Subaru Impreza WRX

gaspasser2 · July 2001

would that make a difference to your decision in buying this awesome car? Just curious.

gasspasser2

ateixeira · July 2001

Tough question. It would make me want to see some long-term reliability results before buying.

And I would not single out Mexico, really. I'm from Brazil and I'd be weary of buying a Mini because all the engines are made there. At least until they've proven reliable for a year or two.

Note that Foresters (built under the noses of HQ in Gunma, Japan) have a slight edge in reliability over Legacys and Outbacks (built in the US).

Toyota feels OK making their Camry here, they leave the assembly of their more premium ES300 to Japan.

-juice

rsholland · July 2001

that Subarus aren't sold in Mexico. In fact they aren't sold at all anywhere in Central America either. In South America, only five countries sell them: Brazil, Chile, Argentina,
Uruguay and Peru.

Bob

ateixeira · July 2001

They surely do sell Foresters in the Dominican Republic. Our pal Marzo owns one, and they even offer them as rentals.

Maybe it's an independent distributor, so Subaru doesn't track where they end up.

-juice

stankin · July 2001

I have recently decided that the WRX will be the car I will purchase in the coming months. So, I wanted to get any opinions from WRX owners who have had them a while and what the thought of them at first, and now that they have had them a while. Secondly, has anyone purchased the optional Subaru performance exhaust to suspension package. If they have what are their opinions of them.

Thanks,
K

rsholland · July 2001

the countries I listed are the only only ones with corporate sites. So, maybe some independent is importing them, as you said.

This is from the FHI site:

http://www.fhi.co.jp/subaru/

Bob

ateixeira · July 2001

I knew you had some kind of source. :-)

-juice

rsholland · July 2001

Go to the World Network link.

Bob

ateixeira · July 2001

Maybe there are others that just don't have web sites.

-juice

rsholland · July 2001

but those are ones "officially" sanctioned by FHI.

Bob

gaspasser2 · July 2001

Germany, Japan, U.S.A. That's the order of my preference. Until Mexico, Korea, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Philippines, France, and the likes start making high quality precision tools, you'll never see me buy a car made from those countries. Actually, U.S.-made cars became suspect after my test drive with the Focus. I'm not sure though if the Focus is even made here in the U.S. Poor fit and really cheap plastic abound.

Is everyone comfortable about the "Big Three" taking over(or merging) with Range Rover, Volvo, Mercedes Benz etc.? I'm afraid the quality and uniqueness of those cars will drop. Anybody seen the new Jag? I don't kow about you folks but it certainly reminds me of our Taurus.

Does anybody know how much of Subaru is owned by GM?

pattim3 · July 2001

GM owns a 20% share of FHI. More for technology sharing than anything - ours for the drivetrain, there's for future low emission vehicles (at least for now).

Patti

balser · July 2001

I don't own a Subaru yet, but I've liked them for a long time and am trying to convince my wife to buy a WRX wagon or Outback.

Anyway, to my point. We currently own a 2000 Chevy Suburban that was assembled in Mexico. Except for the power window motors (who knows where they're sourced) the truck has been flawless. The fit and finish are excellent. A similar 'made in Mexico' discussion took place on the Suburban board, and the consensus was pretty much that the quality is at least as good as the US, probably better. I'd buy another Suburban screwed together in Mexico without hesitation.

nschulman3 · July 2001

I just got a call today that my wrx sedan just arrived. I am dying to pick it up, but because of family arriving in two days and the long commute-(nearly 5 hour ride), I won't be able to get the car until next Friday. I can't wait! Here are the specs on my car- Sedona Red wrx sedan with air filtration, armrest extension, short-shift and security upgrade. I purchased the car from Van Bortel in Victor NY. It is well worth the trip. I got the car with those options and destination charges for a grand total of just 23,600. Great deal, and the salespeople were equally great. If you want a wrx and live anywhere near their dealer, it is worth a trip. They have a set price with no haggling and the car arrived earlier than expected. Speak to Diana Lee or Theresa at 800-724-8872.

kostamojen2 · July 2001

The WRX is one of those cars that on a test drive you end up saying:

"Oh sheep! Im doing 80 in a 45, how did that happen???!!!"

Yes, this car is GREAT in the 60-90 range... Feels like your going 30mph

silver_bullet · July 2001

FWIW, Focus ZX3s are built in Ford's Hermosillo, Mexico plant, and the sedans and wagons come from the Wayne plant in the U.S. The Mexican cars seem better built than their U.S. counterparts, from what I've seen, although none of them are paragons of quality -- my fiancee's ZX3 is in the shop again for more warranty work.

ateixeira · July 2001

gaspasser: platform sharing is a way of life. It's do or die, given how competitive things are and how costs have to be controlled.

Yes, the baby Jag uses a Ford Mondeo platform. At least Ford of Europe has had their act together, and the Jag is about as different from the Mondeo as the TT Quattro is from a Golf.

I've heard the next Taurus may get the Volvo S80 platform. They're just trying to figure out how to cut costs enough to do that.

Range Rover needs better engines, so they can only be helped, IMO. And you would hope that Mercedes lifts Chrysler out of the quality dungeon, and not the other way around (Chrysler dragging down M-B).

Subaru has their own platforms, and it looks like GM will let Subaru design the 2005 SUW, and then sell a version of it for themselves. Scoobies should remain scoobies, with boxer engines and full-time AWD, plus platforms designed by FHI engineers.

The exception may be hybrid technology, for batteries and such. That's OK, Subaru may need it to continue to meet the 27.5 mpg CAFE standard, and it is way behind Honda and Toyota with no resources to catch up.

Think of it this way: each hybrid they sell will allow them to sell more WRXs and Blitzens.

Just my 2 cents' worth.

-juice

gaspasser2 · July 2001

Enjoy your posts.

jbreez1 · July 2001

thanx for the info on van bortel. i'm going to bring those prices to my dealers in orlando. if they don't come close, i may order on line and take a plne trip

myeviltwin · July 2001

I just ordered my WRX today! Blue sedan, manual, with spoiler, armrest, and few other small extras. I should be getting it in September. I could have gotten one sooner (the dealer will get one in this color and almost identical options in a few weeks), but I wanted more time to sell my old car.

A couple of information pieces that I picked up: They say that 8000 of the 10,000 available this year are already sold. So the ones that are still thinking might have to move fast. Looks like it could be a few more weeks, and then you'll be waiting until March 2002. There supposedly won't be any automatic available next year (which I consider to be a good thing...).

While talking about options, they showed me an order for a WRX totalling over $33K! 17" wheels, suspension kit, etc., pretty much everything you can get. This guy must be ready to spend quite a bit of money to own the sweetest WRX in the area...

kostamojen2 · July 2001

Dealers talk smack, they dont know anything...

Of COURSE there will be autos availible! Thats just stupid that anyone would say that... And the Subaru reps during the detroit debut said they would up the production to 12,000 if 10,000 isnt enough.

bluesubie · July 2001

Congrats, Reto!
No manuals, that's funny! IF the STi version, comes to N. America there won't be an auto. You can count on auto WRX's though. ;-)

Dennis

paducci · July 2001

argh, i've been in a bit of a bind, at first i wasn't even considering the wrx, but after a friend told me about it...i test drove it...and can't stop thinking about it! i was gonna go out to the dealer today and try and talk some business, but i think i'm gonna wait and see about the 02 altima.

comments are welcome

amlee · July 2001

Hi everyone,

I've been the happy owner of a yellow WRX for the past three weeks. No complaints or regrets... (well, maybe I should at least have waited to see what the new Acura will be like.) Still driving pretty sedately (700 miles and counting).

This is my first turbo car. Some people have told me that turbos need to be cooled down for a couple of minutes before shutting the engine down, to prevent oil from sitting on the hot turbine area and burning.

Is this still the case, or has technology improved so that this is no longer necessary?

Thanks in advance.

barresa62 · July 2001

The WRX does not need a cool down period. I wrote SOA about this, especially after reading all the posts over at the i-club regarding this. SOA engineers explained that there was no need to do this because of the way the turbo was engineered and its placement regarding the flow of oil through it. This is also why the owner's manual doesn't make any mention of a cool down period. Hope this helps. BTW, I saved this e-mail response in case anything ever happens to the turbo other than normal wear and tear. This is also my first turbo car.

Stephen
Silver WRX wagon 5spd

sharkbbq · July 2001

has anyone bought a wrx in Calif.? i am in nor.cal. and looking for a good deal. help!

bbrandle · July 2001

While what Stephen is saying may very well be true (that Subaru has engineered the oil feed to the turbocharger so that it limits the incidence of its overheating), prudence would suggest that some caution should be given to guard the life of a turbocharger. Once the engine is off, most engines do not continue to circulate oil through the turbo unit. After very hard driving and extended highway trips at high speed, the turbo is red hot (so much so that you can see it glowing on my car).

In these instances I do take a couple of minutes of idling to let the turbo cool down. Is it absolutely necessary during regular driving? Maybe not, but a couple of minutes here and there when the engine's really been working hard is a small price to pay given the importance the turbo plays in the power delivery of your car. I also use Mobil 1 synthetic oil which has much less propensity to "cook". Sure it costs a bit more, but we're talking peace of mind here.

Just some things to think about. Cheers.

Bernd
2000 VW Passat 1.8t, 5sp

rex_ruthor · July 2001

I dont know where in No. Cal. you are, but I think you should be able to get $500 over invoice. I got $750 over on an order without much trouble, and I think I could have done a bit better. The dealers that I have heard reports of doing deals for $500 over are Santa Cruz Subaru and Stevens Creek Subaru.

Carlsen Subaru is out...they wouldnt do even $750 over, and that was on an order.

Bear in mind that if you are taking a car off the lot, depending on how long they have had it, you will probably not be able to get as good a price as if you were to order. But hurry, because I have heard only 2000 cars are left in the production run right now.

p0926 · July 2001

There are drivers who religiously let their engine idle for a couple of minutes to cool it down after driving hard. These drivers swear by the longevity benefits gained from this regimen, and these are non-turbo owners!

Common sense certainly indicates that allowing the circulating oil to cool the turbo down for a minute or two can only help. Is it absolutely necessary? No. And unless you plan on keeping your WRX past 150K, you probably will never realize the benefits from this procedure. Still, if it gives you added peace of mind, go for it, it certainly doesn't do any harm.

Frank P.

dsackman · July 2001

Carlsen Subaru in Redwood City quoted me invoice + 6% earlier this week on a WRX Wagon. I thought that was a bit steep.

barresa62 · July 2001

exactly what everyone's been saying: a cool down period wouldn't do any harm and certainly would give piece of mind.

In fact, when I get to work in the AM, I let the car idle as I write out my check for parking. I usually let the car idle a bit when I get home as I'm gathering up my cell phone, papers, and Latte mug (ok....I live in Seattle, whadya expect!) :-)

Stephen

wrx_al · July 2001

I bought mine, off the lot, at Albany subaru for $800 over invoice ($1500 off MSRP). I found their ad in the vehicle classifieds at sfgate.com (search keyword: wrx)

sharkbbq · July 2001

Thanks Rex and Sackman for the info. I am in Sacramento and would travel to get one in the Bay area.

So order will give a better price? Is that because they are not paying long on the loan and get their Holdback quickly? Rex- what options did you get on yours and color? I have yet to drive one but i know i will like it. I had a GL10 turbo wagon years ago and it was great. And how Yellow is the Blazin Yellow? sounds like a fun color. Is it like the toyota spyder yellow?

sharkbbq · July 2001

Great i'll be in Albany on Sat. to visit my bro. so maybe i can run over and look. R U happy with the service? What color and Options did you get WRX al?

gaspasser2 · July 2001

My salesman also recommended cooling down for 2 min. despite no mention of it in the manual. He said that it could approximately add five years to the life of the turbo. It's all subjective. I do it. It won't hurt so why not do it if possibly beneficial?

bruticus · July 2001

I keep seeing commercials for this car, and they make my heart hurt because I don't know when I'll be able to get one.

I can't remember the last time I felt this strongly about a thing.

DjB

drew_ · July 2001

phatride01 · July 2001

Hello, once again, all. I was just wondering whether anyone knows of any good Driving Schools within the Northeastern region. I live in NY closest to Manhattan, so I would not mind trooping to Jersey, or even somewhere in CT.

The more and more I drive this car, the more and more that I know it has great potential. However, I wish not to unleash it very much, on local roads, and I have been itching to try a track or auto-x. However, I do not think that watching NASCAR helps one's driving technique.

I feel I am a capable driver, but I would also like ot enhance my skills with a type of car that I have almost NO experience with. All my life, I have driven front wheel drive cars, and one rear wheel vehicle. All N/A fours and sixes. Thus, if anyone can recommend a school, I would highly appreciate the comments.

A tid bit for all of you who are looking at the WRX, and this is JMO, but even the most "confident" drivers suggest that an individual look into something like this, becuase people that have bought WRX's have really had some SERIOUS accidents. It's only a machine, and the nut behind the wheel really must know the car, before unleashing everything, especially in turn's and tight curves!

Nonetheless, I would HIGHLY recommend this car, given that the pictures that I have seen are REALLY horrible, and I would hate for anyone to go thru that. However, the pictures depict a very safe structure, so I am sure that the car will protect it's onboard occupants very well.

Copy and paste the whole URL's in a browser for the pic's.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View? u=1688216&a=12956937&p=51569334

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?

u=1688216&a=12956937&p=51569335

This happened very close to where I live, and must have been a horrible experience, or so it seems.

Be safe all, and happy driving!

phat.

rex_ruthor · July 2001

You're in luck...you wont even have to travel far. Give Chris Jones at Maita Subaru in Sac a call. I think the email is cd-jones@pacbell.net. He's very pleasant and easy to deal with, and I feel a bit badly about not ordering from him. I was going to, but my local dealer matched, and that just saved me a ton of time driving back and forth, and what not. (my dealer wouldn't beat his price, just matched) And, as I posted, I got it for $750 over invoice. Make sure that you are talking about the price as includes dest...this is how the dealer usually quotes it, so if its unclear, clarify up front that you are including dest.

Yes, the dealers have less costs associated with orders...as they dont have to store, test drive, or advertise such a car...they just order it, it comes in at port, the port delivers to the dealer...the dealer does the PDI (pre-delivery inspection) and you can usually pick up the car the next day. This means big savings..they still get paid the holdback fee from the manufacturer that they earn on every car. This fee is often partly spent on the "floorplan" costs listed above.

I ordered Silver Sedan 5MT with the air filtration, security upgrade, electrochromatic compass mirror, and differential protector. Should be here in September. Cant wait.

wrx_al · July 2001

is a "low overhead" kind of dealer. They told me $500 over invoice on factory orders (10 weeks out?) or $1000 over from stock. They enticed me to come down to Albany with a $800 over invoice offer on the car I wanted. It was nice not going through the usual sweaty negotiations to buy a car. Since I live in the wine country I'll probably have my local "full price" dealer do the servicing. I got a rally blue 5 speed wagon with speaker/sub woofer upgrade, auto dimming/compass rear view mirror, security upgrade, all weather mats and some rear storage bins/compartments. The last two options could be duplicated for much less than the factory equipment. Since the auto dimming compass has a power plug I was able to splice the radar detector (you will need one!) power cord in very neatly- looks like a factory installed detector!

1subydown1togo · July 2001

Try Skip Barber at Lime Rock in CT...a bit of a drive but nice up ther and Barber has a great reputation

kostamojen2 · July 2001

Hey man, I live in Roseville and know all 5 of the dealers in the area quite well

(Shingle springs, Auburn/Goldrush , Roseville, Senator, and Maita)

And yes, Chris Jones is the best salesman in the Area, he even owns a White WRX wagon and is as much "into" the car as all of us

and if hes doing $750 over invoice, get it from there! They have a great service dept. and no-hassle style dealership.

Also, the Auburn/Gold Rush Subaru is VERY laid back and easy to work with, and they havent been selling very many WRX's... You could probably get a deal from them for less than Maita if you go to Maita first and then price shop with Auburn.

In any case, Join up the I-club.com forums, Chris Jones is a member there and you can Private message him if you want and get his Cell Phone number (his screen name is... Chris Jones)

Im also on there too under Kostamojen of course, and you can message me there or leave a message here and I can contact you and help you out (Do you have ICQ or AIM?)

Good luck!

ateixeira · July 2001

I think a cooling down period can't be a bad idea. Though if drive the last mile or two in your neighborhood at a light pace, you've probably already accomplished that.

-juice

bunkey · July 2001

I have been reading this site for a few months . I must say that all I have read is very positive about the WRX.
My only question to all the owners is what will the depreciation be like
on a car like this with
about 40 or 50 thousand miles in three years time ? And would you , yourself buy this used car from someone you age in three years ?
I have driven the demo. auto at the dealer and was very impressed and would like a response from those who have already purchased this car.
Also . the dealers in Alberta Canada have very few in stock and of cource want MSRP of 36,800 . If this car's vehicle production increases do you not feel the price will drop with the demand .
Thanks for you help BK

rex_ruthor · July 2001

I think you have to factor in the resale values of the 2.5RS as a baseline. The 2.5 RS cars seem to hold value fairly well, and I think a bit better than any econobox offered by Honda, Toyota, etc. This due to the extra features, the AWD, the boxer motors, etc. Its not a commodity commuter.

So, based on the 2.5RS as a guideline, it holds that the WRX should enjoy a relatively moderate depreciation too. But lets face it, if the STI comes over, the WRX demand will drop off considerably, especially in the resale market.

That would be my prediction though, that they will be offering the Impreza sedan in 3 trim levels with 3 completely different performance level offerings, which is actually quite a smart marketing strategy, ala Ford with the Mustang....something for everyone. Now, obviously, the depreciation tapers off at the high end. The same will be true for Subaru if thats the way they play it.

Its anyones guess how well the current WRX's will hold up for resale though, in terms of condition. I think it will be like any other high performance car...some are gonna be modded beyond driveability, many will be thrashed.....so there will be a healthy market for clean, well kept cars.

I would say that if resale is on your mind, keep your car stock, maintain it religiously, tint the windows so the cloth seats dont fade, stuff like that. Keep the car looking and driving as clean as possible and you should be no better or no worse off than the average hi-po sedan owner.

(Don't take this opinion out of context....WRX owners aren't going to see resale like the M3 or the S4's, with their limited production. But on "average" , I predict that resale metrics should be fairly favorable. )

smstm · July 2001

You may have covered this somewhere in this forum, but I was wondering if anyone had any information on the Future WRX STi model. Is it coming to the US? when will it be? Can I get a wagon? Any information on this model would be great

rsholland · July 2001

Not sure when... and probably in very limited numbersthus pricey.

Bob

jk111 · July 2001

According to autoweek, a regular manual should be able to sell for 18 grand in 5 years. Which I think is pretty high, I also think they over estimated a little. But who knows, if it continues to be a limited production car it might just be that high.

perrito · August 2001

Guys, tried asking this on the wagons board, and didn't get much response. What color is the lit-up display on the WRX? I have a Forester and it has red-action needles over green background display at night.... is the WRX the same?
Input?
thanks,
perrito

ateixeira · August 2001

Your Forester is different than mine. The earlier ones were a yellowish orange. They switched to red for 2001.

Not sure about the Rex.

-juice

Subaru Impreza WRX

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