride and less pure driving experience, aside from the steep price hike.

Thoughts? How are those cars to live with?

just get a mustang gt.

17k more expensive than the STi, even the Ecoboost one is 4k more expensive.

Also I don't dig the styling.

I'm having the same dilemma. Honestly the only thing you can do is test drive both and pick the better experience.

Unfortunately the dealership doesn't have manuals available for test drives.

Id go STI but it all depends on what you're looking for. Drive both and see which will be better for yourself.

Whoops, shoulda read more. Anyway, in that case id say STI for practicality. Its pretty big and offers more.

Hard to compare the two, priced very different and completely diverse characteristics of the two. Ask me any questions OP

At the track I thought the BRZ was really impressive given its low power. A good driver can really do A lot thanks to the cars handling.

I owned the Saaburu WRx back in the day and liked it a lot as well.

I would take the BRZ and pocket the extra money.

I've heard the ride in the STi is pretty punishing, what about the BRZ? Tarmac here is silky smooth but there are quite a few speedhumps.

I'm slightly concerned about the torque dip in the daily driving range but I think it'd be fine if the overall feel of the car lives up to its reputation.

The sti is a rough ride but on smooth roads you hardly feel anything (especially with good tires). The torque dip in the 86 is over exaggerated a bit, has always been an enjoyable drive even before I got the header and tune it's going to be a much better daily driver, but even then it's got some advantages over the sti with its precise steering,seating position, and weight. Throwing it around a turn is very nice and leaves plenty of confidence behind the wheel. I think it's a great car but not for everybody if you don't have nice roads or tracks to enjoy it.

don't forget your vape if you go with the STi

You can leave your suitcase in the rear seats. I don't know if that will get your Windows busted, I don't know how things are in kebabland.

WRX STI has a better resale value.

The BRZ/GT86 is being mass produced like bread loafs and drops 4k in value every year.

Thanks for the info, the general feel of the car is what would made me side with the BRZ, plus I could fit a used wagon in the price gap. Also the WAF of the STi is pretty terrible with its red color and gigantic wing, not that the BRZ fares much better but it has a significant price advantage.

Well I'm most likely going to mull over it for some time but those were some really useful pieces of advice, thanks guys!

With that said, the STI is still going to have some advantages over the BRZ too, it will make power easier,grip road alot more, and at high speeds it will stay nice and planted without you feeling like you're going faster than you should or starting to lose traction. The brembos are nice, just do a little research on the AWD system because if you're oblivious you can easilly start messing up differential and or clutch when trying to launch it. Both good cars OP

You should go try both but I made this decision earlier this year, I went with the sti for the 100 extra hp and torque the brz just feels slow. Also the awd system is pretty good. Idk how much a mustang gt is in qatar but thats a good price here.

speed bumps are extremely harsh (dd 17 sti) but those smooth roads with the awd and good tires will be dank, I dont think the reduced weight and rwd of the brz is worth the huge loss of torque. Plus the fact you can make the sti way faster.

>living in guitar
>wants to drive a shitbox
Just buy a Lamborghini huracan or something.
Why would you want to embrace yourself?

Get a real STI

How long will you be living there? It might not be worth it to purchase a new car.

You going to paint that scoop and vents?

4 years so that'll be outlasting the warranty by a year.

And I really want to take advantage of living near a racetrack that does track days, but those kind of cars on the used market are not in pretty shape at all.

Mustangs are good value in the US but here the Ecoboost is the price of the 2017 STi, and the GT costs Cayman money.

Sadly I'm not aN oil prince, otherwise I'd buy a McLaren F1.

They are painted.

They're not the right color

Well if you have the money, go for it. Idk if ur military or whatever but it might be wiser to save if you won't be able to take it back with you. If you're just some business man with more disposable income then he'll yeah, sports car. My money goes to STI if it's going to be your only car.

Get the BRZ. It's cheaper and more fun.
AWD sucks on tarmac. Sti, EVO, all trash on pavement. AWD requires dirt, otherwise you just tear up clutches and break shit.

>My money goes to STI if it's going to be your only car.

Getting the BRZ means getting a second practical car which is not that big of a deal when considering the used car market. Getting the STi would mean getting a single car for both the practical stuff and the fun stuff, but the capacity of the STi of fulfilling that role is perhaps the biggest unknown. And without a means to drive it beforehand, I'm trying to gather info where I can, not ideal but not really an option.

That said the fact that people are split between the BRZ and STi leads me to believe that there are not inherently bad choice, just need to find the most adequate one.

You're right, both are practical enough to daily but I wouldn't describe either as particularly practical. Obviously the STI will be more practical with the rear seats which is why I suggested it. If you are going to be taking people in the backseat with any sort of consistency l, get the STI, BRZ back seats are literally unusable for adults with legs

Why not the standard WRX? Cost the same as the BRZ with almost all the benefits of the STI.

Availability is an issue for these sportier models over here, but something to keep in mind.

gt86

Ill paint them orange just in spite of you.

idk what you guys have in Qatar, but in the USA we have a word for people that track cars they can barely afford.

That word is retard.