Faults:

Transmission lock out happened twice during ownership.

A/C was average at best during the hot summer months.

Rear hatch support failed at 40,000 miles.

Maintenance for general things was costly, but worth it in the long run.

General Comments:

This was my wife's absolute favorite car, which was fun to drive, but the dealer made for a very unfavorable experience. Make sure you find a proper independent mechanic to help you work through the quirks of a Subaru.

This is not the first Subby I have owned and will not be the last. Subaru dealers have an issue with realizing fault when they don't rustproof their vehicles properly. I took my TS wagon in to have the 100,000 mile belt replacement and engine overhaul done, to realize I could punch a screwdriver through integral parts of the chassis. I traded it in the next week for a NUMMI Pontiac and haven't looked back. My wife wants a Subby in the worst way; I just have to find a dealer that isn't a shyster.

Faults:

Transmission blew up due to transmission line rubbing on the steering column and bursting. Get that checked out when you buy a used one. Very tough transmission indeed though. Still used today. BTW, it was $3500 CDN to replace.

Nothing else. It was a great car until I crashed it! :(

General Comments:

Very fun to drive. AWD isn't 50/50 split unless you get a manual 5 speed (get the 5 speed).

Good all-seasons or winters + AWD is awesome fun in the winter months.

Keep up basic and advanced maintenance using good products like Mobil 1, Wix filters, Amsoil oils, and Subaru OEM, and this car will last forever.

Many aftermarket solutions for this little car. Even a supercharger for the 2.5L that will out do a WRX!

Join a local forum so you can learn about this awesome little car.

Faults:

The car works perfect; the only thing that has broke is the clock.

General Comments:

The car is great; it feels great in the turns.

The transmission is great, but it's easy to miss a gear sometimes, but it really needs a sixth gear. The gas would be great if it had sixth gear, but other than that, it's perfect.

Faults:

Only one minor problem in 96K miles. At 43K miles a pin in the turbo wastegate linkage fell out. The car was able to run in this condition, but the turbocharger would not actuate. I diagnosed this problem myself and the next day my Subaru dealer replaced the 25-cent pin free of charge and under the 50K Subaru of America powertrain warranty.

General Comments:

A superb sports sedan at a bargain price. Zero to sixty MPH in 5.2 seconds places this car in the performance class. All wheel drive (AWD) and handling is awesome on twisty roads and a breeze on the freeways.

The creature comforts are... spartan. The car is built to be as light as possible, and this value affects everything on the vehicle. Take special care with the paint: it's thin and water-based, and doesn't like abrasion or bird droppings. The interior materials are very lightweight, but sufficiently durable to hold up well with reasonable care.

The WRX is a car built for drivers who value performance over creature luxuries. The 2003 is the last of the so-called "bug-eye" WRXs. I like the no-nonsense look of the WRX, especially the bug-eyes with their excellent supplementary driving lights. Be advised that the car will not win admiring glances from those who are easily seduced by the way a car looks.

The driver's position is well laid out. Visibility is very good and all controls within easy reach. The back seats were not designed to accommodate passengers comfortably on long trips, but will get the kids to school and back just fine. The WRX Sedan is an extremely comfortable sports car during long trips for two. Out here in the American West, I have taken many 8-13 hour long trips in the WRX and loved every minute of them.

The WRX is designed to be customized. I greatly improved the handling of my WRX by upgrading the standard wheels and tires to 17 X 7.5 SSR Competition forged aluminum wheels (weighing 12 lbs. apiece) and sticky 25/45/17 Kumho Ecsta MX "summer" tires. This wheel/tire combination gave my WRX improved dry and wet performance, and dogged durability on a wide variety of road and street conditions.

I provide impeccable maintenance for the WRX, including replacing the conventional oil and filter between 3-4K miles. The 2.0 liter turbo flat-4 is a high performance 230 HP engine and the base engine for the famous Subaru WRC rally car. Later models of the WRX use the 2.5 liter engine that provides a modest 10 HP gain.

I do not recommend the Subaru WRX for young drivers. The car is a small, light and very powerful performer that can run away from unwary drivers.

I've owned small sports cars for 35 years. The WRX is my favorite so far.