i think i might be in a position to opt into this discussion, now having gone from a 92 (st184) celica, to a 2005 camry sportivo, to a 2005 corolla sportivo, now to a 2011 wrx hatch. the wrx has it's obvious advantages (handling, power, safety) which would appeal to anyone, but for me the new wrx hatch moved away from the 'boy-racer' reputation that came attached to previous shape models. i don't intend to modify it much, if at all, as it already ticks all the boxes for me as it is. i purchased the car as i wanted something new that i would intend on keeping for at least 5 or more years, if not even longer. but having that as my daily driver and access to that sort of performance does not make me regret my past purchases, and it certainly wasn't a learning curve to found out what i wanted in a car. i miss the corolla, and would punch someone square in the face if they were to put it down in any way. the way i had that car set up just before selling it would almost rival the wrx in lateral grip levels. they were great cars for what they were. all the aurions, camrys and corollas are special in their own way and personally, the way some of them have been tastefully modified beats the **** out of a lot of so called "performance" cars