Subaru Impreza WRX

WarpDrive

The 12'o clock position is bad for the reason of the airbag, but I must admit, I'm guilty of driving like that, and it's not for show, I prefer it that way. It's a bad habit that I really should "unlearn". The correct method is with both hands on the wheel.

jwilson1

people generally drive with their hands 9 & 3 (not 10 and 2). And in a corner, the most useful is to push with the hand on the outside of the turn, push the wheel into the turn, and this will let you do it smoothly. This also gives over 200 degrees of motion with the turning hand. Then the other hand can help straighten the car out again, smoothly, under acceleration.

Feels awkward when you start it, but with a little practice really gives you a sense of control, because both hands are on the wheel. The right hand has to be off to shift, but then comes right back. An armrest is used on trips with little traffic, like cruise control.

Sorry to butt in with my pet peeves!
Joe W.

8u6hfd

I'm guilty of the 12 o'clock left hand on the steering....for casual driving...

Hard driving, it's 9 & 3 o'clock.

paisan

I generally don't use any hands, just my thigh/leg/knee why use hands?

-mike

ateixeira

That's why cup holders and storage bins have become so important in cars! ;-)

Actually, the Subie steering wheels sort of do help you keep your hands in the right place.

-juice

nschulman3

Anyone have any info on vishnu stage 0 and how reliable it would be?

krzyss

try www.i-club.com

Krzys

njcar1

Does anyone know what a good price for a 2002 WRX sedan is in NJ, fully stripped manual transmition. Being that the 2003 models are already in the dealerships, did anyone get below invoice price on the 2002 models (I know that it would be next to impossible to get that on the 2003 models).

paisan

But you can contact Mark Jerrick @ Staten Island Subaru 718-979-9595 and see if he has any 02s left. Tell him Mike sent you.

-mike

corkfish

Stamford Ct Subaru has quite a few 2002's

lippolds

I have seen up to $600 under invoice for 2003 WRXs in the Boston area. I am getting a 2003 for $200 under but the dealer is 2 miles away so I will pay the extra bucks. Plus he is selling me the accessories for a discount

qbrozen

I lined up a good deal through Marty Garland (the internet salesguy) at World Subaru in Shrewsbury back when the cars were fairly new and waiting lists were about 2 months. Don't know where they are at now with prices, though.

storyteller

Liberty (Oradell NJ) has 2002 WRXs for $22213.

Steve

njcar1

Thanks for your responses. I just received an offer on a 2002 WRX,for $23,630. The vehicle has the following equipment:arm rest extension,day time mirror with compass,premium sound,short throw shifter,and security system. I am not sure whether this includes the destination charge($525)but if it does, according to Edmunds this is only $5 above the invoice price. Should I push for a better price in the negotiations (being that this is the beginning of the negotiations) below invoice or should I just take this one. It seems like a good deal, right???

philwang66

That seems like a decent deal, although most price quotes exclude dest. charge unless explicitly stated. You might also try Liberty Subaru in North Jersey ( http://www.newsubaru.com/LIBERTY/New_Car_Specix.html )

ateixeira

Fitzmall.com's prices include freight, that's what I love about them. You pay the price they list, period, no gimmicks.

Their internet prices are very competitive, check 'em out. My cousin, then my dad, then finally we bought a Subie there, no complaints. My next car will be from them even if the price is $200 higher, it's just not worth the hassle, the haggling, the struggle, to end up (maybe) a few bucks ahead.

-juice

mpg5

besides abs brake "fade"? over bumps, does anyone else have any gripes? i am thinking of getting a silver 2002 w crossbar/armrest/cargonet/dimming mirror+compass/stereo upgrade offered @ 23,407. dealer tells me no incentives on 2002's from manufacturer. any help greatly appreciated.

robmarch

there aren't any incentives from the factory on 2002's, maybe, but you should pay less for a 2002 than for a 2003. your deal sounds similar to njcar's. If it's around invoice, it's a decent deal on a 2003. The further under invoice you go, the better deal it is. I'd say below invoice is a decent deal on a left over 2002, but you might want to hunt around for a dealer that will do invoice for a 2003 anyway. only a couple hundred to pick up a model year isn't too bad.

corkfish

Van Bortel seems to have the best prices. Go to their web site. They list a 2003 WRX wagon for $21,791.

sonya4

I've been noticing a faint squeak in my brakes when they're cold. My WRX is still under 10,000 miles. Is this common or should I take it to the dealer (something I am thinking of doing anyway)? They have been fine since I got the car last Nov., until now.

--sonya4

cptplt

its probably just fine, a lot of metallic pads do that, you get to a certain combination of pad and rotor wear.Another factor if you don't use the car much may be some rust buildup. When the brakes are really worn you will know, there is an audible brake pad wear indicator which starts making a real racket when you brake and the pads are close to needing replacing.Then you really need to have them attended too or your rotors will be history! If you are due to get any other service soon, have the dealer check it out, won't hurt, but its probably nothing to be too concerned about unless it gets worse.

ateixeira

$21,791? Man, they are giving these things away. You remember Autoweek estimated the price for a WRX would be $28 grand?

Sonya: it's probably light surface rust. It should go away after you apply the brakes a couple of times, if not then I'd be concerned.

-juice

jwilson1

sonya4, I'm not trying to scare you. In fact, this isn't meant for you as I certainly agree with everyone's comments. We've had three Subarus and each of them has made some brake noise on starting. But I wanted to tell people about how to screw up the wear indicators. Not on a WRX this time, but on a Maxima. I took it for a normal tune and observed the car was pulling a bit when I'd stop. The dealer called me at work: bad news, the Midas shop I'd used to install new pads some time back had set them up crooked so that two wheels had only the rear half of the pad in contact with the brake, the front half further away from full contact.

Ouch. New pads, rotors, badly scored discs where the pads had worn all the way through (on the backs), damaged parts on the opposite sides where the pads had to do all the work, the works. Probably not the safest, either. Yeah, I should have noticed sooner. But I kept listening for the wear strips.

Go Bluejays.
Joe W.

sonya4

I work from home, so I don't need to commute every day like most people, but I enjoy driving the car so much I take it out most days just to drive around, put on maybe 10-20 miles (or more) each time.

Does the light rust buildup mean I should be putting more miles on my Rex?

--sonya4

bluesubie

I had a bad experience and problems with Meineke. Unless you're upgrading to performance pads/rotors, definitely stick with OEM.

Rust on the rotors can even occur overnight, especially if it's damp out.

-Dennis

kens

My rotors get a fine coat of oxidation after washing my vehicle.

That's the nice thing about disc brakes -- self cleaning.

Ken

ateixeira

C&D used Hawk pads with the stock calipers and rotors and they were notably better than the OE pads. Go with those.

-juice

barresa62

I'll be upgrading to these shortly. I also have some SS brakes lines to put in.

Stephen

kodeblew

Just got an offer for 2003 WRX wagon at $750 over invoice in the Seattle area and 3.9% financing. Any experience out there on other offers? I see in Boston area they are under invoice.

ateixeira

Prices are lower in DC, too, but that doesn't help someone in Seattle. Sorry.

-juice

cptplt

Sonya, shouldn't be a problem if you use it every day unless you live in a very wet, humid area!
You need to brake harder! :-)

wannawrx

where did you get that financing? dealer, or who and is it for 36 months. i am in Sacramento and as soon as i sell my car i will be getting a wrx. it will be mine...yes it will be mine...

lippolds

Picking up my 2003 Silver Wagon Tomorrow (I'm so excited!) Are there specific break-in rules for the car? Is it in the owner's manual?

lippolds

Many thanks to all who replied to my questions regarding color etc. I have found this forum extremely helpful during this process.

Now my next dilemma: First day trip in the new car to Cape Cod or Fall Foliage Tour!

cptplt

it is in the owners manual

for 1st 1000 miles
do not rev over 4K except in emergency (if you go over a little once in a while its not the end of your engine!)
vary speed (long trips with cruise control are a no no)
no hard braking

kevin111

Silver on the Wagon is really nice (just ask Stephen!). Happy motoring!

barresa62

A big congrats to you Tim! (great color!) Let us know your impressions.

Ahh...it seems as if it was yesterday when I brought mine home for the 1st time (3/26/01)! :-)

Stephen

bruticus

Will the WRX's CD player play MP3 files?

DjB

kevin111

There are not many cars with MP3 compatidible stereos on the market currently. The only one that comes to mind is the Mazdaspeed Protege.

philwang66

No, the CD changer will not play MP3s. As kevin111 stated, very few stock stereos will play MP3s. It will play CD-Rs nicely. You'll have to go aftermarket if you want MP3s.

good luck,
Phil

ateixeira

Yup, it plays CD-Rs.

I have two take-off units from the WRX, so both our Forester and Legacy have the same stereo as you folks. :-)

-juice

freespec

Last Friday here in D.C. area, a WRX went over the center line and hit a tree on a raining day. The policy said the drug or alcohol is not a factor so it leaves only speed or driver's error as possible cause. The TV pictures are not pretty: the car was split into half and the entire car coiled into a 1/4 of its original size. Three people, including the driver, died instantly and one is in serious condition.

Advice: even you drive an AWD subaru, don't think yourself invincible. Tire condition and driver's skills have more than AWD to your overall safety. My guess is that AWD probably induces people to drive in a way he normally won't in a otherwise average car.

For those who wanted to check it out in person, read today's Washington Post or its online version. You may have ask a news tape from local TV channels for a TV clip.

kevin111

The driver must have been going significantly in excess of the speed limit, let alone what the conditions allow.

Saw something similiar a couple of years ago when someone in a mid-90s RX7 plowed into the car in front of him on a rainy day. He also was going in excess of the speed limit.

When conditions get slick, slow down!

Good point freespec.

ateixeira

Excess speed for conditions is driver error, so that's what it was.

It's been raining all week, I bet that was also a factor. Given the incredible forces it would take to tear a car in half, I'm sure major league speeds were also a factor.

There were 2 meets on Saturday, locally. One group met in Rockville and drove north, then back. Another group met in College Park. I hope it wasn't one of those folks, trying to show off his new ride.

-juice

WarpDrive

The car was also literally split in half. Even though he was an experienced racer, he hit a tree sideways and perished. He was speeding and was obviously going too fast even though he was familar with that road.

ateixeira

I saw a DSM car that wrapped around a pole at the junk yard. The pole was cut off and still had the car wrapped around it!

The car I see most often ripped in half is the Mustang, for whatever reason. MADD always uses one as a display on college campuses.

-juice

qbrozen

Crash forces are a strange thing. I split my '79 Jeep CJ7 in half back when I was 18. Hit black ice and slid for what seemed like an eternity before the front bumper caught a tree and the spare tire caught a phone pole. Cracked the jeep in half like an egg, even splitting the rollbar. I climbed right out of the wreck and walked across the street to call for help. Not a scratch.

Not sure what my point is, just being reminded of it. I guess I'm maybe saying that I think you'd have to be going REALLY fast to do that kind of damage AND kill yerself.

ateixeira

I guess the point is - slow down if there might be black ice no matter how many wheels are driven and what tires and ABS technology you have.

Thankfully, you were lucky, you should have purchased a lotto ticket that day.

-juice

lippolds

I have put 200 miles on my new Silver Wagon since I picked it up on Saturday. We have a Honda Odyssey as our family car so the WRX is my daily driver. But even as a daily driver, I still want a car we can take as a family if needed. My 2 year old fit in just fine in her car seat in the rear behind the wife (it would be tight behind me as I need the seat far back). The tether latch in the wagon is very poor in that it is at the rear of the floor so it interferes with the cargo area and security screen. The middle latch is on the read of the ceiling which makes more sense.

Overall I love the car. It is a pure joy to drive especially on the back roads. It meets all of my needs in terms of performance oriented, 4 doors, enough room for my small family when we are not using the van, a manual transmission, and a price that won’t break the bank. I personally prefer the more utilitarian interior as it meets all the basic driver needs.

My only complaint is that the seats are uncomfortable. I am average build but I just can’t get comfortable especially on long rides. I have large calves and the bolsters don’t give me enough room. I keep feeling like I am at an angle and that my right shoulder is being pushed out. I hope this is just that I am not used to the seats and that my body will adjust.

jmgregory5

lippolds, I thought I was reading my own post for a second. I too just got a silver wagon about a month ago and our second "family" car is also an Ody. I have 3 children - an infant, a 4 year old and a 6 year old. I actually got them all in the wagon for a short trip along with my wife! It definitely makes me appreciate the Ody. Regarding the seats, I have a large frame and don't seem to have any problems getting comfortable. If you are comparing the Ody to the wrx then you have to keep in mind it is like going from an easy chair to a racing bucket. You don't sit on top of the seat, but are more part of the seat. I only have 600 plus miles on the odo, but I don't foresee having any comfort issues myself. I am looking forward to my first long trip.

John