WTB: WRX Wagon

[911quest]

You dont have to but it is easier. Puting a clutch in one is like doing one on a G-50 pull the throw out bearing fork pin..... to get the trans out. Very cool cars I have been lusting after one for awhile.

[Flieger]

I think Marco has fallen down yet another rabbit hole. When is the 914 gonna be done?

[LongRanger]

. . . aka SAABuru.

Nicer interior (. . . much, IMO), sleeker-looking . . . and all the STi-stuff fits.

Prolly not used as spiritedly as the comparable Subie.

Cheaper, too. (Don't forget insurance.)

Rick

[Reza]

good lateral thinking there. Just swap out the 'Saab' badges for 'Fuji Heavy'.

[Mr9146]

good lateral thinking there. Just swap out the 'Saab' badges for 'Fuji Heavy'.

Well what d'ya know, Reza, that's right up your alley.

I've spent the last 24hrs swimming in Subaru and have opened myself up to an STI sedan as well.

But, Curt, I found a RIDICULOUS Forrester for sale back east. It's essentially a Forrester shell with STI everything, right down to the DCCD. It's like the People Mover from hell.

[69Sman]

The R32 and the WRX both have my stamp of approval. Love both of 'em.

[Reza]

some web trivia:

"SUBARU" is a Japanese word meaning "unite." It is also a term identifying the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus that includes six stars visible to the average eye. According to Greek mythology, Atlas' daughters turned into this group of stars.

In 1953, five Japanese companies merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. The new corporation adopted the "Subaru" cluster of stars as its official logo for its line of automobiles. Today, Fuji Heavy Industries is a global transportation conglomerate.

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[Macroni]

Thank you for the mythology lesson.

Reza re-badging is frowned upon around here shame on you for even suggesting. . . . .

[CurtEgerer]

But, Curt, I found a RIDICULOUS Forrester for sale back east. It's essentially a Forrester shell with STI everything, right down to the DCCD. It's like the People Mover from hell.

Sounds cool. There was a 320HP Forester STi sold in the Japan market in 2004 or so. Never came here.

Also, my brother has a 2.5RS which is basically a normally-aspirated WRX. Fun car to drive. Great throttle response. Less to go wrong. I took a few laps on the ice with it last year. My point is not to automatically discount the 2.5L normally aspirated motor. I think I prefer it to the turbo even though it is down on HP.

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[LongRanger]

When it came time for me to buy my Offspring their first cars, there were three things I wanted those vehicles to have . .

1) Stick shift --- driving is more than sitting behind the wheel, and nothing brings that home like a little three-pedaling

2) Small motor --- no V8s (period) but also no big fuel bills. It's also a bit more work keeping a small car on pace then just standing on it

3) AWD --- 'cause when the inevitable stupid situation came up, I wanted all 4 tires on duty to keep my Little Munchkin, if not in control, then at least on the road . . . right-side up, preferably.

I'm also cheap. And lazy. Figured anything I give 'em will get, like, zero-attention (service-wise) from said Offspring, so . . . . needed something pretty-much Munchkin-proof.

Enter Subaru.

Not exactly the most stylish car, but I liked the looks. This was before STi, etc, but I was familiar with MacRae/Burns, RB5, 22B, etc. And even though Subaru's Yankee versions were pretty-much de-fanged . . . all the engineering was there. Interiors are decent/durable, in an institutional/Guest-of-the-County kinda way. Plain heavy cloth interiors, thick/sticky molded steering wheel and shift knob (swapped in an STi bit) --- nothing Simple Green and a garden hose can't keep clean. Kinda busy under the hood, but the motor is pretty under-stressed --- oil/filters/occasional belt's about it. Straight-forward, tough, decent-looking.

Car did so well money-wise, I splurged and stuck some honker wheels and tires under it. Prolly made the car a bit slower, take-off-wise . . . but I couldn't un-stick that car. (Believe me --- I tried.)

When we moved to SoCal, the car was serviced by Paul at Rally Sport Engineering, in Newport Beach. Kiwi, been there forever. Was maintaining Subaru's Press cars/Dealer Demos (Mitsubishi's, too), for a while, so he's prolly seen things done to them (as Andrew Dice Clay would say) that you wouldn't do to a farm animal. In case you wanna know what you're in for, maintenance-wise.

Anyway, I think I stayed under $10k --- for everything you see here --- and this was a 5 years ago. Still like this particular model. I think all the current STi stuff fits, too, but check w/ Paul.

Fun, reliable, usable little rig. Comfortable, immune to weather . . . even the Nasty Dog fit.

HTH

Rick