I'm sort of looking into an Impreza WRX for my next car. I'm 17 now, but am thinking about getting one maybe after I turn 18. Are they reliable? Anybody have the specs on a stock one?

Yes. :D I'm 17 and I have a WRX wagon. I really wanted the sedan, but in the end the wagon seemed alot more practical for me. So far the WRX has been reliable. Just make sure you get a turbo timer. And another thing, don't go to the dealership and ask for a test drive if you aren't good with a stick. I did and I embarrassed the shit out of myself (stalled in the middle of the road ). :licker:

Originally posted by -=Ice-T=-
Yes. :D I'm 17 and I have a WRX wagon. I really wanted the sedan, but in the end the wagon seemed alot more practical for me. So far the WRX has been reliable. Just make sure you get a turbo timer. And another thing, don't go to the dealership and ask for a test drive if you aren't good with a stick. I did and I embarrassed the shit out of myself (stalled in the middle of the road ). :licker:


wait a minute, do u live in ottawa?! and do u know inder?

why would u test drive a car u can't drive? did u get into it to see if you liked it or did u just buy the car to jump on the band wagon? theres this fag in my town. he bought a new wrx cause his mother had money. kid never worked for the car. get this he doesn't race it he has this friend of his race it thats japanese. The jap can't even drive, he missed a gear in a race with me and i beat him. funny thing is he had the faster car. point here is you guys sound too young and unexperienced to have a fast car. 10 bucks says you crash it before your 19. My advise to you is go drive around and practice double clutching and rev matching. get to know your car. I was once young and nieve. thinking back on how i used to drive i can't help but laugh. Practice shifting fast too. A wrx is nothing if it doesn't have the right driver. Here in my town Tons of ppl go to the track and they run slow ass times in the rex, like 14.8. Only reason is that they suck. get the most out of your money or else it would have been better for you to keep driving your parents oldsmobile... My cavy takes out wrx and its for sale.

Originally posted by mugenrsx
My advise to you is go drive around and practice double clutching and rev matching. get to know your car......... Practice shifting fast too.

Don't bother with double clutching. Sure it nice to learn, but you don't need to double clutch a car, unless the syncros are gone. Instead, do heel and toe for downshifts, this is more important then double clutching.

The only reason to double clutch is to match engine and wheel speed. This is was syncros do. Don't stress yourself for double clutching, unless you plan on driving a big rig.

-paK +4

Just checking out the WRX forum, looks like there's lots of hostility here, which always makes for a fun forum. :D

It's not just a WRX forum, for all variations of the Impreza. :)

-paK +2

I basicaly agree with what Mugen said, except I don't have a problem with people getting quick cars as their first car. It just takes alot more from them to earn my respect.

The pitfall that most ppl who buy a fast car for their first car is they get big headed. They haven't experienced other cars so they have nothing to gauge their cars performace agianst.

Anywho, thats off topic.

Would I recommend a WRX as a first car... Hmmm. Well it, like all other cars, has it's pros and cons as a first car.

Pros:
AWD
Good Crash Test Ratings
Good Shift Action
Clutch can take some abuse (if your learning how to drive a stick)
Not excessivly fast
Fast enough to have a good deal of fun.
Handles well

Cons:
Gearbox is made from glass and toothpicks
Fast enough to get out of hand if you've never driven a fast car before.
Tends to understeer when it's pushed, and as a novice driver, understeer would be harder to get out of then oversteer. But this can be fixed with swaybars.
If you want to mod, you will run into a brickwall in the drivetrain.

Thats just off the top of my head. If you really really want the car, I say go for it. But personaly I wouldn't buy a new car for my first car. Plus if you want performace, you can go much faster and turn that corner much quicker for much less money.

Originally posted by Gonthrax

Tends to understeer when it's pushed, and as a novice driver, understeer would be harder to get out of then oversteer. But this can be fixed with swaybars.


???????? You must be joking right? Most (most, not all cars) have understeer built into them for novice drivers. Oversteer is much harder to controll and MUCH harder to master than understeer. All that is required of understeer is backing off the throttle, which is why it is built into most cars - to get the driver to slow down. This is a con for a more experienced driver who might then think about getting swaybars which will fix the problem.

I have a wrx... and damn when u live in colorado... awd... gotta love it..

i might get the new 2004 one once it is out....

Originally posted by Gonthrax
I basicaly agree with what Mugen said, except I don't have a problem with people getting quick cars as their first car. It just takes alot more from them to earn my respect.

The pitfall that most ppl who buy a fast car for their first car is they get big headed. They haven't experienced other cars so they have nothing to gauge their cars performace agianst.

Anywho, thats off topic.

Would I recommend a WRX as a first car... Hmmm. Well it, like all other cars, has it's pros and cons as a first car.

Pros:
AWD
Good Crash Test Ratings
Good Shift Action
Clutch can take some abuse (if your learning how to drive a stick)
Not excessivly fast
Fast enough to have a good deal of fun.
Handles well

Cons:
Gearbox is made from glass and toothpicks
Fast enough to get out of hand if you've never driven a fast car before.
Tends to understeer when it's pushed, and as a novice driver, understeer would be harder to get out of then oversteer. But this can be fixed with swaybars.
If you want to mod, you will run into a brickwall in the drivetrain.

Thats just off the top of my head. If you really really want the car, I say go for it. But personaly I wouldn't buy a new car for my first car. Plus if you want performace, you can go much faster and turn that corner much quicker for much less money.

Gon mate, have you driven a WRX for a long time? I drive one regularly and the shift action is HORRIBLE and the clutch is so vague it's easier knowing when to buy into the stock market! And the understeer thing has already been commented on.

Originally posted by Oz
the shift action is HORRIBLE and the clutch is so vague

i can vouch for this. the shifter's a bitch, the clutch sucks, the exhaust pops, the car runs rich, etc... i love it :p

I'm 21 and have a wrx... close enough. My fam had a "wrx" wagon YEARS ago (whatever was the turbo wagon back then, legacy I think)... anyways, drove it into the ground, it wouldn't die! Turbo went after like 70K, was a fluke thing, dealer fixed it right away. That was the ONLY problem.

Hold out for the '04 if you like the looks. They have a lot more creature comforts that I think the previous ones lacked. Like heated mirrors (annoying if you live in a cold climate), heated seats, moon roof.

To add to the pro/con list Gonthrax made...

-Pros-
*Quick enough to keep you happy
*VERY reliable
*Easy to keep running (service schedule is simple enough)
*AWD is always nice
*good sized trunk
*blast to drive
*looks good
*SAFE!
*nicely priced
*pretty good handling
*easier to keep under control than most sports cars

-Cons-
*suspension needs work when you get into pushing the car (sway bars would be nice, and 17's)
*clutch isn't tough to use at all (babies! haha) but if you're learning, it might be tricky as it is geared weird and needs a little more gas than a lot of cars
*paint tends to chip easily
*stock tires BLOW - get new ones if you ever plan on driving in snow
*no fold down rear seat...
*stock sound system stinks, gives you little to work with
*stock exhaust is a little tame, good for most people, but I think it needs something a LITTLE louder to hear the engine more

There are a few other little things, but those bug me the most. The pros outway the cons for me more than any other reasonbly (under $35k) new car out there, which is why I'm driving one.

As for understeer, if I was just learning how to drive, I'd definately rather have understeer than oversteer. Taking your first real fast turn and having your car slide out of control is not fun.

I'm 23 now, and am seriously pining for a WRX. My biggest concern is actually how much insurance is on average. That's why I'm maybe going to wait 'til I'm 25...

I've also been debating if I want a manual or automatic, and I'm leaning towards the auto.

the auto's lot stronger, but, err, what fun is an auto? :confused: :hehehe:

Yeah I'm a teen w/ a WRX.. I got shafted into getting the auto but its worked out pretty well. Hoping to get a Protorque full lockup TC soon along with an uppipe and a TXS UTEC which should put down some very good numbers :D

Manuals much more fun though or so I'm told ;)

Originally posted by ldelaysionl
the auto's lot stronger, but, err, what fun is an auto? :confused: :hehehe: Why is the auto stronger? I figured they were about the same performance-wise (except slightly less MPG for auto.)

I can drive a stick pretty well, but the wife isn't too fond of it, and I would rather concentrate on just driving, not shifting and driving.

Maybe I'm not the fastest shifter either, so I'd rather just hit the pedal and go. :)

I think he means stronger in the non-breaking sense.. Subaru manuals are notorious for being kinda weak and Subaru dealers are notorious for giving you shit if your transmission goes caput if you have mods.

As for performance, Manual transmission especially on the WRX gives you a good amount of better low end acceleration than the auto but auto has a much better all wheel drive system (torsen sensors and Variable Torque Distribution like the auto DCCD on the new STi) to compensate for not being able to downshift through turns.

yes, i mean stronger in that it won't break as easy. the manual is quicker (stock anyways). the auto has that cool awd system, but manuals are better for road racing/auto-x cuz you can control hanging in a lower gear and when you want to downshift or upshift. but then IMO an auto with a good torque converter is much better for drag racing, ESPECIALLY in an awd. they both have their strengths and weaknesses i guess. personally i would never buy an auto for a daily driver unless i absolutely couldnt get a manual in the car i wanted.

the 6 speed though, it's supposed to be the strongest of them all. that's what i want :D

Few people on wrxforum.com said that the 6spd isn't any stronger than the 5. Unless I'm mistaken. I've heard it was stronger too...