I apologize in advance for the long review... I just had alot of great things to say about this car!
I am a 30 year old living in FL and I just bought my second Subaru. Why would one need a Subaru in FL you may ask? Well because I am moving back to the northeast soon and the all wheel drive will come in very handy up there. I did say this was my 2nd Subaru... 1st was the 2004 Legacy which was excellent (see my review), but I had always longed for the WRX since it was introduced in 2002 (a small sedan that can boast 0-60 faster than a BMW, Porche, and Audi intrigued me). So once I convinced my wife to let me make the trade, off to the dealership I went.
I had actually headed to the dealership to buy a used 02 WRX wagon I had test driven the night before, but low and behold... it was stolen off the lot (more than likely for the $2500 set of rims that were on the car at the time) So as I was on my way out disapointed, the salesman stopped me and said "we do have another WRX on the lot" It was the end of the month and the 05's were starting to roll in so they needed to get this 04 red WRX wagon off the lot. But the sticker was $25,067, which was a little too rich for my blood at the time. That's why I was looking used. I was trying to stay under $20,000 so I did not lose out too bad on the nearly new Legacy I was trading in.
When all was said and done, I drove the 04 red WRX wagon off the lot for $20,440 and felt that was a fair deal for a car of this caliber.
I had a 2002 Jeep Wrangler and a 1991 Honda Civic hatchback with a newer, faster motor so I really had the best of all worlds (truck, convertible, fast sporty car, hatchback). But anticipating the move north and the costs that go along with a new house and children in the near future forced me to look at a more practical automobile.
I still wanted all wheel drive, and a large enough cargo area to haul my snowboard, bikes, etc, and eventually... a stroller...
There is a very limited choice when it comes to this criteria, and an even tighter market when you want it for under $30,000. You have the BMW 330ix and the Audi a4 that also offer all wheel drive, but for ALOT more. The reliability of Audi (a VW product) is just awful..ask anyone. And the BMW although nice, will cost you a car payment to have the oil changed and other service is a nightmare. (plus they are way over $30,000) But they are a reliable car for the most part. I wanted to stay at the $20,000 range so they were both out of the question in the first place.
I sold the civic and traded the Jeep in for the 2004 Subaru Legacy. I went to the dealership anticipating leaving with a WRX, however my wife quickly classified it as "ugly" and did not feel my enthusiasm for it.(of course at this time, I was looking at the older style WRX's with the "bug eye" headlights...which I personally do like) However, this "ugly" car was not going home with me that day. So I moved to my second choice, the Legacy sedan which my wife liked very much. It was roomy, had AWD, and was within our range and it was a Subaru.
Remember, I was used to zipping around in my civic and have a deep rooted need for "pep" (at least) in a car. The Legacy, although a wonderful, functional car, was not peppy to say the least. I craved the 5.6 0-60 acceleration of the WRX. I had still never even driven one! So after a few months of arguing, I headed to the dealership and promised my wife I would stick to our budget and here we are with the WRX!
When I first climbed into the 04 WRX, it was almost like it "hugged" me. The seats are perfectly form fitted around your back and legs to keep you put when you are cornering. I have taken the car on a few trips and they have been very comfortable so far. For larger people, this may not be the case but I am 5'10, 175 and have no problems.
The gauges are all laid out very nicely and have a very sporty look to them. I recently installed new MOMO shift knob and a brushed aluminum trim ring around the shift boot for an added sport appearance. There is plenty of room in the back seats as well for mid sized people on down. The best part is the hatchback (well I call it a hatchback) but some may call it the trunk) has ample room especially when you fold the seats down. I have transported many large items back and forth to the UPS store for my ebay business. Overall, I am very pleased with the interior except for the "hidden popout" cupholder that is above the radio. It is hard to control the radio with a drink there. I just use the cupholder near the emergency brake.
The outside of the car has been restyled for 2004 so bye bye bug eye lights. The rest of the car is the same as the previous 2 model years other than the headlights (very sleek as compared to the old round lights), the tailights have a minor modification, and the signature hood scoop is redesigned to allow for more airflow to the turbo intercooler for better performance. I find the WRX wagon to be a very good looking car. It is very unique and I do get strange looks sometimes when people don't recognize what kind of car it is. But I like the fact that not many other people have them here in FL. Of course, these cars are everywhere in the northeast and out west. In fact in Colorado, you will rarely see a car that is not a Subaru.
Did someone say turbo intercooler in that last paragraph? Yes that was me... The turbo is just awesome... I missed the "pep" I posessed in my older civic and the Legacy just did not do it for me. The WRX however... is VERY fast. When you pull away at a light, you just go... all 4 wheels grip the ground, and as you watch your rpm's climb over 4,000 you hear the faint whine of the turbo as you are pushed back into your seat. It is a feeling I had never experienced before in any car I have owned prior to this, and a feeling I don't think I can ever live without again.
It is also a nice feeling when you are at a stoplight next to a brat in a BMW or a Porsche Boxter, that thinks they are going to rip you off the line... then is tasting your exhaust as they roll up behind you at the next light :-) (I am not advocating street racing, just saying that the acceleration is wonderful)
The nice thing is, you don't have to drive this car fast. The turbo starts to kick in a little over 3500 rpm's so for around town driving, this car has excellent manners. I have read a few reviews where drivers have complained about turbo lag, but this being my first turbo car, I am just happy to have turbo at all. Trust me, during "spirited driving" if you keep your rpm's in the 4000 range, you have some serious power and acceleration just an inch away by tilting your ankle... One drawback to having a turbo, is that you must use super unleaded gasoline (which is about $2.20 a gallon right now in FL, yikes!) I drive a mix of city/hwy and I generally get about 22mpg. One all highway trip I went on allowed me to bump this to 26. (spec sheet states 21cty/27hwy)
The all wheel drive was another main reason I bought the car since we are heading back up north. I love to snowboard and needed to make sure I can get to the mountains even when others cannot. My Aunt in VT casually rolled us to the slopes many times in her Subaru Forester and it never missed a beat. The car is so sure footed in the bad weather, it feels like you are on rails. In fact, on one occasion, I was driving my friends 98 Legacy in a terrible snowstorm a few years back, and I was actually trying to get it to slip up a little so I could understand the control I was dealing with. I could not even get to to veer off course once. Where you point the car, it goes, up hills, around turns full of snow and ice, it goes. I expect nothing less from my WRX when I arrive in the snow covered NE next year.
The only experience I have with bad weather in my WRX is the terrible downpours I endure here in FL and the fear of hydroplaning. However, on more than one occasion, I have headed out to back roads with large grass buffers on each side and purposely ran my car into large, laying "lakes" of water that had accumulated on the road and tried as hard as I could to get my car to slide out. Turning the wheel, flooring it, braking... nothing could shake it. I feel VERY confident driving this car in bad weather.
Subaru consistently gets excellent safety ratings as well. It was explained to me at the dealer that they first design a "roll cage" of sorts during the design of the frame of the car, then design around that. So the passengers safety is the top priority.
In conclusion (never thought I'd end this review did you?) I will say that I am 110% happy with my purchase and my decision to trade my Legacy in for the WRX wagon. My driving experience has multiplied exponentially in a good way, and the functionality of the wagon and fold down rear seats has come in very handy and will continue to do so as time rolls on. I plan on keeping this car for a long long time. And with subaru's proven reliability, I should be able to do so. (I believe the stats are something like 90% of Subarus are still on the road) They last. Period. I recommend you go out and drive one, but only if you are prepared to buy, because you more than likely will! This is a great, safe, and fun car for under $25,000 and with the added functionality of the wagon, it's the best of all worlds. Hard to beat!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 20,500
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: Impreza WRX Wagon
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