irish44j wrote: I like mine looking like a Corolla. I prefer going fast (and not getting tickets, because I look like a Corolla) to "looking fast" so every cop wants to pull me over for minor stuff....
I want to put an STi wing and scoop on an early 00s Corolla just to screw with people.
Unrelated: Has anyone stuffed a 3SGTE in a 1ZZFE shaped hole?
nocones wrote: My 2013 WRX just had the glove box fall out of the dash. It made finding my I pass easy I guess. It also scalled at 2930 in DS trim at nationals.
Oh wow, most sources I found listed around 3200 lbs for the current gen cars, so a 100 lb increase in a cheap car seemed reasonable.
To be fair that's basically the lightest number I've seen for a 2011+ car but mine is a base with no options and we had "built" it for DS with light wheels, no exhaust, nothing in the truck area, removed all floor mats running with <1/8 tank of gas, etc.
This is why I won't be selling my 2004 Forester XT... ever.
I'd like a 2006 WRX someday, but that would be an additional car, not a daily driver replacement.
yamaha wrote: In reply to turtl631: Ringland failures, out of 6 total, one was warratied. All failed prior to 10k miles too. Hell, the one that was warrantied failed again within 5k mi.
have had 0 of these and I know 5 people with these cars who didn't have them. Did you have a STI or WRX? I heard they happen in STIs usually and everyone I know are WRX owners but one.
what's not neat is that it makes less power than the previous-generation WRX, with the same amount of boost, and without losing any weight.
Is there any evidence for this? Claimed horsepower is more, i'd wait for the stock dyno compairsons. I wouldn't doubt if it dynos the same as the current WRX or more unless you have evidence otherwise.
Has anyone stuffed a 3SGTE in a 1ZZFE shaped hole?
Yes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ttTALDKiy4
But I would prefer turbo 2zz.
People here seem to be comparing the WRX too much to previous cars rather than what other companies are building right now. Compared to other AWD cars it is very light. Compared to other AWD cars it's extremely inexpensive and powerful. Compared to other AWD cars at this power level it is more reliable statistically. People don't make ~3100lb near 300hp cars anymore, ESPECIALLY not with all wheel drive. You can't build a 250hp-300hp 2800lb awd car anymore and have it be $25,000. This simply is no longer possible. That era is over, despite us never seeing it in the US. Especially since the WRC doesn't care about homologation anymore. The only thing that would make them build a car like that is such a rule requirement and the car would be Fiesta or Abarth size with AWD and a 1.6l turbo if that happened, it wouldn't be near the same car (though I would buy one). No company wants to build a car like that aside Audi who doesn't sell theirs here and that car is WELL more than what a Evo X or STI costs.
What is the closest car to a WRX that is sold here? The Nisan Juke Nismo with CVT AWD? Mazdaspeed 3 or Focus ST that doesn't have AWD? Audi A4 that is far more expensive and less powerful and significantly heavier?
Toyota can't even build a GT at $30k anymore, the new supra is rumored to be a supercar because they are just incapable of building a reasonably powered GT car like a Mustang or a 370z at even $40k or $60k for a base model. Even the 370Z is leagues behind it's rivals at $33,000 and doesn't sell as a result. Hyundai's Genesis has the same 1/4 mile and 0-60 and track times when reviewers take it out as the Nismo for like $15k-$20,000 less. The Mustang GT with a track package is like $10,000 less and has 100hp and torque more. Subaru is selling so much because it's the only performance orientated vehicle that produces a product at it's level that is competitive from a Japanese company aside from a Speed 3. Even the Miata is inferior to the BRZ IMO. Everything else aside from economy cars or supercars are non competitive, or at least percevied that way by the buyer..
In the 90s depending on what year every one of them made a budget supercar or high end GTs, you had 2 awd turbo cars, a mid engine turbo rwd car, 2 roadsters, etc. Whats ridiculous is the turbo i6 rwd Supra cost $40,000. You can get a turbo i6 rwd 135i for that now, Toyota refuses (or is incapable of) competing. Subarus product has changes with it's times as all other cars have (increased weight due to regulations, high beltline etc) and competes with it's (lack of) rivals, everyone else abandoned theirs.
As far as a new hope for AWD cars, don't look to Japan. Look to Europe. VW with it's Golf R, the new FWD BMW coming (it will probably have a turbo awd option), Alfa Romeo possibly, etc. Japan always shows signs of doing something with it's million Supra and 240sx concepts every few years, but never does.
2 local shops have turned into Subaru shops due to all the engine rebuilds. We've had 5 rebuilds in our club in the past 18 months or so.
Failed ringlands and spun bearings are what make a Subaru a Subaru.
Specs sound good, but the styling is hideous. Hyundai needs to make an awd, turbo Veloster
DaveEstey wrote: 2 local shops have turned into Subaru shops due to all the engine rebuilds. We've had 5 rebuilds in our club in the past 18 months or so. Failed ringlands and spun bearings are what make a Subaru a Subaru.
The new engine series has a much smaller bore and longer stroke, which should help things along a lot in this regard.
I've also heard of a lot of failed ringlands on 08-09 STis. I've seen quite a few motors spin a bearing also.
Knurled wrote: The new engine series has a much smaller bore and longer stroke, which should help things along a lot in this regard.
I'm just wondering about the robustness in general of the new motor. I hope they have made improvements there. I'll take a reliable 2.0 over a questionable 2.5 (or older 2.0) any day. I'd really like to see what a dyno of an STX prepped one looks like.
Ok, I kinda crapped on Subarus in my previous response. I have the right to do so. I've owned two (a 2002 WRX wagon and a 2009 WRX hatch) and as much as I'd like to put on the rose-tinted lenses, I can't because of the experiences I had with them and SOA.
The 2002 was a fun car, and very easy to tune and make fast, but it had it's share of issues. Some examples include the fuel lines spewing raw fuel all over the engine in cold weather under 15 degrees, the driver's seat tracks snapping, rear differential whining, differential and subframe clunking, etc. I had to go through and repair all of that on my own, and while some of it were as simple as upgrading bushings (on the clunking issues), some of the other issues (like the seat and fuel leak) were ignored by SOA. The fuel one was later addressed by a recall, but not after many people had to shell out $600+ at the dealer to have them repaired out of warranty, and only certain "cold weather" states were covered. Strangely, Massachusetts was not one of them. Just for reference, it's 7 degrees out right now. I can guarantee that someone's early 2002-03 WRX is puking fuel all over their engine block at this very minute.
And I was lucky with mine, because mine never spun bearings like a lot of the other ones! Granted, my car was tuned and had an aftermarket turbo-back exhaust, but that should not have an effect on puking fuel lines or snapping seat tracks.
The 2009 was a different story. I wanted to keep it mostly stock, and I bought the extra Subaru Gold Plus warranty that the dealer told me "covered just about everything bumper to bumper, including all the driveline parts". My thinking is that since I modded the 2002 so much, I'd keep the mods to the 2009 very basic, and I wasn't touching the tune or adding power adders. I did only a few basic mods to the car: a STI rear sway bar (a whole 2mm bigger, got it on partial trade for the stock summer tires) wider wheels when my stock ones were destroyed by a tire shop (17x8's, which they later offered on the newer models anyway), and a Kartboy shifter and bushings. Also, I replaced the awful stereo and speakers with aftermarket ones. That's it.
At around 50k, the A/C compressor quit. I guess that happens a lot on these, fair enough, covered under warranty. Then, the power outlets started popping fuses intermittently. Dealer said it's because I had a cell phone charger plugged in, and that's not what they are meant for. Huh? 
They replaced the fuses, and I had to make sure my phone was charged before leaving the house. Then, the glove box door fell off. And then the air vents fell out. They covered the door, but not the vents. Another head scratcher. Glad to see that I'm not the only one who has had this problem.
Here's where I drew the line. I started having issues with the transmission, pedals, and clutch around 55k or so. The clutch pedal felt like it was broken, and had detents in it as you depressed it, and it creaked and cracked. I watched the whole pedal assembly flex as I pushed it down by hand! 
Subaru said there was nothing wrong. The NASIOC solution is to TIG weld in an aluminum pedal assembly brace, because SOA refuses to acknowledge the problem. Then, I started to hear the throwout bearing make noise every time the clutch was depressed, along with the clutch fork squeaking. The dealer said that if I wanted to have it looked at, I had to pay for shop time up front, to the tune of $1100+, and if they find a problem, then they will cover it. If not, then I'm out the $1100+. SOA was no help, either. I pretty much got the cold shoulder when I said something to a SOA representative. They said it was up to dealer discretion. At that point, I lost faith in Subaru and traded it in. And again, I got it easy. My car was built about two weeks after the bad batch of cranks with unfinished journals made their way into short block assemblies.
And as far as the Brotato comment: I live in MA. There are lots of VW people up here with stanced cars, but the Subaru stanced ones outnumber them 3:1 at the very least, as shocking as that may be. The average WRX driver here is in their late teens-early 20's, and 9/10 times it's a flat brimmer. Older drivers have all moved onto greener pastures and other car marques. Take a look at NASIOC's Off Topic section. It's mostly older former Subaru drivers that have moved on to other cars, like Ford Focus ST's, MS3's, GTI's, Infinitis, BMW's, etc.
I think I've seen maybe one MS3 with stupid wheels and stretched tires on it in all the years they have been out. And the Brotato crowd keeps crashing WRX's left and right. I've never owned a car where the insurance premiums go UP every year until I had the 2009.
And Hondas... well... you got me there. 
I just want to see someone else try and make a car like the WRX and make it dependable, look good, have a decent interior, and offer a wagon/hatch variant. Not only has Subaru forgotten how to do this, as evidenced by the new Corolla WRX, Subaru lost me as a new car customer with the way they handled the two cars I owned. They would not stand behind their products when it came time to step up to bat, even when I paid EXTRA for the privilege. 
And for the record, with all that said, I would (stupidly) jump at the chance to own a nice, clean 2004-05 WRB STI with gold wheels if the opportunity arose.
I'm not going to write a novel, but SOA isn't on my Christmas card list after the way they treated me with my Legacy GT.
I have owned a 2002 WRX for just about 3 years now.
I had absolutely no problem with Subaru of Canada covering the fuel line recall on an 11 year old car last year when I started smelling gas. I am not the original owner - I called them up - indicated the problem. They said bring it right in and it was fixed at no cost.
My mom's 2004 Legacy has had some engine issues - Subaru has replaced the engine twice out of warranty. The first one was just past the warranty but well documented with the dealer. The second failed with only about 15k kms and it was done at 0 cost.
Perhaps SOA is the problem.
I had the crunchy clutch pedal in my 04 STI after 60K/6yrs... a clutch job fixed it. I considered it a wear item. The only real non-wear issue I had in a decade was weak peeling paint. I'm old and married with kids so insurance wasn't bad. Resale is great - I only paid $29K or so a decade ago and it's down, what, 50% now for a clean unmolested STi? People complain about rattles - after about a week I popped the interior trim clips and hit them with silicone... no rattles since.
But now I'm shopping for a wagon or hatch and Subaru isn't making one for me.
What's the group think on the Golf R?
I loved how my '12 WRX hatch looked, loved how it performed, loved the signature subaru noise when I added an exhaust. I loved the simplicity of the interior but it was just as bad with squeaks and rattles as a mid 90s Pontiac sunfire. SOA sucks and your complaints should be directed to the FTC and BBB, seriously.
Anyways the looks of the new one are growing on me, still looks like a Corolla/Civic but ugh the Bugeye and Blobeyes are hideous as well. I'd be interested in one...well if they had a hatch. The dash is right out of the new Forester and that car is leaps and bounds better (interior wise) over the 12 WRX we had.
Strangely because of my wife's Forester I've found myself looking for a WRX again but I might try my luck with another 02-03 wagon. Wish I wouldn't have sold the mint one I had up in DC.
Knurled wrote:irish44j wrote: I like mine looking like a Corolla. I prefer going fast (and not getting tickets, because I look like a Corolla) to "looking fast" so every cop wants to pull me over for minor stuff....I want to put an STi wing and scoop on an early 00s Corolla just to screw with people. Unrelated: Has anyone stuffed a 3SGTE in a 1ZZFE shaped hole?
Yeah there's a few 3sgte 7th gen Celicas running around. Kindof a dumb swap in my opinion though.
Hmmm... I've been strongly considering a new impreza hatch, but the quality issues don't sound too good. I know that they spoke of separating platforms this model, but with no performance hatch I am not sure if it is worth getting the car. It doesn't sound like the base impreza will get much of an aftermarket without the wrx/sti crowd and I need a hatch and awd. Maybe it is time to start shopping lightly used models instead or buy a close out model. I was hoping for slightly better mpgs though.
jv8 wrote: I had the crunchy clutch pedal in my 04 STI after 60K/6yrs... a clutch job fixed it. I considered it a wear item. The only real non-wear issue I had in a decade was weak peeling paint. I'm old and married with kids so insurance wasn't bad. Resale is great - I only paid $29K or so a decade ago and it's down, what, 50% now for a clean unmolested STi? People complain about rattles - after about a week I popped the interior trim clips and hit them with silicone... no rattles since. But now I'm shopping for a wagon or hatch and Subaru isn't making one for me. What's the group think on the Golf R?
I'd almost give VW another try over Subaru at this point, and that's saying a lot coming from me. I used to have a Jetta, and I got it brand new back in 2002, and it wins the "Worst New (or newish) Car I've Ever Owned" title hands down for me. At least VW knew it was a POS and they didn't fight me every time something broke on it.
That said, I love the looks of the GTI and Golf R. They are kinda pricey though.
sanman wrote: Hmmm... I've been strongly considering a new impreza hatch, but the quality issues don't sound too good. I know that they spoke of separating platforms this model, but with no performance hatch I am not sure if it is worth getting the car. It doesn't sound like the base impreza will get much of an aftermarket without the wrx/sti crowd and I need a hatch and awd. Maybe it is time to start shopping lightly used models instead or buy a close out model. I was hoping for slightly better mpgs though.
A lot of former WRX owners on NASIOC have recently picked up the XV Crosstrek. They seem to like it. It's a simpler,more rugged car than the WRX, and it has the new direct injected 2.0L boxer, so it's a little more modern and more efficient than the older EJ-series engines. There's not a sporting bone in them though, and the transmission choices leave a lot to be desired (sloppy 5-speed or a terrible CVT). Think of them as a new AMC Eagle 4X4 wagon. 
But if you need go-anywhere AWD in a car, that's a good choice.
SilverFleet wrote:sanman wrote: Hmmm... I've been strongly considering a new impreza hatch, but the quality issues don't sound too good. I know that they spoke of separating platforms this model, but with no performance hatch I am not sure if it is worth getting the car. It doesn't sound like the base impreza will get much of an aftermarket without the wrx/sti crowd and I need a hatch and awd. Maybe it is time to start shopping lightly used models instead or buy a close out model. I was hoping for slightly better mpgs though.A lot of former WRX owners on NASIOC have recently picked up the XV Crosstrek. They seem to like it. It's a simpler,more rugged car than the WRX, and it has the new direct injected 2.0L boxer, so it's a little more modern and more efficient than the older EJ-series engines. There's not a sporting bone in them though, and the transmission choices leave a lot to be desired (sloppy 5-speed or a terrible CVT). Think of them as a new AMC Eagle 4X4 wagon.
We were going to pick up the XV but the interior dimensions were the exact same as the WRX and well that didn't fit the bill for our small family which is why we chose the Forester. I really wanted the XV in Desert Poo Khaki as well :(.
I priced a Golf R and said well E36 M3 used CTS-V is same price and 100x more awesome.
It wouldn't surprise me if the ringland failures went away with the new engine. They were doing everything in their power to build an EJ that would produce power but still pass emissions and the result was a very tight engine that left little room for error.
I'm willing to bet the owners that use fuel cut as a shift light, don't let the coolant and oil warm up before hammering it, bog it in high gear, and do all sorts of other awful things do not help the situation.
Hopefully I don't jinx myself but the 09 STI has 40,000 miles and its engine is fine.
The biggest issue for Subaru is the competition. Back in 02-04, there was not much on the market that provided that sort of bang for the buck. Flash forward ten years and your base model Mustang and Camaro are in that category. Not to say I wouldn't consider the new STI when it comes out but its going to need more than a face lift.
DirtyBird222 wrote: I priced a Golf R and said well E36 M3 used CTS-V is same price and 100x more awesome.
Where can I get a used CTS-V wagon for $32K?
New-vs-new the Golf R is less than half the price of a CTS-V wagon. The R gets better gas mileage and is AWD.
I agree the CTS-V is awesome and I want one. But I need a wagon and well E36 M3 any CTS-V wagon is expensive.
Dear automakers.
I need a turbo awd wagon that fits 3 kids seats. Boxer engines need not apply.
Prefer non euro, as I like things that work. Manual trans is a must.
Will buy next year.
Please make.
Signed, moron dad
edit: I know noone will make this.. so.. Nuts to me.
I'd tell ya what would be interesting is if Toyota/Subaru used the Frisbee platform to make a RWD sedan. It would most definitely need to stay around the same price though.
jv8 wrote:DirtyBird222 wrote: I priced a Golf R and said well E36 M3 used CTS-V is same price and 100x more awesome.Where can I get a used CTS-V wagon for $32K? New-vs-new the Golf R is less than half the price of a CTS-V wagon. The R gets better gas mileage and is AWD. I agree the CTS-V is awesome and I want one. But I need a wagon and well E36 M3 any CTS-V wagon is expensive.
Golf R starts at like $35k. Used CTS-V Sedans can be had for around $35k as well, not the Vagon. I'm sure both have high operating costs too. VW because VW; CTS-V because of mileage on used one for that price and a Cadillac.
NGTD wrote: I have owned a 2002 WRX for just about 3 years now. I had absolutely no problem with Subaru of Canada covering the fuel line recall on an 11 year old car last year when I started smelling gas. I am not the original owner - I called them up - indicated the problem. They said bring it right in and it was fixed at no cost.
They don't have a problem fixing it now but it's been a problem for years and I don't think they recalled it until 2012. I had an 02 WRX wagon and I fought that battle in 2007 and the best I could get them to do was "tighten" the hoses.
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