Learn me 2005 WRX... I may have finally found one.

Car dealership freaking 2 miles from where I work

It's listed at $7995, which is more than I wanted to spend. But it's 2 miles from my work, and maybe 20 miles from home. I was hoping for a 2002 or 2003, but maybe I can live without the bugeye after all.

I had some blood work done early and had time to kill, so I stopped by to see it before work. A tiny rust bubble under the paint on either rear fender adn that's it. I didn't feel anything under the fender, underneath looks clean.

It's in really good shape cosmetically, I saw a tiny tear in the driver seat. 17" wheels with decent tires, which I might swap onto Subarust to keep my snow tires. Hood scoop has a slight bit of paint peeled off. The paint and clear coat otherwise look pretty good.

The fact that I've been thinking about 2-5hr road trips for a WRX and this is almost literally next door? That might be worth it. I need to look up specs for 2005's since I've been concentrating on 02-03's.

Any input? (Maybe I'll finally stop bugging you about them)

One of my attainable dream cars. I really want to pick up a bugeye wagon after I can sell the truck

Can't help there, but this is next on my list of cars I want to own. Price sounds reasonable, to me at least. Around here they've all been driven in NY winters and rotted out and wrecked and people still want (and often get) $10K

It's mechanically identical to the Bugeye. I had an 04 and my buddy had an 07. In my opinion, the 2006-7 is worth the extra cash -- Brembos, 2.5L, torque.

I've been seeing $6-7k bug eyes on craigslist, in various states of repair. I missed a $5k WRX that needed at least a little work (center bearing?). Anything else has been at least 3hrs away. This might be worth it, especially if I can get the $ down a little. Maybe try the end of the month.

Wild card: here's an STi that needs a transmission for $6700:

https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/5984534622.html

Here's his first ad, for better pics of the beat up body. Might be too beat for you.

https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/6004418095.html

That's a pretty clean example. The wheels are a bit ugly in my opinion but that can be fixed - OEM WRX 16s are cheap as dirt and very common.

04-05 are pretty close to mechanically identical to the bugeyes, with a little better rust proofing in the rear strut towers on the wagons and a few other differences (for instance, 04.5+ front axles are female rather than male). Basically only stuff huge nerds will notice.

Looks like it has the armrest extension which is a great thing to have. A-pillar gauges tell me you might want to check out the wiring install.

As with any turbo, I recommend a compression test.

In reply to Tyler H:

06 WRXes have 4-piston brakes, not Brembos in North America (that's an STI thing). Brembos have their own fun, as anyone who's had to break out the Helicoil kit after a brake rotor change can tell you. The 2.5L is really nice, not just for the improved off-boost torque and the faster spool, but also for the better oilpan (which is swappable onto an EJ20) that helps prevent starvation.

Just a heads up. See if the seller knows if it has a reflashed ecm and if so what tuner was used. Sometimes a missing tuner becomes a somewhat $$$ headache. There are ways to deal with it of course but would be nice to know before purchasing.

I've had 5 of these GD subies. I miss them. Now I'm going to have to go look for one.

In reply to dculberson:

I see 4-5 different $ amounts between those ads. The text just screams dude-bro and vape smoke. (Even if I'm wondering about 3rd-5th shifts)

I owned a 2004 years ago, and I'll mimic what everyone else has said- the 04-05 is nearly identical to the bugeye 02-03 mechanically. About halfway through the MY2003, Subaru switched gears to gears that were slightly thicker (~1mm IIRC). So, the 2003.5+ technically has an ever-so-slightly more robust gearbox, but really, they're all a bit on the fragile side. The 2004+ cars also received different seats. IIRC, the 2002-2003 seats seemed to have maybe slightly more bolstering, but none of them are really anything to write home about.

Honestly, as mentioned above, if you have the extra cash, the 2006-2007 is worth the extra money. The 2.5L in the 06-07 is more robust and considerably less turbo lag. Plus, you get the 4-pot/2-pot brakes (vs 2-pot/1-pot for the 2002-2005) and it's a drive-by-wire throttle (w/an immobilizer). Some people may look down on the 2006+ cars being DBW and prefer a cable throttle, but the DBW cars have a big advantage: they're harder to steal. WRX's are one of the most commonly stolen vehicles in my area (Denver, CO), and ~99% of them are cable throttle 2002-2005 WRX's. Just food for thought. YMMV.

Jerry wrote: The fact that I've been thinking about 2-5hr road trips for a WRX and this is almost literally next door? That might be worth it. I need to look up specs for 2005's since I've been concentrating on 02-03's.

I found my unicorn 9mi from where I am, at a price where I could purchase it today if I wanted, so maybe it's just going around?

In reply to roninsoldier83:

I'd love to go for an '06, but there's a significant $ jump involved. Not even minor, but like suddenly up to $12k or more. I'm counting pennies at $7995.

I'm sorry, I saw your post, I live in Cincinnati and I just bought it.

In reply to Jerry:

Fair enough. I wasn't sure how far you could stretch your budget.

I haven't kept up with WRX pricing in a while now, but I just looked locally and you're not kidding; the price gap between a 2002-2005 vs 2006-2007 does seem to be considerable.

From driving them both in the past, it's easy to see the value in the 06-07 cars, but I completely understand your budget constraints. Happy hunting!

In reply to roninsoldier83:

Aren't the 2.5 WRXen actually quicker to certain arbitrary speeds than the STI?

I'll definitely allow that they spool the turbo quicker. I remember (fondly) driving a certain yellow WRX and brake-torquing it for what felt like minutes to get 2psi off the line. I tried that in a 2.5XT Forester and I let off at 7psi because it got there QUICKLY. No idea where it would have found equilibrium.

In reply to Knurled:

I don't believe the 2006-2007 WRX's were quicker to any of the "normal" benchmark times (0-60mph, 1/4 mile, etc) vs the same MY STI, but the 2009-2014 (265hp) WRX's were in fact known to be a bit quicker than the same model year STI's. Mostly due to the WRX's ~150 lbs weight advantage and gearing better suited for 1/4 mile, 0-60mph, etc.

Best year if you ask me. They retained the more reliable EJ205, but got the nicer updated interior that was also on the 06-07 cars. They are virtually the same as the 02-04 cars with the exception that they have an added sensor for the pcv valve.

Some people don't like the blob eyes, but they are better looking than the pig nose 06-07 models. I still love the bugeyes!

Bubbles still mean rust - get a good look in the rear wheel area.

Re-EDIT - Ad says 4 spd. That would make it an autotragic 4EAT. Pictures clearly show a manual.

I kinda like the 2.0L. Redline is higher and (anecdotal) there seem to be less reports of them blowing up.

I co-drove a 2003 STX WRX for a while and it was a blast. Spool wasn't much of an issue. East to launch well into boost, and you just got on the gas a little earlier leaving a corner. Long 2nd gear, great for autox. I imagine it would be great for rallyx as well.

No way I'd pay that kind of coin for something with rust though.

NGTD wrote: Re-EDIT - Ad says 4 spd. That would make it an autotragic 4EAT. Pictures clearly show a manual.

All manuals is 4 speeds you know?

Watch those perjoratives - the automatic WRX is far superior to the manual one. It doesn't break and it has a better center diff.

Knurled wrote:

NGTD wrote: Re-EDIT - Ad says 4 spd. That would make it an autotragic 4EAT. Pictures clearly show a manual.

All manuals is 4 speeds you know? Watch those perjoratives - the automatic WRX is far superior to the manual one. It doesn't break and it has a better center diff.

Yes, I know the auto's have a much more sophisticated electronic diff compared to the mechanical diff, and the 4EAT is a very robust transmission, but ewww. Auto WRX - no!

NGTD wrote:

Knurled wrote:

NGTD wrote: Re-EDIT - Ad says 4 spd. That would make it an autotragic 4EAT. Pictures clearly show a manual.

All manuals is 4 speeds you know? Watch those perjoratives - the automatic WRX is far superior to the manual one. It doesn't break and it has a better center diff.

Yes, I know the auto's have a much more sophisticated electronic diff compared to the mechanical diff, and the 4EAT is a very robust transmission, but ewww. Auto WRX - no!

It's not electronic, it's a cam and pawl unit, if my sources are accurate.

And having driven both, the automatic is way better for rallycross than the manual. Turbo lag is mostly gone and you only really need 1st gear.

In reply to plance1:

If so, then so be it. On to the next, which I see an '06 at Beechmont Subaru in Cincy for about $9700. (But I'll swing by on the way to work to verify if you're simply berkeleying with me.)

Jerry wrote: In reply to plance1: If so, then so be it. On to the next, which I see an '06 at Beechmont Subaru in Cincy for about $9700. (But I'll swing by on the way to work to verify if you're simply berkeleying with me.)

I live about 2 miles from Beechmont Subaru. I can swing by this evening if you need someone to verify that it's still on the lot

Knurled wrote: And having driven both, the automatic is way better for rallycross than the manual. Turbo lag is mostly gone and you only really need 1st gear.

Huh? The auto wrx tops out at like 45mph in 1st gear.

Knurled wrote:

NGTD wrote:

Knurled wrote:

NGTD wrote: Re-EDIT - Ad says 4 spd. That would make it an autotragic 4EAT. Pictures clearly show a manual.

All manuals is 4 speeds you know? Watch those perjoratives - the automatic WRX is far superior to the manual one. It doesn't break and it has a better center diff.

Yes, I know the auto's have a much more sophisticated electronic diff compared to the mechanical diff, and the 4EAT is a very robust transmission, but ewww. Auto WRX - no!

It's not electronic, it's a cam and pawl unit, if my sources are accurate. And having driven both, the automatic is way better for rallycross than the manual. Turbo lag is mostly gone and you only really need 1st gear.

Didn't know that. I always thought they we identified as electronically controlled diffs.