I was thinking about spending 15k-16k on a WRX, I'm guessing that will put me in the 2002-2004 years. How reliable are those years? I've always been a little skeptical of the reliability about the WRX, but Consumer Reports has a lot of good things to say except some minor issues with the engine.

What says the garage about them? Anything else I should consider in my price range with reliability being the most important (aka no BMWs) and bang/buck performance being second?

7/2/2007 10:15:58 PM

earlier bug-eyed models had problems with transmissions/clutch and motor mounts. id look for '04+ wrx. it's a turbo car so expect higher maintenance fluid wise and probably a turbo down the road depending on you driving style. insurance on WRX will be very high.

BMWs are reliable when properly maintained just like any other car.

if reliability is your most important factor, then look at acura RSX, as it will probably be easier on the wallet, gas money, maintenance than rex.

7/2/2007 10:25:05 PM

if gas is a concern awd is a waste of gas.

otherwise they're plenty reliable and can make good power with simple mods.

if you plan to mod one much i would look for a 2.5l wrx '06 i believe was the 1st year.
if you plan to mod a ton i wouldn't worry about it cause you'll probably swap blocks anyway.

7/2/2007 10:59:27 PM

Quote :

"insurance on WRX will be very high. "

I asked my insurance company and the rates were about the same I pay now with an SUV (which surprised me).

I'm not going to mod it at all, it'll be plenty fast enough for me if i get it.

7/2/2007 11:17:57 PM

...

7/2/2007 11:19:49 PM

Quote :

"BMWs are reliable when properly maintained just like any other car. "

gonna have to disagree there.

7/2/2007 11:29:17 PM

^they're reliable, it's just the cost of keeping them reliable is alot higher than most cars. anything is reliable if you work on it enough.

[Edited on July 2, 2007 at 11:33 PM. Reason : .]

7/2/2007 11:32:22 PM

synapse: for you, as a normal driver, ANY subaru is going to be a great car.

You wont have problems with the transmission or clutch, though the motor mounts will eventually get you (but that's not a terribly expensive fix). The tranny and clutch are prone to breaking from a) driving like an idiot / tracking the car and b) upping the boost and driving like an idiot / tracking the car.

7/3/2007 12:37:52 AM

BMWs are well made and are very reliable if you look into what they are asked to do. Most of the models have medium engines that run higher compression than other run of the mill N/A cars of same size, hence cooling system needs to work overtime and obviously be maintained properly.

Suspension is geared towards performance and obviously all the associated parts such as various bushings on different arms need attention every 50k or so. E36 I-6 engines take 6-7 quarts of oil in their S50/S52 2.8-3.2L engines. Most domestic V8 don't require that much oil. 3.0L Vulcan engine Taurus takes 4.5 quarts- almost twice less.

Alignment has negative camber from factory to support performance handling, so tires are usually gone in 8-12k on inside edge, not to mention tires are expensive for pretty much all models. All BMW engines require premium. Insurance is high. Newer engines require synthetic oil. Parts are expensive because they are made to go, turn, and brake better than most other models. I could go on.

You gotta pay to play....nothing new. If you maintain the car, engine/tranny will last a long time. Take M3s for example- Engine is bulletproof, forged rods from factory, forged crank, teflon coated cylinder walls. People boost them upwards of 500rwhp without upgrading internals. Good luck doing that on civic, wrx, rsx...

[Edited on July 3, 2007 at 12:54 AM. Reason : f]

7/3/2007 12:46:33 AM

any 2000-04 BMW is going to have more expensive regular maintenance than a subaru.

double or triple that for any problem that might creep up.

I love BMW's (own whats left of one myself), but there is no way in hell to argue the $$$ difference. Subaru's are much more financially practical vehicles.

7/3/2007 12:50:13 AM

Quote :

"All BMW engines require premium"

I agree with most of your post besides that. I could start rattling off engines that don't require 91+ if you want me to, starting with my m20b25.

7/3/2007 2:59:42 AM

y did you mention bmw?

there are two groups of people in here...
the "i used to/currently work in a garage" guys and the "bmw 4 ever" guys

anyway the tranny bombs come from people mis understanding having awd.
they think it means the ability to drop the clutch @ any rpm and the car will stick and go.
when it really means the ability to ease the car of the line much quicker than everyone else due to added traction.

7/3/2007 6:54:48 AM

Quote :

"The tranny and clutch are prone to breaking from a) driving like an idiot / tracking the car and b) upping the boost and driving like an idiot / tracking the car. "

ah ok thats good to know, i'm not going to tear it up. maybe the trick is finding one that someone else hasn't tore up. what can i look at to determine that?

7/3/2007 8:52:41 AM

Quote :

"what can i look at to determine that?"

Mods.

Get a car thats bone stock.

7/3/2007 10:48:36 AM

Quote :

"I agree with most of your post besides that. I could start rattling off engines that don't require 91+ if you want me to, starting with my m20b25."

agreed. older models weren't as bitchy about octane rating.

7/3/2007 11:24:09 AM

i hate how my 20yr old 270kmile tracked E30 works perfectly

7/3/2007 11:32:53 AM

^^you can run regular in the newer models, but the computer will just scale things back.

7/3/2007 1:31:00 PM

owned imobbq

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yVU7tUWQIcg
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wjDND4lXMWM





[Edited on July 3, 2007 at 1:40 PM. Reason : .]

7/3/2007 1:37:52 PM

uh.. woops

7/3/2007 2:12:36 PM

anything else i should be considering besides an RSX?

7/3/2007 9:33:20 PM

the one in the house is a GCmodel
the other is a GD

damn there are some tards in here.

7/3/2007 9:56:48 PM

front end swap?

7/3/2007 10:11:30 PM

Everyone I've known with a subaru only has good things to say. Enginewise they are sound, and the bodies can take a beating.

7/4/2007 4:34:15 PM

Quote :

"he one in the house is a GCmodel the other is a GD damn there are some tards in here. "

I was thinking those didn't look like the same generation. Also, the one in the house appears to have a euro plate whereas the one with the banged-up hood has no plate (don't must euro countries require front and back?)

7/4/2007 4:43:03 PM

get the subaru

i know people that have autocrossed and beat the fuck out of them for 150k miles with no problems
they may be slightly more expensive than a civic to maintain, but compared to bavarian alternatives there is no comparison, they are dirt cheap.

the whole weak transmission thing is pretty much a myth made up for people who dont know how to drive,

the main thing is look for one that has been taken care of and doesnt have a lot of crazy mods done to it,
the rsx is really no comparison

insurance rates can be a bitch too, but you appear to be slightly older
so maybe if you have a clean record it will be better

but pretty much,
go test drive one and you will probably be sold

you should ALWAYS run premium in them however (91 octane or higher) -- its true that the ecu will retard timing (decrease IAM) if it senses knock, but this is a safety mechanism simply meant to keep the block from detonating -- not to be used regularly by any means.

7/4/2007 4:49:47 PM

2004 WRX, 50K miles, lightly modded (ECU + Turboback exhaust + suspension), a few auto crosses, daily driver to RTP.

Pros
24-27 MPG depending on how aggressive you drive.
AWD.
Turbo.
Sedan.
Mildly fast.
No mechanical issues ever.
Insurance ~ $65/month (perfect driving record)

In all, a great car. I highly recommend it.

Cons
Poor quality factory paint. Chips and scratches fairly easily.
Aluminum body panels dent easily (I've lost count of the dents in my doors, probably 8 or so).
Useless sun visor thingy above the rear-view mirror.
Tires tend to wear out sooner than on an FWD or RWD, but I guess that comes with having AWD.
No good for drifto.


On a side note:
My car has been the victim of a few vandalisms. Once a tire slashing (caught the guy red handed in a sting operation me and a buddy did at North Cary park, you can find the thread on here somewhere). And recently, someone tried to punch my keyhole in to try and break into the car, but failed. It's designed to not be easily stolen. So, good job Subaru.

[Edited on July 5, 2007 at 12:29 AM. Reason : bad luck i guess]

7/5/2007 12:25:45 AM

^^ nice post. thx

7/5/2007 10:58:34 PM

Quote :

"Useless sun visor thingy above the rear-view mirror."

yeah i was wondering what the fuck that thing was....

how did you get your insurance so damn low? afaik i have a clean record (at least for the moment) and my rates are a good bit higher... (26)

i have a '02 wrx with 0 issues mechanically, almost 59K miles, no mods (thou some for removing the airflow restrictions might be occurring), only down side is getting premium gas, but % wise per gallon it's less now that it was before (when gas was under a dollar a gallon premium was 20%+ more now its less than 10% more, so that cost margin is not such a big deal)

Quote :

"Aluminum body panels dent easily (I've lost count of the dents in my doors, probably 8 or so)."

i havent had this problem, mine has 2 dents from the owner before me, neither on the door

overall I enjoy it tremendously

7/6/2007 11:34:32 AM

on a slightly related note 1 - how feasible is it to upgrade the headlamps? (got that nasty fog crap on one side slightly)

and 2 - does anyone here care what 69 thinks about this car?

7/6/2007 11:37:11 AM

I had a heavy modded 03 bugeye a few years back.

It was super reliable once tuned properly. Main problem your going to run into is a weak transmission, and this isn't even going to be too much of a problem stock if you don't drive like a mexican from phantasm.

It's an awesome car, when I graduate i'm getting another.

7/6/2007 11:52:54 AM

Quote :

"on a slightly related note 1 - how feasible is it to upgrade the headlamps? (got that nasty fog crap on one side slightly) and 2 - does anyone here care what 69 thinks about this car? "

The fog crap is common for me too. I assume it's the typical "sun burn" on those plastic type head lamps. I just buff it out every couple of months. Looks like new again.

And who's this 69 you talkin' about? Never heard of him.

7/6/2007 11:51:55 PM

Quote :

"how feasible is it to upgrade the headlamps? (got that nasty fog crap on one side slightly)"

fog from moisture or from age/weather exposure? if it's moisture, swish some rubbing alcohol around in the housing and let it air out.

if it's from weather, etc. you can buff/polish it out like ^ said. i don't know what used housings go for, but it might not be worth the effort if you can find one cheap on ebay or something.

7/7/2007 12:00:17 AM

how yellow are they? if it is foggy you can polish and seal them, if they are so yellow it looks like 0EPII1's bedsheets, you better get a new set

Quote :

"And who's this 69 you talkin' about? Never heard of him."

i'd be the nigga that runs this shit, son

[Edited on July 9, 2007 at 1:53 PM. Reason : better recognize]

7/9/2007 1:48:57 PM

found some nice pics of wrx's. what a sweet looking car. i think these are the two hottest colors they come in.









[Edited on July 9, 2007 at 3:27 PM. Reason : ,]

7/9/2007 3:04:19 PM

^ all i see are red x's, cause thats what your checking account looks like after you have to buy parts for it every week and call in sick to work to keep it running





^ get that weak shit outta here

[Edited on July 9, 2007 at 3:29 PM. Reason : ]

7/9/2007 3:10:52 PM

dong, where is my automobile?


[Edited on July 9, 2007 at 3:54 PM. Reason : automobiiiiiiiiiiiiile?]

7/9/2007 3:46:45 PM

7/9/2007 4:16:34 PM

ahaha... it's allison, hayes, and julia.

7/9/2007 10:13:07 PM

i'm telling

7/9/2007 10:15:10 PM

hi telling, us boobz

[Edited on July 9, 2007 at 10:19 PM. Reason : llll]

7/9/2007 10:15:36 PM

^^tell someone that cares.

7/9/2007 10:18:20 PM

fair enough.

7/9/2007 10:19:28 PM

hey, but amirite?

7/9/2007 10:35:50 PM

^yep.

7/9/2007 10:38:05 PM

image search on google for subaru wrx.

somehow reminds me of 0EPII1, but I can't quite figure out why...

[Edited on July 9, 2007 at 10:53 PM. Reason : 0]

7/9/2007 10:51:59 PM

blah not worth my time.

[Edited on July 9, 2007 at 11:09 PM. Reason : btw, what is the picture?]

7/9/2007 11:04:42 PM

right respectable lady, wrong guy

7/9/2007 11:07:27 PM

Allison, Haze, and Julia? You nailed it!

7/9/2007 11:14:44 PM

^ fo shizzle

7/10/2007 8:08:18 AM

2 pages of Superjews

7/10/2007 11:26:02 AM