Hey Guys,

I just picked up an 04 wrx wagon - 3 weeks@2500 miles (been driving quite a bit to break it in.) It's a fun ride. Much better now that I don't have to keep myself under 3.5 RPMs. Woohoo break-in period is over!

No problems to report on the tranny. Very responsive. Being a newbie to manual cars, I feel like the car is really saving my ***.

The seats are a little stiff for long drives, but if you're the driver you'll be having too much fun to notice your uncomfortable passengers.

Funny how all the astro-vans suddenly want to race you on Interstate 5...

Now if they only kept the larger foglights in the US design...<sign>

 

I just wanted to mention something that I don't think anyone has yet--the WRX sedan front seat fabric is incredibly susceptible to damage. I don't know if the wagon has the same seats...

I've had my 2004 WRX sedan for about 3 months (just under 4000 miles), and my driver's side seat already shows signs of damage from where my wallet rubs up against the fabric. I've read that the velcro from cargo pants can also cause this type of damage, but I don't wear cargo pants that often so I doubt that's the issue. The fabric is just ****, pure and simple.

In any case, this type of damage is covered under the factory warranty so I guess I'll be getting that fixed soon.

 

5000 Miles on my STI and no problems.

 

are you talking about the Mesh style fabric?? If so, I know what you're talking about...I've snagged my seats a few times with my skirt & have now learned to either a) not wear the skirt or b) if i am wearing it, to sit on my jacket or something...i dig the seats though, just not the fact that we have to be soo careful..

 

There are some great problems here...the clutch shudders, etc experienced with the 03 models have been rectified (they went back to the 02 configs). The only tranny problem is really not the tranny (which are proven to be pretty durable under significant horsepower increases), it's in the synchros. WRX synchros are notoriously weak and take severe damage at rpm'd launches. Another to look out for are the stock hoses. I definitely recommend replacing them with high quality silicone hoses (Samco, Perrin, etc). This info comes from my cousin who worked for Stuhlman Subaru in Northen VA and owned an Alpine White Scooby. He's seen and experienced these problems firsthand. Hope this helps.

 

Do they use the same clutch in the 03 Legacy as the 03 WRX? The '98 or '99 thru '01 imprezas also had a lot of clutch shudder problems. I thought that was fixed in '02?

 

It was rectified with th 02 model, but they tried a change for 03. They then switched back to the 02 config and everything was made right. Dunno about the Legacies, though, sorry.

 

Yeah this sucks. I need to call the dealership.