Would a 2016 Subaru WRX be a maintenance queen?

I use my car for work (sales territory) - 25,000+ miles a year. I have run my 2011 Honda Accord LX 5-speed for 57 months and I have 12 months to go before it is pushed out of the program due to age which means $0 reimbursement. I am one of those guys that reviews everything for 12 months as I search out my next vehicle...........so the idea is that I like the WRX's and don't want another Honda Accord but I don't want to be shocked at a lot more maintenance costs. Will fuel economy will be the first shock?

What to expect running a new WRX (base model)for 6 years and 150,000 miles? Things my Accord doesn't know about? Premium fuel? Head gaskets? Tires sooner? Brakes sooner? Axles? Turbo's?

In a very similar situation and job, the WRX is high on my list. Fuelly reports show people getting on the upper end and higher than EPA mpgs. Yeah it'll need premium gas, but that's part of the price to play with a sporty turbo car. The OE tires will wear fast, but you can always maximize tire life with good choices down the road.

Do you have to pay for insurance out of pocket? Might be worth checking out early in your car shopping.

Do you need AWD and 4 doors? There's a lot of sporty fun cars in that $26-32k price range...

The entire package is my dime - it is a base payment ($414) per month plus a reduced mileage rate based upon the current price of gasoline. I usually cash out around $750 per month so I have to live on that. I can cover any overages from my own pocket.

4-doors is mandatory - AWD is nice to have - I travel a lot of northern Illinois and Wisconsin.

I drive by Subaru of Countryside, IL almost 3-4x a day on my way to see my largest customer. I stopped to see this car 9 months ago - it hasn't sold and is always sitting in the front spot to tease me. This one is not on my radar as I am looking more at the lower cost new WRX.

http://www.theautobarnsubaru.com/inventory/2015-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-launch-edition-awd-4d-sedan-jf1va2w60f9802908

In reply to Datsun310Guy:

Back about 4 or 5 years ago when I was still driving about the same miles you are, I contacted a good friend/enthusiast/GRMer/and manager of a Subaru dealership about a WRX (or RS at the time) for my needs. His reply: "You'd love driving it, but you wouldn't love owning it." Though I don't know if that is still relevant with the newer cars???

I think his point was mostly relating to their maintenance needs vs. the frequency/expense given the miles driven. So I don't know how much of an effect that would have on you - if you can do some phone calls for an hour or 2 every few months from the dealer's waiting room, it might not be that big of hassle for you? Especially as a trade-off for AWD.

In reply to petegossett:

What?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU1Rl2Lvu5M

You're stuck with subaru if you want affordable fun and effective AWD. I drove a buddy's 2015 STi and it was a hoot. Stock seats were comfy to me and it rode nicely. I liked it a lot more than my other friends 05 legacy GT just based on ride, road noise, shifter feel, steering feel etc.

Is your route mostly highway or in town?

I know it's polar opposite of what we're talking about, but my route is mostly in town and while AWD would be nice especially in Alaska, I really think my next work car should be a '16+ Volt. Cutting my fuel expenses down 75% would save a BIG chunk of change, even compared to my current Mazda 6 that gets 28ish city and 34ish highway.

I am all over Chicago and the suburbs - sometimes I have to run parts to Muncie, Indiana - I could easily see a 475 mile day when I do.

I have a 2015 WRX, and so far (~20,000 miles) I'm very happy. Premium gas yas, but excellent hwy mileage IF you keep your foot out of it. Oil changes cost more than average, using 6 liters of Mobil 1 per change every 6000 miles.

I can't speak for the new one, but my 09 has 120k miles on it now, and other than upgrades I made in the first 20-30k miles (bilstein cup suspension, some poly bushings, etc), I've pretty much had to replace nothing at all. Did timing/water pump at 100k and clutch around then too (it still had plenty of life, actually). Other than that, changed diff/trans fluids once i think (Motul) and regular oil changes with Rotella T6 every 5-7k (btw, this is highly suggested oil by most Subaru people for WRX - far more so than Mobil1 - and half the price).

Still has original CV boots, AC recharged once aroudn 100k, a few belts replaced, else all original. And I drive this car HARD all the time, on a lot of bad roads.

For the life of the car I've averaged about 24mpg in 50-50 city/highway driving, though I hear the new 2.0s do quite a bit better.

Worst car I ever owned was a turbocharged Subaru. I'll never buy another one. New ones may be better.

OK here I go again..............I have a 2015 WRX, my 5th Subaru and they all have been completely flawless and reliable. In fact it's the only brand I have ever had that I can say that about and I have had many brands. The new ones are light years better than the old ones too. I can get upper 20s low 30s mpg if I am cruising and/or staying off boost. I say the same thing about Subarus as I say about all cars. YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM IF YOU WANT THEM TO LAST! Follow the maintenance schedule and change oil often. Change belts/gaskets when required. These are not Toyota Corollas that you can drive 300K miles with out even changing the oil. Many Subarus are poorly modded and beat on then sold so the next owner gets the problems and then it's "POS Subaru I will never own another one". There is no other car on the market that is this fun, AWD, 4 door at mid $20s price.

Turboeric wrote: I have a 2015 WRX, and so far (~20,000 miles) I'm very happy. Premium gas yas, but excellent hwy mileage IF you keep your foot out of it. Oil changes cost more than average, using 6 liters of Mobil 1 per change every 6000 miles.

True but if you do it yourself it's a joy compared to most cars. The oil filter and oil filler neck are right next to each other on the front of the engine up on top. And the oil drain plug is not hidden behind a shield that you have to remove to get to like the other WRX/STis that I have owned. Now my Miata........OMG that's another story all together.

We get ~30 actual mpg highway on our 15 wrx. 26 or so around town. Great car

I have a 16 wrx with manual transmission. Had it since July and have 8k miles on it. No issues. I've had 10+ subarus and this is by far the best daily driver. Radio is meh...nothing special. Hill holder feature is a little annoying. I drive 90 miles a day, mostly interstate and highway. I tend to get around 29 mpg.

I should also mention, we have a couple as company cars for our rally side of the business where they are used as Recce cars. Those cars have not had an easy life, living much of their time on the rough stage roads. Both are north of 26k miles. No issues with those either and they are CVT models.

I've heard really good things about the 2015+ WRX. Remember, these now have the new 2.0L motor, not the old EJ-series one. With the new motor, they now have direct injection and a timing chain, not a belt. I haven't heard of any of the old EJ-series issues cropping up in the new ones.

Yes, it runs premium, but it gets upper 20's mileage wise, so that's an improvement over the old ones. It looks like they redesigned just about all the trouble spots I had with my 2009. They now have a 6-speed manual instead of the 5-speed, the interior is a lot nicer, and it's overall more efficient. While I was disappointed by my 2009 WRX, I'd still consider picking up a new one because of all the improvements.