STill got plenty of life left

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678) 10/03/2018 at 10:50 • Filed to: None

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Today I have reached a milestone with my STi. It has reached 150,000 miles and has not blown up yet (oh boy have I just jy nxed myself). I suppose already having had the headgaskets replaced before I bought the car has helped it with being reliable but in general the car has been very good to me so far in the past 15k miles of ownership. I am about a month away from the 1 year mark of ownership so I will wait to post my thoughts on that. But I guess now that I have crested 150k, the car must be worthless! Funny thing is I still see these with close to 200k going for $15k+ so I think I should be alright. My plans are definitely to keep the car but who knows where life will go and it’ s nice to know these hold their value. I am sure I will be increasing that mileage counter this winter with my trips to Mammoth and for sure another trip out to Utah. I still from time to time toy with the idea of driving all the way to Revelstoke and Jackson Hole and making it one big ski road trip for a month. But that seems wild to me!

Anyways, to many more miles of smiles! Only 60k to go to catch up to my Miata. Although that will never happen since I am not gonna stop driving that car until it breaks in half. 

Eberle-Hills-Cop > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 11:15

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160k on my 2005 Sti, factory clutch, factory head gaskets. Seen here in it’s usual environment.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Eberle-Hills-Cop 10/03/2018 at 11:23

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Nice, also repping that wingless life as well I see! The ‘04-’07 is definitely the most reliable range of STi, with the ‘05-’06 being even less problematic from what I understand. I generally worry about something going wrong but having the Miata and some savings puts my mind at ease so that it should be a mild speed bump whatever happens to break. Glad to be avoiding the typical Subaru problems of new engines before 100k though!

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 11:24

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What you did there, I see it.

But that’s awesome! 15k in a year is crazy! But I guess you do have a long commute and have taken some epic trips.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 11:29

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I’m only at 43,000 on my 2016, but she’s still going strong! It’s nice to hear EJ25 stories that aren’t in the horror genre.

BeaterGT > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 11:35

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Not a WRX, but got 120k on my stock 05 Legacy GT. Kinda disappointed, didn’t blow up like the internet said it would.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 10/03/2018 at 11:35

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Haha glad someone saw that. You do not know how long I played with the title until I found a word with STi in it that didnt sound stupid...

Its funny because 15k in a year is like half of what I normally drove on the East coast and I had a 15 mile round trip commute then. I mean if you combine the two cars I still hit like 25k for the year anyways. But the wilder part is that I spent like 6 months on travel where I was only home on weekends so I really wasnt commuting much. 

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 11:38

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Hahahaha I appreciate that attention to detail.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors 10/03/2018 at 11:40

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You’ve driven yours all over the place, that is awesome. If I recall you had done a cross country road trip with some camping right? Perfect car for that really, all those naysayers saying the STi is “bad on the highway” dont know what they are talking about. Life is too short to drive boring cars ever for any reason.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > BeaterGT 10/03/2018 at 11:49

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Legacy GT was definitely higher on my list before I found my particular STi. I really didnt need the potential headaches of the more complicated and more easily abused car (wrx/sti) . And I kind of like the fit/finish of the Legacy way more anyways. Not unhappy with my choice but I still do lust after the Spec B, although those are damn near impossible to find in any condition...

Unsurprising though that taking care of a car keeps it from being explosively unreliable lol. 

Eberle-Hills-Cop > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 11:52

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Hard to tell, but i’ve got the standard WRX wing on it. I’m always super paranoid about driving to/from events (usually 1-2.5 hours each way) but it’s always been a real hero!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 12:11

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Regarding mileage and prices…yeah it seems like Subarus are immune to that. I was recently in the market, and every single 02-07 WRX (not STi) I found had well over 150k miles and people were still asking $7.5k minimum. That’s bonkers money. And these are cars known for needing some pretty serious maintenance bills as they get up there (namely head gaskets) – so to me there really didn’t seem like there was much of a “well it’s a cheap car to maintain at least!” benefit to it. Completely different beasts, but at that point, with no huge difference in maintenance costs, I picked the other option I was weighing and bought a 110k mile E46 ZHP for way less than I would’ve spent on a beat to death WRX.

All this is to say, if you’ve got one, and it’s well taken care of as yours clearly is - you’re all set. Just drive it to your hearts content, and know you’ll still be able to sell it for a good chunk of change when the time comes.

TorqueToYield > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 12:14

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Any mods on yours?

M y gut feeling is these cars are modded and beat on more than some other cars and that lends to their reliability rep.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Eberle-Hills-Cop 10/03/2018 at 12:22

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I think I have the regular impreza lip spoiler on there, not really sure though since ive seen completely bare trunks as well and the PO was the one who had done it. I just drove mine 12 hours one way on the last road trip that I did so I am pretty sold on the reliability. Only needed just under 1 quart of oil after getting home, about 1800 miles later which was excellent.

Eberle-Hills-Cop > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 12:23

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That’s the STi Limited lip thingy I believe?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TorqueToYield 10/03/2018 at 12:25

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Completely stock mechanically. I mean unless putting aftermarket intercooler hoses counts as a mod lol. The oem ones were brittle plastic and the new softer silicone ones were well worth the extra price over the oem replacement for reliability. I also kind of want to do an oil separator or at least a catch can but again for reliability rather than performance.

So yeah I agree, keeping this car stock definitely aids in its reliability. Plus I will not be tracking it since I have the Miata setup for that so I should be able to keep it unabused. And now with snow tires on it, I really will be doing much less hard driving on it for a bit. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 10/03/2018 at 12:25

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Eh, I usually put 40k/yr between 2 vehicles.....

I don’t have a long commute nor do we do much for epic trips, just a lot of driving.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/03/2018 at 12:31

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Exactly, I was near to giving up hope on finding one actually. I was having much better luck finding options for the other cars I was considering instead: Civic Si, Mini Cooper S, and Acura RSX/Integras. Sure those are also very different cars but would have served me just fine (albeit without the AWD for snow). The Hondas definitely would have been better at gas mileage but would have been a bit less interesting as well.

I was having trouble finding WRXs for less than $10k actually so it was even worse during my shopping haha. And finding a stock one, FORGET ABOUT IT! I got lucky prowling NASIOC when I came across this car for $13.5k. It was still like $5k more than I wanted to spend but it made sense at least for what it was and I am happy with my choice. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Eberle-Hills-Cop 10/03/2018 at 12:39

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Ahh, learn something new every day!

https://www.fastwrx.com/products/sti-limited-lip-spoiler-2007

It looks slightly different but maybe there are different ones out there? I dont think I have any holes though in my trunk lid. So Maybe it is a base impreza lid but with one of these stuck on afterwards? 

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 10/03/2018 at 12:44

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That’s crazy! When I still had all three cars, I put about 8-10k a year combined on the three. I normally drive my DD about 5k a year. But, when my mom had my VW, she did about 25K a year (the reason we wanted a tdi). Honestly, I wish I drove more, I think the tdi would be better off with longer trips. But now I’m to the point where I don’t like to make long road trips in the car anymore. It’s age is showing so I just get a little nervous. I did a 400 mile trip back in May and it was fine so I’m probably just being too cautious.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 12:45

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I fucking love my car and I’ve driven it all over the place. I bought it when I was living in Cali and I’ve since moved to the New England area. I’ve driven her through CA, NV, UT, CO, KS, MO, IL, IN, KY, WV, VA, MD, DE, NJ, PA, NY, CT, MS, RI, NH, and ME.
I’ve been camping with it.
I’ve moved with it
I’ve taught like half a dozen people how to drive stick shift on it
In a snowstorm, I got a group of nurses to where they needed to be when their cars were stuck.
And I’m now commuting like 400 miles a week in it. Yeah I sometimes get a bit annoyed at my car when the road is really bumpy and the mileage isn’t great, but at the end of the day it’s never once let me down.

It’s stock except for the worlds most mild catback with adjustable flaps so that it’s even quieter than stock on the highway (very much unwilling to put up with loud highway drone), a short-shifter, mud flaps, and my fiancee got me a replacement E-brake cover because the stock one was cheap and the worst part of the interior and the new one matches the rest of the leather and has hyper .blue contrast stitching.

At some point in the future, I’d like to do a few more cosmetic mods but nothing to impact driveability.

BeaterGT > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 13:02

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Who knew this maintenance thing would be so powerful?!  I did find a Spec B when I bought this car but it had a branded title and like you said, they are practically unobtanium now.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 13:18

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$13.5k for a good honest, clean STi is a great price (especially if head gasket work has already been done). Especially seeing what all the abused WRXs are going for. It’s just one of those unique markets - sure you can buy something else that will probably work for you, for less money. But if you want one of these, well this is the cost of entry whether you like it or not.

I didn’t really care for the Si but I did consider an RSX Type S for a quick second too...they’re pretty nice cars. Minis were extremely tempting given how cheap they are, but there are so many horror stories. A good friend who had a Cooper S and JCW talked me off that ledge.

BMWs and Subarus are what I know and have mostly owned, so it made sense that I was either going to end up with a WRX or an E46. Both have their maintenance items to watch out for that can be pricey - I just happened to find a killer deal on an E46 that made it a no brainer, just like you did with your STi .

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors 10/03/2018 at 14:18

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I think you meant MA and not MS. I was wondering at first how the hell you managed to get to Rhode Island without driving through Massachusetts and also why Mississippi was added in there anyways. But then the typo made way more sense. You should definitely make a trip down to the smokey mountains some time, taking the blue ridge parkway the whole way. Would add quite a few states to that list and there are amazing roads and camping down there. Tail of the Dragon of course included there!

I’ve been thinking about catback options someday on my STi and I agree that highway drone is the devil. The stock exhaust is wayyyy too quiet, I am sick of that. But I dont want something loud as hell either. I agree as well that the car doesnt not need any mods to be fun though, its perfect stock as can be mechanically.

I commute about the same amount of miles per week although I split it between the STi and Miata. At least almost none of it is highway so its more worth my time in either car. Gas mileage is obviously irellevant to me since I dont bat an eye at getting 25 in the Miata and 20 in the STi on my commute. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/03/2018 at 14:26

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I figured if I was considering subarus, how much worse could a Mini be lol? That is definitely a flawed statement because the MCS, depending on the year, is most certainly known for more problems. But the one I drove was so intoxicatingly fun that I just had to consider it.

I think as far as BMWs go, the one car for me to own some day is still probably an E39 M5. I just love that car. Although an E46 M3 is definitely a close second for me. It’s a perfect balance of being new enough to feel modern but not too new to be overcomplicated and bloaty. 

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 14:35

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Yeah, that was a typo. For a catback , I went with a Varex X-Force and I like it except for the fact that I broke the cord that powers the box that controls the valves a few months back and I haven’t bothered to fix it yet so it’s stuck in quiet mode for me right now. Unfortunately my commute is almost entirely highway which is a drag but I’m not in New England for much longer and hopefully I’ll be moving to a state with some good roads.

I really want to take a few road trips and check out the smoky mountains but I don’t think I’ll be getting the chance any time soon because school is kicking my butt right now.

^ not my car but you get the idea

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors 10/03/2018 at 14:41

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Oh yeah, graduating first is probably the priority. Haha I did not do shit for all 5 years of college. It was just hunker down and suffer until its over. Now that I have the freedom to adventure, it is awesome though!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 16:09

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Both those cars are very much at the top of my list too, but I can’t justify them. The E39 M5 can be very pricey to maintain, although it could be an amazing family sedan. The E46 M3 – my track days are behind me and I simply don’t need that level of performance anymore, especially at the premium the associated maintenance costs come at (M3 = 3x Maintenance Costs!). So I ended up buying the closest logical thing I can justify with my budget = E46 ZHP.

Prices for both the M5 and M3 are on an upward trend, so definitely a good buy if you can afford one and amazing cars to drive for sure.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 10/03/2018 at 16:13

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Eh, we did a 400 mi trip in our old van. 240k on the clock and I don’t think twice about taking it cross-country. I know it’s history and what has/hasn’t been done, so I know it’s good to go.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/03/2018 at 16:13

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Yeah that upward trend is gonna suck some day. Definitely dont have the money nor space/time to take on a third car of any sort right now, especially something like that. And when I finally do want that, I will probably have to set my sights elsewhere just due to the market. But such is life. This is why I like my cheapo Miata because it was never and will never be worth anything. 

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 10/03/2018 at 16:22

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I’m just getting to the point where I know some things are getting towards the end of their life. I’m close to 200k mi and still on the original clutch, for example. Water pump and all maintenance items have been done. But I really should proactively replace the hoses, t-stat, and other things that could cause a failure far away from home.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 10/03/2018 at 16:52

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That’s probably why I don’t worry. When things are getting close to the end of their life, I replace them, I don’t wait for something to fail then fix it.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 10/03/2018 at 17:03

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That’s typically my motto, but I should have done all of this back when I had another car to take to work. The clutch isn’t slipping or anything, and everything in the engine bay passes visual inspection, it’s just the what-if that gets me.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 10/03/2018 at 17:14

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I figure if I spend my life worrying about the what-ifs I’ll never enjoy anything.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 10/03/2018 at 17:20

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I admittedly struggle with that lol

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 18:02

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I felt the same way about my E30 when I bought it. I got it for $2k with 220k miles on it. So what’s 100k more. Needs a new engine? Whatever, they’re a dime a dozen! Done! Thanks to crazy pills market prices I sold it for $6500 after driving the shit out of it for a decade. Fine by me! Which is kind of why I like the regular E46 presently. They’re cheap, won’t ever really be worth that much even if prices for unique trims like the ZHP hold constant or increase slowly, and regular maintenance is at regular car prices. So there’s no shame in driving it to your heart’s content. M3 or M5s from that era are beyond that point now and you’ll always be paying M car prices for maintenance.

Miata is a great long term car to have for purposes like that. I’d keep it just for that glorious shifter feel. I used to think my S2000 had a great transmission…and then I drove an NA Miata, damn! And so approachable in every single way.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/03/2018 at 18:20

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Once I eventually do the motor mounts (still the originals at 200k) I am sure the shifter will feel even better. Just one of those low priority things but will probably be a night/day difference. Still feels better than shifting my STi but Subarus are known for awful shifters so it should be a bigger difference ideally. 

AestheticsInMotion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/03/2018 at 23:02

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One of these days I need to drive an STi in anger on some dirt roads. I keep telling myself to just pay for a day at dirt fish rally sch ool...

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 10/03/2018 at 23:59

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Yeah, you don't even get to have the excuse of it being a flight and hotel and all that crap to go there! After I saw dirtfish on roadkill I made it a goal to go there some day. Oppo trip to dirtfish should happen! 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 10/04/2018 at 06:50

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I used to, then I started looking at things differently.

I used to think : What if this fails? What if this breaks? What if I missed something?

I now think: Suspension is good. Brakes are good. Fluids are good. We’re ready to roll!