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Subaru Impreza WRX

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Comments

  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    craig, good starting point, car shaking not wheel
  • andmoonandmoon Member Posts: 320
    twrx, My 94 legend had a steering wheel/body shake that no amount of tire balance would fix. Turns out that one of the tires (michelin mxv energy) had internal belt/band failure.

    Don
  • sensei1sensei1 Member Posts: 196
    Thanks to your feedback, finally broke down and got the Prodrive. Awesome. Had it couple wks. now. Suits me just right, not loud but definitely grumbles. Lovin' it. Fits pretty snug on the OEM hangers.
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    Same here, on a long distance road trip dozen years ago, my friends Jetta developped a wobble/vibration which got ridiculous when braking at high speed. Dropped in at the private VW mechanic back home. After hearing the story he started hugging each tire (best way to describe it) Rich and I exchanged glances trying to keep a straight face. Turned out the inside sidewall of one of his tires had failed and was bulging. Sure enough, we could feel it when we reached in too. Check that.
    Nicholas
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Awesome! It really makes one of the best sounds I have heard from a car.

    Craig
  • bruticusbruticus Member Posts: 229
    My front windows squeal and squawk as they're being rolled up/down. I know it's because the glass is rubbing on something, but I don't know what it is or how to fix it.

    Can anybody advise?

    DjB
  • sonya4sonya4 Member Posts: 92
    DjB--Have the same problem with my windows. Asked dealer about it and was told it's a common problem with '02 WRXs, and it really couldn't be fixed (?). It's a minor annoyance at this point.

    General question--Does anyone think it's worth it to trade in your WRX for an STi? I finally managed to test-drive the STi about a month ago when I had the WRX in for an oil change, and came thisclose to ordering one, but after a few days I came to my senses again. I still love my WRX, and the STi doesn't seem to be a practical daily driver, though I sure do love the power.

    BTW, this dealer where I test-drove the STi said that a rough estimate for a trade-in on my 02 WRX would be $13,000! And this without really looking at my car. (I did a bit of research and found that I should be able to get at least $16K.) Sheesh!!

    --sonya4
  • bruticusbruticus Member Posts: 229
    We have a couple factors working against us. First, WRXs have a reputation for being driven hard by young owners who don't set their sights on long-term value. Also, in today's economic conditions new cars are much cheaper compared with a few years ago, so many people who would've bought a used car decide they can afford a new car.

    DjB
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    I would get a Legacy GT sedan instead. For the money you get a very fast car that is way more refined than the STi and still handles great. It would be a great daily driver and a true upgrade from a WRX. The STi is faster and has bleeding edge handling, but it's still an Impreza.

    Craig
  • bruticusbruticus Member Posts: 229
    ...is pretty awesome it's own self, and (according to prelim pricing from SoA) a bit cheaper than the WRX STi.

    Altho, with all the hot new Subarus, not to mention Mitsu's efforts to breathe blow more wind into the Evo's sales (heh!) I wouldn't be surprised if the WRX STi gets some additional somethin'-somethin' in a year's time.

    DjB
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    What all of the other turbos from Subaru don't have is the gas mileage of the WRX. Getting close to 30 mpg on the interstate made mine a great road car to drive to Colorado.

    TWRX
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    It should answer the yearning of many of the posters here for an STi wagon. 18" wheels, 265 hp, lowered, stiffer springs and struts. Not quite the handler of the WRX STi, but close. Should also be almost as fast (might be as fast!)

    In terms of the Legacy - "I would get a Legacy GT sedan instead. For the money you get a very fast car that is way more refined than the STi and still handles great"

    Craig - It depends on what you want. Refinement, then I completely agree with you. The Legacy is superior to the WRX in this area. Raw performance, no substitute for the STi.
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    It's a very personal decision really. My neighbour is still gushing about his STi after 3 months. He describes it as a race car he can drive to work every day.
    I don't know about you, but I find it frustrating that I can't even enjoy the performance potential of the WRX very much, and about 50% of the time I actually do, I probably shouldn't (for reason's of speed limits, not safety). I have no idea how puttering along in an STi would make me feel. Might turn me into another one of those aggressive drivers that I detest.
    If you will be able to enjoy the performance potential (which I sincerely doubt outside a race track or Solo course) and you have the cash, go for it.

    Re Forester STi, I couldn't find any links confirming it was US bound. If it is though, it lends much more credibility to the 06 Legacy STi rumours. That may be an STi alternative, the Forester STi isn't quite the same.

    Nicholas
  • subtonesubtone Member Posts: 15
    Will I be able to add a (Bike) roof rack to a WRX Sedan with a sunroof... curious

    I've been researching and test driving all types of cars the past few months and I keep coming back to the WRX, the only thing holding me back is the price tag and the insurance cost, I’m not really a motor head but I do have a love of driving and I always wanted to have a vehicle with great acceleration……. Should I just go for it?
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    Will I be able to add a (Bike) roof rack to a WRX Sedan with a sunroof... curious

    I have the wagon with the sunroof, and there was no problem running the roof top bike carrier except wind noise.

    Should I just go for it?

    Yes.
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    I have a comment and a question about tires for Subaru's.

    Just purchased new B.F. Goodrich Traction T/A H's in P205-55-HR16 size for my '02 Legacy Wagon GT.
    These tires are like night and day over the Bridgstone Potenza RE-92's that came on it. The RE-92's only lasted 23,000 miles and are junk! They were junk when they were new! S.O.A. are you listening?? The RE-92's on my '02 WRX are just about as bad. I don't understand why Subaru puts such a shody tire on their really decent cars. It can't cost that much more for something that I feel is as important as tires. And I think most consumers would appreciate the fact that Subaru thought enough of their vehicles to extend the quality to their O.E.M. tires.

    Just go to tirerack.com or anywhere else, and compare them and see the comments the consumers have made.

    I am hoping to buy the wife a new LL Bean edition of the Outback in a couple of years, but I will not buy one if I can't get the dealer to put decent tires on it. I can't imagine that would be a problem, but I wouldn't have to do that if Subaru put good tires on their cars in the first place.

    Now the question, I know I can do whatever I want, but I can't get the B.F.G.'s in the "V" speed rating locally and am considering getting them from TireRack for my WRX. The question is... Should I put on the "V" speed rated tire over the "H" rated tires even though my car will likely never see anything above 130 mph. The only difference I see is that the "V" rated tires cost about $10 ea. more and may be harder to replace if I had a problem on the road.

    Comments please.

    Thanks in advance,

    Ken
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    If any of you out there feel the same way as I do about tires. Post your message! Maybe if enough of us complain, maybe S.O.A. will listen.

    Thanks!

    Ken
  • bluerex03bluerex03 Member Posts: 6
    I had the same problem with my 03' The dealer told me that subaru must of got some bad parts and they replaced the inner and outer stabilizer clips. No more squeaks since March. In case you need, here are part numbers : 62304FA001 and 61256AE010.

    Does anybody know a good place to get Prodrive muffler?
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Be aware that there are different versions of the RE-92 and you shouldn't group them into one blanket bad category. The RE-92 that came on my 02 Outback had a TW rating of 340 or so, and looked fine at 43000 miles. The ones on my WRX, on the other hand, had a TW rating in the low 200 range and are known to be sub-par.

    I just got a new 05 Outback which has RE-92 tires, and have not bothered to research them other than to note that they are yet another iteration of tire under the RE-92 name. Same goes for the tires on the 05 Legacy GT. We can only hope they are improved over the tires used on the previous GT and WRX models.

    Craig
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    when I talked to a local tire guy about this, he was pretty laid back about it. An H rated tire should be fine for sporty vehicles, especially if you are never driving over 100mph which I won't be doing on my everyday tires.
    H is only one step below V - and I think it reflects a 20km speed increase doesn't it so I wouldn't worry about the safety, but the feel of the tire could be quite different given the sidewall stiffness etc already mentioned. I do regular gravel road driving, so the H rated tire was more attractive to me for both comfort and wear reasons. For now though, I'm just wearing out the re-92's.

    Nicholas
  • bkaiser1bkaiser1 Member Posts: 464
    I'm usually quite retentive about my tire purchases, so when I bought my 04 WRX last year, I was planning to immediately replace the RE92's on it (based on the absolutely horrible image they have). I must say, though, that after 21,000 miles of use, the RE92 is not as bad as I thought. Even with a treadwear rating of only 180, these tires still have a ton of tread left -- easily another 10-15k -- and in normal driving, I haven't had any complaints with them. They remain impeccibly balanced (no need yet to have them rebalanced from the factory) and I think the traction in rain and snow is comparable to other all season tires I've owned. In fact, compared to the highly rated Dunlop SP Sport A2's (which I hated in rain/snow and felt like I had skis on my Outback) I find they grip even better in slush.

    Granted, I don't tend to drive this car very hard, and I'm sure when it's time to replace these tires I'll put a better one on that is more in keeping with the car's capabilities...but for an OEM-supplied tire, I have not had a bad experience with the RE92.

    Brian
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Sorry, folks, but you may not use the Town Hall to buy and/or sell things. The Membership Agreement and the Rules of the Road are both very clear about that.

    Thanks for your understanding.
  • saintvipersaintviper Member Posts: 177
    The RE-92 is not a bad all season tire. It provides a soft ride with reasonable performance in dry, wet, and snow. I got over 50K miles out of mine.

    If you buy a specialized tire for summer performance, or snow performance, or whatever, it will be much better than the RE-92 in that area, but maybe not as good in another.

    Are there better all season performance tires? Probably, but the RE-92 is not a bad tire to start with.
  • sensei1sensei1 Member Posts: 196
    Ken there's also this site "Ask Connor at the Tire Rack".

    krzyss "Ask Connor at The Tire Rack" Jul 15, 2004 5:18pm

    I didn't have any issues with my RE92's either like the previous posts. Then again, I'm just referring to normal everyday commuting. I agree though, for a WRX caliber car, the tires could have been better.

    I think the bigger impact in handling comes with switching to 17's.

    Craig, why are you letting go of your WRX?
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    We're trying to get back down to two cars (WRX was the third). I bought a new Outback XT, which can sort of replace both the old Outback and the WRX in my mind (since it's about as fast as the WRX for all practical purposes). Actually, if my wife would drive a wagon I could drive the WRX full time but she's not into that. So I decided to sell the WRX. So far, no bites at all. Worst case, I will part it out and bring it to CarMax in a couple weeks. It's a shame, the car has less than 8000 miles and is in mint shape. I'll miss it.

    Craig
  • subtonesubtone Member Posts: 15
    thanks volkov

    .. looking to buy one by next week... :-O

    2005 WRX 5/speed w/package and short throw, silver .. trying for $26,000 us dollars OTD
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    It's hard to decipher out the door pricing. Back in 03, my WRX stickered for $25957 and I got it for $23000 plus taxes/tags/title/etc... You should be able to get a WRX for right around invoice cost from any decent dealership.

    CRaig
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    We replaced the RE92s on Susan's Legacy and my WRX with Bridgestone Turanza LS tires, H for her car and V for mine(I know, they are touring tires, but check out the reviews and specs on Tire Rack)...incredible wet and dry handling, especially during the rains we get here in summer. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&- tireModel=Turanza+LS-V&vehicleSearch=true&partnum=055VR6T- LS&fromCompare1=yes
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Ken - If you look at most of the Japanese imports that are being sold (save for Honda), most cars are comming with a version of the RE92s. They seem to be very cheap for the manufacturers to add them to their cars compared to other tires. The RE92s do have a decent ride, noise level, and handle competently. Most likely, if Subaru was to put on a better tire on their cars, we would be paying more for said car out the door.

    If it means anything my RE92s with V speed rating, lasted 32K miles, and could have gone at least another 5K miles. This is with a wear rating of 180.
  • dex500dex500 Member Posts: 2
    Been looking for a new car and prefer to drive a car rather than a truck though I need both. Best plan, I suppose, is to buy a new car and and get some old truck for Home Depot duties. Can't bring myself to drive some sluggish 5,000 pound beast everyday. Want the WRX (MT) but most of my driving is going from one red light to another (Austin, TX). Love the open road whenever I get a chance, however. So it is worth it to spend $24K for yet another manual transmission four cylinder car when I can get V8 Tundras for 22K and V8 Dakotas for 18K? I've owned a VW squareback, ancient Subaru DX with zero options, and a nasty Dodge Shadow so my owners pedigree isn't too high falutin. Is the WRX all that its owners claim it to be?
  • bruticusbruticus Member Posts: 229
    >>>>It's hard to decipher out the door pricing. Back in 03, my WRX stickered for $25957 and I got it for $23000 plus taxes/tags/title/etc... You should be able to get a WRX for right around invoice cost from any decent dealership.

    CRaig
    <<<<

    I also got my '03 in March '03 for 23 even plus the formalities. Altho to this day I feel I overpaid a bit; mine has only the alarm/mirror and full-stereo group, and I've heard of/talked to people who got theres with LOTS more options for nearly the same price.

    As for the RE92s, I have 34K miles on my odometer and my tires still have about half, maybe 40%, tread left. I am a bit late for rotation though. Looks like another thing I'll have to add to the list when I go to AZP next weekend.

    DjB
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    How often do you need the truck? I only feel the need for a pickup truck 1-2 times a year at most, and then I can usually borrow one from a neighbor or relative. 99% of my needs are covered by having a station wagon (Outback) with roof racks and then I could buy a utility trailer to cover the pickup-truck duties if those 1-2 times a year became more frequent.

    Sounds like you do not want to be penalized by a truck, and I couldn't agree more.

    The WRX is one of the best sports sedans you can buy, more so when you look at the price range. I still know of no other sports car that gives you more bang for the buck.

    Craig
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    I have a WRX with a manual. I live in a small city so there is a lot of stoplight driving. I have never owned an automatic so the mt is auto to me. As far as needing a truck, about a year after getting the wrx I found a 1992 toyota for $4000. It gets about 4000 miles a year and costs me practically nothing other than insurance. So I have the best of both worlds.

    TWRX
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Just curious if some of the times you would need the truck could be taken care of with the added room of the wagon. Other times, you could either get a beater, or rent one (Home Depot and other rental companies do this, Budget rents Ford Rangers very cheaply per day).
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    I have had H rated ones on 3 Legacies and V on the WRX as OEM. I have been driving my 98 Legacy with the WRX wheels/tires for the last 2 summers and while I may be crazy they seem much better than the original H ones!
    The RE92 is a half decent all season. Lose a lot of tread and they stink in the snow big time.
    I just noticed today the Prius comes with RE92s too! Even Lexus puts them on the IS.
    It could be worse, Caddy puts Michelin Symmetrys on the DeVille. Only other cars which get them are minivans! Or does that say something about DeVille owners :-)!
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    Thanks for all the input on the tires, I suppose I will order the "V" rated tires for the WRX before winter from tirerack.

    Dex, Another option to think about... My wife convinced me to pay delivery charges for a while instead of buying a truck. I think Home Depot charges $40 and Lowes charges $35 for local delivery. That is somewhat cheaper than owning a truck if your needs aren't too often. There are times though that I really wish I had a truck.
    Maybe when the cars are paid off I'll splurge and get a Nissan Titan. There is still no way I'm giving up the WRX! I'm keeping that baby! It's just way too much fun to get rid of it.

    Ken
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    The utility trailer idea is also a good and often overlooked one. Basically I never use it now with the Suburban, but a neighbour used to let me borrow theirs when I needed to haul stuff and it was great. Dirt cheap relative to another vehicle, basically no maintenance costs and easy to store.
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    Yeah, a trailer is a good idea, but I don't know that I would want to pull it with my WRX. I have a 5'X10' utility trailer and it was only something like $500 new and tags are only $18 or so a year, and insurance is dirt cheap also. Locally they want something like $800 to install a hitch on the Legacy wagon, so for now the trailer just sits in the yard taking up space, unless one of the kids needs it.

    Ken
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    You can buy one for less than $200 and install it yourself -- it takes about the same amount of skill as changing a tire. As far as I know, the only specialized tool you may need is a torque wrench.

    Craig
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    I have the hitch on my WRX. That's how I prefer to carry the bikes because I just pull off the hitch when not in use. Much easier and less noisy than the roof set-up. The Subie hitch is nice too, given it's finished silver. Get over it, you can pull the utility trailer with the Rex!
  • andmoonandmoon Member Posts: 320
    I got a hidden hitch for my wrx for $70 at etrailer.com. I thought I would use it only for my bike rack but now I want to tow a utility trailer and was wondering about the wiring. Is the car pre wired? If so where is the harness or wires located?
    Don
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    Can't answer that because I never bothered to wire it.
  • dex500dex500 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks to everyone responding to my question of whether to buy the WRX or the truck. Easy to get to get caught up in truck-crazed Texas but even though there have been great truck deals everywhere I can't bring myself to drive one of the beasts everyday. I think I'll take your advice and get the WRX (wagon for more utility) and then rent/borrow the truck as needed (or buy a cheap one). The trucks are nice and all but don't beg to be driven. Can't forget that WRX test drive...
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Have fun with the car. Have driven mine about 50K miles and still enjoy driving it!

    BTW, a friend of mine was debating between a pickup vs. an RSX a couple years back, and at the last minute, changed his mind to get the RSX. For some reason I have never heard him mention a pickup since.
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    I had some questions about the trailer hitch from etrailer.com, called them, the gal said they didn't make one for the legacy wagon. Hmmm. That's funny, they list two on the web site. Anyway, figured at that point if there were problems, it could be difficult, so I just ordered one from the Subaru dealer. Cost a little more but includes the wiring harness as well.

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Subie resale is very good.

    Just for fun, I recently calculated the KBB private party price for my '98 Forester L, which I paid $19,200 for. It's worth about $8,600 today. Not bad.

    For fun, I looked at a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, same miles and year and same condition, and guess what? $8,000.

    Funny thing is mine cost $6000-8000 less when new, yet it's worth $600 more now.

    I think WRX resale will be similarly good. It'll kill the resale for, say, a Stratus.

    -juice
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    I looked up both my '02 WRX and my '02 Legacy GT wagon, they are both still worth more than the loan balances. I think that's pretty impressive, considering they both were 60 mo. loans. I'd never taken a 60 mo. loan before, and I've never had a domestic vehicle be worth more than the loan balance after 3 years. I realize those are just numbers, but at least the numbers are better than the other vehicles I've owned. When I traded in my Durango to get the Subies, I couldn't even get a decent trade at a Dodge dealer. It cost me over 20 g's to drive it for 3 years. I lost my kahuna's on that one. I doubt I'll buy another domestic unless it's a used truck at some point down the line.

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Used they can actually be a bargain. I see 2002 Expeditions for $20k, that's about half the price of a new one.

    -juice
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    Score another one for Juice! The Legacy GT wagon does not have the vehicle plug. Go to the Legacy board to read about it.

    I test drove a 2005 STi today, all I can say is "AWESOME!!!!" :):):):):) Too bad a state trooper was in the lane as I pulled onto the freeway. :(

    Ken
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Oh, that was a mistake!! I had STi fantasies for a month after driving one. Lucky for me (and my marriage) I was too broke at the time to afford a new car!

    Craig
This discussion has been closed.