Subaru Impreza WRX

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Comments

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Like Dave said. Any vehicle in the hands of the wrong person is likely to cause problems... A WRX driven unsafely can cause just as much havoc. Say driving one @ 100mph weaving in and out of traffic can cause a flurry of accidents... But the WRX can handle it you say...

    -mike
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    yes, Cobb is offering the Stage2 featuring 320hp. I will probably be going the stage1 route, 280hp. A sedan w/this setup ran 4.6 secs 0-60 and 1/4 mile in 13.6, I believe. The pkg will set me back $2600 plus installation. The pkg incls the APS unichip, BOV, high perf turbo back exhaust, water-spray for intercooler, high-po silicone hoses, and high-po air filter. This whole set-up can be dyno-tuned on COBB's or a certified facility's AWD dyno to get the fine tuning and mapping just right. Check out www.cobbtuning.com for more info on both stage1 and 2.

    Stephen
  • cupholder1cupholder1 Member Posts: 231
    I've seen these big lumbering SUVs with bumpers so high, the WRX or any other small car will simply drive under it in a head on and the driver of the small car will not survive because of this. It really is a scandal in my opinion. With all the safety regulations, there is no control being exercised over these killer SUVs.

    Some SUVs like the Mercedes and the Honda Odyssey have large well designed bumpers, so they are not the menace that other SUVs are. But then again, I don't think I've ever seen a Honda Odyssey weaving in and out of traffic, and tailgating old ladies driving Chevey Cavaliers.
  • cupholder1cupholder1 Member Posts: 231
    Good one.

    Quite a few BMW drivers deserve to be spit on. Just the other day, I saw some woman in a BMW driving like a maniac, weaving in and out of lanes on a busy city street, showing total disregard for people trying to use the crosswalk (driving around them like an obstacle rather than stopping). It was just amazing. Where are the cops when ya need 'em? Her custom license plate: "BMW HERE"
  • jim_loves_carsjim_loves_cars Member Posts: 190
    Cupholder - The Odyssey isn't an SUV, it's a minivan. But you're right - in most cases Odyssey owners don't drive like maniacs. We bought our Odyssey is because I wanted my family to be protected on the road against the SUV yahoos out there. The Ody tips the scales at 5,500 lbs, stands tall (but not tippy) and has the highest crash ratings possible. It can tangle with an Expedition and everyone inside can walk away.

    It also handles like an Accord, has more cargo space than a Suburban (3 cubic feet I think), seats seven in comfort, is easy to park and gets 26 MPG.

    Perhaps the best thing about my wife's Ody is that it frees me up to replace my Civic Si without having to consider the size, utility or family hauling capabilities of my next vehicle. I can concentrate on things like HP, accelleration, handling and the other things that make the WRX so appealing...:D
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    "It also handles like an accord"

    If it's 5500lbs there is no way it handles like an accord. Obviously you've not tossed it around enough, cause anyone knows a 5000+lb minivan does not handle like an accord. :)

    -mike
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...but no Odyssey weighs 5500 lbs. Wet empty weight should be in the range of 4000 lbs or so, plus whatever you're carrying. That not a ballet dancer, but it isn't a sumo wrestler either.
  • jim_loves_carsjim_loves_cars Member Posts: 190
    I was surprised myself. Of course it's not as "tossable" as a lighter vehicle would be, but it's a very agile vehicle for it's size. I was driving the van on a twisty road when it was brand new. I found myself going MUCH too fast into a sweeping curve that tightened at the end. I had to slow the van down quickly while turning and was amazed at how stable and predictable it was at it's limits. No drama, just point-and-shoot easy like an Accord. It's a good vehicle for people who are comfortable with the way a car (as opposed to a truck) handles in emergency situations -a.k.a. me and my wife.

    Of course I'm sort of negating my earlier statement of how Odyssey owners don't drive like maniacs with the above story, but that's why I need something like a 'rex!
  • jim_loves_carsjim_loves_cars Member Posts: 190
    John - My math is wrong - Honda rates the vehicle at 4354 lbs. I was adding the weight each axle carries to determine GVW. It's about 2,700 lbs. front, 2,800 lbs. rear. I double-counted 1150 lbs! I realize now that this is not the correct way estimate thwe weight of a vehicle. It is also why I'm not an engineer!

    But this might explain why the Ody is so "Accord-like" in its handling, eh paisan?
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    "Some SUVs like the Mercedes and the Honda Odyssey have large well designed bumpers, so they are not the menace that other SUVs are".

    Did you mean to say "Some SUVs like the Mercedes and the Acura MDX (which incidentally is based on the Honda Odyssey) have large well designed bumpers that are car-friendly" ?

    Later...AH
  • wrxguywrxguy Member Posts: 51
    Ive have about 1100 miles on my WRX and according to the suggestion of the dealer the oil should be changed. Being that its a 25 minute drive to the dealer i was considering doing the oil change myself. Besides I dont wanna wait fer them.

    So what is the consensus on putting in that spiffy synthetic oil? Im a a novice when it comes to anything other than my plain ol mazda p/u.

    a thousand thanks,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:)
  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    It's probably ok to put in now, but I'd wait till at least 5000 miles if it were my car.
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    The consensus on Synthetic seems to be to wait until about 10,000 miles or so, before putting it in. Even though the minimum break-in of 1000 miles may have been completed, the engine continues to be broken in for the next several thousand miles. By putting in synthetic, you would be interfering with that process by reducing friction to the point that the engine is not able to work its rough edges out.

    Some speciality engines are "broken-in" within the factory, and they are also built to very tight tolerances that enable them to have synthetic put in right away. For engines of most mass market vehicles, it is better to wait a while before putting it in. Of course, it is possible to develop an engine right out of the factory that would not need a break-in and/or can accomodate synthetic right away, but that would introduce prohibitive costs into the equation, and hence auto manufacturers expect the "finishing" of the engine to happen when customers run it moderately (in a perfect world !!) over several thousand miles, the initial 1000 miles of break-in, being the bare minimum for the ground-work to be laid for that process to happen. Synthetic does not allow that "finishing" to happen, by working "too well".

    I waited about 10,000 miles before putting synthetic into my Acura 3.2TL, and intend to do the same with my new WRX (910 miles young).

    Later...AH
  • cupholder1cupholder1 Member Posts: 231
    and have them put the generic 10-30 in.
  • smoshsmosh Member Posts: 1
    any info on when this is coming? I had heard next year as a 2003 model. What will it have the current WRX doesn't?

    Eventually leading to the 'Do I buy a WRX today or do I wait until the STi?'
  • kostamojen2kostamojen2 Member Posts: 284
    The wait will kill you.
    And besides, you can ge a GREAT price on a WRX right now, which you might not get if the economy gets going good again.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Great review. It's nice to see the non-enthusiast media also likes it. They were even impressed by the tolerant ride and quiet interior, go figure.

    Their primary complaint was 21mpg. That's about it. Best in class overall rating, better than average reliability. Payload and towing also far better than the competition. Tight turning circle. They even mentioned the LATCH mechanism!

    Oh, and performance was good. ;-)

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    has gotten much better over the years, in terms of appreciating sporty vehicles. I can remember when they thought the best vehicles out there were full-size American sedans. Not so any more...

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I fully agree. I have found them to be a useful resource. Most other publications simply do not report on things like payload, towing, turning circle, bumper basher performance, true cargo capacity, child seat use, spare tire type, etc.

    OK, 0-60 is indeed phenomenal, but I have to live with the car the rest of the time. How does it do in other ways? Great? OK, I want one, then. :-)

    -juice
  • thecatthecat Member Posts: 535
    I was surprised that they made no mention that the WRX is a Low Emissions Vehicle. Given their normal propensity for such facts, it was quite an oversight.
    - hutch
    ps - what cars do they know of with similar performance and better gas mileage?
  • nectalover1nectalover1 Member Posts: 15
    So if i was in the market for one with the economy being in a lull as it is. What can i expect to pay on a new WRX?
  • rex_ruthorrex_ruthor Member Posts: 140
    Depends where you are, but i just heard that here in the Bay Area one dealer is offering 200 over invoice through Fleet. That was from a dealer that is notorious for bad pricing and terrible service. So,you might even get one for under or at invoice at other dealers or in other parts of the US.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    fitzmall.com has them from about $23k, freight included. Sedans and wagons.

    -juice
  • nectalover1nectalover1 Member Posts: 15
    Fritzmall is only like in the southeast if i remember correctly? Thanks both though on the heads up. I don't want to get bent over on this deal. Also i have a 2001 Toyota MR2 does anyone know what i can expect as a trade in value? It has 11K miles on it.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Fitz has locations in DC, PA, and FL IIRC.

    Wow, you're actually selling an MR2? Demand has been so high that some dealers get over MSRP. You should have no problem at all selling it.

    -juice
  • boomn29boomn29 Member Posts: 189
    Is the WRX available to Lease? I can't find any information on the Subaru website about leasing.
  • nectalover1nectalover1 Member Posts: 15
    Well the reason i am thinking about selling is this. I am probably moving to Colorado. And i could keep the MR2 and get the Subie, but then no harley. Or i could sell the MR2 get the Subie for year round and get A Harley for the summer rides. Its either the Harley or the MR2 in the summer. Thing is the harley will also cost about 8 grand less then the MR2. So there is my dilema
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I see, hard to afford all three.

    Well, the WRX and MR2 overlap the most, so if you want something different keep the bike.

    -juice
  • nectalover1nectalover1 Member Posts: 15
    But i don't have the bike yet. Plan on that in a little bit after the switch happens if i do go through with it. I am just so use to 0 body roll now that when i test drove the WRX i felt it had a noticable amount of body roll. We'll see though thanks for the info.
  • cupholder1cupholder1 Member Posts: 231
    Any new car can be leased, including the WRX. According to a dealer I recently spoke with, the WRX has a residual of 55% on 3 years/15k miles a year, and a .00270 money factor.
  • nectalover1nectalover1 Member Posts: 15
    Is there a specific forum or site where all WRX owners and lovers go to talk about the WRX? I know for the MR2 there is spyderchat, but is there one for the WRX? thanks.
  • 1subydown1togo1subydown1togo Member Posts: 348
    try http://www.i-club.com/
  • boomn29boomn29 Member Posts: 189
    I'm not that familiar with leasing. Are those numbers any good?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The MR2 probably feels like a WRX that has been lowered 2 inches. :-)

    You'll appreciate the quiet and smooth ride on trips, though, and if you want more noise just crank the windows open.

    I have a Miata and a Forester. They make a great team. I wouldn't mind a BMW Dakar enduro bike, though.

    -juice
  • cupholder1cupholder1 Member Posts: 231
    The WRX leasing numbers are decent, but not great.
  • kostamojen2kostamojen2 Member Posts: 284
    I rode in a WRX with a coilover suspension (ive mentioned it before here I think) and OMG, no body roll at all!!! (had upgraded sway bars, bushings, and endlinks too, and rims+tires of course) I sooo aspire to have my car handle like that :(
  • sajohnsonsajohnson Member Posts: 48
    The SOA manual calls for the first oil change at 3,750 miles, then 7,500 and every 7,500 thereafter. As I've done with all my vehicles, I switched to synthetic oil at the FIRST oil change. My last ride was a Nissan NX2000--it has almost 200K miles and I still don't add oil between changes every 7,500 miles. Some vehicles (Porches and Corvettes) come from the factory with synthetic oil. Most break-in occurs in the first couple hundred miles. While there may be good reason to leave the factory oil in a vehicle until the first scheduled oil change, waiting any longer is unnessesary and will only cause more wear. Go with synthetic!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    How did the lowered WRX ride? Too many lowered cars I've been in would bottom out too easily with 4 passengers in the car.

    -juice
  • saintvipersaintviper Member Posts: 177
    What, you think the WRX is some kind of family sedan or something? oh wait...
  • saintvipersaintviper Member Posts: 177
    With almost 8 inches of travel in the suspension, I think taking a couple out won't hurt too bad as long as you make the appropriate changes to the rest of the suspension.

    I think I read somewhere that the rally car has to have the same suspension travel as the stock car. Maybe Subaru added some extra travel to the WRX to help their rally car handling.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    8" of travel up and down. That means only 4" down. You lower it 2", and don't engineer it right, and a measly 2" dip could make you bottom out.

    I rode along in a lowered 2.5RS and it was bottoming out with 4 passengers just by accelerating! No bumps or dips, just acceleration squat! OK, it did have a sweet little turbo under the hood...

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It had my rather large rear end in the back!

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    ...and mine. Probably 450+ lbs back there, between the two of us.

    Still, I'm sure a stock RS wouldn't have been bottoming out like that.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    His turbo blew up that night. It's been at TRI tuning in PA ever since. Don't know when he'll get it back :(

    -mike

    PS: Juice are you coming in Dec to the barrens?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Not sure. We may travel for the holidays, and early December is my work party, plus our own. Both usually fall on a Saturday.

    Guess it depends on the date.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Right now any weekend in Dec. works. So be the first to suggest a saturday! :)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It's hard for me to plan that far ahead. I'm not sure when the company part will be. Mine is on the 8th. IFC will probably have theirs on the 15th, I'd guess.

    I could go for the day on 11/17, the Sat before Turkey Day, but traffic would be horrendous. The wife will be up in CT with the toddler, though I'm supposed to paint the house! Shhh!

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well I'm auto-xing that day in Englishtown NJ. You are welcome to come if you want. I'll let you auto-x the XT6 if they won't let you use the forester.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Let's talk about it later. I still have to figure out the scope of the work I'm going to do (wife wants just about every freakin' room repainted, I want to do only our bedroom!).

    If it turns out I have spare time, I'd love to attend an AutoX.

    -juice
  • nectalover1nectalover1 Member Posts: 15
    What coil overs did they use? To get he least amount of body roll? Also i have been reading on the WRX fourm that people have been reporting problems with the transmition. Basicly it won't shift from 2nd to 1st at slower speeds? Also some say it is really a weak trany and i wanted to know what you guys thought about that? When i test drove it i didn't notice that, but will check on it when i go back again. Also in my MR2 the shifting is crisp and tight going through the gears. In the Subie (no disrespect) this is the only way i know how to explain it. It felt like my wifes honda civic. What i mean by this is the stick felt loose and or not tight when fully established in the gates of each gear??? I don't know if i explained that well or not, but it just felt loose. Does anyone else think its sloppy or has play? thanks great posts.
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