Yes, I tries to pm you but it said your inbox was full
Yah, sorry about that. When I got the notice, I cleaned it out. PM's accepted now. Anyway, to answer your question:
I drove a Saturn for quite awhile (long, uninteresting story, not for here), decided enough was enough, time for a new car. I wanted something with good power, 4 doors, preferred AWD, preferred something unique-ish. I looked at:
- Acura TLs (hated the new look, preferred the older design, liked the TypeS but pricey used)
- Gold GTIs (looked nice, everyone had one, only okay power)
- Ford Mustangs (really liked them, priced too high IMO, only 2 doors)
- Ford Fusions (liked the looks, had no power)
- Ford Taurus SHOs (liked it, priced too high IMO)
- Pontiac G8s (really, really really liked these, if it weren't for Pontiac going out of business I might have ended up with one of these)
- Used Neon SRT-4's (good power, really didn't want to get a neon)
- Caliber SRT-4s (good power, really didn't like the way these looked)
- Mazdaspeed3s (good power, hated the redesign smile/grin front fascia)
- Used WRX/STIs (really liked these, blown away by how high used prices were)
- Used Evos (same as the used WRX/STI)
I had kind of day-dreamed while driving the Saturn about a STI or Evo. But never really thought I'd end up in one. I wasn't a fan of the current gen STIs/WRX because they only came in hatches and I'm not a huge fan of the hatches <gasp!> - I mean, they are okay, but I can do without. Plus I felt the styling on them was meh. And then I saw the newly redesigned STI/WRX (for 2011), and there was a SEDAN! I absolutely loved the new look. It was aggressive. Bulgy. Different. Plus the price of a used WRX was almost as much as a new WRX...that's it. I'm getting a new WRX!! Bounced back and forth between WRX or STI, decided STI wasn't worth the extra money. Went to the dealership to check out WRXs...long story short(er) I decided STI's were worth the money. They didn't have what I wanted on the lot, so I ordered it from Japan and waited for it to arrive.
In short, I love it. It's a great car. I drive it almost every day (as it is my DD), and never once have I been like "meh, this car doesn't do it for me anymore." Down here, there's not many on the road (well, there are more now, but def not when I bought it), so it was totally different, and the performance is superb. I have my Mustang GT now because of this car. I took my STI to Sebring International to do an HPDE, got hooked, decided I couldn't do it my new DD, thus got the GT. Oh, and I went for WRX over Evo because the interiors are a little nicer (which isn't saying much when compared to other cars, like the GTI). But honestly, this car does it all for me. I don't miss anything. And I don't think the interior sucks at all, though that's one if its detractors. But maybe I'm easy. Anyway, I don't regret getting it. I love it, and I love driving it.