That was short lived

kc8apf · « **on:** 11 Feb 2014, 07:20 am »

Picked up my 2014 Suburu STi hatchback on 1/30. I had to call around to find a blue one and ended up driving an hour to get it. Here she is at the dealership while I finish the paperwork:

9 days and 700 miles later, I get rear-ended on the highway. Truck in front of me stopped short. I stopped with some room to spare. SUV behind me couldn't and tried to swerve to avoid me. He ended up hitting the rear wheel instead of the bumper. Control arms are bent. Still waiting on an estimate from the shop. Insurance is covering the repairs but now I have to wait a few weeks to finish breaking in the engine.

JohnR · « **Reply #1 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 07:29 am »

Man that really sucks.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #2 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 05:59 pm »

Glad you're OK.

That sucks!

A good friend of mine is shopping around for one of those right now, and they are completely sold out around Toronto. Great cars.

He's been driving a Forester as a work car the past 2 years, and his 2002 911 4S convertible in the summer. He wants something more "fun" for work, and I know the WRX is the ticket for him!

Hope they repair it to your satisfaction.

Vapor Audio · « **Reply #3 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 06:14 pm »

Yeah bummer, with any suspension damage, take it to the BEST shop you can find in your area. Thousands of an inch off can affect the balance of the entire car ...

The STI and Evo are both cars I want to like, they sure offer a lot. They're just so sedan'ish.

You planning on doing any mods?

DaveC113 · « **Reply #4 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 06:20 pm »

I just picked up a 2014 WRX, have about 1k miles on it so far. I had a 2010 before that and the '14 handles better and is a good bit faster (even though the power ratings are the same). It's actually much closer to my friend's '12 STi than he is comfortable with... and it is noticeably faster.

If you stiffened up the sus a bit you couldn't tell the difference driving them both on the street. The Sti is awesome but you are really paying for features that matter on a racetrack rather than public roads. In any case, they are great cars! kc8, hope you get yours back in good shape!

kc8apf · « **Reply #5 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 07:12 pm »

It's at an independent, Subaru-only shop that is _the_ local place for WRXs. The body shop wanted to do the suspension work but understood when I told them I wanted the other shop to. They are in the same complex so it's not a big deal to move it between them. Body shop thinks they can have it done by the end of the month. They are going to replace the whole quarter panel. Glad they are a preferred shop for my insurance. No haggling over doing the job right.

electricbear · « **Reply #6 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 07:27 pm »

That sucks, bet you can't wait it get it back. I had an H6 Outback sedan that got nailed in a hailstorm after only about 6 months of ownership so I know how you are feeling. You might think that a hailstorm would not cause much damage but the insurance paid out over $14k to have it repaired. Currently drive a 2010 Outback Sport ( its on the Imprezza platform). Would love an STI but I have a sportbike to feed my need for speed.

SoCalWJS · « **Reply #7 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 07:37 pm »

Well that Sucks!!!

Hope that it gets done right or they take care of you with a new one!

I had a regular WRX (non STi) Hatchback (2006?) in the blue. Loved it! Didn't keep it long though.

Couldn't fit my golf bag in sideways (had to put it in the back seat or put the seats down), but the BIG factor:

Every time I took it to the dealer I bought it from for add-ons or service: They broke something, then said I brought it in that way.

They scratched the center dashboard when they put in a new cabin filter, and they broke the rearview mirror on a routine service.

Sure was a fun car though.

JLM · « **Reply #8 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 08:56 pm »

I put my first car in the shop after just a month of ownership, so I feel for ya.

I'm loving my '09 Outback through this long, hard winter (8 inches of clearance, heated seats, heats up quick, even the wipers all work great). Just wish service was cheaper (but maybe I'm spoiled by my previous three cars being Toyotas).

nature boy · « **Reply #9 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 09:27 pm »

My son loves his 2006 WRX (non-STI) and has done some modifications. The latest was a stainless steel exhaust system - it really purs.

I really enjoy my 2013 Outback - its been great this winter. Great riding car and love the heated seats. I put in an aftermarket sound system. The stock radio blue tooth phone system sucks. So far no problems

NB

keenween · « **Reply #10 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 10:04 pm »

Ouch, sorry!!!

I have a '02 WRX and its been a nice reliable car. I did some mods way back, went SS turboback catless exhaust with a comp flash, new sway bars, rear strut bar, springs, brakes. Super fun car with good tires!!! Fun in snow too

Hope the repairs go to your liking!!!

DaveC113 · « **Reply #11 on:** 11 Feb 2014, 10:41 pm »

Also I should mention that if you need winter tires on your wrx/sti I got 235/45/17 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4s, and they are amazing! Great snow tires but also great on dry pavement too... they aren't as good as my Michelin pilot super sport summer tires but it's amazing how close they come.

lowtech · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 Feb 2014, 12:53 am »

Quote from: DaveC113 on 11 Feb 2014, 06:20 pm

I just picked up a 2014 WRX, have about 1k miles on it so far.

I recommend you try this. I was skeptical to try it on my bone-stock '14 but I've been smiling ever since actually doing it.

DaveC113 · « **Reply #13 on:** 12 Feb 2014, 01:53 am »

lowtech, I have a downpipe and cobb tuner from my '10 WRX and it fits on the '14

I'm going to stick with the cobb tuning as the dealer is ok with it and won't take my warranty away... be careful with warranty issues, seems like every dealer has a different policy on mods.

kc8apf · « **Reply #14 on:** 12 Feb 2014, 04:25 am »

Quote from: DaveC113 on 11 Feb 2014, 06:20 pm

I just picked up a 2014 WRX, have about 1k miles on it so far. I had a 2010 before that and the '14 handles better and is a good bit faster (even though the power ratings are the same). It's actually much closer to my friend's '12 STi than he is comfortable with... and it is noticeably faster. If you stiffened up the sus a bit you couldn't tell the difference driving them both on the street. The Sti is awesome but you are really paying for features that matter on a racetrack rather than public roads. In any case, they are great cars! kc8, hope you get yours back in good shape!

I got the STi over the WRX mainly for the seats. The extra power and SI-DRIVE are nice but I wanted the suede. Of course, now that I have it, I feel it would be an injustice to not take it to the track. A friend has been taking his BRZ to autocross days at the local track. Once I get the STi engine broken in, I'll start joining.

kc8apf · « **Reply #15 on:** 12 Feb 2014, 04:29 am »

Quote from: DaveC113 on 11 Feb 2014, 10:41 pm

Also I should mention that if you need winter tires on your wrx/sti I got 235/45/17 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4s, and they are amazing! Great snow tires but also great on dry pavement too... they aren't as good as my Michelin pilot super sport summer tires but it's amazing how close they come.

I thought it was rather obtuse to sell a car that includes the winter package with summer tires. It's not a big deal in the San Jose area until I want to go up to Tahoe. I'm trying to decide if buying another wheel set for all-seasons is worth it or not. Guess it depends on how often I go to the track.

kc8apf · « **Reply #16 on:** 12 Feb 2014, 04:32 am »

Quote from: Vapor Audio on 11 Feb 2014, 06:14 pm

You planning on doing any mods?

Not initially. I've never driven a 300HP car or one with AWD regularly so I need to get comfortable with it before I start changing things. I've thought about different tires, upgrading suspension, and seeing if there is a way to get the torque to kick in a bit closer to 2k RPM.

DS-21 · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 Feb 2014, 05:02 am »

Don't forget to get an appraisal of the damage, because the lorry-driver's insurance company will try to stiff you on diminished value.

Significant damage to a brand new car should result in a very hefty check for diminished value. After all, the car is worth markedly less now than it was prior to impact. You should be made fully whole.

kc8apf · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 Feb 2014, 06:08 am »

That's an interesting idea. Certainly having an accident attached to the car will lower the street value when it shows up on the CarFax. I'm not worried about it getting repaired back to new condition. Assuming they do, I don't plan to sell it any time soon.

Doublej · « **Reply #19 on:** 13 Feb 2014, 12:53 am »

Quote from: DS-21 on 12 Feb 2014, 05:02 am

Don't forget to get an appraisal of the damage, because the lorry-driver's insurance company will try to stiff you on diminished value.

Significant damage to a brand new car should result in a very hefty check for diminished value. After all, the car is worth markedly less now than it was prior to impact. You should be made fully whole.

How does one go about getting a check for diminished value? I thought the insurance company would only pay for repairs to the vehicle and even that is somewhat sketchy in that they may try to force the repair shop to use aftermarket instead of OEM parts to lower the repair cost.