2003 Subaru WRX Hatchback

I happened to open Craigslist at exactly the right time and saw this post seconds after it went live last week. It has high miles (226,000) but it is original except for a Subaru short throw shifter, an aftermarket satellite radio and Hella H2 driving lights. It is pretty clean and completely rust free, with just a bit of paint peel on the spoiler and hood scoop. The original owner was asking $3000, because the tires were almost shot, the paint issues and the high miles. I gave it to him without any haggling after having a compression test done, which showed 150 psi on every cylinder.

Here it is as it sat as his house:

I put Saabaru 17" BBS wheels on it with some tires I had laying around. Next up is a suspension refresh. Then I'm going to just drive it.

Nice car. I'm still partial to get bugeye's.

If you need any little stuff I'm parting an 02 wagon. But life is a little crazy so, I can't get anything out in a rush.

Cool! I miss my WRX

Nice! Great pick up.

The wagons look soo much better than the sedans

Thanks for the comments. Having had the car road legal for... five hours now, I'm amazed at how quickly plans can change.

While the compression is good, the high miles are a concern and I'm very casually looking for a spare donor engine.

Compared to the Forester XT, the tall gearing and lack of low end grunt also leave me a bit disappointed. There are a few ways to tackle this, from a hybrid 2.5 build to a transmission/differential swap out of something with a bit lower final drive ratio. I think if I go to a 2004 or later transmission, it's a bit stronger, too. However, this could result in aftermarket LSDs being a bit harder to source. More research is required here.

Picture with the other wheels on it.

Looks good! I miss my WRX wagon some days too.

Keep checking the oil!

nice grab Brett, those wheels are primo and really make the car.

i'd toss a fresh fill of Rotella T6 in there and just drive it like you don't care....if its gonna blow its gonna blow. if its made it this far i'm inclined to believe its still got plenty left, so just enjoy it.

i think a decent up-pipe/turboback combo will hook you up with the low-down spool and sound badass as a bonus (and not too loud assuming you keep the stock axleback).

This makes me miss my bugeye wagon.

IIRC, those BBS wheels were actually a dealer option back in the day on the 2002-03 WRX. They look great on the bugeye cars!

SilverFleet wrote: IIRC, those BBS wheels were actually a dealer option back in the day on the 2002-03 WRX. They look great on the bugeye cars!

I think you're right, the Saabaru wheels are different.

I need mudflaps now.

Brett_Murphy wrote: I need mudflaps now.

I have a dimensioned pattern that matches the RallyArmour ones. I made some out of a mudflap from a big rig. All 4 from one flap.

If you want I can send the drawing to you.

You have to come up with your own hardware. The back is easy - there are 2 holes in the fender that work perfectly. The front takes some work.

Yes, please.

measurements in mm

Drop me a note at va3cot at gmaildotcom and I can send you it.

Apparently I'm going to need sedan front control arms in order to use the swaybars I have.

I picked up some take-off 2004 STi suspension that was sent to FEAL for a tarmac revalve 60k miles ago. I'd have liked if it was a rallycross valving instead, but for $300 I'm not going to say no. The fronts are clunking, so I'm going to have to perform the Zerk installation on them when I get a chance. I'm sure they're going to be better than the 225,000 mile stock units still on the car.

I've not done anything to the car other than change some of the fluids. Here is the last rallycross of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/vyQyAgDYgW8

They shortened up the course in the afternoon and I took a passenger along with me for the runs. I'm glad they let us do a recon run, because the grip going into the first corner wasn't what I thought it was and I wound up giving everybody a dust bath.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/vRVWIANWrro

How to make a clean car dirty: Go a bit wide at a rallycross with the windows down.

I might need to get some sedan front fenders if the tires are getting that close to them.

Brett_Murphy wrote: I picked up some take-off 2004 STi suspension that was sent to FEAL for a tarmac revalve 60k miles ago. I'd have liked if it was a rallycross valving instead, but for $300 I'm not going to say no. The fronts are clunking, so I'm going to have to perform the Zerk installation on them when I get a chance. I'm sure they're going to be better than the 225,000 mile stock units still on the car.

that's weird the fronts are clunking, its usually the rears...in fact I thought only the rears received grease zerks from FEAL. i have the exact same setup as you on my RS (FEAL tarmac revalves on '04 take-offs) and need to hit the rears with grease about every 10,000 miles or once a year basically. i wish the high speed damping was better but like you I got mine cheap so i'll deal (especially compared to the cost of D-specs)

if you don't like them, you can always turn around and probably sell them for a profit to anyone with an old RS or early GD impreza like ours. its getting very hard to find '04 STi struts and those fit the old cars as a good "do it all" bolt-on strut/spring setup.

Brett_Murphy wrote: How to make a clean car dirty: Go a bit wide at a rallycross with the windows down.

you went out with the windows down? rookie move, bro!

Awesome find!

It was a rookie move.

My daughter has advised me that she wants to drive the WRX when she is old enough, so I have to take good care of it.

Changed my mind with the suspension. I'm going to use King springs and KYBs.

Thinking of refinishing the BBS RK wheels on the WRX when I need tires again, too. White looks good with the blue, but shows a bit too much brake dust. Gold/Bronze is a good look, too.