Is it so wrong to want a WRX?

[BadMojo]

Recently, I've been experiencing this undeniable urge to buy a Subaru WRX. I probably can't afford it, even though I may be able to get a decent deal on a 2003.

I've never owned a new car with a warranty...mmmm warranty.

Anyone test drive/own a WRX (non-Sti)? Do you like it? Were you able to get a good deal on it (if you don't mind me asking)?

I don't want to trade the 240 in, and it would make a good project car, but the old girl is getting a bit long in the tooth and hasn't been feeling well lately.

[Mayhem_J30]

I think wanting a WRX is completely normal. Coldzero loves his. I wanted one for a long time, but the money was never there. Then the mitsu evolution came out and the money was right so i went for it. AWD and turbo is a beautiful thing.

[PalmerWMD]

I like WRX's quite a bit too, but then I think,... for just 3 k more there is the base G35.....

Fred...:naughty

[RobHakari]

mmm.... infiniti

[Mayhem_J30]

I like WRX's quite a bit too, but then I think,... for just 3 k more there is the base G35.....

Fred...:naughty

true true...and a couple more thousand and you could get some options. :pface

[BadMojo]

I *do* really like the WRX. I should probably go test drive one. There's a Subaru dealer 5 miles away from me, but I've heard he has the "I'm doing you a favor by selling you a car" attitude we all love to see in dealers. :rolleyes

On the plus side, I went to grade school AND high school with his son, who works at the dealership now.

AWD and 227 hp would most certainly rock. Hell, I'm such a big WRC fan that I get all excited about gold wheels and blue paint. I suppose they don't offer the nice gold wheels on non-Sti WRX's though.

[PalmerWMD]

Luke, the dark side of the force, resist you must.

Ahem, I mean badmojo stay rersist the non nissan siren songs.

Seriously now, a WRX is very nice, but for the same price a 2k3 Max with 255hp or for 3 k extra and real classy G35...

Fred...

[sultan]

i've heard the WRX seating isn't very comfortable for long rides, but just get one of these: http://newsmotoring.news.com.a....html only in australia, i hope.

[BadMojo]

i've heard the WRX seating isn't very comfortable for long rides, but just get one of these: http://newsmotoring.news.com.a....html only in australia, i hope.

Oh...that's awful. Nothing like making your Kia look like a 300hp Sti...and then gettin' embarrassed by a soccer mom in a minivan.

[UncleBen]

WRX's are sweet, so I dont think its wrong to want one. The only reason I wouldn't want one is becaue (at least here) they are everywhere. But, the 240 is getting that way. I just love the rare type car, ya know? But as Fred said, you can get more power and more class out of a Maxima :pface

[blink0r]

No.

[OneFastStanza]

Dude if you like the WRX get one. I have liked them for a long time and they are very nice cars. I think I liked em even more after I drove Bud's WRX (Thanks Bud ). You should be able to get a pretty good deal on one. A guy in Louisville bought one not to long ago and got it pretty cheap if I remember correctly.

And I would take a WRX over the Max and G35. Sorry guys but the WRX handles like a champ and runs quicker. I would prolly save up a little coin though and get either a STi or EVO personally. Oh and a WRX posted the fastest lap time on the AutoX track this weekend in Ft. Knox against some really stiff competition so the car is built to play course it needs a good driver too

[SHIFT_Z]

Wait till the STi comes out!Save until then..

[MasterMan]

i test drove a WRX, they are nice... i would own one.. tho i would need to mod it as its not too fast...

[big jon's 240]

I thought about buying one, but they are so damn ugly (at least in my opinion). But they sure are fast.

[Meantime]

I drove a WRX and was very impressed. Handling is tight, ride is reasonably smooth, and the boost is fannn-tastic. If I didn't have the Z, I would be ponying up for one right now. And it also comes in a wagon body style, for those who like their speed with a little utility.

[pylon_boy]

The only real thing you need to worry about the car is transmissions. If you beat the hell out of it, it will break. Subaru will only do a rebuild, and they won't warenty broken gears.

[Spectre]

Dude, test drive it first. I was a little curious about the WRX myself, so I got my buddy at a Subaru dealership to hook me up with a test drive. The handling felt nice. I'm not sure about the acceleration, because I *****ed at the salesman for driving it too hard (wasn't broken in yet). Oe thing I did not like was the shifter, that was the the notchiest shifter I've ever had to use. It may have been because it was a short shifter, but it really took some effort to shift gears. The shifter alone scared me away.

[Cold_Zero]

Sorry Mojo,I was on vacation when this post was originally posted up. I own a '03 WRX and any questions you want to ask I will answer them honestly. It really depends on what you want to do. People will tell you for a few dollars more you can get another car. This is true and you can keep saying that to yourself. You could go the other way and justify spending less to get a SRT-4.

You really need to analyze what you want to do with the car and how much you want to spend on it. Do you want a car to cruise in? Do you want a car to race, if so what kind of racing? Do you want a daily driver? Do you want a comfortable highway car? Do you want a mixture of any of these? There are other questions you need to ask yourself, like if you are going to modify the car. The WRX has tons of aftermarket and OEM parts support (like the 240SX and the 300ZX). There are companies in Australia, Japan, Europe and the US that have many upgrade paths and parts.

For me it all boils down to:1. I love my sport compact car2. I love the all wheel drive system3. I love the flat 4 turbo4. Like the Nissan Community, I love the Impreza Community in my hometown. I basically get free labor on install days we have.

Let me know if I can answer any questions you may have. I know you will make the right choice. As to the people saying that the transmissions are weak in the WRX. The transmissions in the MY'03 where changed to correct the problems of previous transmissions. Also, I had no problems driving 11 hours in my WRX to get from Indy to Louisville, back to Indy and then to Bowling Green and then back home again. It isn’t a 760iL, but it is comfortable.

bud

[BadMojo]

Since we're talking about the STI in another thread, here are some general WRX questions.

1) a) How is Subaru with regards to aftermarket stuff and warranty consequences?

b) Is there an equivalent of NISMO for Subaru? Does the dealer offer performance parts that *won't* void the warranty?

2) This probably varies from dealer to dealer, but how willing is the average dealer to...well, make a deal. Is the WRX still popular enough that dealers have no reason to sell below MSRP? I'd heard that some '03's were actually going for below invoice, but haven't personally seen it.

[redrocket]

well I love the WRX and will always love them but please someone tell me is it true that they have 5 CLUTCHES I heard that they have 5 one for the transmission and one for each wheel

[Cold_Zero]

1.a. It varies from dealer to dealer. Most dealerships are good about aftermarket parts and will not void your warranty because you have a short-ram intake or an aftermarket exhaust. I have an up and down-pipe, if my air conditioning goes out, no dealer in their right mind will void my warranty for that. Some dealerships are good and some are bad. I would try to get an idea by talking to the service manager. Since you live in Reading, I am sure that you could travel a little bit further to find a "mod friendly" dealership.

b. STi (Subaru Tecnica International) is Subaru’s performance company. Just like the Ford SVT program, the Mazda Speed program, Toyota's TRD and Nissan’s NISMO. Prodrive does all the outfitting for the Subaru Rally Teams. I am still trying to figure out what SPT is for Subaru. I will let you know.

2. I bought my WRX for under list price. I think you can find plenty of deals on the WRX, now that the STi is out I had only wished I waited about 3 months to take advantage of the 0% financing. I think that Subaru has 500$ back on the Imprezas, including the WRX. This might have been a New England thing, cause I was watching TV out of Boston. I know of people that will travel to another state to get a cherry deal on their WRX. I told the guy at the Subaru what I wanted to pay for it and the dealer made the offer under the amount.

Let me know if you have any other questions.Bud

[Bubba1]

I agree with everything Bud said. I say simply test drive one. That'll help you make a decision. There are plenty of good reasons to get a WRX (value, performance, AWD, practicality, handling - one hell of a package), and few not to do it (looks, cheaper interior materials than Nissan). I personally think they're great cars, a great value for the money plus they'll embarrass most cars stock. But you are the only one that will know if it fits your needs.

With the STi now out, and plenty of WRX's around, there's no reason you can't get a very deep discount on the WRX. If you want to go faster than the stock WRX, buy an STi, which has many gofast goodies installed by the factory, and it's all under warranty. I've seen stock WRX's eat A-4's for breakfast at the track. Pretty amazing cars.

Car shopping is fun. enjoy the hunt

[JustinStrife]

They're asking 10k over sticker price here in San Diego... 42k for a STI...

Vs 32k for an Evo... I'll take the Evo over the STI.

Tho a WRX wouldn't be bad seeing as it's 10k under Evo and u could mod it to pass the Evo.

Tho I'd love to have a GTR....

[Jesda]

The WRX is one COOL car at a heck of a good price. AWD, Turbo, good build quality. But I'd go for the G35 for a quieter ride and an award-winning rock-freaking-solid bulletproof V6. You also get to show off a luxury badge.

Just my personal preference. Everyone has their priorities.

[MainEvent212]

i wanna pull all the badges off my dad's G coupe and replace the grill w/ somethin body color...but thas just me...he wants to sport the bling bling...

[gibbo80]

i would go for a evo8, after i read about them in the new scc with only the 4200 in mods kicking all the german cars, and seeing their skidpads compared to the wrx there is no way i wuold settle for anything less in a new car

[JustinStrife]

Amen brotha. My feelings exactly.

[nlzmo400r]

im a huge fan of the EVO8 as well, but after riding in the 35oZ, i couldnt give up the prestige, sure the EVo8 is faster and such, but the sexieness of hte 35oZ is too much for me to pass up, especially at 27k

[Cold_Zero]

They're asking 10k over sticker price here in San Diego... 42k for a STI...

Vs 32k for an Evo... I'll take the Evo over the STI.

Tho a WRX wouldn't be bad seeing as it's 10k under Evo and u could mod it to pass the Evo.

Tho I'd love to have a GTR....

$42 for a STi? That is ridiculous. They are not that expensive here in the Midwest. We had an Impreza meeting last night and I got to ride in the STi. There was an Evo8 there as well. No offense, but I would take a STi over an Evo. Just my opinion and customer loyalty.