Shopping for a DD: Looking for advice on purchasing a WRX

[Adrian_Visser]

I am currently in the market for a new vehicle to DD, specifically an 04-06 WRX wagon, just wondering what everybody's thoughts are on these cars.
I prefer the looks of the 04-05 front end but on the other hand I would like to find a car that isn't going to need a bunch of maintenance due to high miles.

First of all why are they so damn hard to find?

Anyway I was hoping some of the Subaru owners on here could offer some info on the various potential issues I should be looking out for when buying 04-06 WRX's.

I want a manual transmission and I understand the 5 speed is not very stout, keep in mind that I do plan to drive the car like a man not a grandmother. How bad is it?

Headgaskets... They pop often or about the same as BMW sixes?

Also what are your thoughts are on the new (2008+) WRX's? I don't know if what I have read so far is accurate but are they as bad as they sound reliability wise? There seems to be more than a few stories of engines popping and clutches frying on fairly new cars.

Any info is good info...

[10Toes]

I don't really like mine, just the way it feels and the interior is just cheap but it does do good when it is pouring down rain or snowing. The transmissions are crap, the turbo motors do not have headgasket problems but they do have weak ring-lands but they normally only break if you have a bad tune.

[iamsam]

try www.nasioc.com

[Mopri]

i just had one, a 2004 and it was not bad, but the interior really looks like a cheap one....
even my wife said that she prefered the e30 rather than the WRX...

[Eecen]

Cheyea, schweeet ride bro, do you like, rally that beast?



My vote is for this. But it's off warranty in August, so that's probably a concern.

[Adrian_Visser]

Cheyea, schweeet ride bro, do you like, rally that beast?



My vote is for this. But it's off warranty in August, so that's probably a concern.

Bro do you even 'list?

But seriously that car looks like it should be driven by your geriatric grandparents.

[cale]

I'd go for an 06/07, 2.5L vs 2.0. The 5-speeds are not the glass slipper waiting to break everyone makes them out to be. WRX's are often abused, and being an AWD car the transmissions pay the price for this. Find a lower mileage one, preferably by an older person who was looking for a sporty car while going through their midlife crisis, they are available and be ready to pounce.

They're also very tuneable on the cheap. You can quite reliably make a WRX quicker than an STI using the stock turbo for under $2k.

[notasaab]

I don't really like mine, just the way it feels and the interior is just cheap but it does do good when it is pouring down rain or snowing. The transmissions are crap, the turbo motors do not have headgasket problems but they do have weak ring-lands but they normally only break if you have a bad tune.

The 5 speed's are good, mine has 150k and still strong and shifts smoothly. The EJ257's (STi engine) are the ones that have the ringland failures and that can happen on a stock engine with a stock tune.

try www.nasioc.com

Stay away from there, there is nothing worthwhile there anyway.

I love my car, I have a Saab 92x. It's basically a WRX, as I have the Aero model. I worked at Subaru for a year and really got to know what was junk and what wasn't. The cars that rarely came in were 02-07 WRXs and 04-08 Forester XTs. Mine starts every day, never had a problem aside from things I fucked up because I was 17 and I had the mod bug. 150k and a trip to Florida and this monster still pulls 16psi and does 14.2 in the quarter.

[Adrian_Visser]

Is there a better forum than nasioc that I should be perusing?

Also does anyone on R3v have an opinion on the new WRX's? I really don't like the looks anyway but do those engines suck as bad as I have heard?

[Pantless Spency]

there fun to drive.
i worked for subaru for about a year, there pretty darn reliable is all i gotta say.

[kamotors]

I love my 2004 wrx, tons of fun, had one O2 sensor go out because I'm catless and shoot fireballs but that's about it. Fun in the dry but 10times funner in the wet.
you can beat the snot out of it. Just dont dump the clutch on pavement and you wont break a transmission ever, dirt and snow are another story

[lambo]

Just dont dump the clutch on pavement and you wont break a transmission ever

Boo... who makes a powerful awd car that you can't do crazy launches with??

[kamotors]

Boo... who makes a powerful awful car that you can't do crazy launches with??

you can do launches, just slip instead of dump..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJlEk8iQ2l4

[Ryan...]

Love mine.

Interior- Not nearly as bad as people make them sound. No, its not Audi/Merc/BMW level, but its also not 80's/90's American car bad either. Seats are nice, good visibility, more than enough room in the front/back even with my seat pretty far back (6'1).

Exterior- Subaru paint sucks dick. Honestly, its terrible.

Drive- I love how mine drives. AWD is fun, tiny bit of understeer when you push it, but the AWD more than makes up for it in terms of grip and off road shenanigans fun :)

Reliability- Mine has 192k miles on it, original headgaskets, original turbo, original transmission, second clutch still has life left on it. I just did the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and some misc pulleys; parts = $275. As said above, if you dont dump the clutch and launch it, the 5 speed is perfectly fine.

Mods: I've been Stage 2 for the past 13k miles with a cobb accessport, full 3" exhaust from the turbo back, catless uppipe, and cobb air filter which = roughly 275bhp. This past spring/summer/fall I averaged 27.7mpg hwy. Winter I get about 22 hwy.

After owning this car for over a year now, I know for certain there will always be Subie in my stable. Its fun to drive, cheap as hell to repair, and I cant think of a better year round car to handle the shitty weather months.


Here's the day we got 21" of snow in Madison. Notice that there was only one vehicle that left the parking lot before the plows came :D

[tonerrrr]

My buddy just bought a '06 STi and we flew up to CT to drive it down to FL this past weekend. I can't comment on much other than the fact that it was awesome to drive and I'd totally own one if I had an extra $20k lying around ha! The thing sticks to the road when you get on it.

Don't mind my thumb, instagram's contrast job makes it look like I stuck it in a wall socket ha