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I talked to a Phoenix area Subaru dealer this weekend, and one of the gentleman there had some information that was new to me. Hopefully it will be new to you as well.
He has been told that the allocation of STi's in the U.S. will be from 1500 to 1700.
Allocations will be based on overall sales. An average size subaru dealership can expect to receive 6 or 7 STi's. (apparently there are 240 or so Subaru dealers in the U.S.)This particular dealership is expecting to get around 13.
They have a waiting list going. $500 in cash to get on the list. This is refundable and entitles you to right of first refusal. So far there are 2 people on the waiting list.
He said they expect to sell the cars at MSRP, no more and no less. According to him, while subaru doesn't forbid it's dealers from selling over MSRP, it is "frowned upon" and could affect future allocations.
He also let me know that there is an outfit here in Phoenix called AV motorsports that is doing "conversion" jobs on regular WRX's so that they look and perform like STi's. Apparently they import the parts from Australia. They had one WRX that had been "converted" there on the lot. The car looked EXACTLY like the pictures I've seen of the UK STi, including the STi badges, wheels, etc. The dealer said that the converted cars are generating around 280 bhp. I contacted AV motorsports, they said the parts to do the conversion are $2500, $3500 for parts and installation. They claim the only major difference between the "converted" car and a real Australian STi is that it doesn't have the 6 speed transmission or the STi seats. Horsepower, torque, and handling are supposed to be virtually identical.
To me this seems to lend credibility to the idea that the STi will sell for 4 to 5 thousand dollars over the price of a base model. Meaning it should come in just under $30,000.
I hope you all found this as intersting as I have. Thanks to everyone else who has posted rumors and information.
He has been told that the allocation of STi's in the U.S. will be from 1500 to 1700.
Allocations will be based on overall sales. An average size subaru dealership can expect to receive 6 or 7 STi's. (apparently there are 240 or so Subaru dealers in the U.S.)This particular dealership is expecting to get around 13.
They have a waiting list going. $500 in cash to get on the list. This is refundable and entitles you to right of first refusal. So far there are 2 people on the waiting list.
He said they expect to sell the cars at MSRP, no more and no less. According to him, while subaru doesn't forbid it's dealers from selling over MSRP, it is "frowned upon" and could affect future allocations.
He also let me know that there is an outfit here in Phoenix called AV motorsports that is doing "conversion" jobs on regular WRX's so that they look and perform like STi's. Apparently they import the parts from Australia. They had one WRX that had been "converted" there on the lot. The car looked EXACTLY like the pictures I've seen of the UK STi, including the STi badges, wheels, etc. The dealer said that the converted cars are generating around 280 bhp. I contacted AV motorsports, they said the parts to do the conversion are $2500, $3500 for parts and installation. They claim the only major difference between the "converted" car and a real Australian STi is that it doesn't have the 6 speed transmission or the STi seats. Horsepower, torque, and handling are supposed to be virtually identical.
To me this seems to lend credibility to the idea that the STi will sell for 4 to 5 thousand dollars over the price of a base model. Meaning it should come in just under $30,000.
I hope you all found this as intersting as I have. Thanks to everyone else who has posted rumors and information.
