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Comments
-juice
Bob
There may be something wrong w/ your heater as well. My only complaint w/ the heater is for such a small engine, it takes an awfully long time to get going. On a cold day, I don't have anything resembling heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Kind of like driving an old Buick.
But once it gets going, my heater kicks but. I normally drive w/ the setting in the 12 o'clock position.
The rear defogger is pretty lethargic, but I have never had much luck w/ those things.
Juice/Bob - snow and sleet here. It didn't stick to the road but the yard got frosted. I can't enjoy it .. I just want to ride my motor cy...cle.
You have to think of Arlo Guthrie to appreciate that last line.
- Hutch
The M3 and M5 don't look too different from their 3 and 5 series base models, on first glance, and a lot of people appreciate having a fun, great performing car in a less ostentatious package. Of course, when they are selling as many Evo's and STi's as they can ship, they can build them how they want.
You had me ROTFLMAO with that one. Good comedic timing, along with being surprising.
I like the wings, heck, if you got that much performance, why not flaunt it?
-juice
http://thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5920&sid=173&am- p;n=156
What type of mileage do you get after break in? (Worst/Best/Average)
Can golf clubs fit in the trunk of the sedan?
Does anyone know of a roof rack (for Bikes) that would fit on the sedan?
As you can see I'm looking at the sedan specifically. Does anyone have any advice on what options you would consider a "must have"?
Thanks a lot,
Jason
<<What type of mileage do you get after break in? (Worst/Best/Average)>>
For me, my input would be irrelevant - (i) my WRX isn't broken in yet, and (ii) my foot has lighten up.
<<Can golf clubs fit in the trunk of the sedan?>>
I know of an owner that has fitted his golf clubs in there.
<<Does anyone know of a roof rack (for Bikes) that would fit on the sedan?>>
Don't know.
<<Does anyone have any advice on what options you would consider a "must have"?>>
The WRX pretty much have all the must have.
What would be nice to have is the extended arm rest, and the upgraded sound. Others may differ, and YMMV.
-Dave
-Dennis
For my money the base WRX is still the best performance for the money.
But of course if they ever did an STI wagon I could still be tempted.
TWRX
Yeah, except for the fact that it's a Chrysler!
-Dennis
Disgruntled former '95 Neon owner :-)
"race YOUR wrx"?!? What WRX? In one week time you've gone from baiting WRX posters, criticizing all manner of WRX commentary to ....
... purchasing, breaking in (1,000 miles, and planning to race!
Wow! That's quite a turn-around in attitude to the WRX and in purchase time.
So, wagon or sedan? Sixteens or seventeens? What color? Which Chicago-area dealer did you go with (I'm assuming your reference to Chicago area and the short turn-around time to purchase and break-in means you purchases locally)? How did you get those 1,000 miles in on the breakin so fast? Did you finance? What was your rate? What insurance coverage do you have? What is your yearly rate to insure?
Okay, I'm done taking the bait. I'll stay out of it.
socprofinblrex
TWRX
I could be wrong, but I am guessing the the Short-throw has more robust synchros (sp?) for harder shifting. It is stiffer to shift than the regular one as well.
I have the manual and like it. Can shift very quickly with it (and I am a novice!).
'04 changes:
- New seats
- Speed sensitive steering
- Antenna in rear-glass
- Tach in middle of Dash
- More chrome around dash gauges.
On the options end of things I would recommend the arm rest extension and the stereo upgrade with the subwoofer. The security system upgrade might be standard now, but if not, get that too. I kind of like the cargo net but I drive a wagon. If you live in snow country you may want to get a set of rubber floor mats and resign yourself to adjusting the driver's mat frequently. I have a turbo gauge - not a necessity, the car just came that way. It is kind of interesting to see just how often you are on boost (often).
Yakima and Thule both make racks for the WRX.
I almost forgot. You have an option available that most of us didn't. The sunroof. I'd get the sunroof. I am saying that sight (and price) unseen though.
John
-mike
-Dennis
To borrow a quote, "Any fool can go fast in a straight line". Just in case you can't figure it out, I'm not directing this towards you, but rather making the point that 0-60 isn't everything that the WRX is about.
There's too much lag in the WRX. If I had to do it all over again, I would get a Mazda 6 or Honda Accord. Don't get the WRX, it's not worth it. My wife's Outback is faster.
-Dennis
TWRX
1) I think I'll want better sound than the base 80 watt stereo. I'm not a music fanatic, but sometimes I do like to drive with some tunes. Do people think the Subaru subwoof/amp/speakers upgrade is adequate? I have a nice alpine head unit in my old car, would that improve stereo at all if I put that in?
Also, wanted to throw in my two cents after sitting in both the 2003 and 2004. I think the 2004 seats are really comfortable(I'm 5'11). And for all those thinking of buying, the stock shifter seemed great to me; I'm not even going to check out the short throw.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
-Steve
Steve-
The upgraded sound system (speaker w/subwoofer) is definitely an improvement. To my ears, they are OK not the best.
Go for another test drive and bring some CDs along. Find one that has the upgraded sound, and turn that radio on.
-Dave
Also, the OEM sub is adjustable (although the controls are difficult to get to).
Yeah, take a CD along on a test drive.
-Dennis
I asked for a test drive...."no problem, after you buy one and sign the papers"
Inside we go to sit in one and make believe (it was also around 91 degrees outside and same for humidity...after all, this is Florida). If people thought the WRX interior was cheap, they should see the EVO's. To say ugly and plasticky is putting it mildly. The seats, being Recaros, had great lateral support, but after a few minutes, the hardness gets to your rear. I can't see driving this to Disney (180 miles for us). I didn't see any height adjustment lever either. The trunk is a nice size for this class of car, the colors are cool, and Brembos look mighty tasty.
As for mileage, with my automatic wagon at approx 14,000 miles, I get between 19 -21 mpg, usually with the AC on. Havent been on a road trip recently, but if Michael comes home with a decent report card tomorrow, it's off to Disney; I'll make note of highway mileage then.
Cooler temps coming this weekend (low 80s and dry).
Serge
New Steve - if you're an audiophile, you won't be satisfied with even the upgraded sound system. The basic problem is that the door panels are too shallow to accomodate a speaker with any amound of depth. Plus, even the upgrade speakers from SOA are paper cone. IMHO you money would be better spent going aftermarket rather than the upgraded speaker system from Soob. Some ovals in the rear deck (sedan) are the solution I'm looking at but 6x9's won't fit because of the trunk arms are in the way. There is a lot of info about this issue over at I-Club.
- Hutch
I'm at 5k miles, so still breaking it in (but taking it to redline!). I get about 20mpg around town, 27 highway.
Paul
Anyone know the total wattage of the WRX premium sound
- need to know much more about the engines before giving an answer. It depends on the robustness on both engines, the compression ratios, the pressure from the turbos, what other components are used, etc. Tough call. Most likely, with the way engines are built today, the last thing to go would probably be the engine. You would probably have other things go wrong (Tranny, suspension units, joints, seals, etc.) before the engine dies in today's cars.
- Total power of upgraded sound system - 80 watt head-unit, 120-watt sub. Plenty loud as I can attest to. Rarely ever get it near max, and that is only when the reception is poor and the windows are open on the freeway.
- Wattage is not the end-all to total volume and bass a system can deliver. For Instance, I had a 25 watt Alpine that could blow the doors off a 40 watt Panasonic head unit.
My biggest problem comes from swinging my heel too far over and catching the knobby heals of my running shoes on the carpet of the transmission hump. Also, when I do hit the gas right-on, it seems difficult to know just how much gas to give it. I feel a bit like I am trying to pat my head while rubbing my stomach.
Can anyone give any pointers or is this one of those things you just gotta figure out on your own?
http://www.turnfast.com
Heel-toeing is tough to do with a lug sole shoe.
-juice