New subaru owner, old subaru
 

Hey soo just bought my first wrx impreza 03 wagon and its a bit of a dinosaur I feel like with 163+k, I was curious what anyone's opinion is on keeping it running strong and preventing any major problems,
The guy I bought it off had no idea about anything done to the car but after reading through the records I found that it had a timing belt replaced by subaru at 105, apprently clutch was done 11k ago, and it drives great minus the chirp/squeak when I run the ac. Also the steering rack Colum is bad and the bushing, mechanic said 2gs. Any solutions/ideas/comments? Thank you !

welcome to the community,

You purchased your wrx similarly to the mileage mine had when I got mine (165k) and now it sits at over 200k. I just did the timing belt 6k ago. You should be fine for a while on that. I recommend looking up all of the scheduled maintenance, but less obvious is being mild about modding. Throwing an intake on most cars is advantageous, but can be harmful on a wrx without a proper tune. Just be careful, do your research, and keep an eye on the heat :)

And as for the steering rack, I have never done that but I plan to. It can be done but is a pain from what I hear. You can upgrade to stiffer bushings like the ones from whiteline or prosport for relatively cheap from rallysportdirect.com, just one supplier for example. Chrip/squeak is fine I think. Mine does it too.

Good luck with the car!

[QUOTE="Holdenian;3587789"]welcome to the community, You purchased your wrx similarly to the mileage mine had when I got mine (165k) and now it sits at over 200k. I just did the timing belt 6k ago. You should be fine for a while on that. I recommend looking up all of the scheduled maintenance, but less obvious is being mild about modding. Throwing an intake on most cars is advantageous, but can be harmful on a wrx without a proper tune. Just be careful, do your research, and keep an eye on the heat :) And as for the steering rack, I have never done that but I plan to. It can be done but is a pain from what I hear. You can upgrade to stiffer bushings like the ones from whiteline or prosport for relatively cheap from rallysportdirect.com, just one supplier for example. Chrip/squeak is fine I think. Mine does it too. Good luck with the car![/QUOTE] Awesome thanks man ! I'm loving the wrx

$2000 seems a little high for just a steering rack and bushings. unless you also need the entire column too. I would definitely get the upgraded bushings if you are putting in a new rack they are cheap and you wont have to pull the rack out later to do them. I work in a shop in the bay area if you would like a price to compare or if you have any questions let me know.

Welcome, wagon-brother! Sorry for the steering issues... Agree that when you fix it, do the upgraded rack bushings.

More important on the timing belt: WHEN was it done. There is a time OR miles limit, whichever is [I]first[/I]. If it's getting on 6-8 years ago, then start looking into it again. And make sure they do ALL the idler pulleys and tensioner at the same time.

If you're sure of the fluid maintenance, then rock on, but do some reading on engine oil choices; these cars can "eat" even certain well regarded synthetic oils. If unsure, change everything you can.

[QUOTE="WRXspeedwagon;3588092"]$2000 seems a little high for just a steering rack and bushings. unless you also need the entire column too. I would definitely get the upgraded bushings if you are putting in a new rack they are cheap and you wont have to pull the rack out later to do them. I work in a shop in the bay area if you would like a price to compare or if you have any questions let me know.[/QUOTE] yes I would love them
I'm going to be around that area this week and btw yes I do think it needs the whole Collum tbh I'm not sure but that's what the mechanics told me because I cannot lower or raise the steering wheel without it falling down\apart but drives fine.