Hey guys new to Forums need some help

[Bullet1121]

ive been looking around for some Wrxs craigslist , ebay etc. i heard that 2002 wrxs transmissons are kinda bad since thats the first year they came out . should i stop looking for 02s and look for 03s or what?
Thanks
Tom

[cheeseyfella]

Hi Tom,

welcome to the forum,

2002 may be the first year the WRX was in the states, but "as far as I know" the same engine and gearbox has been in the impreza, else where in the world, from 1993 upwards (until the 2.5l came along) the only problems I heard about the gearboxes are mostly related the way the owners drive the cars and not the year of manufacture.

[KronosPerformance]

Honestly, its all in how you take care of the transmission and how you drive. Don't abuse it and you can still have a good amount of power applied to it.

Get some good transmission fluid and have fun.

[Bullet1121]

oh ok thanks guys thats great to hear, are there any auctal problems between those 2 years?

[EJ257]

oh ok thanks guys thats great to hear, are there any auctal problems between those 2 years?

Not necessarily. testes1010 had ~350whp/wtq (I forget his actual #s) on his '02 without issue when he sold it.

How it's been treated for its lifetime will be the biggest factor in longevity. There is talk of the '03+ transmissions being "stronger", but they still can let go if shocked / driven improperly.