Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon
pocahontas
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for Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon owners to share their ownership experiences. Thanks for your participation. ;-)
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Happy motoring!
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I still think the off road racers are nuts/certifiable, but the VehiCROSS was "enlightening"! Can't wait for the little WRX Sweetie! M
-Frank P.
Its mostly the post-college crowd, and not as many of the in-high school teens. But, with the WRX, im seeing alot of people of all ages and backgrounds checking them out and buying them! (Met a 53 year old guy who drove Rally cars profesionally for audi buying a rex)
Cheers Pat.
It was HILARIOUS! She was hitting apexes!
-juice
We should tell SoA to only do the owner surveys AFTER the break-in period. ;-)
-juice
On another note, the 1000 mile break-in is tough to maintain. If you hit it a couple of times past 4k rpms, don't sweat it, just don't make it a habit until after the break-in. Hang in there, the wait will be worth it!
Stephen
I've learned to multi-task at a much better rate though.
Stephen
Stephen
-juice
-juice
Hope this helps.
BTW, the EPA (you probably know this but...) #'s are 20 city and 27 hwy for the 5spd.
Stephen
In turn, I have been looking at wagons as a more economical alternative. I have to admit I love the A4 Avant. The car is just so perfect inside. How do you new owners compare the two, and how much did you pay in relation to MSRP/Invoice?
Is everyone ordering? How long do they take to get in?
Thanks for the help!!!
Jarrad: take your dog to the dealership and try it out. I think the Outback Sport has a plastic liner in the cargo area, so they'll probably let you.
If you find it a little small, try out a Forester S or Legacy GT wagon. The square back will give your dog more room.
We say Soob owners are dog people (pet people actually), so it would be cool to hear you ended up buying one.
-juice
jarrad1: The Audi A4 Advant compares favorably to the WRX wagon in performance and interior capacities. The WRX is a little roomier in the seating areas (small diff though) and will spank the Audi in performance albeit w/more turbo lag. The interior is not as luxurious as the Audi but nicely equipped and well-built. The WRX front seats are much more comfortable than the Audi's and rank as some of the best out there regardless of price (comfort and grip). Currently, most dealers are getting full MSRP for the WRX and the wagon is @ 23,495 plus dest chg. Some dealers have been charging about $500 less than MSRP. There aren't too many options and those are not that expensive. The BBS wheels are outrageously priced and don't include tires. The next highest cost option would be automatic but, please consider the car! Of course, if you want the WRX and have to have auto. than so be it. It's still quite a performer just different w/the auto.. I think that Audi is willing to deal a bit more on the A4 as the 2002 model will be coming out soon. I still think you would be hard pressed to match the MSRP of the WRX though unless you were dealing w/a base model A4 Advant w/no options (hard to find anywhere).
Basically, buy the Audi if the interior rocks you and performance takes a (pardon the pun) a back seat on your list. The WRX takes the reliability, maintenance cost, and performance ball and runs w/it, all at a lesser price than the Audi.
Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps and yes, I'm a bit prejudiced but still a car enthusiast at heart.
Stephen,
WRX 5spd wagon, 1600 miles so far and still in love!
Anyone else getting some solid MPG numbers?
After my first 3 days with my WRX wagon (oh yeah!!) I can tell you that it is no problem to commute through stop lights, even using break in style driving. 1800 rpm comes up very fast in any manual trans car when leaving a stop. From there you will be ahead of any A4.
You will find more rear seat room in the WRX too.
-Beanboy
I ordered a 5 speed WRX wagon about two weeks ago.
I paid $22,100 and that price includes the destination charge. I think I was able to get a good price because I ordered it. I was told about 8 weeks for delivery, possibly 10. I got a few of the options packages,(package 2, 3A, and guage pack) and the dealer gave me those at 10% below invoice because it was a factory order. I paid total $25,050 and that included taxes and tags etc. I don't know if I just got lucky, but it sounds like most people are paying close to MSRP.
I did the whole thing over the phone. Basically, I E-mailed about 5 different dealerships in the Philly area - told them exactly the car I want and the options I want and what I was willing to pay. I was clear that it was a factory order and that I was in no rush at all. After about 4 days of back-and-forth on the phones, one dealer said he'd give me the whole thing for $500 over invoice, (somehow the dest. charge was included in the $21,500 invoice price - I didn't quite understand it but...wasn't going to argue).
One guy wouldn't go below $500 over MSRP, so quite a spread I got. So think there are some advantages to a factory order if you find the right dealership.
my average (so far): 17.4 mpg
my best tank: 20.0 mpg
my worst tank: (AC on all day)15.8 mpg
So, when my odometer rolls around to 1,000 tomorrow, and I finally release the hounds, can I expect even more gluttonous consumption?
Try reseting your ECU in a few hundred miles, it should help too.
Hope this helps,
Stephen
I _know_ it would be better if I could keep my foot off the whee button, but I can't do it. I went out and bought a top-notch radar detector the third day I had it, after the second time I came around a mountain corner and had an oncoming officer friendly give me the finger wag. So what's the trick to responsible behavior? Are there any wrx owners who have figured out how to act their age with this thing?
:-)
Stephen
Picked up my WRX 5-sp Wagon on 5/4. Then had to go away until Sunday so hadn't driven much (135 miles now - 9 miles at delivery). But here are my first impressions...
Likes - Just about everything. Excellent balance of performance, comfort, and utility in an "affordable" package. Sound of turbo spinning up. Silver doesn't attract too much unwanted attention.
Dislikes - Having to ease up on the gas just when the turbo's spooling up during break-in. Too easy to get up to ticket-earning speeds.
Nitpicks - Lack of lumbar support on the otherwise comfy seats. Shifter a little notchy from 2nd to 3rd. Seat fabric and floor mats look like they may not last very long. Cheap looking/feeling headliner and trunkliner material.
The nitpicks are just that, nitpicks. I don't seriously expect everything to be perfect in a car with this level of performance at this price. So far, I am very pleased with the purchase.
Phil
Stephen
Here's another ownership question for you lucky dogs regarding, as you may have guessed, insurance costs. What kind of rate increases have any of you experienced due to the turbo? Is the WRX a real bogey for the actuarial types? Do the DRL's or side airbags compensate to any useful degree? I'm currently paying a moderate performance surcharge on the Acura, but I suspect that most of its insurance expense arises from the high theft rates of Integras: the rate on my 2.5RS is much lower.
BTW, has anyone found the performance gauge package to be useful, or is it just mostly for "gee-whiz" effect? And how's the soundsystem in the car? Is there really no SEEK button on the radio?
Thanks in advance. Spence
Stephen
I thought the reason for the turbo in a 4 cyl. is to get the car run faster (instead of having a 6 cyl which I think should have poorer mpg). But obviously the mpg in WRX is worse.
Thanks for the input...
Also remember it's AWD and pretty darned quick. I'm sure it's mileage in the real world would match a 330xi or A4 2.8 Quattro, and it'll outrun either of those.
-juice
Stephen - Thanks for the advice regarding 2-3 notchiness, glad to hear that it'll get better.
Brett
PS I really don't need to hear all the arguments against getting one, thanks.
And no, it's never rattled or leaked. In fact noone I know with a recent aftermarket moonroof has had any problems.
It was $300 for an ASC 15"x30" pop-up style glass roof (they have no model number, sorry), installed. They had to cut my roof rails short, for $70 extra, but you don't have those. I also later got a Windflector at Pep Boys for $30, so out of pocket was $400 for me and totally worth it.
-juice