i might be purchasing an older model wrx soon and i was wondering
what kind of things i should look out for.

probably a o3-o4 since those kind of fit in my price range.
and around 4o-5ok miles.

does stuff start breaking down at this point or certain parts need to be replaced.

any info would help

 

Congrats on being able to get a WRX.
I would make sure all the body lines match up on the car (no car accidents).
When you drive the vehicle make sure you don't hear any strange
or odd noises coming from the engine bay or under the vehicle.
In that low of mileage all the mechanical parts should be in excellent
working order.All Subaru's are dependable and reliable vehicles you
should be able to get years and years of driving enjoyment out of them.
Happy Subaru shopping!
www.autotrader.com
www.cars.com
www.ebaymotors.com

 

50k miles on a Subaru is like 20k miles on anything else -- barely broken in. I've been 110 hp over stock since 30k miles and now at 65k I have had zero mechanical failures of any kind. At 60k service I did the belts (not timing) and a torn CV boot, but other than that the factory clutch, transmission, struts, pumps etc. are all in perfect condition.

For the 03 models, watch for toasted 1st and 2nd gear syncros (a BIG problem with 02s); this makes it nearly impossible to downshift to 2nd or 1st if you are moving forward faster than 10mph. It also makes upshifting from 1st to 2nd slow (with a risk of a grind if you go too fast). Be extremely suspicious of any home-made fixes under the hood (manual boost controller, intake made with PVC pipe, grounding kit made with speaker wire, etc.) -- I see these all the time at car meets, and it is the mark of someone who has been weekend tinkering with the car but doesn't know enough. DO NOT buy a "tuned" 03-04 unless they can show you the shop papers and dyno and you know the shop that tuned it. No offense to the garage tuners out there, but I have seen a LOT of WRXs and STIs with driveway mods that are minutes away from engine and driveline failure. I was at a meet last year and I saw some kid with a black STI (05?) with pink wheels -- looked good, but then he gunned it and we could hear the detonation from outside the car! Later on I asked him about it, he said "what, that popping noise? My friend said to just ignore it, it goes away."

 

I am selling a 2002 Wrx wagon, 5mt with only 44k miles if you are interested. It is stock with a few factory upgrades. Pm me if you are interested.

 

One other thing to watch out for: 02, 03 and 04s tend to go through rear differentials, I had my rear and center swapped out (as a warranty repair, before they really started giving me trouble) before 33k. Make sure all recall repairs and known issues have been taken care of (at a dealer, ideally).

 

i got my 02 off craigslist.. but i deff made sure to take it in and have it inspected before i actually bought it

 

the summary is to watch the 'drivetrain' closely when you test-drive. the bug-eye has a rather 'weak' drivetrain. the problem was fixed in later models.

 

the 03 later ones have the tranny a lil stronger than the 02's and early 03's

 

hah doesn't matter. all 5 spd wrx's have weak tranny's regradless. its all on the driver. people usually either get a RA gear setup or 6 spd sti tranny.

 

Switching to the 6-speed transmission is NOT an easy fix, that can be $4000 even if you know how to do some of it yourself. You'd be much better served by just saving the money to buy an actual STI.