WRX - Turbo / Who owns one?

[suprastanger507mgte]

So who owns a 2002 + Impreza WRX - Turbo or STI?
I like these cars but trying to get a first hand ownership views compared to a Supra. Im ready to switch interest now as I have been driving Supras for the last 18 years....yes....its getting boring lol.

Any reviews would be aweome. :biglaugh:

 

[Quin]

MkiiSupraman18 has an 04 (I think) and he loves it. I like it a lot too actually lol

 

[bigaaron]

I loved my 02 wrx until it got rod knock at 20k miles and it had a big list of other issues from clutch to transmission to interior and so on...
Subaru of America sucks ass, I will never buy a Subaru again.

 

[Poodles]

Odd... they have the second highest reliability rating behind Honda...

 

[suprastanger507mgte]

Odd... they have the second highest reliability rating behind Honda...

I've read of some tranny issues in the '02 in the US only . Aaron seems to have had a bad experience with the dealership more than the car itself from what I understand lol.

 

[TuRbOdReAmZ87]

Unreliable. Body roll. I rest my case. :biglaugh:


No but my buddy owns a 02' and it seems to be reliable even though its A/T. But he uses it as a delivery car.

 

[bigaaron]

Unreliable. Body roll. I rest my case. :biglaugh:


No but my buddy owns a 02' and it seems to be reliable even though its A/T. But he uses it as a delivery car.

It's reliable BECAUSE its an AT, the 5 speed is a shitbox! I saw at least 5 people literally blow up their transmissions with my own eyes.

My friend just got rod knock on his 02 also! If you guys don't believe me about the problems, go on the wrx forums and check it out. The great rep Subaru has is from the non-turbo cars and the family type cars, even the STI seems to be stronger where its needed. But the early wrx was a pos, and even the new ones have super thin body panels that dent if you just look at it sideways. The paint quality sucks. The drivetrain warranty will be voided (DOS:denial of service) if they have even the thought that you might have "raced" the car. It's not like I didn't go to wrx meets and go on the forums and research everything in detail back then. It understeers like a mofo no matter what you do to it, and it screaches around every corner and just murders your front tires. I would MUCH rather drive a Supra, it's way more fun. Subaru AWD is only good on the dirt, on the street you will get bored real fast.

This was mine:

 

[Tae361]

The 5-speed tranny is definitely the worst part of these cars. My friend works for subaru dealership and has owned 4 different WRX's and his girlfriend has had both wrx wagon and a wrx sedan which she drives now. Every one of them grinds first, second and reverse or is guaranteed to somewhere around 60k miles. Two of them have had rod knock and hes currently working on rebuilding his 3rd motor with an STi short block and wrx heads. Still has a 5-spd tranny which is a complete piece of crap compared to the nearly invincible 6-spd. If I were to buy one I'd definitely spend the extra money on the STi... but I have no faith in Subaru at all.

Everything that Aaron just posted I've witnessed first hand from my friend's subarus. My friend's fastest one was pushing around 400whp and scared the living hell out of me because it just felt so clunky and unsafe.. the only thing I like about these cars is the rumble of the exhaust note from the boxer motor.

 

[suprastanger507mgte]

The 5-speed tranny is definitely the worst part of these cars. My friend works for subaru dealership and has owned 4 different WRX's and his girlfriend has had both wrx wagon and a wrx sedan which she drives now. Every one of them grinds first, second and reverse or is guaranteed to somewhere around 60k miles. Two of them have had rod knock and hes currently working on rebuilding his 3rd motor with an STi short block and wrx heads. Still has a 5-spd tranny which is a complete piece of crap compared to the nearly invincible 6-spd. If I were to buy one I'd definitely spend the extra money on the STi... but I have no faith in Subaru at all.

Everything that Aaron just posted I've witnessed first hand from my friend's subarus. My friend's fastest one was pushing around 400whp and scared the living hell out of me because it just felt so clunky and unsafe.. the only thing I like about these cars is the rumble of the exhaust note from the boxer motor.

lol... Kinda seems very comaparable to a MKIII Supra then huh?? rod knock..tranny grinding etc lol.

 

[Supraholics]

WRXs have weak trannys. My buddy just blew his and upgraded with PPGs.

I never heard of a Supra w/ Rod knock just few years after it being manufactured, have you???

You only hear about them after soooo much milage, usuallly after 100K. And you know why? Things wear out, start burning oil, and people don't check their oil.

 

[Tae361]

lol... Kinda seems very comaparable to a MKIII Supra then huh?? rod knock..tranny grinding etc lol.

Rod knock yes, but my W-58 has yet to see a gear grind or get stuck. The WRX tranny gets pretty hard to get into 1st gear. I found that quite annoying when my friend lent me his WRX for a week while he was away on vacation, along with the crappy K-Sport suspension he had on it at a time. That suspension was so stiff it pretty much through you into the roof every time you hit the slightest bump. The STi suspension in the rear and tein coil overs in the front made it an amazing ride and handled like a champion.

 

[suprastanger507mgte]

Rod knock yes, but my W-58 has yet to see a gear grind or get stuck. The WRX tranny gets pretty hard to get into 1st gear. I found that quite annoying when my friend lent me his WRX for a week while he was away on vacation, along with the crappy K-Sport suspension he had on it at a time. That suspension was so stiff it pretty much through you into the roof every time you hit the slightest bump. The STi suspension in the rear and tein coil overs in the front made it an amazing ride and handled like a champion.

yeah...r154s is what I have most of my experinece with...and they do grind but you learn to live with it. Same with rod knocks and blown head gaskets lol. after market suspensions and add ons is what I don't really car about as those are mostly individual tastes. I'm looking for a review on a mostly stock car. Not from a one time driver review but Im looking more for a dual ownership kinda comparison...

 

[Rennat]

i've had a few friends with them, and although i dont own one, i have worked on them more than a few times (always for mods though). and if you want to buy one to modify it, i wouldnt bother... go with an evo or something else. i honestly cant stand how everything is in the wrx/sti... everything is stupid. TMIC, intakes UNDER the intake manifold, injectors that are impossible to get to, and if you eliminate the pre-turbo cat, then you have to get it tuned because you run lean.... yeah no thanks.

but my friends stock 05 sti was nice. all he had was a cat-back and it sounded beautiful, and it was plenty fast. i liked it.

 

[tissimo]

If getting to mod, look past the wrx and go sti. BIG downfall is the insurance. Was $300 a month for the insurance on an STi for me vs the 180 I pay for my Supra and Alltrac.

I want to get a 02-05 wrx for a dd though.

 

[anson505]

i just sold my 02 wrx wagon. i absolutely loved that car - upgraded turbo (vf34) with supporting mods and little various things here and there.

yes, the 5 speed tranny is the weak point, but as long as you know how to drive the car, there isn't a reason why it should just "blow up" while you drive. most problems, at least with the tranny, is from people abusing the hell out of it. you can't just drop the clutch and think that the car will be happy with your dumb decision.

the supra is a completely different car than the wrx - you can't even compare them...but what i can say is that the feeling of 300 lbs of torque going down to all four of your wheels is a great feeling that i miss.

here was mine:

 

[simpsons7s]

I got to chime in. I own a 03 wrx and did an sti conversion, put a built motor in and immediately stripped 1st gear out of my box. (new trans) then twisted 2 axles (two new axles and hubs) then got rodknock (one new rebuild). Got it all back togeather then used it to race.....(two more rebuilds)
Last rebuild lasted 270 miles before improper machining on the crank spun a bearing again, crank is toasted. (new shortblock from subaru). I now have a brand new block, heads, pumps, all new drivetrain, all new everything from replacing it as it breaks. I now have 297.6 miles on it and won't take it in to boost, I returned everything to stock levels because I couldn't afford another headache. Most of that was my fault for boosting hard and trying to find the cars limits.
After all that, I think it is a fucking awesome car, I beat a c6 corvette on an uphill climb going to big bear, I love the feel of the drive and the car. I think too many mods for this car can ruin it, It is really hard to mod with the way it is set up as well, too many weak points with the all wheel drive. Intake and exaust is about as far as I would go.

Any way, I have put too much money into it and have decided to stick with the supra, The subaru is basicly brand new and will go up for sale for 13,000. I have put alot more money then that just bringing it back to stock and putting the new motor in. Know what you are getting into, decide your expectations and then go for it. Plus mines for sale so you should buy it.:naughty:

 

[suprastanger507mgte]

WRXs have weak trannys. My buddy just blew his and upgraded with PPGs.

I never heard of a Supra w/ Rod knock just few years after it being manufactured, have you???

You only hear about them after soooo much milage, usuallly after 100K. And you know why? Things wear out, start burning oil, and people don't check their oil.

Ummm. could be the same case for Subies??? jst drive drive drive.. lol...

 

[suprastanger507mgte]

Kool thanks for the review. If I get one, I'm definitely not looking into racing it or modding it to a point where it breaks. I barely drive my MkIII with the 1.5JZ beyond normal speed and don't see that happening here with any other car much either. Once in a while I will push it and that's about it.
Most of the problems I see comes from dumping clutch/abuse or stupid things people do to their cars.
Same goes for any cars i guess new or old supra or subaru.
I like your car. Definitely one of the colors Im thinking of . But I have to wait and sell the Supra first ::biglaugh: before I get a Subaru.. I have loved the Supra for 18 years...yes that long..i think its time for a change for me.. its get boring after a while lol.

I got to chime in. I own a 03 wrx and did an sti conversion, put a built motor in and immediately stripped 1st gear out of my box. (new trans) then twisted 2 axles (two new axles and hubs) then got rodknock (one new rebuild). Got it all back togeather then used it to race.....(two more rebuilds)
Last rebuild lasted 270 miles before improper machining on the crank spun a bearing again, crank is toasted. (new shortblock from subaru). I now have a brand new block, heads, pumps, all new drivetrain, all new everything from replacing it as it breaks. I now have 297.6 miles on it and won't take it in to boost, I returned everything to stock levels because I couldn't afford another headache. Most of that was my fault for boosting hard and trying to find the cars limits.
After all that, I think it is a fucking awesome car, I beat a c6 corvette on an uphill climb going to big bear, I love the feel of the drive and the car. I think too many mods for this car can ruin it, It is really hard to mod with the way it is set up as well, too many weak points with the all wheel drive. Intake and exaust is about as far as I would go.

Any way, I have put too much money into it and have decided to stick with the supra, The subaru is basicly brand new and will go up for sale for 13,000. I have put alot more money then that just bringing it back to stock and putting the new motor in. Know what you are getting into, decide your expectations and then go for it. Plus mines for sale so you should buy it.:naughty:

 

[Zumtizzle]

LOL.

I'll blow past you after 100.

Get a Cobra, or that other car we discussed.

Boxer Motors aren't my cup of tea.

 

[Zumtizzle]

PM

MattJK on the other forum. He has owned a few.

AWD launch is fun, but it still chokes out at my highway speeds.