it's a sad day (1 Viewer)

[Philip_G]

ok it's not like anyone died, but I have to sell my motorcycle :frowning:
it's not all bad, going to liquidate it and my car, pay off some crappy CC debt, take the remainder and put a down payment on a used WRX if I can find one. Gonna miss the priller though :frowning:

 

[Jared_B]

So sorry to hear about your loss, Philip. I've been without bike for a while and I'm just itching to get back onto one. On the bright side, I just might have a WRX for sale!

 

[Philip_G]

lol. what color and how much you asking?
I'm looking for silver, but blue is acceptable.
would you like an aprilia on trade, lol.

 

[Jared_B]

It's a blue '03 sedan, 5 speed. Has about 7500 miles on it now. Kelley Blue Book says a similar '02 model would sell for about $21k in a private party sale, or $20k trade-in.

I'm leasing it now, and I haven't looked into my buyout amount yet. If my buyout is much higher than that, I might just have to hang onto it for a while. I really have my eye on that Mazda 6, though!

It seems used WRXs are pretty rare around here, but you might be able to find a nice '01 with a few more miles for a better price than mine. Once the new body style WRXs and STis come out, you might find several "old" WRXs come on the market too.

 

[Philip_G]

I'm probably going to buy new, there's a dealer in minneapolis selling them at invoice or 50 buck sover or something, if you look at invoice as probably 21,5 or so, it makes no sense to buy used, probably save that additional 1000 bucks in interest alone.

I had considered leasing, any reason why you want out of the lease?

 

[Mike__D]

you might be able to find a nice '01 with a few more miles for a better price than mine.

You won't find an '01 unless you import one Sorry, had too

Jared, why would you be selling your new WRX?!

Mike D.

 

[Jared_B]

Jared, why would you be selling your new WRX?!

I get tired of cars way too soon! I'm currently looking at the Mazda 6 as a replacement. The 'Rex is great fun, but a little on the small side for people and cargo. Plus, the 6 has better highway manners (I'm on the freeway 2 hours per day).

I agree that new is probably the way to go right now on a WRX. For some reason, dealers seem to be giving great deals on them, while they are still in high demand on the used market.

 

[Philip_G]

went and test drove a new '03 today. Lucked out and got a friendly saleman that understood what test drives are for and let me beat on it a little bit, fun car.
I'm a little dissapointed though, it just doesn't FEEL quick for some reason to me, maybe it just ins't broken in enough..

 

[Philip_G]

ugh, I checked insurance :frowning:

the cheapest I can do appears to be 150 a month. a 300$ car payment plus 150 for insurance is just too much of my monthly budget, I can't afford the car :frowning:

I want to get rid of my altima so bad I could cry at this point.

 

[Mike__D]

I can't afford the car

Sorry to hear that... but there still is the used market. Just make sure you know the history and check for modifications.

Mike D.

 

[Philip_G]

Sorry to hear that... but there still is the used market. Just make sure you know the history and check for modifications.

the used market is a joke on WRX's, I'm having a hard time finding anything decent under 19k, I can get a new one for ~23k with the 04 on the way.
Unless Jared wants to hook me up

with the downturn of the economy, I think the car market is pretty sluggish, I'll wait until the 04 hits the dealerships and pick up a used 02 or 03 maybe a little cheaper

about the turbo lag, yes I did notice it, the car has a dr jekyl and mr hyde personality, drive it gently and it's a pussycat, launch it from 4k RPM and it was pretty brutal. But from a roll, in say 3rd at 4k rpm it just didn't have that neck snapping feel, maybe because it had 80 miles on it LOL or maybe I was tense driving a new car with an observer. The salemen was way cool. I appreciate a salemen that understands the car is built to be driven hard. I've read cranking the boost to something like 16psi helps the lag a lot.

another ?, do either of you have the short shift kit? this car didn't, but I sat in another that did and really liked it.

I'm not feeling so bad about losing the cycle if I can swing a WRX, I'm going to be really unhappy if I can't swing it and sell the bike.

 

[Jared_B]

Philip, the stock ECU limits boost until you reach full throttle. Once you spend a little time with the car, you learn how to drive it the way it likes to be driven.

Also, boost is also limited in first and second gears. You don't start making a full 14.5 psi until third gear. I installed a manual boost controller on mine a while back to help this. Right now, I have it set at about 15 psi max, and while the difference in gears 3,4 and 5 is noticable - the difference in first and second is huge. I wouldn't recommend setting a boost controller to anything higher than 15.5 psi without adding additional fuel into the mix.

Looks like I'll be keeping my WRX for a while anyway - just found out I have to pay the IRS a healthy amount.

My insurance on the Rex is about $115/mo, but I'm still listed as married. Once my divorce is final, it will go up I'm sure!

 

[Mike__D]

Manual boost controllers aren't the best idea, as they can raise Exhuast Gas Temps very high, but they are a cheap fix. The best bet is to get the ECU reflashed with new maps. This let's the ECU do it's thing and keeps the safety net. Piggy back computers and boost controllers only fool the ECU, which generally isn't a great idea.

The problem with the reflash is it's expensive. Close to $1K. But this is relatively new for the WRX. Audi/VW has had reflashed chips for a long time now and are much cheaper. I expect the price should come down in a year or so, as it becomes more common.

RE: the short shift kit, no I do not have it, nor have I tried it. Compared to my A4, the shifts on the WRX were much tighter and shorter, so I was pretty happy with that. Plus I have the armrest extension and the stock shifter is at the perfect height... any shorter and the extension may get in the way.

Mike D.

 

[Jared_B]

I agree totally, Mike. With my MBC overriding the stock boost control, I have to constantly keep an eye on the boost gauge. The MBC allows you to build full boost on only part throttle, which can cause the engine to run lean. On the plus side, when at full throttle, you build boost faster than stock.

 

[Philip_G]

I think some of the stuff is coming down already, the vishnu stage 0 kit is about a grand I think, and includes some ECU, weather it be a reflash or a piggyback, I dunno. Most of what I read made no sense.