[Caleb]

Need help on weather or not to buy... I got him talked way down on the price, this will be my first subaru and first car with boost. I have built many hondas, all of which are n/a and my last build I was able to get 218hp to the wheels on a gsr motor. Anyways, I wanted to know if this car seems like a good buy. Is 18 psi safe on what looks like stock internals? Thanks for any help in this. 02 Subaru WRX. Clean

 

[wrxtreme06]

for me, this is an automatic no.

i would never buy a modified subaru. they are very picky when it comes to modifications and if done wrong, it could be a possible headache/disaster.

your best bet is to find a stock, one owner that's up to date on all maintenance.

 

[Caleb]

thanks, it seems really nice but it also seems hard to find one around here in my price range haha however I did find an 04 forester xt with 150k on it all maintenance done with records one owner, 5 speed. for the same price, but I feel like the wrx would be faster

 

[putt_putt79]

Do the STI conversion to the Forester :thumbup: you will have an ultimate sleeper.

 

[wrxtreme06]

well the forester & wrx pretty much have the same set ups as far as power/engine/turbo's. i'd assume the forester weighs more though.

either way, throw a turboback exhaust & a tune on the forester and i'm sure it'd be one fun wagon.

 

[zax]

That's way overpriced for a modded WRX with 120K miles. My 2003 with 95K miles is worth less.

but I feel like the wrx would be faster

Wrong. The XT stock can run a 13.4 quarter mile @ 101. That's as fast as a Pro-tuned Stage 2 Bugeye. It's all thanks to the 4.44 F/D, but also makes for a very buzzy highway commute.

 

[Caleb]

Thanks for the info guys, I had no idea the forester would be faster haha.

 

[zax]

i'd assume the forester weighs more though.

You would think... but it's not the case. The 2004 XT weighs about the same as a 2006 WRX sedan, 2004 STi, 2003 Wagon, and certainly less than an Automatic. 3150 pounds according to cars101 2004 Subaru Forester price/invoice, options, colors. Internet sales.

 

[Caleb]

So it sounds like I should go for the forester xt?

 

[zax]

What do you want? It's the most important part...

Do you want an Automatic? (that's a big factor)

$9K is a lot to spend on a car with 150K miles...

 

[Caleb]

Both cars are 5 speeds, wrx has 120k and the forester has 150k, both have had the timing belt and water pumps done recently and both say they run great haha Im just not sure which to go with they seem like a lot of fun to drive.

 

[zax]

Both cars are 5 speeds, wrx has 120k and the forester has 150k, both have had the timing belt and water pumps done recently and both say they run great haha Im just not sure which to go with they seem like a lot of fun to drive.

Drive both and decide. It's all about personal preference. I love my Bugeye but considered trading for an XT recently because the extra torque and higher-geared F/D would be beneficial for towing my bike.

 

[Drews]

We have a guy that swapped STI driveline stuff into a Forester. It was teh gay and he was a douche. I do like the real FXTs though.

 

[Caleb]

whats F/D? front diff? and ok will do, my plan is to have one of them bought this weekend.

 

[zax]

F/D = Final Drive ratio

 

[Caleb]

:face:

 

[RayfieldsWRX]

+1 to driving both the Forester and WRX. I drove an FXT in the mountains when they first came on the scene, and while it handled and drove better than your average small SUV...I still preferred the feel of my 2002 WRX.

 

[zax]

I agree with Ray.

If you're going for the "Pure" sports-car feel, I wouldn't choose either Subaru. However, between the two models (XT vs. WRX), the WRX is undoubtedly the superior choice for handling enthusiasts. The XT, though, may be just slightly more practical with 1.2" more ground clearance and headroom.

 

[Caleb]

Yeah I'm mainly looking for something that has no problem getting up to speed when I need to, and also great in all weather conditions. I want a nice handling car, not to worried about going fast because any car can be fast with the right amount of money haha. I just dont want to step into a car with a lot of problems, which the wrx with the work done to it might be. Where as the FXT is bone stock nothing done to it original owner.

 

[zax]

Where as the FXT is bone stock nothing done to it original owner.

This is key.


The WRX isn't terribly modified, to be honest. The only items that worry me are the MBC (not generally recommended) and coil-over suspension (generally garbage unless dropping $2K+ on a quality set). One BIG thing to keep in mind is that if Indiana has a visual emissions inspection, the WRX will fail.