svensko

I am going to be in the car market in early August because quite frankly my 240 is not worth the trouble or effort at the moment. For reference it is a stock 95 with a KA24DE.

I am looking to replace it with an 03 or 04 WRX. I prefer the looks of the 04 but would settle with an 03 for the right price. Either way, is there anything about these cars that one should know about? Any major issues that would keep you for buying one?

I'm open to more suggestions as long as they are four-door, and preferably turbo.

Thanks!

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HyperTek

Reason to get one.. CAR SPOTLIGHT>>10.5J BUGEYE - Speedhunters

you never see any fixed up like this. =D

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svensko

Wow, first bugeye I've actually really liked.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a DD through grad school and thus mods aren't on the menu.

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ESmorz

Not unless you have something against quick, reliable cars that are fun to drive in any weather and on any terrain.

Lol.

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Kamburrito

the impreza wagon.. is my dream car. only 7000 short. ill be there soon.

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svensko

I'm also considered Honda sedans and SRT-4s.

If I get a Honda, it's going to be depressingly slow unless if it's swapped. If it's swapped I have to essentially trust the previous owner to have not cut corners, which is a no go.

I've heard the SRT-4s crash tests ratings are atrocious and I'd rather not die.

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ronmcdon

Never owned a bug-eye WRX, but had 06 Pig-nose sti for about a yr and half.
Insurance is typically high.
gas mileage ain't the greatest (who the hell buys a car like this car for saving gas?!).
earlier model WRX's felt pretty laggy.
you might not fix up your car, but there's no guarantee prior owners didn't.

lease deals on newer models are also pretty tempting.

overall it's a solid choice.
If there's the option to do so, I'd try to see if I could get a more responsive turbo.
I know I'd be tempted to pick up a pignose model wrx 06-07 (came with the 2.5l), should some good deal present itself.

svensko

Thanks for the information! I am currently 22 with a clean past so hopefully the insurance wouldn't be insane. I would be buying as stock of a WRX as I can find. I've heard it's very common to replace the stock turbo so I'm somewhat expecting that. While I'd love to consider a 2.5, I'm not willing to dish out the money for it.

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mr.booie

my dad bought an '05 wrx brand new. now it has 80,000 miles. its had a few electrical problems with the alarm. there is now a gas leak somewhere in the engine bay, and the interior makes lots of annoying sounds.
upgrades are spt intake and catback, tein springs, perrin turbo inlet, rota tarmac 2's, and a boost gauge. i like the car. after driving with my KA then stepping into the wrx it makes the wrx seem like a super-car. overall... it handles great, no traction problems in the rain, its peppy, fun to drive, looks great, and gets alot of compliments. hope this helps.

whatever you do DON'T buy an SRT4. those shits blow up after 75,000 miles. and thier owners will boost the shit out of them.

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svensko

Thanks for the info! Electrical problems at 80K is a bit scary. The rest I can deal with.

I know what you mean about feeling like a super-car. My girlfriend's old roommate's boyfriend owns a bugeye and when that thing goes into boost I can't help but go .

That's very true about the SRT-4 and another reason I'm trying to avoid them. I think the same can be said about STIs too, however. I was looking at the NASOIC forums and the number of STIs with blown engines/turbos was pretty astounding.

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RiversideS13

I drove 2.2L one before, turbo lag sucks. 2.5L feel great.

what is your budget?

ESmorz

That's because a large portion of those nut gobblers upped the boost and abused the shit out of their motors without upgrading internals.



NBC cares.

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wh0aitznic0

WRX's are cool. But I'd rather have an Evo. I'd rather it NOT take me an hour to change spark plugs.

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mr.booie

yea, but oil changes are much easier. lol.

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svensko

Preferably at or below 10K. There was a local 2005 for sale for 12.5K so I know the deals are out there.

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svensko

It'd be my preference if I could afford it. Compromises suck but tis life. I'm just happy to be probably getting something witha turbo finally.

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wh0aitznic0

Haha, if I could afford it, I'd have an S2000 or a 350z instead of an S13.

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dirtdiggler666

funny you posted this i just got rid of my s14 and am thinking about getting a wrx. but i want a stock one and all the fucking ones you see have crappy pepboy rims and just crappy after market parts.

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norcal_black240

My aunts wrx wagon kicks ass, I love driving that thing. Beats the hell out of my 04 civic DD.

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svensko

I hear ya.

Luckily I'll be keeping my S14 since the additional insurance is hardly anything. It is the car that's carted me and my fiancee through college and the sentimental value outweighs any money I'd get for it.

Plus I'm eventually going to turn it into a V8 track beast... eventually...

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ryguy

I've been looking at buying a bugeye WRX too. I don't know if I would like AWD better than RWD though.

x2 on the SRT4s having bad trannies, my friend had to have his replaced at 65k.

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svensko

I've never even driven an AWD car to the best of my knowledge. Since this will be for daily transport (with the S14 being for autocross and such), I figured it shouldn't make too much of a difference for me.

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tanks13

i dont know where your located at but i found this on cl
2002 Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX - 79000 MILES

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svensko

That's pretty much precisely what I'm looking for. Too bad it's on the other side of the country.

Clemson is in SC, btw. I will be in Raleigh, NC when car shopping though.

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playthe_part

a friend of mine picked up a 05 wrx not long ago. pretty fun car, nothing wrong with it so far, but we live close to EQ Tuning which, I guess, does good work on Subaru's so he just takes it there. funny, the first day he got it he got pulled over, and the cop used to own a STi so he let us go. overall i recommend the car.

that said, i prefer the look of the evo more since it is less bubbly is guess, but i have heard that they have reliability issues, is that true or is it just a car that requires more care like a rx-7?

svensko

I've never heard original owners complain about the Evo. I'm sure that people that buy them used have issues from where previous owners have abused the piss out of them. I'd love an Evo but it's way out of my range.

Also, a commercial for a Mitsu dealer back home says "And we only have one EEE VEE OH left!" Cracks me up every time.

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ryguy

It can't be as bad as apex seals.

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ronmcdon

Totally different cars!
Unless you push and/or launch it hard, it's going to feel similar to a fwd,
But with a worse turning radius.
Making U-turns in a WRX is a pita.
It's almost like driving around in a full-size pickup truck. :P
Depending on setup, the WRX is likely to be less proficient at rotating.
(got spoilt learning to drive RWD cars w/ a miata)
then again you drive on the street, so it prob wouldn't matter.

in general, the WRX stock is a very confidence inspiring car.
it's really hard to screw up or spin out driving that thing hard.
wonderful car for experienced & inexperienced drivers alike.
It's difficult to go wrong with a GD8, even if it's a 2.5RS model.

I'd also suggest looking into the Saabaru.
Insurance would most definetly be cheaper, or so I'd intuitively guess.

SHIFT_*grind*

Have you considered Legacy GTs?

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adictd2b00st

haven't read previous replies.......... but watch out for the transmission on those cars. other than that they are pretty reliable

*edit* also they are becoming the new dsm......... most of the early wrx's have been hacked up by kids who have no idea what they are doing, try to find a stock one!