If you had to downgrade from an STI what would you switch to?

Criteria: It has to be a manual that's 1) fun 2) sporty 3) fairly new 4) Four doors.

I don't necessarily want to ditch my STI; but, just bought a home and would prefer to take some of the positive equity I have in that car and have it as some reserve for any kind of home emergency.

My current short list is a downgrade to a WRX, a 9th gen Si with the sweet end of year deals Honda is running, FoST or FiST with their deals or x-plan. I was going to trade it towards a truck but most dealers won't give me anything on trade for the STI towards a truck, if it's a sports car for a sportscar I'm getting upwards of $4500 more on trade. Then I was going to take my wife's current Foz, sell it, and get an older WRX but that's not panning out how I'd like to.

So WRX, Si, FoST or FIST, what else is out there? I've even just considered a Fit plus an older car to have fun with. 15 Fits can be had for pretty cheap.

MS3

Oooo didn't think aboot those.

In reply to DirtyBird222:

Different reason for me, but also looking to sell my 04 Evo8RS.

You have expensive downgrades!

I was thinking:

• Mazda 2
• Plain Focus
• Plain Mazda 3 or 6
• Fusion
• Plain Golf
• Mini
• Older Acura Tsx-Ilx
• Older BMW 5 series
• Older G35-7s
• Older MBs
• First gen CTS
• I still have not priced ATSs.

Tdi jetta sportwagen. It'll last forever, great mileage, can be made to handle and make silly power and has more utility so you won't crave a truck as much. Also see Ralliart wagon, turbo Volvo wagons and 9X2.

BMW 330i.

captdownshift wrote: Tdi jetta sportwagen. It'll last forever, great mileage, can be made to handle and make silly power and has more utility so you won't crave a truck as much. Also see Ralliart wagon, turbo Volvo wagons and 9X2.

+1 on this idea. I will also throw out the Miata.

Buy a different car if that's what you really want, but I don't think you're going to save a ton of money by doing this.

Keep the STI? Like Woody said... How much positive equity do you have left after you take the depreciation hit then buy something else then pay tax and tags on it? An extra mortgage payment or two and a car that is not what you want? Keep it 10 years after it's paid for and you will have saved something.

I agree, sounds like a hard way to save a small amount of money. You can sell the car quickly if you get in a jam and you should be building equity in it as time evolves, depending on if and how you financed it. That said, in my mind, as a daily driver ( not as a track car) downgrading to a standard WR-X, especially a wagon, is an upgrade from an ST-I.

In reply to DirtyBird222:

You aren't going to build equity in your house by buying another car. But if you want a new car there is nothing wrong with that.

When I bought my house I worked an extra part time gig once a week. I made about $800 a month and I put $200 of that toward principal every month. The rest went to diapers and etc. It doesn't seem like much at first, but even small payments to principal up front make a huge difference at the tail end of the loan.

But if you want a new car there is nothing wrong with that.

Other than financially.

If you can get a mortgage, could you just get a signature loan for the few thousand dollars you're likely to get out of downgrading your DD and just make the payments on it as you go along rather than downgrading your car? I've taken out a loan just to maintain some 'liquidity' before.. and the sad thing is, the main impetus was my desire to be able to jump on more car deals.

I was going to buy an STI, but ended ip buying a WRX instead. With all the bells and whistles of the premium package the cost was nearly the same as an STI. Going from an STI to a WRX does not sound like a real money saver to me unless you are also going to an earlier model year.

Did you try getting it appraised at Carmax? Then you can get a truck or whatever if that's what you did want. Worst case scenario they don't offer enough to make you happy. An hour wasted, oh well.

A Mazda2 with some suspension goodies is a silly amount of fun, especially to autocross.

MVkVI GTI?

We need a acronym reference sticky.

So WRX, Si, FoST or FIST

In reply to dean1484:

I followed WRX, Si, FoST and FiST just fine. It was the use of 'Foz' that I didn't get.

If you are thinking about a 2015/2016 WRX it's no step down from a STi. It's more of a lateral move. I went with the WRX. And it is good.

I get lost after WRX & STI

Id get a FoST

But I'm partial to those

FoRS, oh wait that'd be a huge step up

Many of those don't look like they would save much $$. Dropping to an early 9th gen Si might do the trick though.

I would just get a part time job if possible; but, I'm back in school for a second bachelors (work is paying for so score) and I'm in the Reserves, plus kids. So that's not an option. The STI isn't breaking the bank, my idea was to trade, take the $2k or so equity check to just have in reserves in the bank, finance the next car which would still somewhat cheaper than payments on the STI (WRX = $113 a month between payment and insurance, Si like $240 between payment and insurance). I also live closer to my job and school and no longer have to take a toll road to commute.

The last house we rented was the case if it can go wrong it did go wrong. A/C went out, then it got mold in the drywall because they refused to replace the A/C in ample time and we lived close to a body of water in swampy land, electrical issues, some kind of disease in the saint Augustine grass that killed it, leaking roof, the list went on. It was a nightmare but it also gave us a great perspective into what to expect in owning a home.

And thank you all for the input. I know the real money saver would be to get a bugeye wrx or 8th gen si or something along those lines. But I really don't have the patience to deal with tire kickers and flat brimmers with a private sale.

I don't know if you could really call it a downgrade, but you could always get a Fairmont.