No one here ever seems totally about WRX's or subarus in general

They're shit cars. It's just an unreliable awd econobox with a shit interior.

bretty good except for the glass transmission

>pain in the arse to maintain

Lol yeah the dual cam engines are fun (spark plugs, timing belt)

I have a 2007 WRX with relatively high mileage that I dd. It was a 1 owner and had above and beyond the required maintenance done on it as well as being 100% stock. I haven't had any issues with it, but I do have money set aside in case anything breaks, so if you're considering one that's older or high mileage make sure you have money aside for repairs. Also make sure you don't buy one with rust, imprezas are a bit notorious for that- picked mine up from the South and it has no rust anywhere on it.

They're fun cars and I did consider getting an STi, however for a dd I would prefer the WRX. An STi would be more of a weekend car imo, and I already have a weekend car. If I did dd an STi I'd personally worry about it quite a bit compared to a WRX. Drive both and get what you like, but if it were me I'd probably go with the STi if you don't have a weekend fun car.

never owned one. I think they are cool.

They are memed too hard and have way too much a fan base to get one cheap. Make sense if you buy new.

WRX doesn't have that "it" factor to me. The interior is shit. Not a good highway cruiser.

at the end of the day there are just better options.
you can get a e90 328i for like 7k. or a sc400 for like 4k, or g35. I would much rather own those cars regardless of price.

≥2015 get a WRX
‹2015 get an STi if affordable.

2015 WRX has a 6 speed, a newer more fuel efficient engine, better suspension than previous years. Better DD than the STi for sure. Only thing that's lacking is the stock tune has bad rev hang and the throttle response is weird. Nothing an accessport can't fix.
If you're gonna track it or mod it a lot than the STi is better for that.

What does user mean by this? What about Subaru's manuals make them more prone to fail? Not arguing, asking out of ignorance

I daily a 04 WRX and I absolutely recommend it.

I see that you too are a man of culture

a lot of people believe that the WRX transmissions are weaker than the STi's. For the most part that's generally true in regard to how much power they can handle, however as with most vehicles it comes down to how rough you are on the car, that determines how durable a transmission is.

If you're a vape-lord trying to do an AWD launch at every light, your WRX's transmission won't last long

thanks for the info user! It put my mind at ease about my slow ass na forester

Can i get aome opinions on the 2015+ wrx(non sti)? Thinking about a 2018 with limited trim.

Also the transmission meme belongs mainly to the 5spd model, which sort of barely designed to keep up with the combination of torque and dumbass kids in the US who abused them. The 6spd is decidedly more robust.

Kind of like Subaru will never live down the head gasket meme even though that was 15+ years ago.

It's just fun to hate on Subarus, and the ridiculous insurance rates you get for having a WRX confirm that it still attracts a certain kind of audience. It's actually a really good car for what it is, and that's why it made such a yuge splash when they finally brought it to the US.

WRX does everything well enough to be convincing. I'm not sure i'd consider an older STi to be worth the price premium though.

$5k gets a decent WRX in wagon or sedan form. double that (at least) if you want the marginal gains found in an STi, as well as all the negative shit that comes with it like the previous owner beating the ever loving piss out of it.

Is good. People say that the STi is better, which it is, but for the money the WRX is great, plus they have the same modification potential aside from the WRX needing a 6 speed after not long. It's easy to make a blobeye into just as good as a stock sti.

>not preferring the Legacy

Where are these 5k WRXs? Every decent looking stock 2003+ WRX ive seen around here is at least 8-10k

Pussies, I daily my 96 STI. Also you can get a JDM fresh import WRX for $5,000 if you're ok with the body being a little rough.

Craigslist ad for a WRX in a nut shell.

>Always driven easy, not beaten.
>Full 3" turbo back exhaust (Cobb 3" down pipe with high flow cat, 3" SPT cat back exhaust). Cobb Accessport with Stage 2 tune (can be adjusted to multiple tunes on the fly). STI springs.

It's so damn hard to find a stock one, and I'm weary of all the high mileage modified ones I find.

I just want a winter hoon machine that I dont have to worry about.

Are their head gasket problems a thing of the past or are they still more prone to breaking down?

I drove a tow truck for 3 years... Literally live in Subaru land... Never once towed one for headgasket... Only towed a WRX once for a blown turbo...

The WRXs never had the NA DOHC 2.5 with the infamous head gasket problem.

On the other hand, WRXs invite people to put on SICK MODS that make them more prone to breaking, treequenoxing, etc. than usual. The first year or two of the USDM turbo 2.5 that went in to the STi was famous for being tuned too aggressively from the factory to where it would ping all the time, but as far as I know they've been pretty well sorted out. They do tend to wear out a little early after a life of hard hooning.

I daily a '17.

Car is fun. Ride is no luxery car but not as stiff and uncomfortable as the reviews make it out to be. Throttle response a square root function but fixed with an AP. Stereo is shit, tinny highs, no low end. Feels it's size (a little too big). Tons of grip. Brakes don't feel right, they objectively stop the car quick enough but the feel doesn't inspire confidence.

Overall 6.5/10.

For the money 9/10

Just want to add to this, the 5 speed did make a change from 02-03 WRX's and all the ones after. From NASIOC:

" It is important to note that as of March of 2002 (build date) the Subaru 5MT swapped over to RA width gears. If your transmission code is TY754VN2AA you have the narrow gears. If you have transmission code TY754VN2BA you have the wider gears. So many 2002 and some 2003 (model year) users switching to newer gears would not only get new gears, but stronger gears. All gears available through Subaru are now the newer RA width. "

So OP if you're looking at WRX's I'd consider at least the blobeye (04+), but if you're into bugeyes (02/03) see if you can find the trans code and make sure you get the one with wider gears.

I've got a '95 2.5RS swapped rally car and an 07 WRX. They will require constant care if you beat on them. The turbo cars more so vs the NA variants.

How bad is your insurance being rhd?

How's that rs? I'd imagine it's pretty reliable if coolant hoses and headgaskets are replaced. Thoughts on daily driving a stock one?

The engine was completely rebuilt before I made it into a stage car so HG's are new, most hoses are new as well. So far other than a clogged injector in 6 rallies it's been problem free.

This is my 2nd RS, my prior one I DD'd and rallyx'ed for 2 years with no real issues. I kept it stock and it was plenty of fun. They're getting stupid expensive now because "muh GC8" tax, if you find a clean 2.2L version don't discount it. Those engine are more bulletproof and they're not that much lower in power.

>they're not that much lower in power.
lies

Drive an EJ22 and it's like
>heheheh go go super shitbox!
and then in the back of your mind all you can do is think
>this would be just THAT much better it it were an EJ25
>why live

>if you find a clean 2.2L version
you guys speak of that literal econobox they call the "impreza L"

>Implying they're not all econoboxes.

Mine actually started as an L. Makes it easier as you don't have to weld a plate to the roof to cover the sunroof hole. I went the EJ25 route to stay NA and threw in some high compression stuff with cams but you could always turbo an EJ22...The possibilities are endless with these.

I don't have the tools,time,or know how to do that intensive work. For someone like me that doesn't do hands on work I think I'd be better off paying up the ass for a clean RS. There's not much more the car needs

>I don't have tools
>clean RS
>15+ year old car
>clean
>RS
>clean
>RS
Mate set your sails for better seas. Thar be dragons.

The first generation WRX/STI is the only one worth owning, which USA never got :^)

They're out there but you're paying no less than 6k for one that needs some work or tlc

God Speed to ya. I've been looking for another one just as a spare parts car / cheaper DD than the WRX, but they've appreciated to the same price as GD WRX's now, just with 100k more miles. Hopefully as the 25 year old rule comes around importing GC's will help bring the price down.

Clean ones won't be less than 5k. I'd say anywhere from 5-10k is the range you're looking at without requiring work (or about to require work because 200k+ miles). You are right though, if it's just your DD you don't need to do anything to it.

You think a LHD would be doable? Just feel at odds buying a car online unseen. There could be damage under the car or God knows what else

I could work on one all day, but for dude who says
>someone like me that doesn't do hands on work

And he wants one presumably to beat on like your first daddy issue girl as a teenager? This would be a bad decision. He's paying one way or another, whether it's clean or not.

I just want a clean body with little to no paint damage and a mint interior. I expect mechanical problems regardless

>dat smile of happiness while trying to grit his teeth
That's what makes a Subaru of that era a Subaru

>15+ yo Subaru
>no paint damage
Let me tell you about my similarly-aged Subaru. It actually did pretty good against the cycle of life known as rust in spite of the salt winters. Not bad, Subaru, not bad. Beefy parts don't snap so easy even when then paint starts to come off.

>mint interior
It was never mint in the first place. Stop kidding yourself.

Two years ago I went to Mercedes dealer that had an 01 rs coupe trade in. 120k miles little bit of clearcoat issues on hood and roof but interior was mint. Dealer was asking 7k, I went to go testdrive it the shifter was super loose and gears were not engaging properly when shifting, when we go back to talk numbers they tell me "oh yeah, it's got a bad headgasket we won't take less than 5k" I walked out and it was sold two days later, I wasn't ready at the time for something that needed that type of work early on

I have a friend who parked cars for a few years as a summer job. He told me horror stories about how Maseratis fell apart after not so many years.

After that it made sense why I saw a clapped out one on the used lot for $35k while I was wondering how in the fuck it could be possible for my prospective new japmobile looked like it had never even been out in the rain while it was living in NE snow salt hell while wearing snow tires.

>LHD conversion requires fabrication IIRC (cutting up firewall stuff) so thats going to be a big project. The japanese are pretty trustworthy people and old cars there are mint from having the "shaken" inspections making owning a car past ~100k km expensive. Thus they get discarded and exported cheap. Still tough to buy a car sight unseen. Better to fly over and verify it yourself.

This was my first impreza when i lived in MI...not a pretty sight. Don't buy from the midwest despite what says about his surviving salt winters. Interiors may be sparse but compared to 90s GM interiors that were my first cars, they were lightyears ahead in fit and finish.

>That rust
Good thing I live in california, shame about the rice tax though

>Don't buy from the midwest despite what (You)
Nah mate. Mine was about ready to be returned to the earth through rusting away. I was just talking about how the paint took it.

Meanwhile the rear quaterpanel looks like a rust waterfall and if you think you're going to jack it up by the unibody instead of the diff or the cross member or something
>crush crush crush
is it up yet?
>cursh crush *thunk*
did I just punch a hole through it?

Just saying they managed pretty well for cheap econoboxes.

Thats fair. I definitely relate to your jack experience. The frame rails were lined up with crushed areas where the jack / stands were used. You had to wait for the final "crunch" before trusting it enough to go under the car.

I didn't realize those cars came with little subaru toolkit pouches until i pulled it out from UNDERNEATH the car. The little storage cubby in the drivers side rear of the trunk had rusted completely through. I had sold the car not too long after, it just had rolled 200k.

That being said it did ~20 rallyx's that late in its life and kept rolling. I sold it in 2014 but yet I've received texts from friends this year even saying they still see it around town. They're good little cars.

"cheap and built to stay that way" was the best Subaru slogan of all time

Maybe except for "btw we have a turbo version so you can get sanic for cheap lol fags and it's awd kek eat shit"

I had a 2000 model forester that I brought off a druggy for $2000. Fun little 4x4 till it blew a head gasket. Burnt alot of oil tho

I have a Subaru from that glorious era. Has the original owner's manual that tells you how to fix nearly everything on the engine yourself.

Spare tire tools included tools, wrenches, and spark plug sockets. More reliable Subaru I've own out of 7.

Also the slogan was "inexpensive and built to stay that way" :^)

I live in Ontario... So consider most guys are already paying around$150-200 a month... Mines about $180 full coverage.

I have a completely stock 04 blobeye WRX

should I keep it stock or at least get a cbe?

cbe don't need tunes right, so it shouldn't affect reliability?

Subarus in general? I daily drive a '96 Impreza L. Unmodified N/A EJ22 though, so of course it's gonna be reliable.

I love the interior on my Impreza. Very simple. The only power function is the mirrors which means there's a lot less to go wrong. Seriously, old power windows are annoying as hell.

If you have intentions of modding, get the sti and i hope you have good mechanical skills. IF you want just a straight eco box daily, get a outback.

How hard is it to install one of those fiberglass bodykits that replace the rear quarter panels on the 2.5 RS? I want to get one, and I'd be open for replacing the almost certainly rusted out stock ones with a lighter rustproof version.

You're lying to yourself if you think a normal LGT would keep up with an STi. Maybe a specB, but the rest no.

You forgot that it has
>200k miles
>motor rebuilt twice
>salvaged title from a "small" front end collision
>15k price tag

now it's complete

I remember getting my 02 wrx wagon for 3900$ Clean title, 9/10 interior, buuuuuut 215k miles with no service history whatsoever. Runs really well now 2 years later and pushing 250k miles. They're such a bitch to maintain, but once you get most of it back together and repaired, it runs like a dreamboat.

That particular year it had more or less the STi engine in it. I forget if it came with a lesser tune or possibly different internals or whatever, and of course it's at a weight disadvantage anyway. So, no, it's not going to keep up at the track, but as a DD it could make an STi sweat.

> Owned a 2004 WRX similar to pic

Bought a neglected WRX but it had literally zero modifications which was excellent. Yet within the first 6 months I owned it I had a few common issues. First was the passenger CV boot which erupts from the heat of the turbo and splatters grease everywhere. Changed that.

Then it started misfiring and I changed out the spark plugs. Fixed the CEL, but it would misfire under high load. Finding the right coil to change and actually doing it would have been a royal pain, so left as is for a bit.

Finally, it leaked from the o-ring on the oil cooler. I've never cursed a single repair more than that in my 10+ years of shade tree wrenching.

Long story short, they car does have it's upkeep needs given that it has double the complexity of most cars. Yet, if you buy one that hasn't been modified and keep up on maintenence, it will be a great little DD.

>Runs really well now 2 years later and pushing 250k miles. They're such a bitch to maintain, but once you get most of it back together and repaired, it runs like a dreamboat.

what did you have to do? and what makes them a bitch to maintain?

Ive always paid to maintain mine since I don't know how to work on cars but I'm thinking I should give it a shot soon. I even bought the Haynes manual

but I'm scared of fucking mine up.