Some of you may remember my thread a number of weeks ago, inquiring about the 04-05 vs 06-07 WRXs, which would be the better motor to have, etc, etc.

Well, today I happened by a Honda dealer to look at a used WRX. It was a blue 2002. Turns out it was an automatic with 110k. Bummer on the tranny, and yikes on the miles.

Being annoyed, I drove up the street to the Subaru dealer. There, I drove a silver 04 with 56k. Truthfully, I was totally NOT impressed. Maybe there was something wrong with it, but it was dead in 2nd gear. 1st felt good, but grab second and it's like the turbo just never came up. Frankly, my 89 Prelude felt faster.

So then I made a big mistake. I drove a new one. Completely better in every way. Ride quality, handling, POWER, etc. And to think I used to think they were ugly.

In the end, I got it for invoice with $2k down, which then got eaten up by CA sales tax and licensing, but there ya go. It's a white wagon (I refuse to call this thing a hatchback because it isn't). I'd post a pic, but heck it looks exactly like ever other white 08 WRX wagon out there.

So here I am... I need to do some research to see what the best parts are... exhaust, intake, springs, shocks, bars, etc, etc, etc. The ride is nice but it feels spongy and a bit vague.. It definitely needs some chassis work. And I absolutely HATE the stock wheels (so if anybody wants a set of stockers with tires, PM me).

Rob

 

Congrat's on the new car! and good luck with everything.

 

careful with the type of mods you do. if your car in under warenty some mods can void it, also depends on what dealership you got it from too.

 

Congrats on the new ride

 

Congratulations on purchasing a Subaru you will not regret
it because it's a great vehicle.
If you purchased the warranty depending on what Subaru
dealership you bought it from the only mods I would do would
be catback exhaust,intake,some suspension mods,and better
wheels and tires.
Maintenance your new Subaru correctly and it will last you a
very long time.

 

do swaybars, they really tighten up the car. i have a 08 sedan, did Rallitek swaybars front and rear, made a world of a difference. i have also done cobb stage one for now, really makes the engine alot smother at higher speeds and rev's.

enjoy your new car

 

Ya i havent had my car foa year yet but i can tell you one thing. If it is under warranty be careful what you do with it cuz that warranty will go bye bye.

If you stick with SPT parts though you will be safe. Its all warrantied by the dealership. I have my SPT exhaust and intake. gonna get suspension soon. its a little bit more than most would liek to spend but if for whatever reason something does happen to that car that is manu defect you dont wanna have to pay out your own ***.

Congrats on the car.

 

Yeah I've had to play the warranty game many times before. I did not get an extended warranty; didn't see the point since my long-term goal is 400+ hp.

For now, I want to do bars (which ones are recommended? Only ones I know of are Cobb and now the Rallitek ones mentioned a couple of posts back), maybe the STI springs, a strut bar, and that's about it. I might do the SPT exhaust, but I need to know how much hp it's good for -- i.e. I don't wanna bother if it's only good to 300-350 hp if I'm shooting for 400+.

If the warranty situation got sticky enough, the Magnussen-Moss Warranty act is there for a reason. I go through the same crap with my truck (Dodge RAM diesel). They're enormously picky about what you do to it, so what I've done is invisible.

Meanwhile, I have about 300 miles on it. I JUST got back a few minutes ago from a four-hour drive up through the mountains. I haven't had that much fun in a car in I dunno when! Went south on 101, took 152 over to 1, then up 1 to Pescadaro turnoff, then east through the twisties all the way back to 280, then 280 back to San Jose. If my MPG meter is right (I have no idea at this point), I was getting 22.5 mpg.

I'm not sure I dare say it, but this car might just be more fun than the supercharged '98 Z28 (550 hp) I had a few years ago...

Rob

 

Here's a photo from tonight's drive. You can barely make it out, but there's a lighthouse in the background. For the curious, it's the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, on US Hwy 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy), about ten miles south of the turnoff to Pescadaro.

Rob

 

As for mods the STi pink springs are definitley worth it.Installing sway
bars will eliminate body roll and understeer that every WRX is cursed
with.I highly subjest the Cobb Tuning stage one suspension witch includes
front and rear sway bars and all hardware nesscessary for installation.(will make a big difference)
When intakes come to mind the only ones I have seen work the best on
a stock car were the Cobb Tuning and SPT intakes.
A catback exhaust is a excellent mod for a turbo vehicle since it releases
the exhaust gases faster that the stock catback and gives you less back
pressure witch turbo vehicles love.The best benefit is in turn your engine
can breath better.
I have the Cobb catback and love it.The finish is the highest quality stainless
steel piping and will never rust.The fitment was perfect and was a breeze
to install.Also the noise level isn't too loud for daily driving either and will
support power.

 

Got my windows tinted yesterday... SOOO much better!!!

I need to figure out which springs and shocks I'm going to get before I select swaybars. I wish I could find a list of what's available (diameter/solid/hollow), etc, etc.

I don't want a big drop but I think I need more than the STI springs. Considering Eibachs. Trying to find out of Koni has shocks for it yet. I'm trying to set the car up to ride and handle nice but still be decently competitive for autox (despite how screwed it is in classification).

BTW, it does seem the stock turbo isn't nearly big enough for this motor... does a good exhaust... uppipe, downpipe, catback help enough? I'm hoping it'll do til Fall when I can think about a turbo swap and some fuel management.

Rob