Hi
I'm thinking of buying a 01 WRX tomorrow 43K on the clock can any one tell me what to look out for on these cars?

Liam

 

I bought a '51 plate WRX in May and have had to have new discs and pads fitted due to them being incorrectly fitted on its last service.

I bought it with 24k on the clock and gave it its 30K service at 28k miles. The total bill for the service, new fog lamp and covers, news front discs and pads.....£861.

I've also now started having a problem with the gearbox, it grinds going into 4th at high revs. There are quite a few posts for this type of problem on new shape scooby's with the 5-speed box and CVC Cardiff have indicated it's a known 'weakness'.

When you test drive, check if the car has to be pretty much stationary before it'll go into 1st. Check whether it grinds going into 3/4/5 gears at >3.5k revs. If it does either of these you may have the beginnings of an expensive problem. I'm bracing myself for a bill between £500 and £1500, depending on whether Subaru are prepared to fund part of the repair work, (even though the cars out of warranty).

Don't let this put you off though, other than that the car's great, I matched a BMW M3 yesterday, which was pleasing for a standard WRX!!

 

Dont most cars have to be pretty much staionary before they will go into first gear?

 

My Audi didn't, obviously as long as I wasn't going too fast for the gear...

 

lol I think you'll find the M3 driver wasnt tryin at all. M3 will nuke any classic or bugeye wrx.

 

I own a 01 WRX and they are great cars, they dont have the ferocious power of that people expect it to have but it is in no way underpowered, it is really fun to drive and as long as you arent planning to race everyone on the road you will enjoy it very much.

Make sure it has full service history (any car of this age should tbh), it should have a tracker/alarm (I think if its a uk car) and this makes insurance a bit easier, some bugeyes have the bucket seats and some have the airbag seats the buckets are more desireable but that would'nt put me off a good car (well it did'nt).

Check the tyres (inside edges as well) as forking out for these after you have just bought a car is hard to bear (trust me).

PPP is a big bonus as well as sensible mods such as morettes, sti spoiler etc if you buy standard then be prepared to mod it as you will want to very soon.

this is mine, if you are interested PM me as I may be selling v soon it even has subaru warranty remaining

 

I bought my bugeye more then a year ago, it was almost brand new with 4k km on board and it is a great car. NOTHING went wrong with it and I have 24k on it now. It doesn't even rattle that much as others are complaining but that could be a matter of luck. Gearbox is perfect, only when it is cold the clutch judders a bit sometimes, but that I'm afraid is a scooby disease. It has enough power, and with PPP is even better. I'd look if the engine sound ok, breaks and disks. I'd query what oil was used in it before(should be some fully synthetic). Then I'd go for an hour of driving and see how it behaves. If it has gagues(temp, boos...) that would give quite a good indication about the engine's condition.

 

Cheers Guys
I'm off tomorrow at one to have a look at it . so fingers crossed all going well I'll have it home tomorrow eve

 

maybe a silly question. what BHP are the wrx MY01 ?

 

Standard its 225bhp

 

All I'd be worried about is making sure the 30K service was done and getting an AA inspection.

First Scooby was an 01WRX sold 5 months ago with 29.5K on it. Fantastic entry car into the world of Scoobies.

Not green by any chance is it ?

 

Not this again!!! Come on peeps its been done to death!

NS04

 

I thought that the standard MY01 WRX was 215bhp.....

 

Yup,215 blobeye is 225

 

I'll do u to death

 

I raced an 'N' plate M3 on the M50 on Saturday afternoon and was all over it's ***, although it did 'puff' black smoke at each gear change so it was probably fooked.

I also followed an 'S' plate M3 by Bridgend and even though he pulled away slightly up to 70mph, he by no means 'nuked' me - and he wasn't holding back. From 70-100mph I was happily keeping up.

 

i thought the 02 was 240+bhp i test drove an evo viii(8 lol ) 260bhp .. my wrx would of stayed with it all the way ....

 

No, the 01/02 is either 215 or 221bhp, not sure which. The new WRX is only 225bhp (standard).

 

Sounds like it yeh lol.

Yeh an S plate They have 286bhp thats why it pulled away under acceleration.

But I'm talkin about recent standard M3's which have 340bhp, they will nuke any standard uk scoob, no question.

 

Good point, well made. They're nice too, there's something sexy about having two twin-sets of chrome pipes.

 

Oh yes indeedy! If I had £25K it's one of the few things that would tempt me away from a scoob.

M.

 

221ps, 215bhp. I think thats right.

Adam

 

01/02 WRXs are 218PS, 215bhp. Blobeyes IIRC are 225PS which is 222 bhp. Amazing how many numbers float about here . . .

Standard 01/02 WRX is not really that quick once rolling; think more like MG ZS 180 or good hot hatch (Clio 172/Civic Type R) than new M3. Mod it a bit (exhaust, remap - perhaps 270-280bhp, ideally suspension and brakes too), and they'll be close enough to M3s, non turbo 911s etc that you can probably make up the defecit by driving better - but you still will not be ultimately quite as quick in a straight drag-race.

 

Always wanted to know, what's the difference between the 01/02 WRX and the blobeye IIRC?

PPP 01/02 WRX v M3/non turbo 911s????

 

"Blobeye" is the 03 onwards, as "Bugeye" is 01/02. WRX is the "basic" turbo model, which is less fast than an STi. IIRC is If I Remember Correctly (or If I Recall Correctly, depending on who you ask).

In broad terms, standard WRX is around 20bhp down on original "piggyback" PPP. "piggyback" PPP is around 20bhp down on later properly remapped PPPs. A properly remapped PPP is a good 20bhp down on a full exhaust (including up-pipe) change and re-mapped PPP. Each step along the line will also give improvements in drivability.

From memory, the 993 Carrera 4 is 4wd, similar weight to a WRX and has something like 285bhp, which is therefore the sort of power you'd need to keep up with one. The previous shape 3 litre M3s were slightly heavier than the WRX, rwd and had 286bhp or 321bhp in "M3 EVO" form - which will also be in that same ball-park. The newer shape M3s are (again IIRC) 341bhp, and the 996 and 997 Porsche's are also more powerful than the older ones, so you'd probably need >300bhp to seriously challenge them in a WRX

 

So to get things straight......

I obviously have the bugeye which is heavier and less powerful than the later (and earlier) WRX's? It is also a damn sight slower than M3's, and Porche Carrera's?

So the only remedy will be to have PPP fitted????

I knew it was only a matter of time before science came before wallet - thanks HADES, you've set the PPP wheels in motion!!!

 

Weight of the bugeye is not significantly different from the later WRX's, although it is a little bit less powerful and a bit slower. Both are much heavier than the older cars.

PPP isn't the only remedy. PPP is however, the only remedy that doesn't invalidate a subaru warranty. If you're out of warranty, I'd suggest a good exhaust and re-map will give you better results, often for less money.

 

Maybe all these I blew away an m3 threads, have come about by people getting gran tourismo mixed up with real life. I find it a piece of **** to beat an m3 in a 200bhp renault 5 turbo, but it's only a game. If you want to talk about which cars you beat off the line, maybe you should join your younger friends in their novas and corsa`s, in the local mcdonalds car park.

 

I know my post was HIJACKED


But just to let ye know I have bought my 01 bugeye scooby

 

Good, pictures go in the members gallery (hint hint )