Subaru Impreza WRX

merrycynic · October 2003

There is a definite learning curve to maximizing the WRX's potential. The Miata will probably always be more "intuitive" and the C5 Vette more powerful. They all have very different charms. Again the WRX probably has longest learning curve to appreciate it's charms.

nyccarguy · October 2003

Very Odd your dealer wants MSRP for a WRX. Is he the only Subaru dealer within 3 states?

stupendousman · October 2003

I got my WRX in Feb of '02 and I have 45,000 and I am still learning how to pull the power from it. IMO it is one of the car's charms. Sort of like the S2000 in the sense that if you know your car very well, it can be very rewarding.

This part cracks me up though:

"4. Turbo lag. Not quite sure what this is but what I sensed was that at 3k RPM or so in whatever gear that I would step on the gas and not much would happen for a second or two, then it would accelerate a bit faster. "

That IS turbo lag, but I never heard people describe it as "accelerating a bit faster." Most people say "At, 3,500 RPM my face suddenly became disfigured by the excessive force exerted on my body" or something similar. You do have to drive the car hard to get the most out of it, but that's what it is designed to do and I think the REX is up to the challenge.

c_hunter · October 2003

My last sports car was a 97 Honda Prelude SH, which has been highly regarded by the sports car establishment (Car & Driver for instance). Like Car & Driver, I have been thrilled by the WRX, and feel it is better than the Prelude in every way. I was already used to the Honda VTEC behavior -- weak low end, and then frantic power above 5000 rpm -- so the WRX seems great to me. But for anyone not accustomed to turbo lag, it takes some getting used to. If you happen to have the optional turbo gauge, it will help "educate" your driving habits to get the most out of the engine. But it's true, you have to redline in every gear to get the most out of the car. For less frenzied driving, the Impreza 2.5RS sedan is an awesome vehicle and keeps many of the WRX's features. Costs less too.

Check another dealer -- most people buy WRXs for at or below invoice.

Craig

fsv · October 2003

Looked up the most recent Consumer's Report and was surprised to see that the whole Impreza line got only average reliability ranking - some other reviewers, though, have rated Impreza above Civic/Corolla. What do you guys think?

kwrx · October 2003

Put in the clutch of my '02 sedan this morning, turned the key, and a loud clatter/knocking ensued....the noise seemed to be in sync with the idle speed. Any suggestions/advice before I call the dealer to bring a tow truck and carry it away?

bluesubie · October 2003

Did you check the oil level?

-Dennis

ehsfriend · October 2003

Hi - There is no 2.5RS msg board on edmunds, so I am posting my newbie question here....

After a lot of research on carbuyingtips, edmunds, and fightingchance, I contacted some dealers for a 2004 2.5 RS Sedan Automatic with minimal options.

There are only a handful of 2.5's in new england right now. With the WRX being so popular, fewer 2.5's are sold.

Is this a good price?

Invoice $18,878 (incl invoice prices on automatic, armrest, fog lamp)

Less Holdback $620 (dealer was upfront on this)

Plus Fair Profit $500 (agreed by dealer) = 2.75% profit

Plus Destination $550

Plus Subaru of New England Fees $230 (non negoatiable he claims)

Plus Port fee and gas and showroom prep $79

Less Customer cash back $750

Final to customer before tax apprx. $18,870

Doc fee $90

Edmunds TMV (including 750 cash rebate) is $19,280
Van Bortel in NYC has a web price is $19,582 for the same car, same options less 750 = 18,832

QUESTIONS:
1. Is the New England fee real or a scam? I know that Subaru of New England has onerous terms with the dealerships - and carsdirect.com says that New England special destination charges are $255

2. Is showroom prep and Port Fee crap made up by the dealer?

3. Is the Doc fee B.S.?
Any other thoughts appreciated

bluesubie · October 2003

I'm not aware of SNE fees, but a doc fee is pretty standard. A doc fee was the only add-on I had here in NJ. SoA reimburses the dealership for gas in this area, don't know about SNE. Never heard of a port fee or showroom prep fee.

Van Bortel is Upstate NY, not NYC. It's also part of a different distributor (Subaru Distributors Corp.), so you probably won't have most of those extra fees.

-Dennis

ehsfriend · October 2003

Thanks for the reply, blue. I meant upstate NY not NYC for Van B.

Thanks for the advice. Agree that gas and showroom fee are crap. Problem is that the dealer is doing a swap for this car with an out-of state dealer - there are no 2.5's cars in my state without random port installed options that I dont need (SNE has had a huge lawsuit with its dealers about this that we all know about)

I called Subaru of New England and the con artist there said that they charge an additional $25 destination fee and that they do NOT have the same invoice pricing as Subaru of America. As a rule they charge their dealer "a couple hundred bucks" more than SOA does. That's the cost of doing business with SNE or so this guy claimed. Ahh the venerable middleman

Dealer faxed me the actual invoice paperwork and it does show that "invoice" is higher than edmunds and cars.com show by a couple hundred bucks. But I'm still skeptical.

I'll walk if I dont get some concessions on the other crap.

ateixeira · October 2003

An RS in the $18-19k range is a deal, go for it.

-juice

hondasellertx · October 2003

That's definitely a good deal. There could be a few pennies somewhere that haven't been pinched but Ebenezer himself would be hard pressed to find something to complain about.

Is it the vehicle you want? Get what you want, enjoy it, and don't worry about a few coins per day.

expy02 · October 2003

Any suggestions where I can buy the gauge package and boost gauge without going to the dealer?

c_hunter · October 2003

Try any of the online parts places (do a google search on subaru parts) and compare prices and their location (pick the closest one to you for faster shipping).

I like using Liberty Subaru in New Jersey.

Craig

hondasellertx · October 2003

I'm sure it's been asked but haven't run across it anywhere. Is there a website for more info on their offerings?

pathstar1 · October 2003

Try http://cobbtuning.com/wrx/accessecu.html

twrx · October 2003

Accessory one: Webasto PowerRoof. This is really nice. It is larger and has more headroom than the factory one in the premium package. It is very quiet and smooth operating and looks nearly like a factory unit. Outside there is a lip only a couple of millimeters tall. Inside it looks 100% factory. The local installer even put the control switch in between the map lights at the top. It pulls all but about 1/2 in of the glass into the body and all of the headliner in. Also it has both an auto close feature when you shut off the car and a 60 sec. retained power feature. The only downsides are that it was pretty pricey and they had to cut the center roll bar to get it in. I'll try not to roll the car.

Accessory two: I downloaded "Moontan" by Golden Earring from the iTunes music store for $5. Now when driving on winding roads I can listen to "Radar Love" just like those guys in the commercial.

TWRX

c_hunter · October 2003

Do you use an iPod or burn to CD?

I've been using an iPod in my WRX recently, and it's awesome. I just need to rig up a mount, probably to the right of the stereo.

Craig

twrx · October 2003

With the multiple CD burns I have been burning at least two copies off of each download, one for my car and one for my wife's. I have an iPod (Member of the Mac faithful) and I have used it in my '92 Toyota pickup. It has a direct mini jack input in the Aiwa CD deck that I have in it. So that is easy. I plan to get one of those FM modulators. I have seen the new one that is only about $30 that just plugs right into the jack/remote port at the top of the pod and is powered by it. That's the one I want for using it in the WRX.

TWRX

c_hunter · October 2003

Don't bother with the FM modulators -- the sound quality is poor and you lose a lot of bass. I picked up a $19 cassette adapter at the local Apple Store when I got my iPod, and the sound quality is outstanding, far better than I expected. It actually sounds better than playing CDs.

I also got a $30 Belkin gizmo that charges the iPod and has a mini-amp. Plugs into the dock connector of my gen-3 iPod. The mini-amp takes the iPod's line-level signal and gives it a little help, so you can keep the volume on the iPod at a reasonable level.

Between the two, it's an excellent setup for the WRX. I don't especially like having the cassette adapter's wire hanging off the radio, but it's not too bad. One of these days, I plan to tidy all the wires up and make a mount to hild the iPod.

Craig

subaru_team · October 2003

a WRX? While I too like Radar Love, Bruce,try Schism by Tool. I love it loud with the windows open. It's a bit on the heavy side, but I think you'd like it.

Patti

bamawrx · October 2003

Just completed 1,000 break in on new 04 wrx. It is no different than my old one performance wise. Not that I expected any different. It sure is nice to be able to drive the car properly. Those must be the longest 1,000 miles. I do enjoy my car, but it is so much like my old one that I am not getting the couple month new car buzz. Should have purchased the STI.

rsholland · October 2003

Whenever my wife is driving, and the Isley Brothers' 1959 hit "Shout" comes on the radio, she morphs into a wild teeny bopper. She lowers the windows, turns up the radio, and starts dancing and singing like she was a 15.

I'm sure other drivers must think she's lost it, and usually stay several car lengths away.

Bob

twrx · October 2003

this music discussion is beginning to get fun. My intent was to make a bit of a joke about last year's commercial but I'm enjoying the music exchange. Can't forget "Born to Be Wild" although I expect that it is best on 2 wheels. So as to another couple of loud tunes i especially like while driving I'd go with either "Sleepless" or "Vroom Vroom" by King Crimson.

Craig, thanks for the iPod advice. I too have a gen3. Steve's evil plan to get the store to lure you into buying one worked. I resisted for almost 2 years; my nephew had a gen 1 by Dec. of 2001 so it was tough. I'm beginning to regret just getting the cheap one, 10g is just so small!

Isn't it funny that Dell now has a music store and hd based mp3 player and M$ is now working on a music player? TWRX

subaru_team · October 2003

works for me! Now Bob - what makes you act out like your wife does? I know there's gotta be something!

Patti

qbrozen · October 2003

I'm saddened by what I saw while driving home last night. Up until this point, every WRX I have seen on the road has either remained bone stock or slightly modified in a very tasteful way. But last night I finally got my first look at an abomination and bastardization of the WRX name. Side skirts, coffee can tailpipe, and one of the wings off a biplane strapped to the trunklid. I'm scarred for life.

by the way, good driving song? I still crank up "Jerry was a Racecar Driver" by Primus.

lilbluewgn02 · October 2003

From "801 Live": La Grima and Baby's on Fire (this short-lived band consisted of Phil Manzanera, Eno, Bill MacCormick, Francis Monkman, Simon Phillips, and Lloyd Watson); great overall album and the cassette is well-listened to.
Two other albums I like to listen to over and over again are the self-titled Tom Verlaine, and Marquee Moon, by Television, his band.
The Beach Boys greatest Hits Volume I.
To keep it on topic, I listen to this great old music in my WRX.

ateixeira · October 2003

Anything but "Elmo's Song". ;-)

-juice

kevin111 · October 2003

Rock group, Hard Rock group, Christian Rock group, jazz, easy listening, or even (gasp) Country?

The name just does not ring a bell!

twrx · October 2003

(that is the title of one of their CD's)

Kevin:

King Crimson is one of England's most influential prgressive bands. The came about in the late 1960's founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and bassist Greg Lake. At that time their music was a combination of hard rock, jazz and classical. Major song from this period was a totally frentic heavy metal number called "21st Centruy Schizoid Man". Lake went on to form ELP with Keith Emerson. The 1970's version of the band was more jazz like first involving more horns then violin and viola additons to the sound. Bill Bruford from Yes and John Wetton later to form Asia were in the band with Fripp (the only permanent member.) American Adrien Bellew has now been a permanent member of the band since the 1980s. All King Crimson music now involves 2 guitars. All periods of King Crimson involve much improvisation. Their music can be very inaccessable. Weird drifting soft instrumentals, hard loud instrumentals are occasionally relieved by vocal songs. All in all a band that is hard for most to accept but is totally unique. In a day of boy bands, made on TV crooning idols these guys still turn out extremely non-commercial music and have followings from the late '60 like me who have dozens of their recordings collected.

Serge:

I have a couple of Manzanera CD's. Interesting that there are several people in the crew with very esoteric prog rock tastes.

I'm also a big fan of Pink Floyd, ELP, Cream. Van der Graaf/Peter Hammill, Amon Duul II, Can, and Genesis/Peter Gabriel.

TWRX

bluesubie · October 2003

I can just picture Patti rocking out to Tool. :-)

Rob, stock and slightly modified WRX's are rare where I am. The boy racers are taking over!

-Dennis

Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod (just *try* doing the speed limit) or anything by KMFDM

kevin111 · October 2003

I guess my age really is showing. Growing up in the 80s did not allow me exposure to such bands. Love Yes though.

ozman62 · October 2003

Patti - Tool! Awesome, Tool is really good, one of the best recent heavy bands. Great cruisin' music, maybe not so good for (longer) road trips. Very eclectic music tastes throughout this group. I'm guessing that the same personality traits that make people choose cars that aren't really mainstream are also at work when choosing music.
Owen

merrycynic · October 2003

I'm sure this will show my age as well. These are not my favorite musicians to listen to on the serious home system, but, they still provide my favorite driving music: Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra.

subaru_team · October 2003

Lateralus tour. It was funny because my son is convinced that these are young guys. I was saying that they are pretty mature. During the show, they did not show themselves at all. It was all in shadow with Maynard keeping his back to the audience. Interesting bonding moment with my son and the finer points of marketing and maintaining an image. It all came down to it not mattering. Maybe he doesn't look at me like an old lady as much now?

Patti

c_hunter · October 2003

http://densionusa.com/merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store- _Code=DU&Category_Code=IA

Looks like a great solution if you have one of the Subaru radios with external CD-changer controls. I have such a unit in my Outback, and may give this a shot. It's $199, which is kind of pricey. Too bad it won't work with the WRX head unit! This may be a good reason to transplant an Outback radio into the WRX....

Craig

hypov · October 2003

Hmmm I'll bookmark that should I one day get an iPod. Until then, I'll listen to the soothing soobie engine ;-)

Craig, from what it reads, it's plug and play so the WRX should be good to got too

-Dave

c_hunter · October 2003

I don't think the WRX headunit has a CD changer plug on the back, but am not sure. It definitely does not have CD changer controls on front, however! (at least not for an external changer).

Craig

hypov · October 2003

I'm not familiar as to what the Ext. CD plugs looks like, but I do know that there's a smaller slot [unused] in the 6CD head unit. My guess,... Ext. CD Changer.

If you're getting the ICELink, might as well give a whirl and let us know

-Dave

kens · October 2003

Craig,

Sorry to go OT here, but how do you like the i-Pod? Do you have a the newer model or older one? What size capacity.

I'm thinking of putting that on Santa's list this year for me. :-)

Please reply over in the Cafe.

Ken

c_hunter · October 2003

Dave: nice try, I'm only a guinea pig when it costs less than $20!! So who can we talk to about that extra plug on the back?? That would be cool if it worked. Actually, if we found out which leads on the plug were "line in" and how to activate that input on the stereo, we be in business right there, with $5 of parts and some wiring....

Ken: heading over to Cafe

Craig

c_hunter · November 2003

OK, here we go:

1) Picture of the mount I made -- a piece of 0.028" stainless steel bar (available at hardware stores) that was bent into a bracket that screws in up under the cupholder. I stuck a cell-phone swivel mount on this, and a corresponding connector to the back of the iPod.

http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/i1.jpg

2) what is looks like hanging there. I like this setup, since I can easily pull the iPod off the mount and hold it up at/near eye level to scroll through menus, etc... while driving and then hang it back up. Note the dock connector routes into the ash tray.

http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/i2.jpg

3) routing of the cassette adapter wire. I drilled a small hole in the bezel under the radio and routed the wire down to the ash tray. There's anough slack tucked inside the cassete opening in case someone accidentally hits the eject button. Down in the ash tray, I have the guts of the Belkin Auto-kit, which charges the iPod and boosts the line level from the iPod dock conector. The Auto-kit is powered by a line I ran to an empty slot in the fuse panel (formerly it plugged into the lighter socket).

http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/i3.jpg

4) Cool night pic!

http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/i4.jpg

--

Another option would be to wire a lighter socket into the glove box and plug the Belkin auto-kit in there. You could then route the cassete wire to the glove box. This would be easier than what I did, and you wouldn't have to take the Belkin auto-kit apart (thus allowing it to be used in other vehicles).

Craig

stupendousman · November 2003

My head unit bought the farm when I did a bit o' rally last summer, so I got an alpine with an adaptor for the iPod in the back. I don't miss the 6 disc changer at all! I have the 3rd gen 40g iPod, and I think it's a bit excessive. I have quite a few cds and I don't think I will end up filling up more than 15g's of it. I think the 20g will be enough for most everyone. I just love that I can now say "buh-bye" to cds, as I can connect my iPod to both my home and car stereo.

By the way, IMO the three best WRX driving songs:

Second nod goes to "Jerry was a racecar driver" by Primus.

Nod goes to "The Distance" by Cake, and finally "Super Bon Bon" by Soul Coughing.

subaru_team · November 2003

Now I've gotta check out the other two. I've never heard of either. BRMC and Perfect Circle are other good listening choices in my book also.

Patti

bluesubie · November 2003

"Scooby Snacks" by Fun Lovin' Criminals. Although it's mellow cruisin' music. :-)

-Dennis

twrx · November 2003

Soewhat lost in the iPod discussion (since they are a great idea for cars--more on this later) is what they are best for: personal music on the go. With any of the cases with clips on them they are very secure in a shirt pocket, don't skip and are very light weight. There are so many time that I think back to days of carrying a portable CD player and realize with the pod I can safely say "don't try this at home". As to the car tie in. there is a certain retro German insect of a car that gives you a pod free if you buy the car (since this is a Subaru board we won't name the brand) Another brand which is Japanese and has a funky youth SUV that is not a "Compound" has a QT movie on its site of a pod in use. Seems they have a direct jack to the stereo and a power plug in the package shelf area. Very cool.

Imagine the first brand to have a direct iPod dock in a car.
TWRX

lackofdave · November 2003

Hey there,
I'm writing a story on the 2004 WRX aimed at city readers. I wanted to get feedback on what owners like & dislike about the vehicle. So far my biggest complaints are the low-end interior, no trunk release on the keyless entry (my 99 ford escort even has this-as well as split folding rear seats!).
Obviously love the engine, looks, wing etc. The thing handles better than any car I've driven that isn't a very expensive german car.
So please post here about what I should be considering when driving the car for the rest of the week. I'd especially like to hear what people think of its snow handling since the story will focus on winter driving/city driving.
Thanks,
Dave

PS-do all of you call the cars "Scooby"?

c_hunter · November 2003

I have an 03, but the differences from 03 to 04 are mostly cosmetic.

I guess one thing I really appreciate about the car, especially when you run on the stock 16" tires and wheels, is that the ride comfort is excellent for a sports car of this class. I often find myself commuting down the highway in as much general comfort as my LL Bean Outback, which is considerably more of a highway cruiser by classification.

The WRX is comfortable and becomes an easy-going friendly ride when you're just out to get from point A to point B. Many equivalent sports cars are punishing in everyday life, or have a whole bunch of compromises. The WRX is a top caliber sports car that also doubles as a practical and comfortable daily ride.

On the standard all-season tires, it will be decent in snow, at least until the tires wear down!! (RE92s are not good in snow when the tread wears past about half way). If you get snow tires, it will be damn near unstoppable in snow. If you have summer high performance tires, like I do, the WRX will be a disaster in the snow. Winter driving really comes down to the tires.

The interior is not that bad to me. Have you seen an Altima recently? That's my definition of a low-end interior.

Note that your complaints about the trunk and rear seats are non-issues if you get a WRX wagon. I'd say Subaru probably focused their cargo-convenience priorities on the wagon, rather than include such marginal features on the sedan. Most folks that are interested in flexibility and convenience for cargo are looking at the wagon anyhow.

Craig

bamawrx · November 2003

The cruise control turns off when the car is turned off. This requires you to find the small button on the dash each dang time you want to engage the cruise.

Also, each of the power buttons for windows, roof, etc should all be the one touch variety. Our lexus has all one touch power buttons and that is great.

Factory tires suck.

No leather.

Cup holders are poor.

Sunroof automatically stops its closing cycle at some fixed point, which requires you to dis-engage and then re-engage the switch to complete the closing. (again this should be a one touch switch)

I'll try to think of some more stuff later.

paisan · November 2003

The roof closing is a safety feature/buffetting feature.

Cruise turning off each time is std on all cars I know of.

This is NOT a Lexus. Hence it doesn't have Lexus features.

Leather? Buy a Saabaru 9-2

-mike

Subaru Impreza WRX

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