Is it just me or does it seem like WRX's seem to have a lot of problems? Don't get me wrong I LOVE my suby, but it just seems like more and more people are having trouble with our cars with stuff failing and people asking questions about how to fix it and stuff. It doesn't seem like a very reliable car to those who do not own one and are looking on this sight for info about them. Just a thought. Comments welcome.
Subies don't take well to neglect. A lot of people bought their cars used and then modified them. Most of the time you can't completely account for a car's history, and so it may very well have gone 20,000 miles without an oil change at some point in its life. Also, when you modify any car, you make it less reliable. If you keep a WRX mostly stock it'll probably run forever with proper maintenance.
My car has been great (2003 with 80k on the odometer). The only problem I've ever had was a lemon AC unit and that got fixed under warranty the first year I had the car. I think the reason you may be seeing so many problems is that a lot of them are starting to get serious mileage on them and that combined with mods and extra boost is bound to result in problems here and there. Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but I haven't really been seeing these reliability issues you speak of with the exception of people buying used, ragged out cars to begin with.
95 L about to turn 200K here NO problems runs like a top. Yes you cannot ever fully know what abuse the used suby has been through. My bugeye is slightly (LOL) modded and I have NO trouble (knock on wood) But ask anyone who knows me I am to the point of OCD if I think it is having problems, I change oil every 1500mi, tranny fluid every 5-8K. If you buy the car new, keep it mostly stock and do all recommended maintainence it will last forever period.
I agree with the non...I've had one fluke clutch mishap, but it was covered under warranty. You've also got to keep in mind the number of subies out there. You don't see posts saying 'hey, my car's running great today', you only see tech questions when a problem does pop up. I have two other friends with subies (Jeb and another non-member) and they both have '02 bugeyes that never had a problem. Jeb sold his old one off and the other guy just turned 120k w/ no problems to note.
I am way OCD also about my car. My car had no mods done to it and I only plan on doing a few. I hope this car will last a very long time since I will be babying it throughout its life with me. As I was in the market for a car I had heard that Subarus were SO VERY reliable and that is a major factor in why I bought one.
Yeah that is true. If there were posts like that then there would be a lot more threads on here. Maybe we should start...?:wiggle:
You should start one for people that are running the stock 5 speed with high hp without any problems right next to it. I think its tougher than a lot of people give it credit for.
The TOP TWO reasons why these cars have issues: 1. Owner neglect. (lack of maintenance, abuse, things of the sort) 2. Modifications by end user w/out proper research and development along with proper maintenance for said modifications. Outside of that these cars last forever. Sure little things here and there go wrong, like WEAR ITEMS (brake pads, clutches, fluids) but those are considered normal maintenance items. My 1996 Legacy Outback Wagon 4EAT is sitting at 255,5xx miles right now. The only *MAJOR* things to go wrong: 1. Head gaskets (known issues across ALL DOHC 2.5L N/A engines from 1996~1999). 2. Duty solenoid C quit at 250k, no big deal, $80 part and 1hr later its fixed. 3. Due to MY NEGLECT, both front axles replaced about 6k ago. I didnt reboot the CV's when they finally split. 4. Radiator finally gave up around 235k. Otherwise, no other problems. I also drive the ever living shit out of the thing, EVERY DAY, at EVERY CORNER. Its still on the original engine/trans/4 wheel bearings/rear axles and diffs.
there are mixed feelings on the 5mt...they say don't launch it and you will be fine. Well I bought my bugeye with 24K and I toasted 2nd gear 3 days after getting new tires just above redline. Now I should have had enough sense to know once I put new rubbuh on it that the stress went back to the tranny. liquid force is currently on a stock 5mt while he awaits his ppg install and has a few times that I know of let loose on it and I think he is upwards of 450 ft lbs on pump. the moral of the story is I don't FUCKING know this whole 5mt thing has me confused. I have a 6mt now and have no worries.
I really think that the 5mt will last as long as you take care of it. I see my car more as a daily driver more than a sports car so I really don't like to launch it. (Havn't yet) I think that these cars should be treated with respect and they in return will treat the owner nicely.
I've launched my car a few times, but always from about a 4-4500 rpm and ALWAYS by slipping the clutch, never dropping it. It's a freaking rush how fast the STi takes off from launch as opposed to a rolling start. However, I would say 80% of my launches are at Auto-X events and the other few times were when I was going for a 0-60 time. I smelt a little clutch the first time, but after that all has been well. There was a thread a while back that talked about launching AWD and there were people there saying they've done hundreds of launches on the stock drivetrain, mostly at the strip...I guess it comes down to whether or not you know how to drive your car.
yeah, 52,000 from new and all issues have been addressed by Subaru. i had a cat or bad and an O2 sensor go out. although, the beeper for my alarm works every now and a again. don't think i need to spend the time getting that looked at. This is my second, first being a '96 Legacy GT and both have near perfect records. oil/gas/tires/pads, goes like hell. gotta love it!
107k on a bugeye with light mods. just as wjm said above take car of the cars normal maintenance items and the car will run forever.
I beat the hell out of my car... And she treats me good. I'm having some electrical issues (fuses popping) but I did modify the wiring harness behind the fuse box for the foglight mod so I am the only suspect to my cars unreliability. Other than some smoke from using thin oil on what I hope is a bad turbo, my car runs like a champ. 310/340 on the stock 5 speed and no issues even after a couple of launches. My rear diff was chipping last time I checked but other than that she moves.
have you ever owned a German car? if you think your car has issues, maybe you haven't owned enough cars my last car was an Audi A4...let me tell you about the stress a car can put on you and how much it sucks the fun out of even wanting to drive. went through 2 clutches, a stripped oil pan, control arms on every corner, fuel filter replacement (have to drop the fuel tank to get to it) stuck lifters, vacuum leaks, leaking rear main seal....all in 20k miles. my subaru? i run it hard and never even have to think about it. i just keep up with my maintenance but otherwise it's so solid. for the price, these cars are amazing....they really are.
60k no problems here (i beat the crap out of it)...try driving a dsm for 2 years. then you will know what unreliable is.
YAH! The brother of your car, aka my 05 2.5 RS Sport Package got the shit beat out of it for 22k miles. Issues? NONE! I changed the PCV valve at 15k, gear oil at 15k, engine oil and filter every 3k and the air filter at 15k. Thats it. It probably saw 100+autox launches across...oh idk, 30~40 autox's? And most of them had 2, 3 or 4 people driving it. The only reason I got rid of it was because I was $4,000 upside down on it.
If any one person can say that the WRX is a reliable little joker that would be me. Started modding it at 150 miles and its been at 300+ hp since 10,000 miles. 500 drag passes 50 of them freaking 11 second passes, 120K miles on the stock engine, 26-28 psi daily boosting and driving the daylights out of the car has proven time and again that it's a strong reliable car. Also on the 5MT....LiquidForce had a 20g on a hybrid 2.5L and it never broke. I had mine with all of the above drag passes minus 10 of them on it and it finally broke at 98,000 miles. Learn how to drive it and it will last.....period. And let me tell you I drive the crap out of it. Key notes.... 1) maintenance,maintenance,maintenance 2) Check your oil every gas fill 3) Install parts CORRECTLY! 4) Do your research and know what you are doing before installing 5) Don't put crap parts on the car.
oh yeah that's right! forgot you had my clone. man you really did whoop on it didn't you? that's good to know on my part...i can't wait to autocross it more. i've had the itch to look at other cars because they're faster or maybe lighter or even cheaper, but the grass is always greener they say. i always come back to my subaru because it asks little and gives alot.
To get this straight, my car has had no problems at all. Its an awesome car. I was just noticing the many threads of people having problems with their subies. As stated before, there are a LOT of wrx's out there so problem-thread to car ratio is quite small.
oh, i see what you mean. yeah, you do see some problems pop up but i think alot of the time, you see it often because we're all enthusiasts, too. people with other cars probably have alot of problems but don't say much about it because their car is just an appliance to them. we can be picky because we really pay attention to our cars.