Well I’m looking to get a newer car soon and I’m seriously considering a wrx. I know a little bit about these cars but not enough to pull the trigger just yet. The car would be a DD and lightly modified but nothin too rediculouse. At the moment I am leaning towards a wagon just for functionality purposes something like what fuzzyfish is selling perhaps a little newer with less miles.I’m looking to spend roughly 10k but am willing to spend a little more if need be. What I am looking for is what to look out for in these cars common problems and such, as well as some ideas on where to go upgrade wise and some good forums as well.
Biggies are timing belt, and basic maintenance.
The transmissions are not the best thing in the world.
Early 02-03 clocks will be broken, most likely.
And really that is it, I’ve had no real issues.
Do it mang. Suby Wagons rock.
Wagons do rule, and with a few simple mods, they are a really good time.
What to look out for:
02 trannies are made of glass, but as long as it wasn’t abused, it should be ok for a daily driver.
OEM CD changers break sometimes.
Um, that’s all I can really think of off hand. Unlike DSMs, wrx wagons are mostly owned by older people that don’t beat the piss out of them. So just look out for crappy mods, like a cold air intake or BOV - they can hurt the motor if not tuned properly.
All of my issues have been because I beat the piss out of mine.
i know this is a little off topic, but what is the offset for an 08 wrx? +45?
Cool this is stuff I wanted to know. Just a few more questions, how roomy is the rear hatch area on the wagon it seems like a lot of the times with wagons and hatches they lack any real storage room. Do the back seats fold down or no? Also what are you getting gas mileage wise? I really would like an 05 or an 06 but I’m thinkin they may be out of my price range
the seats do fold down and they hatch area is pretty roomy. You can expect low to mid 20 mpg i would think
The transmissions aren’t glass and its a bit of a soapbox issue for me as I’m freaking tired of people saying it. They are the same as DSM stuff. If you are an idiot, you will break it plain and simple. There are plenty of people with '02s and the transmissions are perfectly fine. Hell, I’m 95k+ and still have the original clutch after auto-x, TSD and drag strips.
Real issues to check for on early '02 are the things they changed because they weren’t the best. They went to a newer radiator because of the endcaps that can leak a bit. They also stopped painting the upper radiator reservoir cap black because the paint on the inside was pealing off and going into the coolant passages (rarely clogging turbos). The transmissions changed in '04 but that was only syncro changes and other than that its just ratio changes in other years. Some say they changed the gear thickness but people still bust apart the new ones just as quickly as the old ones. Its all about final gear ratio.
Thank you! :bigclap:
Well, mine had the original clutch when I bought it a 89k miles, and that lasted about 6 months of autox. But like I said, I am harder on the car than most people would be. It’s also not stock. The instant you turn up the power, stuff is more likely to fail. And if you autox on crappy tires, the tires spin - if you run on slicks, the transmission takes a lot more of the punishment. Just try to figure out how it was treated.
Oh, and there is more room in the back than I know what to do with. I can fit an air mattress in the back without a problem. I was able to transport 16 tires with it. The gas mileage I get with the stage 2 setup is around 23. I’d get more if I ever learned to keep it out of boost all the time.