Newbie to Subies

[Scooby_K]

I just researched that the stock ones are 420cc, and that to increase beyond ~270ish WHP the stock fuel pump and FPR just won't cut it. The info I got from i-Club, and this info may be outdated, but I guess it is good to know

[Scooby_K]

Welcome

Hey Sammich Lady there's an 03 in your city at Sport Subaru/Mitsu that's for sale. It looks clean on Autotrader and has a good CARFAX, have you seen it? Cars for Sale: 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan in Orlando, FL 32808: Sedan Details - 297526776 - AutoTrader.com I am really interested in this car, and maybe it is a bit overpriced but... I'm looking at everything right now and wouldn't mind going to Orlando if it is worth the trip

[passivecrimes]

Welcome!

KB as in Key Biscayne?

[Scooby_K]

Thanks! KB as in Ken Bouyoutlane

[T0rque]

Is that your tool box your bike is up against? Snap On KRL series? I have the KRL1001B which is the same as that box without the edition to the right side of the box by the front wheel.. Love it.

Welcome, good luck with the search and be patient.

[Scooby_K]

Yes, it is, but unfortunately it isn't mine. It belongs to my brother. He got some sweet deal working with the Snap-On guys on that rig.

Oregon? I used to live up near Seattle in 2000/1 and it was the norm to see Subies running around with bike and snowboard racks and that's cool, since I am an outdoors guy and I do love performance vehicles, so the WRX seems to be the best fit for me.

Thanks for the welcome and yeah...patience...

[yamaha_rider619]

The wrx you are loong king at in Florida appears to have coilovers, gauges for either looks or were used for something, looks as they look like the subaru clock gauges, and a weird hose in the engine bay. The hose with the zip tie runs to a weird place, the stock one runs from the coolant resivoir along with the other hose over the stock intake box.

Also is overpriced, but sure you could talk them down.

[Scooby_K]

Thanks for pointing those things out Josh, and I didn't notice the gauges bcz I normally see a sunk-in digital clock in that place, and I have gone back and notice some cars have the three-cluster gauges and others don't. I also looked at the hose you pointed out. If you notice, it's a different radiator an that hose is an overflow hose. Coilovers are a plus unless they're blown out.

They did contact me and they are working on a better price. I hope it is below 10K and I wonder why it has been there on their lot since April... Anyway, maybe this could be the one...we'll see

[rafa02]

The repairs were not because of age, for the most part. I had a rear main leak, tranny leak, oil pan leak, a and a bad tune witting the first year.

Mods started out with going back to stock, then moving from there. Stage 2, then a vf39 and supporting mods. Next will be a complete engine rebuild, as my valves are starting to leak oil. I also wanted to either get a 6 speed or stronger 5 speed gears. I have a long way to go to get where I want to end, bu can you ever really end?

[yamaha_rider619]

Thanks for pointing those things out Josh, and I didn't notice the gauges bcz I normally see a sunk-in digital clock in that place, and I have gone back and notice some cars have the three-cluster gauges and others don't. I also looked at the hose you pointed out. If you notice, it's a different radiator an that hose is an overflow hose. Coilovers are a plus unless they're blown out.

They did contact me and they are working on a better price. I hope it is below 10K and I wonder why it has been there on their lot since April... Anyway, maybe this could be the one...we'll see

I didnt notice the radiator was aftermarket, that does make sense though. Coilovers also suck if they aren't a good brand. I don't personally like the rims either, but that's just my opinion and an easy fix. I would say 10k or less for sure, I paid 10k on my 2003 almost 2 years ago.

No engine pictures or anything, and I am not sure where you are located but this was just posted on clubwrx. (VA) 04WRX 103k mi $9800

You HAVE to tune your ecu to run a vf39. Yes you can have a stock ecu, you just need to tune it with opensource, protune or an accessport.

[Scooby_K]

I didnt notice the radiator was aftermarket, that does make sense though. Coilovers also suck if they aren't a good brand. I don't personally like the rims either, but that's just my opinion and an easy fix. I would say 10k or less for sure, I paid 10k on my 2003 almost 2 years ago.

No engine pictures or anything, and I am not sure where you are located but this was just posted on clubwrx. (VA) 04WRX 103k mi $9800

With all the looking around I have done, I now know the radiator is from a 2004-up model (I guess the newer ones cool better?) Coilovers...I have a lot of experience with those, and most of them are made in Taiwan or China, at least the Japanese aftermarket ones, and the last set I had were for an EVO 8 and I got them from a manufacturer in Taiwan and they were pretty decent. The problem is when people get the dampening rate wrong for the type of driving they intend to do, adn blown seals in a coilover suspension set just blows, and TEIN is the only manufacturer I know that offers to rebuild coilovers, and coilovers are so cheap now that it is just economical to just buy a fresh set.

Thanks for the link to the 04. I'm in FL and the 04 is in VA, but for the right car, I wouldn't mind traveling to get it. $9.8K is a good deal, but I wish he would have posted engine bay pics

[Scooby_K]

Found another black 02 model in Alabama not far from me for $6.5K. All stock except with 04 rims and a few minor body issues. 148,000 mles

[yamaha_rider619]

Thats a lot of miles, but if stock then could be a could pick, especially for 6.5k. If you wanted cooling better, I would go with a Mishimoto or something...

[Scooby_K]

It's just another one to look at, and so far, the dealership in Orlando has been the only ones to contact me back about anything. Since it's the 4th, I wasn't expecting anyone to respond to any of my inquiries.

Are the EJs prone to "heat soak"? I heard that these engines do generate a lot of heat. Unless, I am gonna be doing autocross or something, I think the stock radiators do just fine. Maybe uprgrade the fans for more CFMs. Many tricks to managing the heat

[yamaha_rider619]

Yes there is heatsoak, mostly the intercooler. But there are fixes for that, intercooler spray, heat wrap, heat shields.