goods and bads of WRX's
TR Balla Donor Supreme
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What I like best about my car is that it is a jack of all trades type of car. It doesnt do anything outstanding, but does everything well. I can make a roadtrip, go play in the dirt for a night, and then make some 1/4 mile passes without changing a thing on the car. It hasnt hiccupped once in the 22,000 miles (2 years in April) Ive owned it. It looks great and sounds even better. Mods are plentiful and decently cheap (I went 13.5 with under $500 in power mods).
Now the bad. The transmssion is...let's say questionable. I don't like to call it weak because virtually all of the broken ones come from abuse/driver errror, not excessive power. But regradless, they do break. I would strongly suggest you get an 04+. They have beefier gears that are much better than those in the previous years, and if you refrain from launching the car and slamming gears it will last. Other than that, the car does not handle particularly well out of the box. But with some good tires for grip and a nice rear sway bar to get rid of the bodyroll its pretty fun. The power is good stock, but the car falls on its face in the high RPMs. Oh and my keyfob thing doesnt have a trunk release on it which has always bugged me.
Overall, Id recommend one of these cars to anyone even considering one.
(Btw, my comments all pertain to the standard WRX not the STi)
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Then you shouldn't shy away from a WRX. Like others have said the STi is a better car in every way, but you'll be hard pressed to find one in your price range. As long as youre not the type of person who says "Im just gonna keep it stock/light mods" and then ends up with a fully built engine, youll be fine. Now as for your original question:
What I like best about my car is that it is a jack of all trades type of car. It doesnt do anything outstanding, but does everything well. I can make a roadtrip, go play in the dirt for a night, and then make some 1/4 mile passes without changing a thing on the car. It hasnt hiccupped once in the 22,000 miles (2 years in April) Ive owned it. It looks great and sounds even better. Mods are plentiful and decently cheap (I went 13.5 with under $500 in power mods).
Now the bad. The transmssion is...let's say questionable. I don't like to call it weak because virtually all of the broken ones come from abuse/driver errror, not excessive power. But regradless, they do break. I would strongly suggest you get an 04+. They have beefier gears that are much better than those in the previous years, and if you refrain from launching the car and slamming gears it will last. Other than that, the car does not handle particularly well out of the box. But with some good tires for grip and a nice rear sway bar to get rid of the bodyroll its pretty fun. The power is good stock, but the car falls on its face in the high RPMs. Oh and my keyfob thing doesnt have a trunk release on it which has always bugged me.
Overall, Id recommend one of these cars to anyone even considering one.
(Btw, my comments all pertain to the standard WRX not the STi)
What I like best about my car is that it is a jack of all trades type of car. It doesnt do anything outstanding, but does everything well. I can make a roadtrip, go play in the dirt for a night, and then make some 1/4 mile passes without changing a thing on the car. It hasnt hiccupped once in the 22,000 miles (2 years in April) Ive owned it. It looks great and sounds even better. Mods are plentiful and decently cheap (I went 13.5 with under $500 in power mods).
Now the bad. The transmssion is...let's say questionable. I don't like to call it weak because virtually all of the broken ones come from abuse/driver errror, not excessive power. But regradless, they do break. I would strongly suggest you get an 04+. They have beefier gears that are much better than those in the previous years, and if you refrain from launching the car and slamming gears it will last. Other than that, the car does not handle particularly well out of the box. But with some good tires for grip and a nice rear sway bar to get rid of the bodyroll its pretty fun. The power is good stock, but the car falls on its face in the high RPMs. Oh and my keyfob thing doesnt have a trunk release on it which has always bugged me.
Overall, Id recommend one of these cars to anyone even considering one.
(Btw, my comments all pertain to the standard WRX not the STi)
I cant agree with him more. I own a WRX I just got it and I love it. I just dont wanna blow my tranny.
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Scooby05
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One thing that you can do is buy a decent WRX with slightly higher mileage and do a STI engine swap 2.5 short block with WRX heads., then save up for an STi tranny. The engine swap and turbo and larger TMIC will run you about 3k plus labor.you can def find a WRX bugeye for under $15k and then you'll have good STI power and then still be under $20k.
Just one option. I do love the other years body styles. But Bugeye would be cheaper.
Just one option. I do love the other years body styles. But Bugeye would be cheaper.
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TR Balla Donor Supreme
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its not a 6 speed though either.
honestly though.. if AWD/Turbo didnt sell you on the WRX and you gotta ask about the pro's and cons.. go buy a honda or a mustang
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TR Balla Donor Supreme
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lol it did have me sold but i wanted to know if theres any common problems or anything i should look out for etc
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It's not the transmission that sucks in the 06+ WRX's, it's the final drive ratio. It can't handle all the added torque w/ the 2.5.
Pistons, Tranny and turbo, are the biggest differences huh... better re-think that. How about cams, heads, injectors, intercooler(not much buy hey), brakes, differentials (dont forget dccd!), clutch, suspension, and pretty much everything else but the shell.
They are two totally different cars. One much more expensive than the other, but a much better modding platform since it can handle more abuse. The WRX is a great car and is well worth every penny. As is the STI. It all depends on how deep your pocket is. And you CAN get decent deals on STI's nowadays. Plus, if you keep waiting, the new 08 will be out and more and more people will be getting rid of the older models... I know I will.
Pistons, Tranny and turbo, are the biggest differences huh... better re-think that. How about cams, heads, injectors, intercooler(not much buy hey), brakes, differentials (dont forget dccd!), clutch, suspension, and pretty much everything else but the shell.
They are two totally different cars. One much more expensive than the other, but a much better modding platform since it can handle more abuse. The WRX is a great car and is well worth every penny. As is the STI. It all depends on how deep your pocket is. And you CAN get decent deals on STI's nowadays. Plus, if you keep waiting, the new 08 will be out and more and more people will be getting rid of the older models... I know I will.
