[mostroad]

I really want a 335i touring, or, even better, a 1-series 5-door hatchback. I have waited for a year for news of one of the two to be brought to the U.S., but still no such good news.

So... I am leaving the BMW fold, and just put a deposit on a Subaru WRX XTi 5-door hatchback. It's looks are debatable, but it's performance, utility, and reliability are not. 305hp, 290 ft/lbs, 3100 lbs curb weight. And it costs just under $40k, loaded. It should arrive in January or February.

Good bye BMW. I really wanted either of 2 cars that you offer everywhere but the U.S. Mazda, Audi, Subaru, and others are willing to deliver high-performance hatches. I am sorry that you are not.

--Mark

[discoboy1]

New impreza and WRX styling is boring good luck with your new car

[BK]

Yeah, I think you'd be waiting a long, long time for a E91 335 or 1er hatchback. Good luck with the new vehicle.

[Fraggy]

Bye! There is no way in hell Id pay $40k for a subaru.

[ChaneRZ]

yeah. for 40k i would have bought something nice.

[dth656]

i've always wondered the same thing, why aren't all these high perf wagon/estates not available in the US? i've seen pix of an m5 wagon in europe, as an example.

will your STi have folding seats and a factory roof rack? i think both those things add a lot of utility to the car...

[Buffalo_Bush]

when i saw the new sti at the la auto show i was much more impressed with it from what i had previously seen in magazines. but yeah bmw needs to bring those cars to the us. i loved the looks of the last 1 series 5 door hatch back. i never looked at the weight on those but am kinda turned of at the weight of the new one series. i know my 3 is a porker but its not supposed to be a tiny car like a one should be. they needed a better diet for it. i'm curious, does anyone know the weight of the new sti?

[Kit523]

Originally Posted by mostroad

I really want a 335i touring, or, even better, a 1-series 5-door hatchback. I have waited for a year for news of one of the two to be brought to the U.S., but still no such good news.

So... I am leaving the BMW fold, and just put a deposit on a Subaru WRX XTi 5-door hatchback. It's looks are debatable, but it's performance, utility, and reliability are not. 305hp, 290 ft/lbs, 3100 lbs curb weight. And it costs just under $40k, loaded. It should arrive in January or February.

Good bye BMW. I really wanted either of 2 cars that you offer everywhere but the U.S. Mazda, Audi, Subaru, and others are willing to deliver high-performance hatches. I am sorry that you are not.

--Mark

sorry man but paying almost 40k for a jap car and super cheap interior looking, for me it's not worth it....if i were you i would have wait a little bit longer since u had already waited for a yr already
or maybe you can just go get a used E92 335i? for 41k-42k?

Ps: i sat in a 2008 WRX few days ago( i dun think that the STI will be that much a different) it was cheap as fuxk=( compare to the 3 series

[Tag]

Originally Posted by Fraggy

Bye! There is no way in hell Id pay $40k for a subaru.

+1

[335Transformer]

I feel sorry for you needing a grocery hauler that bad. Sad really.

[sparkyg]

Slow car, overrated and their like bellybuttons.

Your money....

The 2008 is so plain and watered down. Subaru is not a premium brand and resale will be even worse.

[mostroad]

Any other alternatives or suggestions?

Money is not the object (within reason). I like the 335 sedan, but I really need a small wagon or 5-door hatchback, with great performance and acceleration. I looked at the Audi A3, but the power and performance were middling. I want more power than the e91 328.

The Subie is not ideal, and the interior is not BMW or Audi. I would not call the exterior boring, but I may call it ugly (I'll have to wait until I see it in person):

http://www.zercustoms.com/photos/200...TI-34.jpg.html

[Zeroday]

I think the replies in this thread are in line with your original post; the whole goodbye BMW 'dear john' letter is really lame and obviously intended to be inflammatory. If you really wanted feedback on a different choice you should have chosen your words more carefully. Buy your subaru or whatever and don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.

[BMCoupe_782]

Congrats...you definitely won't regret it. I don't miss my Sti but I do remember the good times with it. Mine was heavily tuned and the performance was second to none. Have to disagree with the resale...I got an excellent price when I sold mine. They're still hot cars and the new design looks good!!

[E90ice]

Originally Posted by Zeroday

I think the replies in this thread are in line with your original post; the whole goodbye BMW 'dear john' letter is really lame and obviously intended to be inflammatory. If you really wanted feedback on a different choice you should have chosen your words more carefully. Buy your subaru or whatever and don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.

+100

[Nikolas]

Originally Posted by sparkyg

Slow car, overrated and their like bellybuttons.

Your money....

The 2008 is so plain and watered down. Subaru is not a premium brand and resale will be even worse.

Slow? My old STI would kick my 335xi's ass on the track.

As for resale - I paid $29,500 for it in October 2004 - put 34,000 miles on it and got $24,500 for in July 2007.

I am surprised that they cost just under $40,000 now. I would look into the price a little more. I paid $3500 under MSRP when I got mine.

They may not be as nice on the interior, but they are way more reliable and much less expensive to maintain than any BMW.

Now they are not comfortable as a daily driver at all. The BMW is a better car to live with on a daily basis. For track driving, they are awesome.

[mostroad]

Zeroday -- Why all the bitterness? I don't see the need to be so personally nasty.

I have owned 12 BMW's over the years. And like the cars, I just wish that BMW NA would import the car that I want, and not overlook loyal owners like me.

[noro]

Originally Posted by mostroad

Zeroday -- Why all the bitterness? I don't see the need to be so personally nasty.

I have owned 12 BMW's over the years. And like the cars, I just wish that BMW NA would import the car that I want, and not overlook loyal owners like me.

I certainly can understand your point of view. Unfortunately it all comes down to supply <-> demand, and there isn't enough demand for hatchbacks in the US. German makes keep getting burned with hatchbacks in US.

[BMCoupe_782]

Originally Posted by Nikolas

They may not be as nice on the interior, but they are way more reliable and much less expensive to maintain than any BMW.

Now they are not comfortable as a daily driver at all. The BMW is a better car to live with on a daily basis. For track driving, they are awesome.

+1

[Zeroday]

Originally Posted by mostroad

Zeroday -- Why all the bitterness? I don't see the need to be so personally nasty.

I have owned 12 BMW's over the years. And like the cars, I just wish that BMW NA would import the car that I want, and not overlook loyal owners like me.

So what was the point of your post then? If you have something to say to BMW NA, email them?

[John 070]

Originally Posted by Zeroday

So what was the point of your post then? If you have something to say to BMW NA, email them?

Maybe he thought that the powers that be at BMW give a **** on what is discussed here?

[E90ice]

Originally Posted by Nikolas

Slow? My old STI would kick my 335xi's ass on the track.

As for resale - I paid $29,500 for it in October 2004 - put 34,000 miles on it and got $24,500 for in July 2007.

I am surprised that they cost just under $40,000 now. I would look into the price a little more. I paid $3500 under MSRP when I got mine.

They may not be as nice on the interior, but they are way more reliable and much less expensive to maintain than any BMW.

Now they are not comfortable as a daily driver at all. The BMW is a better car to live with on a daily basis. For track driving, they are awesome.

I wouldn't say they are WAAAY more reliable than a BMW...