His First Wheels

"JohnnyWasASchoolBoy" (JohnnyWasASchoolBoy) 05/11/2020 at 16:29 • Filed to: None

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So, my son just bought his first car. It’s pretty great. It’s a 2002 WRX. He bought it from a friend of mine, who’s a mechanic. The car, while is has some surface rust at the rear 1/4 panels, is mechanically perfect. It’s had the notorious head gasket work done, new timing belt, new coils and wires, new winter rubber and new summer rubber, two sets of rims... My son is as happy as a pig in a sty.

He’s let me drive it twice. It’s incredibly well-mannered below 4500 rpm. It’s quick as a jackrabbit above that. I was surprised by the driving position. You are basically strapped into a rally car. It’s not cramped, but you can’t sit relaxed in it unless you have the arms of a gorilla or you insist on leaning the seat way back.

For an 18 year-old car, it’s still impressive. For a kid’s (he’s 19 but hasn’t owned his own car before) first car, it’s everything.

gettingoldercarguy > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 18:26

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Wicked first car.  Get him to an autocross and maybe a BMW intro driving school.  Car control is everything.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 18:42

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Nice! Definitely cooler than my first car 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 19:02

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I remember driving a friend’s WRX of that generation back in the day. So intoxicating - awesome first car! And sounds like one with an honest history and good upkeep too, doesn’t get better than that! 

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 20:58

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Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 21:03

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Awesome first car. Teach him to respect its performance!

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 21:26

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I remember looking at those when I was 30ish with a perfect driving record and went another way because insurance was crazy. Can’t imagine what it is for a 19yo. Awesome car, though.

BeaterGT > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 21:59

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There’s Subarus without rust on the rear quarters? ;)

Congrats!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 22:00

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That hat is facing way too forward for WRX driving! Also, that WRX has a bigger wang than my STi lol. Hope the gas prices dont jump too much in the near future. I remember when I was in high school gas in NJ had jumped to about $5 per gallon. I was damn thankful to have my crappy honda that got 33 mpg on the highway. My friend with a bronco was regularly spending $200 to fill his tank!! Either way, excellent choice to start a petrolhead life. 

Brickman > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 22:13

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A blue Subaru without bronze wheels? That must be fixed :)

wafflesnfalafel > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 22:19

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very cool - I still think the bugeye really is the best looking. Nice color choice. They are not without faults and you really gotta want it but I love my  18 .  Be careful with it and treat it nicely.  

Boxer_4 > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 22:42

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And here I’m admiring the 2010 Forester XT behind it.

That WRX is an awesome first car! Also, change the up-pipe if hasn’t been already.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/11/2020 at 23:25

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Man, what state do you live in where you can afford the insurance? WRX/Evo insurance rates were stratospheric for anyone under 45 when I last checked. I’m amazed the ST has maintained Focus rates and not incurred a big penalty in my state.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/12/2020 at 11:11

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Awesome! When you are a gearhead, your very first car is something special....I had a 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5TS wagon of the same generation your son’s WRX is as my first car at 22 years old (I didn’t need a car before then, as much as I loved cars!) and I loved it and miss it dearly. No WRX in terms of performance, but it was pretty darn good for what it was, and, being a wagon, was super practical! :)

Here she is - I had called her ‘Beastie’ because nothing would stop it in the winter...NOTHING, haha!

Rust around the rear wheel arches is common on these, especially where the wheel arch meets the rear bumper - water gets trapped in there.

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 05/12/2020 at 12:01

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It’s Alberta so it’s not tooo bad.. about $2k/year with $2million liability. In BC it would closer to $4k/year. He’s a hard worker and can afford it. 

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 05/12/2020 at 12:02

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Gas here is $0 .79/litre. Works out to about $40 CAD per tank.

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 05/12/2020 at 12:03

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Alberta. My boy is paying about $2k/year for $2million liability. in BC it would be closer to $4k/year. 

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/12/2020 at 12:04

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We start this weekend. 

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 05/12/2020 at 12:04

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Mine too.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/12/2020 at 12:06

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Sounds fun. You just can’t beat WRB... 

CaptDale - is secretly British > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/12/2020 at 19:38

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Awesome! Don’t let him get into vaping though xD