I just bought a 2003 Black WRX. I'm about 500 miles into the break-in period and had a question. Does the 4000 RPM limit deal with top end speed at all? For instance, going 80 mph doesn't exceed the 4000 RPM limit. Also, the trunk latch next to the driver's seat seems overly hard to pull (as compared to a Honda, etc). All in all, I'm getting extremely antsy on dropping the hammer. At least I can take corners fast. This car is extremely solid. You can tell when you are shutting doors. Also, that sound system is gonna need to go. Maybe the upgraded speakers are needed??

 

no the upgrading speakers are crap... get some new speakers... break in period.. mmmmm i think it's everywhere in all gears to stay under 4k... or maybe it's just accelarating hard, i'm not sure..

 

I also just bought an '03 WRX just over 3 weeks ago and man I know how you feel, I already have >2000 miles on mine (Road Trip) and I'm going to wait until I get some fresh oil in there before I go near the redline, things start getting mental around 5000rpm though.

Try and avoid full throttle acceleration but IMO 80mph is okay.

 

yeah i just got my '03 2.5 a few days ago and i'm only on like 350 miles. the 4k rpm thing is a ***** but i'm doin it.

all it says in the manual is to keep it under 4k rpms for 1000 miles. then of course, vary your speeds, and don't break to hard. oh yeah.. and no "racing it".

 

Yeah...I checked out the owners manual and saw the same thing. This is the most solid car I've ever been in. I'm in pilot training in the Air Force in Mississippi and have a lot of friends with very nice cars (C5/ZO6's, GT Mustangs, SS Camaro, new Z) ,and this is the best whole package car I've driven. Obviously a ZO6 Corvette is a hell of a car, but you have to baby that thing so much it's almost not worth it. I've beaten the crap out of this car, especially during the initial test drives and it just seems to love it. It's solid on the highway also; no drifting or a lot of road noise. Half the time I leave the radio off to listen to the engine. I'm at 600 miles now and may drive for the rest of the weekend, change the oil, and start allowing that turbo to compress air a lot longer between 3rd and 4th....