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Subaru Impreza WRX

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Comments

  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I've driven a PT Cruiser and was disappointed with its power, handling, and ergonomics (gearshift location and switchgear). The most impressive DaimlerChrysler product I've driven in the last year is the 300m.

    I agree with your assessment of MT and believe that Car&Driver is much the same. R&T, while not as good as in the past, is IMO the best of the three and the only one to which I subscribe. SoA has collated most if not all of the major US motoring press reviews of the WRX in a brochure, "The Beauty of Great Press," available at dealerships. The articles come from MT, R&T, C&D, Automobile, Sports Car International, Auto World Weekly, AutoWeek, Sport Compact Car, Super Street, and Grassroots Motorsports. (I know because I'm looking at one as I write.)

    Ed
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Much to my surprise, the PT Cruiser got a solid reliability rating from CR. I was a bit shocked given all the cars it's based on don't score as well.

    -juice
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    the chat icon on the left sidebar? Chat live with Mark Lovell of Subaru Rally Team USA tomorrow night by clicking on it.

    I'll remind you again tomorrow. :-)

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • rex_ruthorrex_ruthor Member Posts: 140
    Whats the real deal on these? Anyone know? Im fairly sure its not related to the speed rating of the tires....as someone posted. If so, why were so many of the BMW's limited to 128mph? They were shipping with v-rated tires. I think in the case of BMW it has something to do with limiting liability, not speed, for no other reason than they dont want to get sued.

    The limiter is academic in most cases as 95% of sedan drivers probably dont give a hoot about top end. Sport coupe buyers are likely the ones who really are interested at all. But it seems to me that if the car is limited for a performance or safety reason, the manufacturer should clearly state what exactly, since to omit it, seems to be opening them up for much more liability should someone decide to defeat it.
  • dbreauxdbreaux Member Posts: 23
    i have been looking at the wrx wagon and wanting to know what others have paid for it understanding add ons. i will be buying mine from Houston. Has anyone changed to some nice wider offset wheels without going to 17? Anyone put a knn filter and or other items.
  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    Van Bortel in New York is offering no haggle prices on the WRX of $22,200. That's why I feel confident the STI will be considerably less than $30,000. The pricing will probably mimic that of Mustang/Mustang Cobra and Camaro/Camaro SS.
  • 1994corsica1994corsica Member Posts: 8
    lets not forget some other past winners of the mt coy. the chevy malibu in 1998, the caprice in 1991 and the chevy vega at least once, i beleive twice. (iam not picking on chevys, my family owns 3 including a 93 caprice but i don't regard them as coy material) i thought the wrx would clinch it but i guess not. since the coy award has to be a new model or significantly redesigned model i would of picked the wrx, rsx, mini, or the new m3 before i picked the thunderbird.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Now that is a car, I only wish they still sold em.

    Re Limiters: BMW may have set the limite lower than the tire ratings, but you'll never see one rated higher than the tire ratings.

    -mike
  • ramiller1ramiller1 Member Posts: 124
    Yes, it surprised me too that the conservative folks at Consumer Reports would take an interest in a high-performance specialty car like the WRX. But it's gratifying to see they were so favorably impressed. These people are in the business of recognizing good value for money--that's what their magazine is all about.

    And it speaks well of us WRX owners for being perceptive enough to buy one of these terrific cars. I think we all deserve a pat on the back! :)
    Best of luck, RA
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    paisan: Mercury will offer a Marauder soon, but I know you're not a fan of Ford Quality (pardon the oxymoron).

    But Lutz is enamored by Holden, and Holden has plenty of RWD V8s. I'm sure they're in GM's future.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The new impala is rumored to be the Holden Comodore SS which is V8 RWD and 6-speed :) That would be nice. :)

    -mike
  • ramiller1ramiller1 Member Posts: 124
    dbreax asking about prices on the WRX wagon--we paid $22,924.75 total incl. freight for our silver 5-spd. with stereo, security upgrades and armrest-- MSRP was $24,740.

    My 2 cents: I've grown to like the standard 16" rims (they give a nice ride) so have stuck with them, and others here have said that the handling and snow grip for the WRX can be improved by adding Dunlop SP5000 Asymmetricals. Everything I've read about that tire has been very favorable. You might want to check out www.tirerack.com to look for wider widths in 16".

    Good luck with your intended purchase.--RA
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Don't forget... in just a little over two hours it will be time to join the very special Thursday night Subaru Crew Weekly Chat to visit with Mark Lovell of Subaru Rally Team USA.

    Just click on the icon on the blue sidebar on the left of this page to join in.

    Have fun!

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • thorsenthorsen Member Posts: 16
    Hey Corkfish, is that for the wagon or sedan? The invoice for the sedan is $22,500 and the wagon is $22,050 according to Edmunds, so that's a pretty sweet deal.
  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    It's quite impressive. They seem very straight forward. They list the invoice price for all options as well as the MSRP. Then they list what they charge. The $22,200 is for a base sedan with no options. I've got a $500 Subaru credit from using my MBNA Subaru credit card so much. I could actually pick one up for less than $22,000!
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    http://www.rallyperformance.com/2002%20WRX%20parts.htm


    Anyone installed the Morette twin headlights? How long did it take?

  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    I talked to a fellow at our Mt St Helen's Fun Run back in Oct. He had Morettes installed as opposed to installing himself. He showed me where they had to splice into the stock wiring. This had been a pain in the rear! I emailed Ken @ rallyperformance. He said they were working on a plug-in adaptor. It should be available now w/the Morettes. This would make the installation pretty much a snap. BTW, I like the Morettes much better in person than the pics, especially when they are painted in the matching body color. They also offer much better lighting performance than stock.

    Stephen
  • nschulman3nschulman3 Member Posts: 125
    I am interested in improving the sound of my wrx. I am really not that concerned with an upgrade in performance, but would like a small increase. Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket muffler that improves sound quality without making the car sound like a 75 corolla with an ansa exhaust. The car almost seems too quiet for its performance.
  • 1subydown1togo1subydown1togo Member Posts: 348
    people have gotten the Stromung stainless steel, MRT, Cobb Tuning...try the i-club search for cat-back
  • thecatthecat Member Posts: 535
    I agree that a little more "growl" would be o.k. with me. I would like to buy a cat back or mod the exhaust to provide both enhanced performance and sound but unless you know someone who's car you can listen to, you're buying the proverbial pig in a poke. Comments like "really sounds cool" and "much better sound" from those who have purchased a Cobb (and other) system do nothing to satisfy my need to know before I buy. So I'll wait till I hear something I like first hand .. or is that first ear?
    - Hutch
  • mw38mw38 Member Posts: 4
    In North Texas, I see lots of blue and silver (a wildly popular color here) WRX's, and a few white. I just purchased the only red WRX I've seen, and I've never seen black, green, or (yeck) yellow. How many of each color did Subaru manufacture?
  • nschulman3nschulman3 Member Posts: 125
    I also own a red wrx sedan. It is the only one i have seen on the road. Most i've seen are silver or blue. Although the red is not the most exciting color around, i feel it adds to the already stealth look of the car.
  • WarpDriveWarpDrive Member Posts: 506
    Silver and Blue are the most common colors by far. Red is rare and so is white. Yellow was made in very small numbers.
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    Only in markets outside of N.America (US & Canada) are green and the dark mica blue available on the WRX. Don't ask my why. I love my WRX and respect SOA but sometimes their marketing leaves a lot to be desired...like no winter pkg in the States on the WRX but "yes" in Canada....Hello???

    Stephen
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    According to a poster over on the I-Club, the WRX was just named "Car of the Year" by Automobile magazine!

    Bob

    http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=120357
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    C&D named the WRX as one of the "10 Bests" for the year...

    Automobile named the WRX as "Automobile of the Year"...

    CR labeled the WRX as an "Excellent" choice...

    MT named the Thunderbird as "MT's Car of the Year"...

    Bob
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    Ford paid MT for the COTY.

    Haven't gotten my Automobile mag yet, usually it's here by now. Maybe todays mail.

    -Brian
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It could mean that GM ponied up some $ and paid off the other mags... Not to be anti-WRX or anything, cause it is a good car, but maybe SOA/GM learned to play the game like the other players.

    -mike
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    with good press on the WRX?

    I don't think SOA/GM paid for the awards. At least not SOA.

    -Brian
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    "my kid would never do that!"

    -mike
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    mike- SOA can't afford to buy the press and since almost no one knows that GM owns a stake in Subaru, GM doesn't care.

    So mike, was the Kennedy assassination a government conspiracy too?

    -Frank P.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'm just saying what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Someone posted that MT was payed off by Ford for the COY award and I've heard people complain that the automotive press is bias to advertising $ in the past when they give out awards... Therefore one would need to assume that the same is true for our beloved WRX. We can't pick and choose and say "oh well the wrx won, so obviously it's not a payoff" yet if the RSX won, we'd be jumping up and down and saying "it won cause it's an acura and they are bias to acura..."

    -mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    This is more towards the above question, not mike's conspiracy theory. :-)


    GM is definitely interested in the WRX. Bob recently posted comments from Bob Lutz about the WRX (although he seems not to know it's available in the U.S.).


    Also, GM execs have been closely watching the WRC for some time now.

    My i-club post about a GM visit to Prodrive in Jul '00.

    http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=44318&referrerid=767


    Is this relevant? I don't know, you decide. :-)


    Oswald did not act alone.


    Dennis

  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    If the Nissan Altima won it, I could have understood, since it is world's better than the car it is replacing and would be proving to be instrumental in reversing the downward slide of Nissan, by propping the company up, almost singlehandedly. I might have disagreed a bit if it were given COY, but still I could live with it.

    Same with the WRX. It is a superbly capable and practical (in sportwagon guise) all-weather car and is single-handedly bringing a lot of attention to Subaru, especially due to its rally heritage and exploits. It is compared to cars that cost thousands of dollars more, while itself being sold at a bargain basement pricing for what it gives. A true COY material - an over-acheiver!!!

    The M3 getting it ? Of course, due to the amount of original engineering present within it, not even available in any road car till recently. This is without even considering the driving experience, which is extra-ordinary to say the least. Definitely a halo-car for BMW and also comparable to cars that cost a lot more. Definitely COY material.

    But the Ford Thunderbird ? Car of the year ? A bit of a stretch, especially considering that it is just a slightly re-engineered version of the Jaguar S-class/Lincoln LS (converted to a convertible version), with retro styling. It is not even a brand-new product, since it has been available in slightly different guise as the Lincoln LS/Jag S-type for at least a couple of years. Frankly, even the S-type/Lincoln LS do not have any original engineering within them, to raise them (or any of their variants) to the extraordinary COY level. T-bird deserving COY ? Not in my lexicon, since this award has been given on the basis of styling (for nostalgic types who are caught in a time-warp in the fifties), not for any original engineering or substance !!

    Later...AH
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I couldn't have said it better.

    Bob
  • andrewinla1andrewinla1 Member Posts: 3
    I had a Trooper and I was sick of the whole SUV craze!!! I couldn't give it away after 3 weeks in most of the papers in LA area. So I took a loss and got rid of the gas & space hog.

    Love the WRX!!! My roomate has a BMW M roadster and she even said she liked driving it very much. Most of my other friends wondered why I bought an ugly car? It's grown on me but it is not attractive to be honest. but some 17" wheels will help it some. I also went to a local Subaru meet here where 30 or so Imprezza owners showed up. One guy had a black and blue leather interior done on his blue car, it looked so nice and gave the cheap interior a needed touch of splash.

    I compared the Acuyra RSX and the GTI before I bought. i also llooked at the Altima and Maxima but didn't even need a drive to cross them off my list. The GTI has a great Euro look in my opinion with very nice quality leather seats and 17" wheels for a good price. I love the hatchback design on it very much too. I thought about the WRX wagon but the fender flares in my opinion add a little attitude to a car that needs it very much.

    The RSX had a very cramped rear seat so it was more like a 2 seater and the power came in at a very high rpm. The interior is very nice though but the rest didn't do it for me.

    I bought silver so it will not show the dirt. Although the dealer had one of each color. They had a silver sedan with 17" wheels painted black which looked great! Thats the route I plan to take. I may do the leather too later.

    But so far love the way this car drives! So even though I have some points to pick about the level of quality, for the price I cant expect more. Now if VW did the interior of this car it would be perfect!

    I will keep folks updated as I change the car and how I feel about it after the 1K mile break in. The car had 6 miles when I got it...almost a virgin!

    I wish the I-club.com website was better layed out like the VWvortex.com which is by car model and not some crazy catagories. It's a mess to try and find something.

    Thanks
    Andrew
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Enjoy the ride! :)

    Bob
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Too bad you didn't post up before. My dad is looking for a trooper. I have an '00 LS. :) If you don't need the space it is a waste and gas, well yes it does burn a lot of gas.

    -mike
  • wrxguywrxguy Member Posts: 51
    Ive had my silver wrx for about three months and really enjoy it! Painted black wheels eh? Id like to see that.

    I looked and test drove many of the same vehicles you did too :) Awd kicks booty!
  • WarpDriveWarpDrive Member Posts: 506
    Just watched the MotorTrend show on Speedvision. But they said things like, brakes are ok, but could be better. Tranmission is fine, but it could be better. Ride is soft, but could be sportier. Price is just "competitive". Basically it won because of the styling and heritage. Motortrend has no business picking a car of the year. If they didn't get paid off, then they are just stupid. (sorry off topic, but I had to get that rant off my chest)

    WRX won because it's a good car. If the RSX, M3,Corvette Z06 won, I wouldn't complain either. But the Thunderbird is just a marketing/styling gimmick to me (much more so that any Audi TT)
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Those sound like pretty weak arguments. In any case, I'm not fond of the new T-Bird. In fact, there isn't one T-Bird that I ever really cared for. It's a car designed to drive down Sunset Strip, period.

    Bob
  • andrewinla1andrewinla1 Member Posts: 3
    The wheels were Eagle crap wheels painted black. I wonder about the durability of painted wheels. It looked real nice on the silver, sort of bad boy but not really. So i have to see if it's feasable to do with decent tires for around $1K.
    I will go by and take pictures to show what it looks like sometime this week.

    I have found one other quirk the Trooper hard that I get annoyed by. At night the window and door lock switched are not lighted!!! Do the Japaneese think we dont lock doors or lower windows when it gets dark?

    But on the flip side, it's awsome to have a 6 disk changer in front of you!

    I will also try to reupholster the visors with some better quality vinyl or leather. I have a friend who owns this company www.leatherz.com he has done incredible work on BMW's hope he doesn't mind working on a Subaru.
  • viet2viet2 Member Posts: 66
    The first time I saw the WRX, it did not do much in term of styling for me. But it did not bother me. But after I bought the car, it really grown on me. I spend a lot of time looking at the car and I think the WRX looks really good. Under-state but very handsome with distinctive character. Many people criticized the big head lights, but I think it actualy contributes to the WRX character. I have asked people is it ugly, most said it is a beautiful car. The only guy said the WRX is painfuly ugly, and he drive a old Grand-am. What do you think about the WRX styling?
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    I personally am not too impressed with the styling. Basically, Subaru puts together very good vehicles but pulls back on styling. I wonder how much Subaru sales would improve, if they had Audi Stylists designing the exterior and the interior of these cars, and being sold for the price at which they sell for now....hell, there are lots of inferior cars, that sell solely on the basis of styling, and why should the REX not be styled attractively ?

    I do admit that I have grown fond of my REX and have even affectionately named her "Puggie", since she reminds me of a pug.

    Later...AH
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    "inner beauty." Remember the song, "Never Marry a Pretty Woman...?" That song was meant for the WRX.

    Bob
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    I don't particularly enjoy the styling, but I will say this - it has character. I don't think the design translates well to the North American market. It seems to fit in better in the Japanese market.
  • wrxguywrxguy Member Posts: 51
    Distinctive is the word that comes to mind.
    The Larger than average head lights or eyes have grown on me. I suppose if styling was a bigger issue I would consider the Morette afer market head lights.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Sorry it still looks like a neon to me. But as bob said and most of you know I don't care how it looks as long as it performs. :) Now if someone told me that we could get a 2002 WRX that had the attributes of the stiffness, engine, etc. that looked and had the weight of the pre 02s I'd take it in a heartbeat.

    -mike
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    is on a 4-year cycle. The next generation Impreza is due in 2005, most likely as a MY06 model. This is a shorter production cycle than any previous Subaru that I'm aware of. Previous Subarus have gone at least five years before a new generation model is introduced.

    I take that as an admission by Subaru that the styling is not what it should be, and that they want to get a new model out as fast as they can. The criticism of its looks is world-wide, not just here in the USA.

    Bob
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