Why? if you can only own one car, don't have a lot of money, and perhaps live in a climate that is not as boring as California (I'm teasing) this car and the STI are a dream come true. The only thing better would be a wagon
As a die hard rally fan I happen to like the way these cars look (not that there is no room for improvement). I actually like the older Evo 5&6 better (even more aggressive boy racer styling) but they never came to the states. As for the cheap plastic bits, well the Subaru is better but not much. I find the cheapness a part of the charm to some degree, for example when I have driven Audi's and BMW's with similiar performance levels, the luxury tends to isolate you from the driving experience, which is certainly not the case with these rally specials.