Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon

corkfish

I thought that Vipers, Corvettes, M3's, Honda s2000 etc. etc. etc. use chains and not belts.

locke2c

How about Porsche?

A chain is much larger and therefore more wasteful on a horizontally opposed engine. Then again Subaru's relatively new 3.0L H6 does use a chain.

Either way I don't see it as at all a significant factor in a car purchase. Cars today are more reliable than they were, and this trend has been the same for decades.

Anyway Keith, to me it's very obvious the WRX wagon is a much better bargain than the Maxima, no matter how much the Maxima is discounted. I agree that the WRX isn't particularly attractive, that's part of the reason I favor the wagon... the sedan's fenders do nothing for me.

Good luck,
-Colin

lilbluewgn02

Here is the article: http://drive.fairfax.com.au/content-new/news/general/2002/02/28/FFXBP3NF7YC.html

perrito

Hey Lilblue, thanks for the post, but does that car look orange to you (as stated in the press release)? That looks more like what our yellow WRX SHOULD have looked like in the U.s. Just my 2cents. perrito

lilbluewgn02

Nope, looks like yellow to me too...but then again, here in Florida, we see too many oranges. It likes like a really nice yellow, as abosed to the BlaSe yellow.

keithllb1

Well, if all goes well I'll be buying the sweet
silver wagon "or the silver bullet" I can't wait
to drive it home. I hope this car is everything
that people say it is, from the test drive I was
very impressed. I'll have to forgo the sound system upgrade and focus on lower mo. paymnts, did
get the upgraded spks. I also went for the auto
dimming mirror, cargo net, armrest ext., sec sys.,dif.cover.
I wish the car had power seats but I guess you can't have everything, I am still very happy that
I'll be driving my subie very soon!

P.s Is there anything else I should consider buying,ie Ext. Warranty, Cross bars for the roof rack? Those should come stock on the wagon!

bluesubie

Ext. Warranty is a matter of personal opinion. Some folks get them for peace of mind. You can get it at anytime during the 3/36 warranty, IIRC.

With two Scooby's totalling ~122,000 miles, I haven't regretting not getting an extended warranty (knock on wood :-) ).

The factory cross bars would suit my needs perfectly. I use my OBS bars regularly for cargo carriers and surfboards.

-Dennis

subaru_team

With the extended warranty, you usually have until the initial 3/36 is about to expire to decide - so unless you plan on including it in the financing, you don't have to make that decision yet. And - the cross bars are a good option. I think you'd be able to make good use of them.

Congratulations and thanks for the purchase! When do you expect to take delivery?

Patti

beanboy

"The all-wheel-drive Impreza WRX Evo 5 includes a full electric factory-fitted sunroof..."

paisan

Didn't realize that Mitsu and FHI got together on this one! WRX Evo 5!

-mike

keithllb1

If all goes well, I be picking her up on Sat. Morning, the break in period is going to be tough,
but I'll need that time to get a good feel for the car. "kind of like dating" I am excited and
finally found a car I don't mind making monthly
payments for.

My Subaru dealer was pretty straight forward, he offered me 500.00 over dealer invoice and threw in the cargo net, after I asked. He also helped not take some options that weren't necessary, like
the cargo bin, and the short throw shifter.
And I just got the upgraded speakers not the woofer pkg.

Well, I'll be here asking lots of questions, you all will probably get sick of seeing me. Thanks
for giving me the valuable info.
Keith.

locke2c

actually mike, the term "evolution" or just "evo" has been used on many cars before Mitsubishi's Lancer. it's just that *everyone* and their dog associates it with that.

There was a Lancia Delta Integrale Evolution, and yes, even a particular STi trim around '95-ish named Evo.

-Colin

paisan

It seems odd though to see it next to the WRX

-mike

narenji

I would wait till the initial bumper-to-bumper warranty expires 3yr/36k mi before picking an extended warranty. That way, you'll get an idea if your particular car may need it. I'm getting the 10yr/100k mi warranty free because of my recurrent check engine light problem- the regional Subaru rep is giving me that as part of the things he's gonna do to appease all that I've been through in trying to get this problem fixed (btw, I bought the car at the end of November 2001, and it was in the shop a total of 10 days in the first month of ownership).

keithllb1

I got the car this morning and proceeded to put 85
miles on it. What a blast to drive! I love the well thought out way the car was made. I got to
drive in the rain today and was passing cars at
3200rpms like they were standing still, I got a
little squirrely with on some of the corners, but tried to keep it under 4000rpm's. It is not an easy task. but I know I need to let the engine
break in. Salesman said 1000 miles until I can bring it up more. It's like waiting for Christmas! Is it imperative to keep it under
4000 rpm's? Because in 1st. gear it did creep up
to a little over 4000 for a second until I changed gears? Give me some skinny thanks?

hgutstein

I did the same thing more than once... ;-)Although I would really try to keep it under 4K, the other big thing is varying RPM/speed (no cruise control). My service manager told me to keep around 5K for second 1K miles, now I just let er rip and all is fine.

You will NOT be disappointed by this car. I also have a BMW wagon and have little interest in driving it now (not that it is a bad car...)
Howard

perrito

Anybody else getting a strange "metal-shredding" noise when they decelerate in their WRX wagons? I hear it especially in 2nd gear... sounds like it's crinkling a chip-bag underneath the hood.
Otherwise, no issues!

I do have something funny happening... we moved into a new house in early December, and apparently, we also moved onto the "turf" of a pair of red cardinals (yes, the bird). So, all of a sudden, the male cardinal has taken to sitting on the passenger side rear-view mirror on my 02 wrx and my fiancee's '97 impreza obs and pecking the crap out of the window, along with leaving various cardi-guano all over the place.

We don't know how to stop him, short of the Red Rider BB gun... but she won't let me do it.
perrito

narenji

I have a metallic grinding noise that I hear in 2nd and 3rd gear decelerating, and Irvine subaru has diagnosed that as a faulty clutch. The new updated clutch is backordered everywhere, so they said it might be a while before they get that fixed, but they have ordered the parts. My selling dealer, Assael Subaru was reluctant about admitting there was a problem with the car, and said that the noise was normal. Irvine has diagnosed it properly, i think. This decel noise problem has been widely discussed on i-club.com. Try to go to different dealers and see which one realizes the problem. Many don't want to admit that its the clutch because it's an expensive and complicated repair.

vkwheels

Drive it in good health and keep these boards posted with your experiences. I am shopping & top 2 choices now are the WRX and Matrix XRS (cheaper than WRX & sounds great on paper but I haven't driven yet). I plan to buy sometime in next 2-3 mos.

taos2

Anyone had experience with these. How does it
look and how much weight does it add? I only
need one for mounting a bike rack.

Thanks,

SKIREX

rsholland

if the Impreza trailer hitch is recommended for the WRX. It's not listed or shown on the WRX accessory brochure, whereas it is shown in the Impreza accessory brochure.

Maybe this is only for "towing" reasons, and has nothing to do with a bike rack? I'd check with the dealer.

Bob

hypov

perrito-

Park the cars facing the opposite direction you usually park and watch him peck at the Driver side windows for a change. :-D
The male Cardinal probably saw its reflection as a competitor and where your cars are parked the lighting conditions is probably ideal for a mirror surface on the window.

Get a cat. :-)

-Dave

subaru_team

Bob is correct. We do not offer a hitch for the WRX so we do not have a recommendation.

Patti

paisan

That's wierd cause my buddy can order the hitch on the WRX wagon as a PIO. And I know he isn't BSing me on it. Could be a regional thing.

-mike

subaru_team

Your buddy may be able to order one, but the wiring is not there. He's probably talking about ordering the Impreza hitch, but it won't work on a WRX - anywhere. You might want to let him know.

Have a groovy day!

Patti

keithllb1

Well I've put the car thru its paces, keeping it under 4000 rpms, for the most part and she handles
like a dream. I can't wait until I have free reign with the shifter. I feel like my hands are tied to the wheel and I am in jail. But I did have a little fun in the rain late Sat. I got it to slide in a turn holding the rpms to the 4000 range and she recovered nicely. I will continue to go easy until I feel the engine is ready for a
little aerobic exercise. Should I change the oil before 3000 miles the 1st. time around or just wait until 3000 miles. Also, is Mobil 1 a good option if I can find a longer lasting oil filter?

toekneetoe

Drawtite makes one for the WRX...bolts on using existing bolts/hardware...Its a receiver type, and does add some weight...20lbs?

cinosweive

Patti - what do you mean the Impreza hitch won't work on the WRX? Why would that be?

I was looking into the same thing. It seems that the roofline is a hair too short to allow proper installation of a roof rack for a bike (at least for Yakimas, the spoiler hits the wheel tray when the tailgate is opened). So I figured I'd look into a hitch mounted bike rack. You are saying a hitch won't work either?

rsholland

I'm assuming this is regarding towing concerns with the WRX. What about using the hitch receiver for a bike attachment? Any problems for that kind of usage.

Bob

rsholland

what SOA is saying, is that the WRX is NOT a good tow vehicle, and is trying to discourage anyone from using it as such.

Bob

onebeandeep

I am also interested in a trailer hitch for the wagon. I am glad you mentioned that there is a problem Patti . . . my local dealer told me they could put the hitch on. I believe they said it would require minor trimming of the bumper fascia. I searched for this process on another forum and found pictures (scoobymods.com). I don't need the wiring harness for a bike rack. Patti, could you elaborate on the potential problems (aside from trimming unseen parts of the bumper)?

Thanks again for your help!!!!

paisan

Patti above said that the WRX doesn't have a hitch sold cause it's not pre-wired for the wiring harness. The manual I believe allows up to 1500 or 2000lb towing with the WRX. The Hitch from the Impreza should bolt on, maybe the rear bumper cover isn't compatible?

-mike

rsholland

is that the towing issue is not with the car, but with the WRX engine. It does NOT have power characteristics that are good for towing.

It has very little power off idle, then it comes on strong when the turbo comes on boost. That means fried clutches, and unpredictable trailer launches. Not good in either case...

Bob

paisan

If that was the case wouldn't SOA have listed "trailering not reccommended" in the manual. The SVX and the XT6 manuals both have that listed, and no tow ratings, no hitches, etc. Seems that they either bent to pressure to have towing capacity, even though they didn't feel it could tow it, or it can tow w/o a problem, since it is listed.

-mike

locke2c

Keith,

Congrats on the WRX, you'll love it more as you get it properly broken in.

I would not recommend anything other than the original equipment Subaru oil filter. You can buy them in bulk from online Subaru dealers at significant discounts. You also want the drain plug crush washers (about 10-20 cents each).

Even with Mobil 1 you should change the oil every 4,000 - 6,000 miles because of the filter. (The oil is still quite good at the end of this time.) Since there's really no realistic way to change the filter without changing the oil, you must change the oil when it's time to replace the filter. I use Mobil 1 10w30 and have used Syntec 10w30 in the past. If you live somewhere very hot, you might consider a 10w40 which could be a bit hard to source.

-Colin

rsholland

in the WRX brochure, at least the one I have, they do list the WRX as being able to tow 2000 pounds. I suspect SOA has since had second thoughts. I bet for 2003, and in the WRX/Impreza brochure, there will be some sort of towing disclaimer regarding the WRX.

Bob

barresa62

just make sure it's one that requires the front wheels to be removed from the bikes. Additionally, make sure the rack is mounted as far forward as possible. There are pics over at the i-club of folks w/the Yakima bike rack on their WRX wagon.

I know what you mean about the spoiler getting in the way of the racks (bike or otherwise). I've experienced the rear spoiler getting in the way w/my Yakima ski rack when I had 3 pairs of skis on my wagon. I had to make sure the skis were as far forward as safely possible. I still had to have a towel on between the spoiler and rear of skis when the tailgate was open to prevent scratching. The skis were 170's and 180's.

Stephen

ltcolumbo

It should be a "simple yes or no" if the hitch FITS the WRX. If not, why not (wiring aside). MANY of us only want it for a bike rack mount. Again, if "towing" was the issue, it would not be recommended. AND if Draw-tite makes a hitch, they'll make the sale/money, not Subaru. How about a definitive answer from "somebody with facts".....

subaru_team

I do have the facts. Sorry I was not clear on this earlier. From what I have found, the Impreza Owner's Manual does list a towing capacity but it does not exclude WRX. In checking with our technical group and our product planning group, they did not make an accessory hitch available because they did not feel that there would be a major market for it. We have provided information about the actual "wants" and it may change for 2003. We'll see.

In the interim, I can only tell you what I know as a representative of Subaru. We do not offer the accessory, so we can't recommend towing with the vehicle. I was not told of any potential mechanical concerns, etc. When I inquired about the car's ability to "handle it", the response I received was that they didn't know because they didn't test it.

Long and short - it's your car, and if you choose to buy an aftermarket that's fine. We just can't take responsibility if that aftermarket part causes a problem.

Sorry to cause a fuss, but. . .. .don't shot the messenger, please???

Patti

subaru_team

I do have the facts. Sorry I was not clear on this earlier. From what I have found, the Impreza Owner's Manual does list a towing capacity but it does not exclude WRX. In checking with our technical group and our product planning group, they did not make an accessory hitch available because they did not feel that there would be a major market for it. We have provided information about the actual "wants" and it may change for 2003. We'll see.

In the interim, I can only tell you what I know as a representative of Subaru. We do not offer the accessory, so we can't recommend towing with the vehicle. I was not told of any potential mechanical concerns, etc. When I inquired about the car's ability to "handle it", the response I received was that they didn't know because they didn't test it.

Long and short - it's your car, and if you choose to buy an aftermarket that's fine. We just can't take responsibility if that aftermarket part causes a problem.

Sorry to cause a fuss, but. . .. .don't shoot the messenger, please???

Patti

paisan

It will fit and since the owners manual does not "not recommend towing" your warranty will be intact. Only problem is the wiring harness. Also you might have to trim the rear bumper although I'm not even sure you'd need to do that.

-mike

ltcolumbo

Thanks for the feedback. So, DOES the Imprezza hitch FIT, but it is not recommended, or is some MINOR cutting of the bumper needed? IF Subaru decides to "allow" a hitch will they make a new hitch or just tell you to cut your bumper and use the Imprezza hitch, or modify the hitch to fit BOTH? Of course adding an aftermarket hitch (bolt on) in itself should NOT "cause a problem." Thanks again for your help!!

ponm

tow anything with the wrx, considering towing puts large amounts of strain on an engine creating a high engine temperature. In addition, the turbo already increases the temperature inside the engine.

paisan

But I wouldn't worry if I absolutely needed to tow something. Since you are covered on the warranty either way.

-mike

cinosweive

I attached a Yakima fork-mount roof rack to my wagon to check the fit. The tray for the rear wheel extended just a bit past the tailgate so that the spoiler would end up hitting the tray when the tailgate was opened. Maybe, depending upon the bike's wheelbase, you can cut the rack's tray a bit and everything will work, I don't know. I have heard of people mounting their bikes and the rack backwards, but my bike shop doesn't recommend that as the rack apparently isn't designed to hold 80mph wind loads in that direction.

Patti - it seems most people here only want a trailer hitch for a bike rack anyway. Could you find out if the Impreza hitch will fit without any modifications to the car (like cutting the bumper)?

onebeandeep

Here's a url that shows the installation for the factory hitch. As you can see the only snag is the wiring harness. Like many others, I only want the hitch for a bike rack. I hope this is helpfull.

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=86c3d4a3f2402eb2c71cd305114bb92f&threadid=192

barresa62

After looking at the pics, I realized the guy has the Yakima round bars w/lockable towers like I have and not the OEM crossbars (flat by Yakima). The round bars allow you to place the bikes wider than the tailgate is when opened, hence no rubbing.

http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103002&highlight=bike+rack+pics

Stephen

rsholland

Interesting to note that some roof rack accessories can cause problems in terms of opening the rear hatch.

Bob

cinosweive

I was told that if you mount the bike rack on the outside of the side rails, then you can't lock the rack to the bars.

saintviper

Some bike mounts lock directly to the bars no matter where you mount them. The Yakima Viper does this and can not be removed when locked even when mounted outside the towers. Others can slide right off even when locked when mounted outside the towers, so they have to be mounted inside.