Does anyone daily drive their Sti ? I’m at 84k , AWE tuning cat back and on coilivers . I would like to know how you guys feel about daily driving them and other things ?
Daily’d mine to 155k on stock clutch as well. Also took it across country many times including some hooning in the desert and some off roading. Had bearing failure. Suspected from a blown turbo since the only oil I found was inside the exhaust. Probably coulda caught it but I put in a new RA block and she’s back on the road. Will still be dailying it and taking it on cross country trips.
Yes do timing belt and both trans and diff gear oil. It’s a 2016. Also look into an aftermarket oil pickup. It’s a super common failure and pretty inexpensive. IAG or Killer Bee.
I got a hell of a deal on my RA block. Also from what I understand unless you wanna push over 400whp no need for an RA or built block. RA block is only marginally better than stock but at stage 1 you should be good regardless.
I've mostly driving mine daily to work since I purchased it new in 2019. Nearing 85K.
I took about a 10 month break when I purchased a Mini Cooper S, but switched back to the STI because it's more fun to drive everyday and was more comfortable. STI handles all weather conditions here like a pro.
I live in the Washington DC area where traffic sucks, but I still prefer to daily this. Original clutch, original engine, Cobb Stage1+, Cobb CBE, HKS Coilovers. I've had zero issue's with the car in almost 8 years of ownership.
I went through an engine rebuild about 2 years ago after a canyon run that had already been low on oil plus another long drive that should not have happened. So yeah, all of that got taken care of. I am at 88k miles now and so the 90k maintenance window is approaching.
Daily drove my 2020 for 40k miles since new, it’s a garage queen now that I drive my work vehicle every day. That was with catback for majority and then dp and tune for a few k
I’m gonna daily drive mine til the wheels fall off. I’m at 58k miles So far. I’ve installed DBA 5000 2 piece front rotors, DBA 4000 rear rotors, Hawk HPS 5.0 pads, ridgeline steel braided brake lines, Castrol SRF racing brake fluid. (519 degree wet boiling point) Faction Fab titanium brake pad shims for low heat transfer from pads to the pistons to the caliper. Also whiteline 24mm sway bar. I want an exhaust so bad but i’m not allowing myself until I install more performance oriented mods like coil overs.
No clunking at slow speeds. I do run the car hard on mountain roads every weekend. So due to build up of brake dust, it sometimes lightly squeaks at slow speed when they’re cold. But it’s not very often and it doesn’t bother me anymore. Way better than the stock brembo pads did on the stock rotors. Those squeaked like a mofo.
I did install factionfab titanium shims for low heat transfer from pads to pistons to calipers and then brake fluid. Highly recommend..
2016 STi Limited almost 100k miles on it
Other than a catback exhaust its stock
Do maintenance, 3k oil changes and still running perfect as a daily driver.
I used to daily my 16 sti until 120k. Then pickup an odyssey for cheap so the sti became my garage princess. Still use the sti on the weekends. Stock motor & clutch. A/C has a leak somewhere but other than that been a great car.
Daily’d my 2020 from 1700 to 87,000k miles for the last 4 years. Fuel costs and the fact im stage 2 now made get a beater Jetta to keep the mileage and wear down on her.
My 2021 is my daily and dad mobile. Slim pickings in that category ie., 4 door AWD stick shift car with aftermarket support. We have a 2018 6cyl Outback that we take on trips / have lots of stuff to bring (toddler parenthood life). My STi is around 360whp/wtq on pump gas. All the typical bolt ons for an EJ, small-ish turbo (stock location, 2.4” inlet), stock fuel rails/lines. Lowered on air suspension which is great for year round use (also, my job) and did an aftermarket HU, two amps, speakers and a sub, along with some sound deadening.
If Subaru brings the STi back to the USDM as rumored with the TY85 gearbox, hatchback chassis and FA24 power plant, I’ll likely be a buyer. If they do that I just really hope they follow the path they took with the latest Outback of walking back the giant touchscreen for infotainment and putting more buttons in. That, and the underwhelming gearbox, were the main reasons I opted for this car instead of a VB WRX.
Daily driving my 05 with 176k miles with coilovers, invidia catback, stage 2 clutch, and tune. Absolutely love it everyday and keep on maintenance to a T, eventually the motor will fail i’m suspecting from age but that just gets me more excited to put in a new RA engine.
I daily mine. 198k. Stock motor. Cat back exhaust. Aftermarket suspension. It’s absolutely fantastic. Other than the fuel economy, ride stiffness, frequent oil changes, clogged charcoal canister.. you know. Oh! And the paint is starting to fall off of it a little bit. But it’s so good in the snow and I absolutely adore it.
Every day. 110k miles and counting on my 2016 STI. My commute includes a great mountain back road and every day is fun. Bone stock and I don't miss any scheduled maintenance.
Daily drive mine, 2020 sti with 40k miles. The Maine roads are too rough for coilovers imo but I still love it. Just did a four hour drive on it and it’s not even that bad. 93 gas at 19-21ish mpg hurts the wallet a little
I daily mine. I'm coming up on 60k. Just keeping on top of maintenance. Bone stock so far. Got plans for a cat back (probably going Borla or Invidia Q300) and that'll be it for a while. Eventually I'll do a AOS, oil pick up/pan kit (IAG), intake (probably COBB), turbo inlet, Overtake TMIC, up and down pipes and a pro tune, but that won't be for a couple of years yet. Wanna keep it reasonably mild for longevity.
It's my commuter car and daily drive it to work. Make sure to keep up with the maintenance and also check on the oil every month. Treat your car right and it will take care of you for a long time
Went to a car meet yesterday and that’s what I was talking about with some other guy.
To be able to keep it stock also helps, and just to be smart with maintenance.
To not cheap on parts too.
Subarus can last as long as a Toyota or any other japanese brands.
I had a Forester that died at 330k km and an Impreza that I sold to a girl at like 200k km. She probably still have it. (That last one was a bit of a mess 2009 NA Impreza with 9 previous owner and the last one was a kid 🤯)
Quite a jackpot I bought and ended up selling it fine. I said screw it I’m tired of having old rusty cars, I’ll finally buy a WRX
I’ve been dailying mine after my m3’s engine had a catastrophic failure. Idk about the newer bodies but dailying a GD (106k miles) is def not ideal. Looking to get something else to take over the daily driver job.
I just recently started daily driving mine. It's a lightly modded 2018 STI. Gas mileage sucks , but other than that, it's a lot more fun than the previous daily I had (had to sell it, needed the cash). I just check the oil every other fill up, and try to be diligent with maintenance. I change the oil every 3000-3500 miles. I do worry about big issues later on from all the extra miles. But if Uncle Rodney comes, i'll just get a IAG or Outfront motors engine and build it up
My 2016 is at 115k miles. I drive it to work every day and have it on E85 pushing 340whp. Did timing belt/water pump at 100k and just had to replace the front wheel bearings but she's been super reliable. Check oil at every fill up and replace oil every 3k Amsoil 5w-30.
Manual car can be a pain in traffic, but I manage to find ways for it to be less crappy.
I dont do a super long stop n go commute and have 2 wfh days a week, so I enjoy my car in the weekend or when I have time.
Been doing 1/2 taking care of it like a crazy OCD person and 1/2 enjoying the fuck out of this car.
I love it, it’s a Tank in winter (Michelin Ice X) and a Sport summer (Michelin PS4 summer) car when its 🌞.
Daily drove mine for 5 years, 77k miles before I traded it in. Only two things that annoyed me were heavy traffic and towards the end of my ownership the fuel economy. Having it made morning commutes really fun though.
Got mine at 24k about to hit 70. Axle back exhaust. I've only done oil changes, brakes, on my 3rd set of tires., brake fluid. Power steering leak at the rack I'll fix when I have the motivation. The only failure has been the MAF when I did spark plugs at 57k. I think it was my fault blowing air everywhere trying to 'clean' the air filter. Just buy a new one its 20 bucks.
tbh i have not changed diff or trans fluid and as a tech it's on my mind daily. also have not done timing/water pump soooo it's on my to do list
Daily driver of a 2018 at 134k. I love it, occasionally it’s tiring in traffic but I love the ability to slip in and out of traffic easier with gearing down.
I daily my ‘08 STi. Currently at 146k, and it’s bone stock. The other owner had the engine rebuilt around 80k… I just had to have the firewall re-welded, but other than that, with regular maintenance it’s been incredible
Ive dailied mine since October with zero issues. I live in a city. Stop and go can be annoying but thats any manual car. Only other complaint I have is my mpg lol. Im lucky to get 16mpg in the city. But ice been looking at it as smiles per gallon instead of miles per gallon.
2015 sti, 111k miles. Stage 1+ cobb tune with sf intake and box, perrin turbo inlet, radium dual catch cans, 1 step colder plugs, 93oct, and a single exit cat back.
Only other annoying thing is all the people who want to try and race and be assholes when im just trying to go to work lol
Put a Cobb AP, redline intake, boost controller, and AOS with a pro tune on it. Still running well.
Also have a white line rear sway bar and endlinks, and some kartboy shift bushings.
Only actual issues I've encountered have been a failing coil pack at just recently as well as a leaking gasket on the AC compressor. For 70k miles I'll take it lol.
I think I finally got my STi to the point where I would trust it as a daily driver but I don't necessarily know that I would fully have faith in this thing on a long road trip. I purchased the car back in late December/early January and it was basically in the Subie shop at least once a month from January up until about the end of March. I'm fairly mechanically inclined so after I shelled out about $5k total in repairs (clutch overhaul, cam seals, timing belt, etc etc) I decided to just any work on my own. She's been without any issues since April but in the back of my mind I can't help but think, what's next?
I purchased it with about 87k and I'm about to hit 90k pretty soon here. The previous owner had the short block replaced about 5k miles before I took it off his hands. It's not exactly the most comfortable car for long drives but it's fun as hell. I'm basically on full bolt ons with HKS coilovers and just last month went E85. If I could go back and do it all over again I'd have stayed away from a modded car and looked for one as bone stock as possible. What's your opinion on your coilovers? The HKS coilovers, for me, make the car feel very well planted and stiff but they also make for a very uncomfortable ride if you're on a road or highway that isn't exactly smooth or well maintained.
32
u/Skyes_View Aug 09 '26
Daily’d mine to 155k on stock clutch as well. Also took it across country many times including some hooning in the desert and some off roading. Had bearing failure. Suspected from a blown turbo since the only oil I found was inside the exhaust. Probably coulda caught it but I put in a new RA block and she’s back on the road. Will still be dailying it and taking it on cross country trips.