Question(s) for Subaru owners out there

[Corey]

Not technically problems but a few other things that I wish subaru would improve:

• Sound insulation could be better. I find it a little noisier in the cabin than most other cars.
  
• The seats in mine are really cheap feeling - but the STI would have better seats.
  
• IIRC, the scheduled maintenance is much more frequent and expensive than my VW Jetta 1.8T or Honda Civic were. May vary by locale - I'm in Canada.
  
• The tranny seems to have a lot of backlash compared to other cars I've driven. Probably a different tranny in the STI though.
  

Good list! I can definitely concur with 1, 2, and 4. The tranny backlash seems to be a Subaru thing. I've got the 05 STI tranny in my WRX and have driven every year of STI but the current one, they all have that sloppy feeling when you're on and off the throttle in low gears.

[Jack M]

Someone either on here or a BMW forum I read said to avoid the STi like the plague due to poor reliability. I'd stick with the regular WRX unless you can afford regular shop visits or DIY. bschurman had an Audi S4 that he said was in the shop twice a year, minimum $1200 each time - don't know if that translates to the S3. If you're in the range of an S3, you might consider a BMW 330xi wagon. It's AWD with a 3 liter inline-6. Historically more reliable than Audi. "Only" about 225hp (a bit more on the new generation), but it's quick and one sweet ride. I love my '03 sedan. Gets decent mileage too, like 22/29. I just did a 100 mile trip yesterday (15 miles city, 85 highway) and averaged 28.3mpg with the cruise on 75 on the highway.