hey guys im looking for a 02-03 wrx 5spd and i was wondering what are a few things to watch out for with this particular car. from what i understand the syncros are are not the best in the world. anyhow, a few good pointers on things to avoid would be great thanks, Noob:wiggle:
Welcome to WRXatlanta... The worst part of the 02-03 WRX is the transmission... so if u drive it around and it shifts nicely into all the gears then thats ur best check... i would try upshifts and downshifts (except the 2-1 shift... bugeyes hate that)... other than that i'd go about the same procedure i'd use to buy any used car (carfax, etc)
Welcome! There are a few things you could look at here and there, but the brunt of your wear is on that tranny. A test drive is a must! of course you can look at the tire wear and feel the clutch out to see how the car is driven. Good luck!
anybody ever seen this one around and or know anything about it? i have a list of mods and stuff from the owner http://24.241.48.87:2101/files/wrx/ thats from the owner he is from the buford area
Make sure you drive it and don't hear any rattling. The wife and I went to get her a wagon and it rattled like crazy. I think someone was rallying and knocked a lot of the undercarriage loose.
hey guys this is my good friend travis, i am telling him getting a wrx is a must.....he has driven my car and knows what abuse they can take. I know that my car went from heavy grinding to being able to shift at 25mph from 2nd to 1st just from a simple tranny fluid switch.
welcome and enjoy ur stay.. i love my 02 wrx.. and yeah the tranny sucks.. maybe in future i plan to change it into a 6 speed sti tranny.. till then woohoo buyeye
I just recently picked up an '03 wrx wagon and so far so good. No transmission issues at all. Down shifts 2-1 no problem even at a fast roll. Bought it from a lawer in late 30's. He was an enthusiast but apparently took it easy on the car. It was bone stock when I got it about 7 weeks ago.
i wish i had bought a wagon, a lot of people dont understand what they are capable of and for that oyu can get one cheaper than a sedan. Would be nice on my bank.
man, there is a lot of bad info out here. the only tranny difference is in the 06 model wher ethe gears are now wider and ratios longer due to the extra tq. I have an 02 with 85k on it (for sales here: http://www.wrxatlanta.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4873) and she has never had a gear issue. There were a lot of bonehead drivers when the 02's came out and people wanted to see what the AWD + turbo was all about. Well, they found out
Not true.. ask any1 who knows abt these cars, 02 sure had a tranny problem because it was poorly build.
I really need to do that. My 1st gear is getting rough to get into. I'm pretty sure that the 02/03 trannies are different from the 04+. I dont remember exactly what was weaker in the older trannies but that the newer ones were stronger. I remember a certain SOA press release on the changes to the WRX in 04 that even mentioned upgraded internals on the trannies. I'd recommend a wagon any day of the week. I dont know how many times the fold down rear seats have come in handy.
gotsol knows his stuff, wrxcrazy does not....if you want some good info travis talk to most of the moderators, ss could prolly even give you some good info as well as gotsol.
While yes the tranny is probably the weakest link, it doesn't mean that you are going to have problems with it. Just don't drive like a maniac, dropping the clutch and slamming into gears. In all my various forum experience I can't remember a time when someone's tranny gave during normal/slightly spirited driving. I personally think it just got kind of a bum rap from everyone that tried to do awd burnouts. Edit: After saying this I'm sure that there is at least one person on this board who has had a problem with the tranny during daily driving. I'm just stating my personal experience.
hey guys, thanks for the props. Yes, the 06 did get an upgraded syncro for first, I'm not sure about the other gears though. I had a Fuji Intern here at the office who was a center diff engineer back at FHI. She told me the gears are all good.
yeah, i think the biggest issue in 02/03 was that when they first came out everyone was like "whoa, did you see how fast the awd/turbo is when you launch the shit out of it?" now they're like "whoa, these gears totally suck" not that unloading the entire weight of the car onto the tranny at one time had anything to do with it
I would first off listen to people like gotsol and the moderators here, because they tend to know their stuff, and then search around nasioc for other people's opinions. Personally, ever since I got my car in late '04 (its an '02) I have not had a problem with my transmission at all. I can shift into first at 25-30mph with no problem. The key is to find a car that has not been beaten into submission by someone who doesnt know how to drive. I hope you find yourself a good car, and hopefully you join our community as an active member. - Brett
if it helps, the cars can withstand a considerable amount of abuse with an appropriately skilled driver
I own a 02 5sp Sedan. Bought it 6 months ago. I had to learn the Tranny. Clutch lets go at the top I believe they call it a half clutch. It really depends on how you drive it. I'm pretty civil because she's my daily driver. So no burn outs. It's stock so I don't even know if thats an option. From 2-1 is a no no you can burn your synchro. Once you learn it it's a fantastic car to shift. That is the key, getting to know the car. As far as the car as a whole it's the most well balanced handling car I have ever owned. When it rains I want to go driving! It absolutely eats up bad weather. It has fantastic mid range torque. It stays glued to the road. I hate Atlanta traffic but I get excited every day I get in my car to drive. I will probably never own another brand. It is my favorite import brand in road handling characterisits, relaibility, mod options(unbelievable) and utilitarian functionality and I will never own another domestic based on twenty years of unreliable and horible handling characteristis of the domestic vehicles I have owned. The bugeyes are a great deal as well . If you can find one that has not been abused. Based on the sticker price of the 06 WRX est $29,000(Ouch) you can get a fairly low mileage bugeye from $15,000-$17,500. Mine was worth every penny. It had 19,500 and I got it for $15,800 No Regrets Tranny and all! Good Luck!
he wants to spend 15 and under i think from what he told me....he hasnt found one yet. There are very few around on the autotrader.