I first fell in love with the WRX from playing Gran Turismo 2 on the Playstation. I was quite excited when Subaru finally brought the WRX trim to the US for the 2002 model year, but wasn't able to afford the car until just after the 2004 model came out. I decided to go with the wagon model because of the extra cargo space in the back and the availability of a roof rack for bikes. I got the manual transmission because I prefer to drive stick shift.

As a daily driver, the car is awesome. It's comfortable enough and powerful enough to satisfy driving around town as well as getting out on the expressways. The stock tires, Bridgestone Potenza RE92 All-Seasons, weren't all that great. They didn't handle as good as you would expect with a car like this, but I kept them until they were worn out, which was about 3 years.

The turbocharged engine has plenty of power available when you want it, but because it's a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine, the gas mileage is relatively decent when you don't romp on it. I get an average of about 23 miles per gallon with some spirited driving, but have seen as high as 29mpg and as low as 16mpg.

The suspension set up is a good compromise between comfort and handling. It can seem a bit harsh on rough roads, but it's able to handle being pushed a bit. It's by no means a track car, but it's not a Cadillac, either. I did swap out the 17mm rear sway bar with a 20mm one from a 2002 WRX sedan. This helped with the understeer. For those that may not know, understeer means the car tends to not turn as much as it should when cornering hard.

The interior isn't anything spectacular, but it appears to be well built. Everything seems to be fairly solid, with few cheap pieces. I find the bucket seats to be comfortable, and they hold you in place if you're doing hard cornering. Some of the less significant, but much appreciated features, include: a glovebox that locks, seperate dome and map lights, and various storage spaces. The dash does squeak sometimes, but it tends to go away on it's own. There is one thing missing that I'm actually very glad is missing: there's no 'Shift' light on the dashboard. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Subaru felt drivers of the WRX were able to figure out when to shift on their own. Maybe it's just me, but those indicator lights always bugged me.

The exterior was slightly redesigned for the 2004 model. When I first got the car, I didn't like the new style headlights, but they quickly grew on me. I love having a wiper on the rear window. The radio antennae is in the rear glass, giving the car a bit of a sleaker look in a very subtle way. The gas cap cover latches, something I'm surprised isn't on more vehicles.

In the three and a half years that I've owned this car, I haven't had any major problems. I've had the 'Check Engine' light come on twice, both times for problems relating to the tumble generator valves. The first time it happened, the dealership replaced a component in tumble generator system. The second time this happened (a year or two after the first occurance), the dealership didn't find anything wrong and simply cleared the codes. Aside from this, the car has been pretty much problem free, and I've enjoyed driving it as much as I thought I would.

Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 27,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004