I've had 4 Subarus in the past 7 years: a 2001 2.5RS, a 2002 and a 2005 WRX, and my 2005 STi. I always enjoyed working on them and upgrading them...... never substantially, just enough to make them more fun to drive. Anytime I was bummed or just bored I could go out and wrench on the car for awhile (there was always a little part laying around that needed to be installed), and it would make me feel better. Sure it was frustrating when things didn't go exactly right, but in the end it was always supremely satisfying to bask in the results. Here's my problem: it's not fun anymore. I love driving the car (even though in the past 4 yrs I have yet to have the opportunity to run any of my cars at an autox), but man do I hate to have to jack it up and get up under it. Case in point, I've had a Kartboy shifter and bushings laying around for, I'd say 6 or 7 months now. I have to pump myself up to get up the motivation to actually go to the garage and even slide the jack under the car, then when I get to that point I stare at the underside of the car like a simpleton and decide that it's not worth the time. I've done this more times than I can count on 2 hands..... It's not as if I have anything better to do either..... A shifter and bushing swap in the WRX took 30 min tops..... in the STi I have to at least dismantle the tranny crossmember into 3 pieces, and I may have to take off my Helix DP..... all of which would add 1-2 hrs to the install time...... add another 2-3 hrs to actually take the stupid shifter apart and put it back together, plus an extra hr or so for the crap that never works out like it's supposed to (*cough* rear diff bushings *cough*), and I've wasted a good chunk of my day with a handfull of pieces of rubber and an 8" steel rod. So what's wrong with me? :slap: Why can't I enjoy this like I used to? I apologize for rambling but it's almost 3 in the damn morning and I'm sick of not being able to install these parts. I wouldn't have a problem dropping the thing off at a shop but I don't have the $$$ just laying around to pay for parts and then pay to have them installed as well. Maybe I'll feel better when I wake up..... damn the man.....
Thought about that, but I don't have any friends that work on cars..... and, just like with autox's, I can never make it to any of the get-togethers...... I dunno, maybe I just needed to whine like a little sissy for a bit...... the fact that I put the effort into writing about such a trivial problem amazes me all by itself.....
Was thinking about the shifter and bushing swap for my car, reading this is changing my mind in a hurry! I watched Porter swap mine out in my bugeye in about 10 minutes.. I didn't know the STI would be such a PITA. If it makes you feel any better, you just saved me the heartache of buying the parts, realizing I can't put them on myself, and then paying out the ass to get them installed professionally.... Good luck!!
Meh, as we get older and take on more responsibility, it gets harder and harder to do all of the things we used to enjoy. All that energy you used to have for hobbies now goes to girlfriends, wives, WORK, kids, etc. Maybe just take a break for awhile and don't worry about any more parts. You'll get it back eventually!!
not at all dude, you just sound bummed and needed to vent. happens to everyone eventually. maybe it's more of a question regarding you being bummed about not really having the extra time it takes to work on the sti vs working on the sti itself. not being able to get out and push the car/yourself to the limit really does put a damper on things... me for example, if i haven't gotten out to the track in more than a few months, i start questioning why bother owning a car like this or getting under it to work on it. now, after a trackday i'm good for months. i'll crawl around, tinker, tweak, and have all kinds of machinations of what comes next for the car. of course, a cop "damning the man" is quite the bit of existential comedy get yourself out there somehow and run the car 10/10's for a whole day. it's therapy on wheels
You can always leave your car alone and spend all your unspent mod money on tires and wheels and then proceed to beat the crap out of the car almost every weekend at a track or autox. You too can be a tire whore like me
I was in the same boat last week when I thought the SVX tranny was dying. I am also having issues with the heads on my wrx and the thought of having to pull a tranny and a motor was killing me. Not to mention the cost and having 2 cars down. To better appreciate your car you need to drive a crappy car for a week then take your car out for a spirited ride. I keep thinking my car is so slow but driving a truly slow car usually cures me for a while.
Sorry about that bummer man. You need to find your happy place. I like throwing on some classic rock and having a few drinks. That always settles me down for a couple of hours of wrench time. Hope you find your cure. P.S. its also nice having a garage to work on your car, the whole apt. parking lot always bummed me out.
I guess you don't consider anyone on here a friend Jokes aside, I feel what you are saying. I am kinda the same way. I hate installing stuff myself. But its a lot of fun when you get together with some friends. Post up a small install party and see how it goes.
yeah man, I am sure we could get some people together to help with that install. those installs always go easier with multiple people.
Next time, call JWX and make him work on your car. Otherwise, its normal to get that way. I hate my RX right now...and I refuse to fix it. About 6 months from now...I might get the motivation to fix it again.
I was saying the same thing last night to a friend of mine. I had parts sitting around for months waiting on my lazy ass. Good thing for me my WRX needs nothing but oil, gas, and tires. In a month or two I'm probably making the jump to an STi so I can... ... and race A Stock. All you need is a front sway bar and tires. I can handle that.
Ouch, Milo hits below the belt Of course you guys are friends..... just friends that I never ever get to see...... I added that at the last minute, I wondered if anyone would pick up on it Seriously though, thanks for the support guys...... trust me, if I can find a way to make it to an event I'll do it, but with this job I never really have a weekend off...... but I'm good to go this morning, I just needed some sleep after another frustrating bout with that confounded shifter. Now that I'm awake I remember that I also have some tranny crossmember bushings that need to be installed, so I guess the thing needs to come apart anyway..... I'll give it another shot after lunch and let you guys know how it goes..... I'll either post up with a lengthy stream of obscenities and a renunciation of my religious faith, or a cry of unadulterated victory over the gremlins that reside inside that wretched machine.
I think you've just grown out of it, you've hit the point where its more satisfying to pay someone to do the dirty work for you
You should try driving an 04 sti that literally has experienced every single problem that goes wrong with these cars
Sounds familiar. I sat on a wideband setup for something like six months or more and never got around to installing it. In addition to being busy the 'fun factor' just wasn't the same as before. If you have room for it, maybe you could get a cheap project car to play with and some dull point-a-to-point-b ride for daily usage?
I have been very lucky to not have any problems with the 04 wrx i had or with my 06 Sti...other than the dog that i should have just hit...hope all works out well!!!
That's what I was thinking a few weeks ago, and that's why I put my car in the classifieds...... just not the same as it used to be, and it's too expensive for me to just let it sit in the garage 6 days a week..... The fiance is hinting at wanting a new car (hers is a crap ZX2 that's slowly destroying itself) for when she goes back to school, so I figured sell the STi, get her a reliable car, and get myself a little beater to work on or a bike or something...... I'm lucky in that I drive a company car everyday, so I can probably get away with something a little less practical as a "weekend car....." *sigh* No one's ever accused me of being a responsible adult before, it'd be a shame to start now.....