Hey everyone ... I am trading my RA in for the WRX end of this summer ... Any info on how good is the transmission, engine wise, what is the upside and down side if any ... If i get the STI i will be walking to school and to work ... lol ... so it won't fit my budget .... other than that please fill me in on any extra info that they don't put on Subaru.com maybe someone knows the mechanic on this car a little better ... What about you Alex ?! or should i stop by Bozz and talk to you instead ...


Thank you for your time ...

 

negative

 

If you are getting an 05' model, wait to see the new specs on the 06' to see which one you like better... or at least wait till the new 06' model comes out so you can get a clearance price on the 05's.

 

the 2006 WRX WILL have a 2.5L motor, in turn they will have to do something about the transmission. My advice is to go for the 06.

Everything I do not like about my car is all interior, which they fixed in the 05. Cupholders down low, sexier center console. I like the feel of the 02/03 seats more then the 04/05's cause I have a big'ol ***. ;x

The gas mileage they show is not correct at all! its more like 18mpg in the city, 21-22mpg highway. at least for me anyway. Same results even after ecutek.

Overall I am very happy with my car, just wish I got the sedan instead of a wagon.

oh yeah,


DO NOT GO TO STEVENS CREEK!

Also don't buy the extended warranty, I did and I've put 40K miles on my car since April 2004 and no problems.

 

The WRX transmission is infamous for being weak. Most people know that, but it's perfectly fine if you don't abuse it. Don't launch hard, or put too much power into it and it should work fine. As for the engine, it's like any other engine. Stock is great as long as you take care of it with oil changes etc, but if you start modding it with power mods expect to get engine management as that's when things start to go wrong.

If the '06 looks like what the concept car looks like, I'd look for an '05 or earlier model because IMHO it's ugly as hell. Though, I'm not sure if the rumor of porsche making the new tranny for the '06 is true, can anyone confirm that? Most of the main differences between the models are just exterior looks and interior looks. As mcdrama said the '05 cup holders are down low, and i believe the '04 and '05 have the tach in the center of the dash and not on the right like the '02-'03 WRX.

 

I would like to thanks you guys for the info and advice ... I heard from my buddy with the STI that the 02 and 03 have serious issue with the Transmission ... and they improve the quality on the 04 and 05 ... thats' what i heard atlease ... I will waite till Semtemper where they are pushing out the 05 clearance with a great deal to buy that's if the 06 look too crazy like "STi-owns-evo " and not much different i would buy the 05 instead ... Thanks again for your time and info ... did great help .. peace ...

 

No, don't ask Alex. His car wasn't stock long enough to know of its shortcomings. That beast resembles a WRX in sheetmetal, only.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

lol ... I got the picture ...

 

If you aren't going to be stupid with it than I think the 05 should be fine. Also I agree don't go to Steven's Creek. I had a bad buying experiance with them. The sales manager was verbally abusive which is just plain wrong.

McDrama what issues did you have with them?

I personally would go to redwood city or Santa Cruz. do your deal through the Internet so you know what your price is before you go in and buy. I would say on a standard WRX you should be able to get it at invoice out the door if not below. When you go to the finance department and they start throwing the extended warenty at you you can talk them down on that to. I got a 6 year full warentee on the STi with rental car, and a $50.00 deductable for slightly more than half of what they wante dto sell it to me for. Just remember the extended warentee is direct cash to them. warentee repairs cost them nothing since they charge Subaru back for parts, and their labor is nothing. Think about it they have a sevice team that just sits there if there isn't a car in the shop so keeping them busy is in their interest.

I was looking onine and Redwood City wanted to sell me the STi for $100.00 over invoice which isn't bad at all considering that they only import 3200 a year. Now take the WRx which there are lots more of and you should be able to do better. My suggestion would be check out who has the largest selection i.e. they have tons and are willing to drop their shorts to meet their numbers and move the inventory. A little searching and some driving will save you cash period.

 

I hate the look of the 06' subaru. NASTY. Only good think about it is the new motor...but buying a first year change like that is stupid.

I'd buy an 05. They worked alot of the kinks out and mechanically it's the most stable WRX to get stateside.

The transmission is the weak spot in these cars but as long as you're not an idiot or insanely mod'd out a good dealership will fix the tranny issues free of charge.

But mechanically in general they're great cars.

I definately say go to santa cruz. They treat their customers right there and the service department is top notch and mod friendly...to a point.

 

Yoy guys gave me great insight ... thanks again ... with the dealing and bargaining its not much of an issue ... i will try other places and make them work for the business .... I also like to look of 05 much better than the 06 ... which mean that i am getting the 05 ... I don't worry much about the engine spec or the trans differences between this model and next year model ... You can always get a better motors and transmission .... Like a Spec C Or JDM STI motor later on in the future ... I was just planning to do mild mode turbo back and some more simple mode nothing outrages ... I go to school also which i have no plan to put my car up to 400 hp ... I like WRX ever since it came out ... Priority first so which will leave me plenty of room to play later on ... thanks again for the great insight ... very thoughfull ... peace yall ..

 

just remember that saving a couple hundred bucks going from one dealer to the next isn't always worth the crap you'll have to deal with in the future.

Read the reviews on local dealerships and pick on that's not stevens creek. Honestly they'll probably give you the best price. But then you'll have to deal with all their bullcrap and idiot service team.

 

I'd say save the hassle and go straight to Santa Cruz Subaru. Their lifetime customer plan is just great. * Lube, Oil & Filter Service every 3500 miles for 3 years or 60,000 (which ever comes first) at no charge!
* Rental Car (one day) when vehicle is in for paid service at no charge!
* Complimentary Vehicle Wash with every service performed.
* 10% Discount on all parts, labor and accessories.

Also, if you haven't seen the official '06 WRX pics its http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=779413

Remember, the '05 STi (and I believe the WRX) have a different bolt pattern for wheels, instead of 5x100 it's 5x114.6 or something like that so you won't be able to swap wheels with anyone else who has a previous '05 Impreza. My friends have told me that since it's a new pattern aftermarket wheels need to be custom ordered.

 

Seem like it take a little time to get some aftermarkter rims to be out for the WRX ... as for the service team i will keep that in mind ... I agreed that not all dealership team that treat there customer equally ... The Mitsu Dealership in Steven Creek want 8bills plus to get my RA 30k Service and brake done ... I was hurry to jump into my car and speed my way out of that place crossing my finger to not hit any Evo on the way out ... But i got the full effect of car dealer miss treatment ... I have friend that bought there car from Steven Creek ... Carlson Redwood city ... Santa Cruz ... so which leave me plenty of room to work with ...
and STI-owns-Evo -- i would love to go to Santa Cruz but as far as RedWood city is probably as far as i can go ... I just need my pop to slap the dealer around to drop the price ... I don't mean slap them literally ... but car shopping around has gave me knowledge on whom to buy from and where to do it at ... I had seen the 06 already ... My though was i hope the silver car that don't have the Turbo hood is only the 2.5 RS Non turbo ... I like the 05 better overall ... I don't really worry much if its 6 speed and has 2.5 Liter ... As Alex told me before you can always swap motors ... Pretty good insight and knowledge can't thanks you guys enough ...

 

wait... do i SEE rear window WIPERs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

in the words of that greatest biter... YES! (marv albert...)