2003 WRX finally dies
................. that is going out 
That's the truth for ANY car. Not just a subaru.
But hell... not including the work I just did on my car I didn't HAVE to do much of anything as far as breakage repairs. Just maintenance.
This recent round was really just fixing a blown cat. Totally normal.
My car has been great. She's getting old now. If I keep it or if someone buys it my recommendation is to start planning on a new motor. It's only a matter of time. It's not gonna last forever. But right now I go outside. I turn the key. I drive to work. Every day. What more could I want?
But hell... not including the work I just did on my car I didn't HAVE to do much of anything as far as breakage repairs. Just maintenance.
This recent round was really just fixing a blown cat. Totally normal.
My car has been great. She's getting old now. If I keep it or if someone buys it my recommendation is to start planning on a new motor. It's only a matter of time. It's not gonna last forever. But right now I go outside. I turn the key. I drive to work. Every day. What more could I want?
Registered User
iTrader: (12)
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 7,225
From: SF Bay Area - Peninsula
Car Info: 04 psm wrx sedan
That's funny because I know of a couple shops that have seen a TON of wrx's with over 150k let alone over 200k.
Mine is at 213k. Original motor. Original trans. And I don't drive like a grandma.
I would say the shear number of cars out there with 150-250k on them (wrx) says enough about their durability. It's the driver that is the problem most of the time. Things do break but it's like that with any car.
Mine is at 213k. Original motor. Original trans. And I don't drive like a grandma.
I would say the shear number of cars out there with 150-250k on them (wrx) says enough about their durability. It's the driver that is the problem most of the time. Things do break but it's like that with any car.
Registered User
iTrader: (12)
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 7,225
From: SF Bay Area - Peninsula
Car Info: 04 psm wrx sedan
I've had horrible luck with my car...still don't want to sell it tho...id feel bad for whoever had this car next haha...its my POS
25k a years, dd-ing 200 miles a day driven over highway 17
25k a years, dd-ing 200 miles a day driven over highway 17
Technical Know-It-All
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,123
From: Sterling, VA
Car Info: '02 WRX + '15 WRX
I would say that the vast majority of enthusiast owned WRX/STIs will not see 180k on the original motor. Testament to this, I know of a shop that claims to sell roughly an engine a day. Whether it's true or not, I don't know. But they are doing incredibly well so I don't have much room to question it.
General Pimpin'
iTrader: (7)
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,019
From: Knee deep in beer. subabrew crew, ca.
Car Info: MY04 aspen wrx wagon.
That doesn't surprise me. Shops all over the country are building motors all day every day. But I would say that the motors are a LOT better than folks think they are. When I got mine it was pretty much expected... 100-130k it was gonna be toast. That's just not the case. To some go. Yes. Do a lot go. Sure. Do a lot get abused and not go. Hell yes.
I think as time goes on you're seeing more and more cars... enthusiast and otherwise that are doing just fine with more and more miles on them. That's what happens... with time. You see what actually happens.
I think the other side of that coin is that people WANT to build motors for their cars. I think it speaks a ton on the subaru enthusiasts in general. We figure... new motor... o.k. I like my car. Lets do it. A lot of other cars. The motor goes and the car goes into the junk yard.
And beyond that there are a LOT of people building motors because they want to not because they need to.
You want 400-500-600hp you need a block. People are aware of this. So instead of doing a bunch of **** and blowing up a stock block they just have a monster block built while the stock one is still going. So just building motors doesn't mean the motor in the car is blown.
Hell I nearly bought a motor a few years ago... but here I am... car is still going. Same motor.
I know a dude that went through the same thing you did. TONS of motors. Several builders. Several tuners. Some folks have bad luck.
I think you're over simplifying. And I'm wondering exactly what the tuners and builders did wrong 8 times? Same tuners? Same builders?
I think as time goes on you're seeing more and more cars... enthusiast and otherwise that are doing just fine with more and more miles on them. That's what happens... with time. You see what actually happens.
I think the other side of that coin is that people WANT to build motors for their cars. I think it speaks a ton on the subaru enthusiasts in general. We figure... new motor... o.k. I like my car. Lets do it. A lot of other cars. The motor goes and the car goes into the junk yard.
And beyond that there are a LOT of people building motors because they want to not because they need to.
You want 400-500-600hp you need a block. People are aware of this. So instead of doing a bunch of **** and blowing up a stock block they just have a monster block built while the stock one is still going. So just building motors doesn't mean the motor in the car is blown.
Hell I nearly bought a motor a few years ago... but here I am... car is still going. Same motor.
I know a dude that went through the same thing you did. TONS of motors. Several builders. Several tuners. Some folks have bad luck.
I think you're over simplifying. And I'm wondering exactly what the tuners and builders did wrong 8 times? Same tuners? Same builders?
Yeah, You've Probably Never Heard Of Me.
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 17,962
From: in a glass case of emotion.
Car Info: 345/30/19s
Well if you still enjoy the car I say just bite the bullet and pay for a new shortblock, then you'd get anther 100K out of it (hopefully) and seeing as you would only get 2-3K for selling it as-is its not even really worth it.
General Pimpin'
iTrader: (7)
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,019
From: Knee deep in beer. subabrew crew, ca.
Car Info: MY04 aspen wrx wagon.
So it's a tough sell right now for anything over $3k. Probably more like $2500.
Put a motor in it... long block plus labor... call it $4000. If you then turn around and sold it... it'd sell much quicker as it runs... so could you get say $6500 for it.
Sure.
I've been going back and forth with this battle for the last year. Where it is and is not worth it. But like you said... if you enjoy it... do it. If you want to give another car a go... probably better off just selling it.
Registered User
iTrader: (12)
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 7,225
From: SF Bay Area - Peninsula
Car Info: 04 psm wrx sedan
That's the kicker right there. If you can sell it for what you put back in to it.
So it's a tough sell right now for anything over $3k. Probably more like $2500.
Put a motor in it... long block plus labor... call it $4000. If you then turn around and sold it... it'd sell much quicker as it runs... so could you get say $6500 for it.
Sure.
I've been going back and forth with this battle for the last year. Where it is and is not worth it. But like you said... if you enjoy it... do it. If you want to give another car a go... probably better off just selling it.
So it's a tough sell right now for anything over $3k. Probably more like $2500.
Put a motor in it... long block plus labor... call it $4000. If you then turn around and sold it... it'd sell much quicker as it runs... so could you get say $6500 for it.
Sure.
I've been going back and forth with this battle for the last year. Where it is and is not worth it. But like you said... if you enjoy it... do it. If you want to give another car a go... probably better off just selling it.
Technical Know-It-All
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,123
From: Sterling, VA
Car Info: '02 WRX + '15 WRX
5 builders and more tuners than I care to count. I've had 3 engines go bad within 1,200 miles. Aside from my original (oil pump failure) the next longest lasting was 17k miles, before it was taken out by Clark Turner. Most of the engines died because they were poorly put together and the specs used were awful. My last engine was the 1st one to ever be warrantied (even though all except one of the previous builders told me they had warranties) and it's being rebuilt now. I've had my car in my possession for ~3 months of the last year and a half.
Last edited by Brfatal; Nov 13, 2012 at 08:28 PM.