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Probably buying a 2016 WRX Premium, but a little doubt kicking in

5K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  edacsac 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I'm awaiting a late mid-March delivery of a premium WRX. I made another post a few weeks ago about reliability, and those fears have been eased a bit. Thank you!

So I'm reading about the economy in general, and finding stagnation is the deal. Some areas are booming, some are hurting. I'm doing well for the next year with my current job, and have enough savings to maintain life along with a car payment for probably a couple years (if I was so unfortunate not be working for that long).

I have several paid for vehicles, one of which is a 2006 Cobalt SS without any kind of induction, 50K miles. The WRX would replace it and the winter beater ('99 blazer). The third vehicle is very old mini-van that doesn't really count in the equation.

Without having a payment of any kind right now (aside from property taxes and insurance) I'm starting to think I should just be happy with what I have and enjoy the financial freedom, but I can't help think about the WRX. Not to mention, a Cobalt is still a Cobalt; and it's yellow. But it's mint.

I want the AWD for the winter; I want a little fun for the summer. And since I keep vehicles for so long, I'm thinking as a long term decision that jumping into the WRX now is good time, being a couple years into the new design. Plus, the hopeful reliability factor.

I guess the question is: If I had to panic sell, is the WRX still a good choice? My Cobalt bit the dust in resale value after owning six years (even without driving it in the winter), and I'd like to see a little better with the WRX if the need to sell should arise, as I take good care of my vehicles.

Thoughts are appreciated!
 
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#2 ·
The wrx will definitely hold its value especially alot better than the cobalt. You cant even compare the 2. I say go for it. I work at a credit union thay leases vehicles to members. Whenever we lease a wrx they always have equity at the end of the lease meaning we get more than the residual we originally set. Just look at what a couple year old one goes for with 25k miles. They still bring alot of money and will always be in demand.
 
#3 ·
All vehicles loose value significantly in their first year or two, and most of the time the owner does not have a lot of equity if it is financed. However, the WRX retains as much (if not more) value on the used market than any other vehicle I know of. This is especially true if it is kept pretty stock and "normal" millage. I'm actually quite amazed at what even older WRX are still selling for and many of those have lots of miles on them too.

With the change to the 2.0L engine in '15 this could change if it does not have the durability that the 2.5L had for the earlier gen models.

I haven't seen too many reasons to think the '15+ models are not going to have good resale... except maybe that Subaru is selling a lot of them so the market might see more of them due to sheer volume on the road compared to gen 1-3.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I don't like hearing about unknown durability compared to the 2.5. A large part of my vehicle buying decision is based on reputation over time. Why do car makers need to change things so much, and make the consumers beta testers? If do buy this car, and I have major issues, I will leave it at the dealer and discontinue payments. Subaru sounded like a manufacturer that rose above, but maybe they are just riding on perception from the past.

I haven't had squat for car trouble in the last 12 years. A starter, a couple of wheel bearings, exhaust repair, some fuel pressure issues, tires, breaks, a couple of break cailpers, a hose, a belt, an oil cooler line, a water pump. Over 12 years and multiple vehicles. But these are all issues I was able to handle myself, and be back in action after a few hours on the weekend. I'll be damned if I'll pay $500 a month and leave my car at a dealer for days to weeks at a time because of major manufacturing issues.

Are there any car makers that truly rise above? Is BMW or Audi the answer?
 
#5 ·
I work at an OEM even if the engine isn't changed its changed It doesn't always get announced we are testing over 155 Engines at a time on dynos 25/7 including Transmissions/Axles Etc. Engines fail. Anything Mechanical Or electrical Will fail at some point It will last if you take care of it. I will say Direct Injection Requires a Good Fuel Delivery from the tank to the HPFP (high pressure fuel pump) These pumps all of them Have some backflow that goes backwards towards the tank DI runs at over 20MegaPascal on the fuel rail. That's over 3k PSI. Things can fail. If fuel is starved or a hiccup occurs a failure can occur. As you lean out on a loaded run. A Fuel injected even Carb'ed engines Will fail from this. And sadly in todays day an age. 3 of my last Vehicles made by My employer that ive owned Have been In the shop a minimum of 2 months out of 2 years. For warranty Its going to happen if you pay attention to things in the vehicle or know how one is Supposed to operate inside and out you will find something I can go to any dealership and find 3 warranty items on every car there guaranteed. I got a bit off track here
What im getting at is that FA engine is and has been in use in Japan. Its spent countless hours on Dyno's Its nothing New. They are using Technology that's been around. We don't always get the full story on Engine failures.

But I can tell you the resale on the WRX will stay high on the 15/16 models. Look at the values of them on the market now that are Selling not for sale but selling. within 1-3k From Purchase price after 1 year and 15k miles Nothing else on the market sells like that Unless its a Lambo Or Ferrari.

Cant live in fear For that's not Living.

My Random 2 cents. Any questions about what I wrote feel free to ask I know it was scattered haven't had my coffee yet this morning. And am already dealing with Dyno Issues here at work.
 
#6 ·
Random thoughts . . .

None of us here can tell you what will you most happy . . . the security of not having any car payments vs. the concern that the older car will break down, the pleasure of driving a new car vs. the the fear of losing one's job and not being able to afford the car.

Jowas03 said it pretty well . . . at least in my opinion . .. you cannot live in fear (or rather you can, but it sure isn't much fun going through life that way.) I'm not saying you should go out and be irresponsible and buy a Mercedes and go into debt if it makes you happy, but rather that you can only control so much in your life. You can control how much money you build into savings to a degree, you can control your debt-to-income ratio . . . but there are always going to be those unexpected things in life that may happen: a lost job, a sickness or death in the family, a car crash, etc.

I guess what I'm trying to say in a verbose way is only you can make the decision as to what will make you most happy: getting a new car and making payments or keeping the old car and not paying a car payment every month.

To answer your questions . . . and they've been answered pretty well by others here . . . the WRX holds the value very well . . . one reason why I quickly figured out that going with a new car would make more sense for me.

Reliability . . . I suppose I could post another "Nothing happened bad to my car today" post . . . but those get old. Close to 16,000 miles and nothing has happened. Now, sure, this car isn't up to the 160,000 mile mark like my old Honda Accord . . . but it's still racking up the miles with no issues. Will there be mechanical issues down the road -- most definitely . . . it's a machine and machines break.

If reliability of the Subaru WRX continues to concern you, perhaps you might find the Honda line up more appealing . . . but again . . . every car will have parts break if you use it and drive it. It's the nature of the beast.

So to recap . . . only you can decide what is right, the WRX holds the value, don't sweat the small stuff in life and don't worry about the reliability.

Final thought . . . life is too short to always worry . . . worrying about a possible future problem rarely solves anything.
 
#9 ·
Just to add a bit to this. I sold my 15 base after moving 70 miles from my closest dealer. I've basically always had the same worries as you except now it would take 2-3 hours just to visit my dealer if there was an issue. I missed the car so much I ended up with a 16 and crossed my fingers.

As a side note, when I sold my 15 to a Honda dealer as trade, I got 25k for it on their first offer. That was only around 2k less than I paid for it when new which was at release and I had no choice but msrp. Not only that but they sold it for profit within 2 weeks.

In short, give it a go and if you have any issues that are more than you can handle, after a few payments you can easily get out of it for what is owed or even have equity towards something else. It's really amazing how these hold value.

Good luck!!
 
#10 · (Edited)
I'm having a hard time getting past the premium gas thing. If regular gas ever goes up to $4 a gallon again making premium probably over $5, it will be sitting in the garage until prices come down. So if gas went up high for a whole year, that would be a whole year of wasted warranty on top of a car I'm paying not to drive.

Maybe it's a good thing that the WRX is so hard to come by; maybe it is a sign. The thing that is a drag, that after doing all my research, there isn't another car I'm interested in.

thank you for your additional thoughts.
 
#15 ·
I'm having a hard time getting past the premium gas thing. If regular gas ever goes up to $4 a gallon again making premium probably over $5, it will be sitting in the garage until prices come down. So if gas went up high for a whole year, that would be a whole year of wasted warranty on top of a car I'm paying not to drive.

Maybe it's a good thing that the WRX is so hard to come by; maybe it is a sign. The thing that is a drag, that after doing all my research, there isn't another car I'm interested in.

thank you for your additional thoughts.
WRX does not require premium, STI does.
2016 Subaru WRX Models & Specs - Sports Sedan | Subaru

WRX:
Fuel requirement: Regular unleaded gasoline (87 octane)
Regular unleaded gasoline (87 octane) required. 91 octane recommended.
 
#11 ·
My thoughts are if its what you want then go for it. IDK what your difference in price is but in VT it is 60 cents. so if its over $4 a gallon then it would need to be 4.41 to be over $5. I look at it like this .60 15(approximate gallon usage per week) is 9. 9x4 is 36. Yes I could have gotten a car that uses regular gas but I could also have gotten a Prius. I didn't want a Prius I wanted a WRX. IMO $36 bucks a month is worth a WRX.
 
#12 ·
You're having problems with the premium gas thing?

I think you're thinking way to much into this... Yes, I mean it's a huge financial purchase... and you should think everything out, from if you have to sell it in an emergency to if it blows up (which ANY car can...).

Purchase the Gold warranty, and roll with it. You'll be protected for 6 years (I think) and then sell it..

I have had an entire motor replaced under warranty, so I have good faith in Subaru, so much so I just purchased the extended warranty, and I HATE warranties. Did fear make me do that as I blew a motor at 14k? Probably... But, they fixed it, no questions asked (didn't even ask for oil change receipts that I did myself).

The premium gas thing though, is something you'll have to live with. No way around that one... And if you don't put 91 or 93 in it, they can void your warranty I believe if it relates to that problem. So, better off just following it. From my portfolio, I don't see gas prices rises too much in the next 6 months (besides the typical summer rises, etc...) PLus, its only a little bit more a month in gas usually... Like 30-40 bucks a month difference. But smiles are worth it... right? But its your choice, no matter what. We here will not tell you to buy the car, if anything we will tell people NOT to buy the car if youre on the fence, leaning towards no idea.
 
#21 ·
It should run higher than Midgrade.
similar to what my 04 Hemi Ram says 87 Acceptable but 89 Preferred If under heavy loads use 91 or higher.

Considering not everyone drives a WRX to get groceries 87 octane with load on the engine will cause some Pinging and Detonation issues possibly. I wouldn't make any WOT runs on 87 with it. I wouldn't run anything under Midgrade on it. I ran 87 once in my 04. And noticed Ping/Detonation issues.
 
#22 ·
I can't tell if OP is trying to feel better about the purchase idea or talk him/herself out of it.

Gas price in general is a much bigger deal than the beans difference between 87 and premium. Not only that, but many cars in today's world that say 87 will still benefit from premium. This did not hold true in the past but currently with motors constantly increasing compression ratios, vehicles such as the Civic "dyno proven by VitViper" and even my 15 Chevy Silverado 5.3L "dyno proven by BlackBear" will gain performance and efficiency from premium. This means that those lowly motors were pulling timing on their 87 requirement.

Vehicles are also increasingly requiring "recommending" premium "due to the above mentioned reason."

Given how current NA motors react to the grade even if they don't recommend it, you can see how extremely important it is for an FI.
 
#23 ·
I can't tell if OP is trying to feel better about the purchase idea or talk him/herself out of it.
I just want to make sure everything has been thought of. As far as buying a car goes, the WRX is the most complicated I've ever experienced, with so much to consider.

Gas price in general is a much bigger deal than the beans difference between 87 and premium. Not only that, but many cars in today's world that say 87 will still benefit from premium. This did not hold true in the past but currently with motors constantly increasing compression ratios, vehicles such as the Civic "dyno proven by VitViper" and even my 15 Chevy Silverado 5.3L "dyno proven by BlackBear" will gain performance and efficiency from premium. This means that those lowly motors were pulling timing on their 87 requirement.

Vehicles are also increasingly requiring "recommending" premium "due to the above mentioned reason."

Given how current NA motors react to the grade even if they don't recommend it, you can see how extremely important it is for an FI.

Thank you Batman, very good point you made!
 
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