Hi there,

My best friend has a WRX Wagon and he's considering a change. I haven't had a chance to get the details as to why (his cell phone died late last night) but I know it's not quality or mechanical issues with the car.

I myself wanted a WRX before I saw the Mini. So for those of you who have a WRX or traded yours away, why did you do it?

What do you like about the WRX over the Mini?

What do you like about the Mini over the WRX?

What are your thoughts about a WRX owner trading up for a Mini? (S model)

Thank you!

-Jim

P.S. If you hijack this thread or post off the topic your browser will be permanently set to http://www.richardsimons.com

 

My wife has had a WRX wagon since August 2001. It is great. We have had no mechanical issues with it at all, and use it as our primary winter vehicle to get up to the mountains for boarding (we live in Colorodo, and needed the extra HP of the WRX to make the driving fun - sick of grinding up the hills in 4th gear).

We do alot of outdoor activities, so the space in the WRX wagon was a must for us. Now that I am ordering an MCS to replace my Saab, the WRX will become the primary biking/skiing vehicle.

I don't know what choice I would make if I had to decide between the two. I think the MCS is definitely for fun to drive, handles better, and is more attractive design wise, but I think the WRX is a bit more functional (as a wagon that is). I don't think I would buy a WRX sedan.

Ultimately, if space is not an issue, the MINI is definitely the way to go. If you need to haul a bunch of gear around and still be able to comfortable carry 4-5 people in the car, the WRX is more functional. I prefer having both!

 

At one time or another, before I decided on the MCS, I had considered:

A4
WRX
Legacy
TT
350Z (momentarily)
Passat

I thought I HAD to have AWD, and was not going to settle for anything less. RWD was just too hard to drive in the snow and ice that we get once or twice a year, and FWD cars had a torque-steer problem. The new V6 Altima is horrible in that regard.

Almost out of the corner of my eye, I read about the equal-length driveshafts on the MINI and decided to give it a try. On the way to order another car, I stopped at the MINI dealer and drove one.

Very tough to quantify, but I felt SO good about driving that car. It handled well, fit well, looked good, was easy ingress and egress, shfited crisp.... and when I walked away from it, I couldn't help but continuously look back at it (I still can't after 3 months).

So then I put my HEAD back on and ignored my stirred soul...

Mileage is fine.
Safety is fine.
Value is fine.
Storage... well, put the rear seats down and it's fine.
Rear seat room... terrible, but I was trading from a regular cab pickup truck.
Eye-appeal - unbeatable.
Handling - best available.
Price - fine.
Fun - c'mon.
Head-turning - always.

and I was sold. I still peek out into my garage and see 'that car in the magazines I liked so much' right there in MY garage!

I like the MINI for it's style and culture, two things on which the WRX has no claim...

 

Thanks for the speedy and detailed responses!

Anyone else? :smile:

-J