2004 WRX Wagon

[ricardox]

Test drove the WRX wagon today and really enjoyed it. Planning to spend
about $25,000 on a new car soon and trying to decide between the WRX wagon,
Camry V6 SE, Accord EX V6, and Acura's TSX. I know the WRX is in a different
class than the other 3 cars I'm deciding between but I'm trying to justify
spending the $$ on a wagon that's physically smaller than the other cars. I
currently drive a '96 Corolla and the first thing I noticed when test
driving the WRX wagon is that the cabin space is about the same. I plan to
keep the car 'til it dies (15+ years). Here are my thoughts:

+
great engine...more powerful than the other 3 cars
all wheel drive
sporty ride and feel
easy to park and manuever

-
poor gas mileage
no leather seats or moon roof

At this point, I'll tip the scales in favor of the WRX wagon if I can get
some opinions on:

*maintenance - it'd be great if someone can post the maintenance schedule
from the owner's manual for me to check out!
*insurance costs - what are some of you people paying annually? I'm 22 years
old with 6 years of driving experience and a spotless driving record. So.
Cal. resident. A ballpark figure will suffice (I want to compare with
insurance agent quotes).

Thanks for any input!

 

[dundo]

I would also recommend it to parents, too. My 2 years old kid feels great
in his baby Recaro seat and there's a lot of room for all baby
accessories, too. Besides that, I feel safe driving my kid in this car.
Not because of crash test or excellent handling but the fact that it's
easy to step on the pedal and get away from a pack of SUV/Pickup/Truck
assholes with 'I can't be hurt' mind, changing lanes on highway without
watching around.

 

[Brian]

I plan to keep the car 'til it dies (15+ years).

I was in the same position and what is turning me off the WRX and Forester
XT is the longevity of turbo engines. They can get very expensive to fix as
they get older. Maybe somebody can point out evidence to the contrary, but
that is what I found from my research.

poor gas mileage

.... and it requires premium fuel to boot.

Don't get me wrong, I love Subies. Just wanted to point out a couple of
things to consider when you are looking at the big picture.

 

[Edward Hayes]

I think the epa ratings are quit good for the WRX. If you punch it often
then expect lower mileage. You talk about years of ownership but what about
miles?

 

[Brian]

You talk about years of ownership but what about miles?

I guess it does depend on how much you drive, though. I average about 30K
(kilometres) a year.

Brian

 

[2 Stroke]

I posted the maintenance schedule, but I added to the subject line, so
it ended up as a separate thread.

Subject is "Re: 2004 WRX Wagon - Maint. Schedule attached"

Cheers,
Steve

 

[ricardox]

mileage...i'm looking at 200,000+ miles...that would be great if it could
keep up that way...maybe pass it on to my kid in 20 years!

 

[S]

Hi Ricky!

Test drove the WRX wagon today and really enjoyed it. Planning to spend
about $25,000 on a new car soon and trying to decide between the WRX wagon,

I sure like mine. Will carry two canoes and a weeks worth of fishin'
and camping gear, no problem. Will carry me and the missus, two
teenaged kids, and three largish dogs, no problem. (Well, the kids get
drooled on; no problem for me anyway ;-) Will tow a 3 place M/C
trailer, with "the boys", and our riding gear, no problem. Will
navigate moderate backcounty 4X4 routes with reasonable care. Fitted
with appropriate tires, will consistently finish near the top of its
class at autocross events (limited by the pilot more than anything).
Will consistently finish at or near the top of its class at rallycross
events, and does particularly well on ice, where the rallycross rules
mandate bare tires.
It buffs up nicely, and is a real pleasurable commuter car as well.
Pretty much everything you'd expect from a 4X4 Soobie wagon, and more;
what are ya waiting for?

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[DOA9]

ON the MPG thing, I have a C5 Vette Vert with heads/cam, long tube headers and
other tweaks with a rear wheel HP of 412.5 and I get 31.5 MPG at 70 MPH in 6th
gear on level roads. It even gets 22.3 MPG when driven rather hard. Now my 02
WRX is luckly to get 23 MPG with the air off. So yea, the WRX MPG sucks.