So my bro is looking at picking up an 02 WRX(or maybe 04ish).
Price wise is keeping him with the 2.0L.

He checked out a nice one today. great body, stock rims. HKS ss (routed into the intake) hks boost controller, bigger injectors. Running 15psi, Full 3"(turbo back). Uppipe, JDM STi tranny(5spd), STi top mount intercooler. Tein Suspension.Bully clutch(canadian company)Stock brakes. You make no mention of any sort of engine management. Sounds sketchy...running 15psi with the stock turbo you don't need bigger injectors, a bigger intercooler, or a blow-off valve (or an STI transmission for that matter). Maybe the previous owner was running a bigger turbo and swapped before selling? 2.0's don't like running for long without EM.

Basically he said it was decently quick. Obviously handled better than his stock suspension 92.5 DSM, though he felt his dsm shifted nicer!(amazing I know, but weve done some mods to the shifter to make it nicer than stock) He also didnt like the high catch on the clutch and thought it was wierd. I dunno what its like on subarus but mine is pretty high. I just told him not to worry about that. My '04 catches high as well. It took me driving it for 1 day to get used to it

the 2.0L at 15psi had enough pull and wasnt too laggy in his opinion.
it has 60k Miles on it and he noticed oil leaking from the oil inlet line(into the turbo) aswell as noticable oil leaking from the intercooler outlet to the intake inlet.
I figured the higher psi (and likely abuse) has the turbo hurting a bit.

questions:
Is that normal for the turbos on wrx's? yes, but then again it depends on how much oil he saw
what kind of psi are people running? I'm running an Accessport Stage 2 with 15psi
how does the stock computer handle bigger injectors(1 step up from stock) and higher psi? That I don't know, I would never try it

oh ya he thought the brakes were shat. had to push the pedal quite a bit before he got any bite. Worn brakes? or is this normal for wrx's? Mine were ABSOLUTE SHIT until I upgraded to better pads...they were barely even worn down but had horrible feel. Running Hawk HP pads now with Brembo blanks and they feel 1000% better

I figured they need to be changed.

Any other things to watch out for? Tips? Its much appreciated.


The STi tranny is a nice touch to the glass issue of the stock one and that 3" will sound sweet. Im hoping it works out though the turbo oiling issues are somewhat bothersome. Not a huge deal but who wants to spend that kind of coin on a new car and need to do a turbo swap at such low mileage?!

Good info thanks.
He said the owner never mentioned engine management(its a girl btw). supposedly she takes it easy on the car.

Apparently she got it stock off another owner who didnt have it long(couldnt afford it).
Im wondering if she ran a bigger turbo.
I figured the stock brakes were meh. Nothing you cant fix on most cars these days.

throwing a code? what kind of code? anyway to fix?

Thanks again

02 WRX experts

Aw man...sucks. I'm a total 03 WRX god. 02 WRX's, not so much.

good info!
though it looks like its gonna be an 04 STi.

thoughts? I know they upgraded 05's quite a bit... suspension wise etc. 04 still a sweet ride though...or am I wrong?

basic mods? who to reflash with? cobb?

this one has an aftermarket alarm/starter kill installed.

lol this thread is secretly helping me, too.

On the phone with the bank to find out about trading in my Wagon for an 04 STi.

Didn't Moof just buy a Cobalt SS?

so why not just keep the car you have for a while?

wagon is cheaper. obviously the STi is way nicer.

did I mention how sweet it is?

sti's are definitely goofy fun.

i'll say it again: it's rewarding to drive if you drive it like a sadist. hair pulling, ass slapping, ring gagged, leave-her-covered-in-someone-else's-sweat, good old fashioned sadism. if you drive it with finesse you'll never get anywhere quickly. the car was made to be driven rowdy

Very much unlike the wrx.

They really are 2 completely different cars.....

having come from a tbe+prodrive springs + sedan rear sway wrx wagon I can honestly say....

100% right. the sti's so much more rewarding to drive it's not even funny

I want an 08 sti eventually, but i just don't miss my 05.

How are the 08's responding to mods, tuning etc?

I know the 07's had some horrid factory tuning and had some issues with popped motors with just cat/turbobacks as mods.

How is the 08 responding to OTS tunes (i.e. accessports)?

Just curious since the 08 don't seem to be any quicker than the 07's in stock form - I'd like to know if they are more potent wtih bolt ons.

Why not a turbo Honda? I hear you don't even have to touch the engines or transmissions.