I'm 16 and looking for a nice quick little car for under 16k, i've been looking at the Neon SRT, and the Impreza WRX, however, i'm a bit worried because everyones been telling me FWD is no good, your thoughts?

 

I think its more a matter of opinion.
AWD definetely has its advantages over FWD, but its not like FWD is no good.
I have both Subaru, & D/C/J here at the dealership & love them both. The WRX is definetely a better choice for Autocross, joyrides through the twisties, & driving through bad weather.
But the SRT-4 is better for straight line speed, & showing off some H.P. & you loose less H.P. through the drivetrain.

So I think it really depends on what you plan on doing with the car.

 

Mostly will be used just as a daily driver, and taken out to the drag strip on weekends.
I want to be able to win on the strip though, and everyones been telling me FWD = FAIL. However, the SRT's are obviously a performance model, so why would it be fail on performance.

 

I would say definitly get the srt 4.... not just because i have one

wrx's are not drag cars! not even STI's... they are dedicated rally road race cars meant to take corners like a beast...

plus i dont want you to regret your decision when all the srt 4's whoop on you at the drags and your sitting there in your wrx wishing you weren't...

Im just a little sensitive to the subject because i hate the attitudes of all the evo and sti drivers in the world thinking they are king of the road, iv'e only had 1 evo spank me out of about 10 that i have whooped on... dont get me wrong i love the cars, was even thinking about getting one, but then i test drove the srt-4...

we dont have to convince you.... just go drive them both and then you will know...

 

I'm 16, I can't test drive.

The FWD doesn't give you any problems at the strip?
Everyone I ask is saying that all the RWD are gonna shoop da whoop on me.
I really like the WRX, but the SRT-4 will save me some money, stock SRT-4 Vs. WRX, who would win?
In a drag, and in a race with turns and what not.

 

1/4 mile, the SRT-4 will have a slight H.P. advantage (stock vs stock) but it really comes down to driving.

anything with turns, the Subaru will have the advantage. Again, the driver plays a big part when it comes to vehicles with very similar H.P.

 

I dont think you should base your purchasing decision off which car is a couple tenth's quicker @ the track. But more on which car will suit your needs, & your taste.

If your looking for all around performance. The Subaru is a well rounded performance vehicle in almost all situations.
But if you looking to light up the tires, go fast,& make cool noises between shifts, the SRT-4 is a great choice.

 

I do like the WRX a bit more, but it also will cost me a good 4k more.

 

Yeah Baby!!!

Its all good...just get a SRT-4 and save some $$$...

 

Rwd and AWD vehicles have better weight transfer than Fwd vehicles. Awd has more weight than Fwd and Rwd. The AWD will grab better from a dead stop but once the cars start rolling, with similar power, the SRT-4 will start to catch up and eventually pass.
All in all, the srt-4 doesn't suck at the track by any means. They are harder to launch without spinning and that's what people talk about. The thing about AWD is that the power has to be split up between all 4 wheels. With any 2wd, the power only has to be sent to two wheels. Fwd spins a lot more than both. There are plenty of srt-4s that will beat any type of other car if properly set up. There are srt-4s running 9s in the quarter mile so you can't say that they can't beat V8s or AWDs etc.
If you do go to the track with an srt-4, it's best to get sticker tires. Like I said, FWD is harder to launch from a dead stop without spinning. My dad saw a Mustang get raped from a dead stop by an srt-4. It all depends on the driver.
I love my srt-4.

One other thing: Since the SRT-4 has all its weight in the front, the butt is pretty light. That's one reason why AWD is superior to FWD in the twisties.