Found the mythical unmodified WRX...

...had to go the dealer to get it

I've been wanting a WRX since the 2002 models came to the US in 2001.  I was shopping for my first new car back then, and test drove a 2.5RS at the time, and liked it, but couldn't drive a manual at the time, and the reviews on the automatic WRX were not great.  Since then, it never managed to be the right time, and finding a good deal on a used WRX that I could trust was not going well.  Today, it finally was time!  It's a base model with a few options, and it met my critical requirements - manual, no sunroof, and World Rally Blue.

I'm planning on keeping it mostly stock, at least through the warranty period, so no build thread for a while.  May take it to an autocross or two, but my ultimate plan is to use it for rallycross, once the warranty is up.  Not overly fond of the wheels, but I have a set of Sparco Drifts that should fit and look well once the factory tires are worn down  May also add some mudflaps because rally car   And finally, I'm debating a bit of a change to the back end:

It came with the STi carbon fiber trunk doodad over the license plate.  It seems a bit ricey to me, so I may see how difficult it is to remove, and if it's really easy, might try to trade with someone local who has a normal colored one.

The drive home was pretty sedate, but still fun.  I think I'm really going to enjoy this one.

Love it.  That’s my next ride if I don’t need truck.  All your boxes checked are the same as mine.  Just need gold wheels.  

She's a beaut!

Could you maybe wrap that accent bit to take the carbon-ness out of it?

I figured that’s what you meant by sitting at the dealer 

Nice!!

Very nice, hands down the best color on those! I test drove one almost exactly like it a few months back. 

YOU ARE DEAD TO ME NOW TIM.  DEEEEEAAAÀAAAD!!¡!!

j/k.  So how long until th AccessPort and catless uppipe show up?  From what I had seen on centralohiosubarus, those were issued to you when you bought a WRX

Knurled. said:

j/k.  So how long until th AccessPort and catless uppipe show up?  From what I had seen on centralohiosubarus, those were issued to you when you bought a WRX

Hopefully he found the vape pipe and flat brim hat in the glovebox.  Standard equipment.  (Just kidding, on my 2nd Sub and still neither one myself.)

Jerry said:

Knurled. said:

j/k.  So how long until th AccessPort and catless uppipe show up?  From what I had seen on centralohiosubarus, those were issued to you when you bought a WRX

Hopefully he found the vape pipe and flat brim hat in the glovebox.  Standard equipment.  (Just kidding, on my 2nd Sub and still neither one myself.)

 

Yeah, they all seem to be "standard" mods.  I gather that Subaru got the stock tune on the FA20 a bit better than the EJ25.  At the very least, the engine is supposed to be less likely to have issues, if you don't mess with it too much.  I am sure 268 HP will be fine for me for now.  I am tempted to pick up a flat brim hat to leave in the car, just to troll people.  Maybe one with Hello Kitty or the Coca Cola polar bears on it...

Datsun310Guy said:

Love it.  That’s my next ride if I don’t need truck.  All your boxes checked are the same as mine.  Just need gold wheels.  

My Sparcos are a very subdued bronze color.  I'm hoping they look really good on it.  They have some all season performance tires on them right now, so they'll probably get tossed on in the winter, since I think the stock tires are summer only (I could be wrong).  I'm already on Tire Rack looking at other wheel options. This is pretty much the first car I've bought where I didn't really compromise on much that I wanted.  I would have liked to have heated seats, but that required going up to the premium, which has the sunroof.  The premium with performance package deletes the sunroof, but it's considerably more expensive, and both of them had options I don't want, like 18" wheels.  The difference in ride quality between the premium and base (with 17" wheels) was not huge, but it was noticeable, and in Ohio, I can use all the tire sidewall I can get.

wae said:

She's a beaut!

Could you maybe wrap that accent bit to take the carbon-ness out of it?

Thanks!  That may not be a bad idea if it doesn't grow on me.  I'm sure someone makes a matching vinyl.

Patrick said:

I figured that’s what you meant by sitting at the dealer 

Yup - I'm back in debt on a car now, but at least its on one I want, and now my daily driver has a warranty   Makes it that much easier for me to play with the project cars when I'm not wondering if I need to fix anything on the daily.  Should mean more quick progress on the bug.

dculberson said:

Nice!!

Thanks!  If you hadn't bought the Lexus back, I'd probably have to have waited for the 2019 models to be available.

Furious_E said:

Very nice, hands down the best color on those! I test drove one almost exactly like it a few months back. 

Thanks - the color was non-negotiable for me.  I think they look really nice in white and red, too, but it's my first and possibly only WRX, so it had to be that color.

eastsideTim said:

  They have some all season performance tires on them right now, so they'll probably get tossed on in the winter, since I think the stock tires are summer only (I could be wrong).  I'm already on Tire Rack looking at other wheel options.

I believe it has the tires everyone is trying to unload on CL and Facebook groups.  Like this ad :Sportmaxx tires, right? I considered a set for my WRX for the street/AX but didn't read good reviews and figured there was a reason I saw so many ads.  But as a daily they're probably fine?

Don’t forget to wave.  

In reply to Jerry :

I’m guessing I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the way the wheels look, either.  Found several good options looking at wheels last night, but I think I’ll hold off for a while, better to spend money to get the various projects up and running.  The OZ Racing Rally wheels looked particularly good, but I swore off white wheels after the Abarth.  That may change.

Patrick said:

Don’t forget to wave.  

There’s a WRX wave, too?  Wow, I think over half my vehicle have a wave (or a headlight blink in the case of the Miata)

eastsideTim said:

Patrick said:

Don’t forget to wave.  

There’s a WRX wave, too?  Wow, I think over half my vehicle have a wave (or a headlight blink in the case of the Miata)

I think we had a wave thread here a while back.  

Isnt the Auto WRX the choice for rallycross? Since you can do a torque converter in PA to keep it in boost?

@eastsidetim

We rallycrossed my buddies 2015 and it gets dirt in all kinds of places and that front lip is really low. Btw if you are interested in wheels and tires we still have the performance set we bought for it. I paid 1300 for them new (wheels, and tires) 17x8 Kosei K5R LT Grey with 255/45/17 Nexen SUR 4G used for one autocross and 3 track days. I was hoping to get like 500 bucks for them

In reply to MrChaos :

I have heard that, but I'm not fond of running a CVT for the next five years before I start competing in it  Everyone in my region does seem to run stick shift, though.

In reply to Jaynen :

Will probably run some springs to give the car a very slight lift, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.  No rallycrossing while I still have a warranty.  Thanks for the offer on the wheels, but I'll hold off on a third set for now.  The spare wheels I already own even have the correct size tires on them.

Jerry said:

eastsideTim said:

  They have some all season performance tires on them right now, so they'll probably get tossed on in the winter, since I think the stock tires are summer only (I could be wrong).  I'm already on Tire Rack looking at other wheel options.

I believe it has the tires everyone is trying to unload on CL and Facebook groups.  Like this ad :Sportmaxx tires, right? I considered a set for my WRX for the street/AX but didn't read good reviews and figured there was a reason I saw so many ads.  But as a daily they're probably fine?

Jerry,I forgot to mention - check the bolt pattern.  The current generation of WRXs use 5 x 114.3, so may not fit your car.  

I bought my 2015 WRX from Busam off the showroom floor.  Sold it a a year later and never modified it.  My 02 WRX and 05 Saabaru both were heavily modified but the Saab blew the motor at 30k and wasn't covered under warranty during the GM and Saab tough days even though the bearing failure was unrelated to the mods.  Enjoy it as is or maybe add an adj rear swaybar and endlinks as they need some help with balance and rotation on track and even moreso if you autcross it.