RWD 2005 Subaru WRX STI - The Oppo Review

"Dsscats" (dsscats) 11/07/2015 at 18:15 • Filed to: None

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So last week I open my phone to find a message from a friend of mine from out of state. He sends me a couple pictures of a black Subaru WRX STI in Los Angeles and asked if I know anything about it. I replied no, but when I asked where in LA it was, he sent me an address right down the street from me. One thing led to another, and I ended up at the seller’s house in the driver’s seat that afternoon.

Exterior: 6/10

I know this is going to be the most conflictual section, but here goes. This car is bagged. It’s low. It’s REALLY low. It’s so low I literally couldn’t look under the car when it was at the maximum height. Honestly, I like it, but I know not everyone will. I think it looks sweet as hell, but it does lose a couple points from “low car damage” to the bumper.

Interior: 5/10

Again, this car loses a couple points for the interior because of the owner’s decisions. See, the owner decided to install a fake Bride seat. The owner is 6’ 1”. I am 5’ 8”. This is where the fun part comes in. The seat wouldn’t move forward when I was going to drive the car, so we ended up stacking pillows so I could comfortably drive it. Yep.

Other than that, it was reasonably comfortable, there was a good amount of room in the back, and the dash was easy to read. I really don’t know what else to say. It’s a modern Subaru, it’s pretty nice.

Toys: 8/10

Inside, it’s a standard Subaru. Radio, A/C, all the standard stuff, but there’s one super fun addition. The bags. If that doesn’t entertain you, I really don’t know what will. At the press of a button, the car lifts to whatever height you feel like (up to 4” off the ground, that is). It’s absurdly fun to play with.

Audio: 9/10

IT SOUNDS FANTASTIC!!!!!!! Basically, you get a well defined Subaru rumble under 3000 RPM, and over 4500, all you can hear is the turbo. It makes around 330 WHP and certainly sounds like it. The boosty noises are incredible, and the blowoff valve is sweet. Yes, I’m a child.

Acceleration: 8/10

Here’s the thing. The day I was test driving the car, it was raining the whole morning. When I went around the first corner and gave it some gas, the rear end kicked out. There was very little traction in the rain (which made it pretty damn fun). Towards the end of the test drive, I opened it up on a section of road which had dried out and it was FAST. There’s power where you want it, and waiting just a little for the turbo to spool was too entertaining. The only thing was that the owner didn’t want me to push it too hard for fear of the tires debeading.

Braking: 7/10

It stops.

Ride: 7/10

I believe this one qualifies for a “you’d be surprised.” The ride, while still decently stiff, is much more forgiving than that of my Z32. When totally aired up, it’s a dash bouncy, but not to an unsettling degree. Honestly, it was pretty good (and far better than a coilover setup would have been).

Gearbox: 4/10

Note: Not my picture.

This again is somewhere where the driving experience would have been much more pleasurable had the owner not have modified it. First off, the shift knob was terrible. I mean, really!? It doesn’t look good or add to the driving experience. Second, the clutch was ridiculous. It was a 6 puck clutch that was incredibly heavy. The amount of force it took to depress the clutch all the way made it miserable to leave a light. And lastly, the car had some sort of a short throw shifter that made first sit where you’d expect neutral to be. The shifter was much tighter and the gears much closer as a result, but the actual physical position threw me.

Handling: 5/10

I honestly have no clue. I drove it in the rain, and there was basically no traction when you go anywhere near the throttle.

Value: 8/10

When it comes down to it, it’s a sub $8000 STI. And that’s a hell of a deal for a car from 2005 with 330WHP and a 6 speed.

Total: 66/100

I honestly struggle with this one. I love it to death. It’s cool as hell. But I think that it would have been much better if they left the suspension stock. The RWD conversion is sweet. It’s a little fun to drive a car with a lot of torque and rear wheel drive, especially in the rain. It still would have been much better with a proper tire setup and some grip though.

bob and john > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 18:24

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okay, if the tires are so streched that pushing it causes de-beadiing, you got rid of the AWD (frankly, one of the biggest reasons to buy a subaru) and made it a stupidly low ride right and damaged it there...

Sub 8g? you couldnt PAY me 8g to take on this wreck.

Dsscats > bob and john 11/07/2015 at 18:28

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Or just install a good tire setup and be happy...

PardonMyFlemish16 > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 18:32

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Owner must have been under 20 yrs old. Only excuse for this garbage.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 18:32

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It's easier to complain though!

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 18:33

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10/10 would buy and fix the few niggles and maybe lose the air ride and put some normal coils on.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 18:35

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Gotta say this definitely isn’t for me, RWD STI seems like a neat trick but then again, why would anyone go through the trouble? Too much #stancenation and a general “bro” attitude about it. Also, 8k for a bumper mostly comprised of duct tape?

But to each his own, I sure people don’t like my FiST.

bob and john > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 18:36

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with THAT amount of bad mods, that car is beaten. entirely. youd easyly spend its price to get it back to a 1/2 decent example

Tareim - V8 powered > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 18:36

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I wonder what he did for this RWD “conversion” my money is on just removing the front driveshafts whilst still leaving the awd centre diff still in place

bob and john > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 11/07/2015 at 18:37

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so, lets recap:
no AWD
shit tires
so low, even on max height he cant see under it.
HORRIFING amounts of camber on the front wheel.
OH, and the center dif is welded. NOPE

8g or not, this car has been beaten on. badly.

Dsscats > Tareim - V8 powered 11/07/2015 at 18:39

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The center diff is welded.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > bob and john 11/07/2015 at 18:41

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RWD I’m okay with.

One trip to a tire shop can fix this.

Lose the air and get some coils, not entirely difficult.

Redo the alignment.

Seriously, this really isn't as bad as you're making it.

jkm7680 > bob and john 11/07/2015 at 18:42

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$2,000 tops.

bob and john > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 11/07/2015 at 18:44

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I normally dont mind RWD either, but to get it, he welded the center diff...that just screams that everything was cheaply done.

how much longer is that motor going to last?

and to do all that, wheels and tires are another 1000 (for 1/2 decent ones...)
coils are how much?
alignment

so now your 8g, plus all the $ for labour and what not and waiting for parts to bring this thing back to driveable condition.

and something else...how many miles are on this thing?

Tareim - V8 powered > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 18:46

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ouch, steer clear

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > bob and john 11/07/2015 at 18:46

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You’re right but, I just wanted to point out that you said “labour”. What are you, Canadian?

bob and john > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 11/07/2015 at 18:48

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yes, I am....

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > bob and john 11/07/2015 at 18:54

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I met one of your pilots recently and he gave me this, he was a kindly gentleman.

PS9 > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 11/07/2015 at 18:54

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“Stanced Subarus? M3s? Coil overs? No...Noooooo.... This is not your way. You know in your heart where it is you belong. The mistress knows where you belong...”

“The Five Towers. Their power is absolute. So long as she has it, your resistance is futile. You will return to us... or she will reclaim you herself!”

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 19:31

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Never buy somebody else’s project, especially if it’s done badly... Welded center diff? No thanks, pass.

Rather just sart with a 350z if you want a RWD toy to play around with.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 19:48

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Crack pipe

Red Flags:

Not being able to look under it without jacking it up

That shift knob

Welded Diff

Wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole

PowderHound > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 20:15

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Only the driver side wiper and no fluid to spray is what it looks like

RazoE > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 21:24

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The only thing was that the owner didn’t want me to push it too hard for fear of the tires debeading.

There, that’s the issue with stretching tires.

RazoE > Tareim - V8 powered 11/07/2015 at 21:25

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exactly. There’s no reason for it to be RWD anyway, as all the associated AWD stuff is still weighing the car down. So you have all the weight and complexity without being able to put power down.

DipodomysDeserti > Dsscats 11/07/2015 at 23:56

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Subaru engines and transmissions don't take well to abuse. When someone lacks that much taste in mods, no way in hell would I trust that they took care of the rest of the car. Also, I've owned old Subarusnand new Subarus. The old Subarus have better fit and finish than the new ones.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 11/07/2015 at 23:59

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There are two ways to spell it... The *correct* way (“Labour”) and the American (wrong) way (“Labor”).

:-)

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > Dsscats 11/08/2015 at 10:02

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I LOVE IT

Fresh-Outta-Nissans > Dsscats 11/11/2015 at 23:37

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Tires that debead when driven fast? This aparently is the least-abused STI out there.

Smaller wheels with bigger (or not!) tires, adjust the bags upwards, and you’ve got a great car for $9K.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > bob and john 11/12/2015 at 10:39

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The interior shot shows 181,208 on the car. That sounds like a ton of miles to me, especially with the questionable mods. CP

bob and john > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 11/12/2015 at 12:02

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so...
done bumper
slammer air ride
power mods
welded the frigen diff
and 181k miles.

for 8k. lordie

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > bob and john 11/12/2015 at 13:23

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Yeah $8k looks nice for an '05 STI but not with all that crap!