WRX Quality??

[ERILUDE]

Hello my name is Haben and I currently own a 97 Prelude TypeSH, here it is:

The day before Thanksgiving I spun out on the highway causing serious damage to the car. I have yet to here from the dealership on estimated cost for the damages. Either way insurance will cover it, but weather it is fixed or totaled I plan on buying/trading another car.
I know a guy that has a WRX and said that the transimission wasn't all that great on these cars he has changed his twice!! Then again he drags alot. But, I'm in college and need a quick RELIABLE car. Does anyone have tranny problems??
Last year I won the World of Wheels competition in Kansas City in the Low Riders event. I hope to take a WRX there in 2005, but still need a quality driver.
A list of possible problems that is common with these cars would be great.

Thank You,
Haben

[roo21]

Does that wing help much Alright sorry just playing with ya. Yes wrx's have been known to blow the tranny if you drop your clutch often. But if you treat her nice she will last a long time. Welcome

[VitaminWRX]

Hello Haben, nice to have you aboard

The WRX has a good, solid transmission, but it cannot handle alot of abuse. As long as you do not consistantly launch your car, or otherwise cause unnecessary stress, then the transmission will last you a long time. There are quite a few members who are running over 300 WHP who are still on their first transmission. It's all about knowing how to drive it.

[ERILUDE]

Does that wing help much Alright sorry just playing with ya.

Haha, a lot of ppl give me crap about it. So many ppl try and go cheap in STL it is unbelievable. That wing alone retails for $500 because it is an authentic APR. But it's cool. Is the WRX tranny interchagable with the cheaper 90-01 Impreza? If not, how much would it cost for a new/used tranny for this car?

(Sorry, I want to unfold any surprises before jumping in head first)

Thanks for the quick reply.

[AngelBoy]

I currently have a WRX with roughly 220whp and 38,000 miles. i have not been easy on it, and i double clutch or revmatch every single downshift.

i love this transmission. it's a direct shift gearbox (old school), which means you always feel a precise, mechanical linkage. none of this cable or rod actuated sloppiness.

it's the synchros that's the problem. the gears themselves are plenty strong. but once you get used to double clutching, it rewards you with smooth shifts and excellent reliability.

a lot of people suffer from "can't drive AWD" i've been driving cars for ten years and have never owned an automatic. i can tell this tranny will last me a long time.

it's too bad so many people think AWD is a drag car and perform clutch dumps all the time. the car has its roots in rallying. rallying = cars that are fairly quick, but more of a focus on traction and handling.

if you want a fast drag car, do not get a WRX. plenty of V8, rear wheel drive cars out there for the same money. if you want a car that is still quick, has excellent AWD traction, superb handling, decent braking, and room for three of your friends, the WRX is the car for you.

[ERILUDE]

Isn't double clutching where instead of going directly to a gear you pause.
For Example: Your in 1st then you push in the clutch, pop it out of gear, release the clutch, push it down and knock it into 2nd? If so I pretty much did that on my Lude, so I'm used to it. I don't need/like V8s, just not practical. I need a quick car, new style, and import quality.

Thanks Guys .

[br3ez]

Isn't double clutching where instead of going directly to a gear you pause.
For Example: Your in 1st then you push in the clutch, pop it out of gear, release the clutch, push it down and knock it into 2nd? If so I pretty much did that on my Lude, so I'm used to it. I don't need/like V8s, just not practical. I need a quick car, new style, and import quality.

Thanks Guys .

that pretty much is double clutching, but i think you dont need to do that on up shifts rather downshifts. fo example in third press clutch, go to neutral, rev match, press clutch, shift to second, release clutch. This will yield, when done properly, a very smooth downshift.

[rallymaniac]

I currently have a WRX with roughly 220whp and 38,000 miles. i have not been easy on it, and i double clutch or revmatch every single downshift.

i love this transmission. it's a direct shift gearbox (old school), which means you always feel a precise, mechanical linkage. none of this cable or rod actuated sloppiness.

it's the synchros that's the problem. the gears themselves are plenty strong. but once you get used to double clutching, it rewards you with smooth shifts and excellent reliability.

a lot of people suffer from "can't drive AWD" i've been driving cars for ten years and have never owned an automatic. i can tell this tranny will last me a long time.

it's too bad so many people think AWD is a drag car and perform clutch dumps all the time. the car has its roots in rallying. rallying = cars that are fairly quick, but more of a focus on traction and handling.

if you want a fast drag car, do not get a WRX. plenty of V8, rear wheel drive cars out there for the same money. if you want a car that is still quick, has excellent AWD traction, superb handling, decent braking, and room for three of your friends, the WRX is the car for you.

Excellent point, i love you already

[KoreanBeefcake]

chicks dig the world rally blue.

[STiguy]

You should not have any tranny problems if you drive your car responsibly and take care of it. But if u beat the hell out of your car, you will probably have a few problems, but that goes with any car.

[ERILUDE]

Yeah that is true. It all depends on the drive. Some background.. I work at a BP cashiering and servicing cars. I work along side mechanics and learned alot from them. My second job is installing stereos at BestBuy, well atleast will be after Christmas strictly sales right now. You guys have been much help thou, and I believe that within the next couple weeks I will be in a WRX. Where is this forum based out of??

-Haben

[ERILUDE]

One last thing...What does insurance see this car as..sports car..family sedan etc.??

[Integra96]

One last thing...What does insurance see this car as..sports car..family sedan etc.??

Not a sports car. A compact is what it's considered on my policy, I believe. Insurance is surprisingly cheap on this car - at least for me. My new '04 WRX costs about the same to insure as my '96 Integra.

[ERILUDE]

Thank God for deductions or else my Lude costs me $3450 a year to insure, w/ it is $2200!!

[Integra96]

Hondas/Acuras are a freakin' joke when it comes to insurance premiums (premia)? Probably due to the amount of theft and/or ricer wrecks. Not only that, but a few of them are quite easy to break into to steal things out of. I had crap taken out of mine several times because you can basically pull the window back by hand to unlock the car.