Death To Ricers I saw one going for literally $10K that was automatic and had 260K miles, reason it was supposedly worth so much was a limited edition paint color
When I test drove my 2002 wrx a stoplight turned green and I punched it...my wife thought we were being rear ended. That is when she realized why I wanted that car.
Owned one...loved it...probably the most fun I'll ever have in any car. I own the new WRX but I'm too old to be as crazy as I was in 02. Those were good times. I miss that car.
I still drive an 02 WRX WRB that I bought brand new in May of 2001. It's only 16 years old. I'm doing timing belt/idlers/tensioner/water pump for the second time very soon, and putting in KOYO aluminum radiator. (181k miles). The 5sp. manual has been rebuilt at 150k miles, the motor is fine. The car is stage 2 tuned, for the last 10 years, with original oem TD04 turbo. I need new shocks/struts in the rear.
@@Ferraridude13 Yes still on original motor/turbo, almost 200k miles on odo (195,550 miles not a daily driver anymore). New shocks/springs, new front/rear oem wheel bearings, new front aluminum control arms (STi), new 'rebuilt' alternator/starter. Needs a new sterring rack, too much play in original, and also the AC comressor is shot, needs one too.
maxxjett films : Please see my experience with my 2002 Wagon WRX and tell me if you can relate to any of the issues that I have described. Every 2002 I ever saw on the streets at the time had the broken plastic attachment points between the front bumper and the inner wheel housing. All the dealer ever did was replace the whole big liner in the front wheel housing on each side and then about a month or so later it would crack yet again! What did you do to fix this incredibly annoying problem. Also the manual transmissions were weak as hell on these cars. There were endless stories of blown transmissions. Also the paint was horrible on these cars. It was thin and chipped like crazy on the front end. Rock chips appeared everywhere. Interior plastic panels didn’t line up properly... It was endless......
had an 04 wrx sedan pretty basic stage 2 w/protune, idk about the bumper thing but was on a 2nd trans at around 120k, HG went around then too. the paint was thin and chipped too lol. didnt notice anything wrong with my interior i always thought it was pretty nice considering i come from a background of gutted hondas and rx7s. got boring after a while and didnt wanna invest the money for the power level i wanted.
You can't do that in an AWD car. It's not going to launch well and causes significant wear on the transmission components. This cars transmission was weaker and less resistant to abuse vs the STI.
My brother's had one since new (2002 5-speed wagon), still practically stock and low miles, I've driven it a lot. I was driving my 2004 MkIV GTI 1.8T for most of that time, and I preferred my GTI for a lot of it mostly just due to how much more grip and turn-in the GTI offers than the WRX, and a lot of the feel of it, but now my GTI is gone and I've learned to drive his car more properly, it is a blast of a thing. It feels like a rollerskate and it has LOTS of power, the 227/217 rating is deceptively light for how fast it feels. The brakes didn't quite hold up to track work awesomely when my brother joined me at a trackday with it (it was a hot day at Buttonwillow, which is a pretty tough track on brakes), the shifter is notchy (but nicely direct), the clutch is tough to be smooth with until you get a lot of practice and it's easy to induce whipping drivetrain lash, it's economy-car loud inside, the interior plastics are not soft touch...but they are durable, and it's held up very well, and it feels exciting and mechanical and grounded in the act of gripping the road. They are great cars.
What I always loved about the 00's WRX was it actually looked like the rally car, even more so if you got one in STi spec. It was like a matchbox car for adults almost, made you feel like a kid with the way it drove.
Ah, the “bug-eye” WRX, those were the days. Subaru timed their introduction to the car in America perfectly. Before 2002, the Japanese performance car market in America was lacking at best. The Nissan Z car, the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, and Mitsubishi 3000GT were all dead. The NSX was on its way out, and the Integra Type-R had just been discontinued. Then Subaru comes along with the WRX and all of a sudden we had a potent performance car that the working class could afford. Then in ‘03 we got the EVO and in ‘04 we got the WRX STI which was all the rage in the car world, almost like the Mustang vs. Camaro debate in the late 1960’s.
I’ve had some great cars in my life, and this is the best of all. Fun to drive, interesting and solid engineering, utilitarian, and great in snow. Still driving it.
I was quite relieved that Subaru USA & Canada got the message that American and Canadian drivers wanted the WRX; which overseas drivers got to enjoy for years before it came to America. I remember my first encounter with this car (this design) at the 2001 Detroit Auto Show and thinking to myself; "AT LAST!"
I purchased my 2002 Bug Eye 5 speed manual in Summer of 2002. Wrote a check for $27,500 and walked out with the title. I shopped a few dealers and the best I could do was knock $700.00 off of list price. With options such as the rare gauges mounted up on the dash by the dealer if my memory is correct...I think the gauge option was $700.00 Ouch! No wonder hardly anyone purchased those. $27,500 sure was a lot of money for 2002 but I planned on keeping her for a long time. That didn’t happen. The synchros went in the transmission at 31K. The clutch had a recall or TSB, YES, I know there is a difference and that needed to be replaced under warranty. The plastic attachment points that held the front bumper on broke about 15+ times per side! Requiring me to go back to the dealership countless times. The sheet “metal” was so thin that dents just happened out of nowhere. A small branch fell out of a tree and landed on that expensive aluminum hood...3 dents. Anything that came in contact with that thin sheet metal left a dent. I have owned a lot of cars and non of them had this problem. I would love to hear from other REX owners who had the bug eye and what they have to say about the beer can thin body. I had so many problems with this car that I had to Lemon Law it. The only time I ever sued anyone for anything was Subaru over this first model year car in America. Yes, it was that bad. But strange as it may seem I would still buy another Subaru because they have a fantastic reputation and I see many old Subies on the road with hundreds of thousands of miles on them.
I still own one, it's actually aluminum used for weigh savings, not thin sheet metal, i also owned a 2000 legacy GT and it had a regular metal hood and let me tell you i appreciate the light weight aluminum although yes its super easy to get dents, but prettt easy to pull out as well. Its just something that comes with the "sportiness" of the car.
I had an 05' with a 5 speed manual I bought new. For the guy(s) moaning about sticks, my wife would take it into NYC (Brooklyn) to visit her parents and had no problem driving it in heavy traffic. It was a great car. I cant wait for the WRX to be built on the new global platform.
I had a 02 Impreza 2.5 RS 5 speed manual. That car was fun to drive. Now I have a 13 Impreza premium wagon automatic transmission with 6 speed Manual. With paddle shifters on the steering wheel. This car is a blast also fun to drive. Maybe a little more. Both cars are silver.
5.6 seconds to 60 in 2002 is damn good. Even though they may have not been the most reliable, they were good cars, Its too bad the prices are gauged to hell for one these days.
I remember watching this or Car & Driver TV about the WRX four-door, and one of their issues with it was with the legroom in the back, and they called it "a four-door coupe" for that reason. Anyone else remember that episode?
I don't remember the episode, but I remember in high school when a buddy got one of these when they were new, that fitting average-sized people in the back seat was not exactly a simple process. As fun as it was, we definitely did not use this car for road trips...
Still loving these retro reviews!! Notice a little flub though when John states that the car comes on full boost by 4K and pulls hard the rest of the way to the 6000 RPM redline. I was like huh? Thought it was 7. See later in the vid, yes it is 7. Ehh, nobody's perfect!
I remember the first time I saw one of these. I was driving my 91 5.0 and I heard someone reving their motor at me. I look and it's the guy behind me, it sounded cool and I could hear the bov. light turns green and I take off with all that my 5.0 had, before I could reach the speed limit this white wagon bugeye wrx just Flys past me. I was impressed.
Just wow. I watched the 2018 wrx vid before clicking on this one and they have the exact same 0-60 time and just about the same quarter mile time. How is Subaru still in business.
So did I, but I was 8, lol. I'd freak out every time I saw one...I'd get one now if the ricers hadn't ruined all their interiors and insurance rates. Maybe someday I'll have money for a mint example.
Looking at them now, I am struck of how fucking small they were. Literally, sub compact dimensions if not worse. I owned a 1999 RS and still don't remember how truly small it really was.
My 02 still has the stock clutch and tranny, I've used launch control a few times and it's still fine. I have a launch vid on my channel. I think you just need to drop the clutch and not slip it and try to induce some wheel spin to dissipate driveline shock...or maybe the tranny goes boom...I'm sure it will happen one of these days...
That launch was fucking brutal. Motorweek does not fuck around.
I am realy astonished, i looked it 3 times to believe it.
that gear box lasted less than a year...lol
Craigslist be like 180k miles 10k FIRM no lowballers
That much, really? I have one to sell with 160K. That is more than I expected.
CGPacifica WRX is like 5k-7. Sti are 9k+
Death To Ricers and then you get there and the interior is shit, hasn't passed smog, weird rattle in the rear and Guy claims its good.
Death To Ricers I saw one going for literally $10K that was automatic and had 260K miles, reason it was supposedly worth so much was a limited edition paint color
Justin Noker i hate when they pull off the color bullshit
When I test drove my 2002 wrx a stoplight turned green and I punched it...my wife thought we were being rear ended.
That is when she realized why I wanted that car.
im also a fan of being rear ended
@@greatheightsu are you being perverted?
@@waynes.2983 You know it, peg buddy ;)
2000-2005 was a bonus stage to the 90s
Love this comment
Love that snazzy early 2000s lounge music in the background. Reminds me of good ol' Gran Turismo.
OOOoohhhh nuts, fellow gamers
Gran Turismo is supposed to remind you of *this*, not the other way around. Motorweek has been using this music since the early 90's, perhaps 80's.
seriouscatisserious in the review not the intro, yeah the intro music is 80s
Same
2002 is "retro" now? I feel old.
As you should
The Naked Argonian Man... I graduated high school in 2002...
Hey, 2002 is almost 16 years ago now.
The Naked Argonian the Nintendo DS released in 2004 and some are already calling it a retro console... I'm old...
It is man. I was 7 when these came out. I always loved them from the window of my mom's Odyssey
Owned one...loved it...probably the most fun I'll ever have in any car.
I own the new WRX but I'm too old to be as crazy as I was in 02.
Those were good times.
I miss that car.
I still drive an 02 WRX WRB that I bought brand new in May of 2001. It's only 16 years old. I'm doing timing belt/idlers/tensioner/water pump for the second time very soon, and putting in KOYO aluminum radiator. (181k miles). The 5sp. manual has been rebuilt at 150k miles, the motor is fine. The car is stage 2 tuned, for the last 10 years, with original oem TD04 turbo. I need new shocks/struts in the rear.
Still going?
@@Ferraridude13 Yes still on original motor/turbo, almost 200k miles on odo (195,550 miles not a daily driver anymore). New shocks/springs, new front/rear oem wheel bearings, new front aluminum control arms (STi), new 'rebuilt' alternator/starter. Needs a new sterring rack, too much play in original, and also the AC comressor is shot, needs one too.
@@wadysawkurcharczyk5479 YES! its still on the road
The classic bug-eye, probably one of the best looking imprezas there were
To me, Blobeye is the best
No, the Hawk eye is the best! To each his own lol
Vaughn Shaff true
David S that was the "last" good looking wrx
EEW. No.
lmao, "almost as cool wagon is available".....my dear John, the wagon is where it's at :)
Agree, I had a choice and wagon was it. Saw one review (back in the day) and the top speed was 155 mph - wagon
For $500 less!
Need more early 2000's episodes!
I bought my bugeye wrx brand new in 2002 and still have it today. Although it is far from stock anymore...😈
maxxjett films : Please see my experience with my 2002 Wagon WRX and tell me if you can relate to any of the issues that I have described. Every 2002 I ever saw on the streets at the time had the broken plastic attachment points between the front bumper and the inner wheel housing. All the dealer ever did was replace the whole big liner in the front wheel housing on each side and then about a month or so later it would crack yet again! What did you do to fix this incredibly annoying problem. Also the manual transmissions were weak as hell on these cars. There were endless stories of blown transmissions. Also the paint was horrible on these cars. It was thin and chipped like crazy on the front end. Rock chips appeared everywhere. Interior plastic panels didn’t line up properly... It was endless......
had an 04 wrx sedan pretty basic stage 2 w/protune, idk about the bumper thing but was on a 2nd trans at around 120k, HG went around then too. the paint was thin and chipped too lol. didnt notice anything wrong with my interior i always thought it was pretty nice considering i come from a background of gutted hondas and rx7s. got boring after a while and didnt wanna invest the money for the power level i wanted.
Bought Mine 2005 in 2006 "new" and still have it. Only have an small tip schaust, a lighter flywheel and DBA diskbrakes modded
Would be cool if it were a stock survivor and not just another riced out old wrx...
aka another completely trashed wrx
5.6 to 60!?!?!
In 2002!?!?!
ON 205s!?!?!?
and for less then $800 you can get another 60HP
pbfloyd13 I'm pretty sure it could do the same 0-60 on 185s, traction is not a problem
looking at the test you can see they know how to launch an awd car
You can't do that in an AWD car. It's not going to launch well and causes significant wear on the transmission components. This cars transmission was weaker and less resistant to abuse vs the STI.
Jeff what do you reckon the 0-60 is if driven FAST but not abusively fast?
'02 hatchback, 198K , bought new and still and great car. Game changer in 2002
My brother's had one since new (2002 5-speed wagon), still practically stock and low miles, I've driven it a lot. I was driving my 2004 MkIV GTI 1.8T for most of that time, and I preferred my GTI for a lot of it mostly just due to how much more grip and turn-in the GTI offers than the WRX, and a lot of the feel of it, but now my GTI is gone and I've learned to drive his car more properly, it is a blast of a thing. It feels like a rollerskate and it has LOTS of power, the 227/217 rating is deceptively light for how fast it feels. The brakes didn't quite hold up to track work awesomely when my brother joined me at a trackday with it (it was a hot day at Buttonwillow, which is a pretty tough track on brakes), the shifter is notchy (but nicely direct), the clutch is tough to be smooth with until you get a lot of practice and it's easy to induce whipping drivetrain lash, it's economy-car loud inside, the interior plastics are not soft touch...but they are durable, and it's held up very well, and it feels exciting and mechanical and grounded in the act of gripping the road. They are great cars.
What I always loved about the 00's WRX was it actually looked like the rally car, even more so if you got one in STi spec. It was like a matchbox car for adults almost, made you feel like a kid with the way it drove.
This car probably made me the car enthusiast I am today. Heck I still have the two 2002 WRX diecasts in my room back home today.
This was a brilliant car to drive ! Subaru engineering was in the zone when they made this wrx ..
I love my bugeye wrx, great video!
A solid review that holds-up. Go, Bugeye, Go
ii have one and i love it with all my heart !!!
This car still looks so good. I always wanted a bugeye wrx.
The description is true.
Mel Laknanurak lmao
Mel Laknanurak I agree with you there
@2:54 that was one hell of a turn
It was sure worth the wait, John.
Ah, the “bug-eye” WRX, those were the days. Subaru timed their introduction to the car in America perfectly. Before 2002, the Japanese performance car market in America was lacking at best. The Nissan Z car, the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, and Mitsubishi 3000GT were all dead. The NSX was on its way out, and the Integra Type-R had just been discontinued. Then Subaru comes along with the WRX and all of a sudden we had a potent performance car that the working class could afford. Then in ‘03 we got the EVO and in ‘04 we got the WRX STI which was all the rage in the car world, almost like the Mustang vs. Camaro debate in the late 1960’s.
I’ve had some great cars in my life, and this is the best of all. Fun to drive, interesting and solid engineering, utilitarian, and great in snow. Still driving it.
Im still driving mine too and still love it
When a review from 2002 is considered retro, you realize how old you actually are...
One of my all time favorite cars I had.. I miss it greatly,..
Seeing this labeled as a "retro" review sure makes me feel old...
Awesome review. Every bit what I have experienced myself driving my modded 2003 WRX. What a car!
I love Subaru, is great and best small car japanese
I was quite relieved that Subaru USA & Canada got the message that American and Canadian drivers wanted the WRX; which overseas drivers got to enjoy for years before it came to America. I remember my first encounter with this car (this design) at the 2001 Detroit Auto Show and thinking to myself; "AT LAST!"
A forever classic.
I love Subaru Impreza, best car
Man, seeing that interior like new is crazy lol. I've own one used.
The interior is laughable nowadays but at the time they probably looked really cool
"almost as cool wagon" psh. I love my 05 saabaru
A car for people who always have a can of NOS in the cup holder.
Hands down, one of best cars ever in made this Century.
Love these videos with older cars!
What flavor vape came with the blue models?
kirbyswarp Hey your trying to be funny aren't you 🤔
Fairly certain the Oklahoma editions are the only ones that came with a Vape-Port.
SubieFL When you get butthurt over a joke, you know it hit close to home
driftster99 yeah, sorry I should have known it was blueberry hurricane© flavor
Blueberry.
the most beautiful thing to ever come out of japan !!!!! it blows my mind some of the sweetest angles on this car
I purchased my 2002 Bug Eye 5 speed manual in Summer of 2002. Wrote a check for $27,500 and walked out with the title. I shopped a few dealers and the best I could do was knock $700.00 off of list price. With options such as the rare gauges mounted up on the dash by the dealer if my memory is correct...I think the gauge option was $700.00 Ouch! No wonder hardly anyone purchased those. $27,500 sure was a lot of money for 2002 but I planned on keeping her for a long time. That didn’t happen. The synchros went in the transmission at 31K. The clutch had a recall or TSB, YES, I know there is a difference and that needed to be replaced under warranty. The plastic attachment points that held the front bumper on broke about 15+ times per side! Requiring me to go back to the dealership countless times. The sheet “metal” was so thin that dents just happened out of nowhere. A small branch fell out of a tree and landed on that expensive aluminum hood...3 dents. Anything that came in contact with that thin sheet metal left a dent. I have owned a lot of cars and non of them had this problem. I would love to hear from other REX owners who had the bug eye and what they have to say about the beer can thin body. I had so many problems with this car that I had to Lemon Law it. The only time I ever sued anyone for anything was Subaru over this first model year car in America. Yes, it was that bad. But strange as it may seem I would still buy another Subaru because they have a fantastic reputation and I see many old Subies on the road with hundreds of thousands of miles on them.
I still own one, it's actually aluminum used for weigh savings, not thin sheet metal, i also owned a 2000 legacy GT and it had a regular metal hood and let me tell you i appreciate the light weight aluminum although yes its super easy to get dents, but prettt easy to pull out as well. Its just something that comes with the "sportiness" of the car.
2:10 That skrrt off the line tho 👍
Listened to this while driving down the road in my 2022 WRX
Im still lusting over it....and its in my driveway!
Hurts that just 15 years ago is considered retro.
*cough* 19 years
I have an 03 with 6spd, MapDCCD, 20G, suspension and brembos. LOVE IT
Best first car a kid could have asked for. I worked so hard to buy mine
Amazing how little the WRX has changed since then.
Mainly for worse, considering how little power has increased over the years.
@@ThehatedPOOPTATOit's a better "car" for roads than it was back then
What a great looking car. What a performer! Worth every dollar you pay for them!
16 years later 2018 still do the same 0-60 time.
This car help me buy most of the cars on the SONY PLAYSTATION GT game.
me too
Wow! Think I need one of these. Now to convince the wife. Thanks MW.
I had an 05' with a 5 speed manual I bought new. For the guy(s) moaning about sticks, my wife would take it into NYC (Brooklyn) to visit her parents and had no problem driving it in heavy traffic. It was a great car. I cant wait for the WRX to be built on the new global platform.
This was me first car! Loved it!
I had a 02 Impreza 2.5 RS 5 speed manual. That car was fun to drive. Now I have a 13 Impreza premium wagon automatic transmission with 6 speed Manual. With paddle shifters on the steering wheel. This car is a blast also fun to drive. Maybe a little more. Both cars are silver.
2:09
DAMN!
Look at that little "bug-eye" JUMP!
my 06 wrx puts down 334 awhp at 180k still, im amazed everyday
Love this gen of wrx.
one of last good Subarus ever made
That's bs, the new WRX is still good, but I do love my bugeye.
Hey this is my car!
Still a great looking car even with the Bugeyed headlights, I liked them. 😀👍
Super cool car! Its unfortunate that this generation WRX is very rare where I live.
I'd never seen the original steering wheel in one of these!
That drift at 3:00 😱
Still got my 2005...never letting it go.
I wish i could go back in time and buy a wrx sti with only 5 miles.
5.6 seconds to 60 in 2002 is damn good. Even though they may have not been the most reliable, they were good cars, Its too bad the prices are gauged to hell for one these days.
not reliable?? Mine has 213k on it, if you drive it like a sane person, they are just as reliable as any honda
"May have". But I agree, if you took care of them they were great. It was mostly the people that modded them that ran into issues.
5.6 back in 2002 was super quick, even today that is a quick time in a stock car.
Might be the best car ever made
Things faster than my '02 Maxima. Sweet!!!
Bought a 2002 wrx wagon new. Still have it, love my bug eye has 114,000 miles
"...almost as cool WRX Wagon..."
SMH
Kyle Lai-Fatt ikr
What I was thinking too. It is a loss we can't get an "...almost as cool WRX Wagon" in 2017.
KLF love my 07 Wagon
Not only that ... they depict a standard Impreza in the photo ... not a WRX.
Kyle Lai-Fatt I love you
I like watching the retro reviews up to the modern, I can track the guys full head of hair to various stages of baldness! lol!
I remember watching this or Car & Driver TV about the WRX four-door, and one of their issues with it was with the legroom in the back, and they called it "a four-door coupe" for that reason. Anyone else remember that episode?
I don't remember the episode, but I remember in high school when a buddy got one of these when they were new, that fitting average-sized people in the back seat was not exactly a simple process. As fun as it was, we definitely did not use this car for road trips...
Still loving these retro reviews!! Notice a little flub though when John states that the car comes on full boost by 4K and pulls hard the rest of the way to the 6000 RPM redline. I was like huh? Thought it was 7. See later in the vid, yes it is 7. Ehh, nobody's perfect!
That DUB YA r x is a sweet ride
People complain that cars are too expensive, but accounting for inflation, this cost nearly $40k USD in today’s money!
The amazing thing is that WRXs have barely gone up in price. Meanwhile a Civic Si with only 200hp is now $30k and the Type R is $44k, for only FWD.
I got a 2003 and love it
We compared these to a Holden Commodore ss in 2002 , similar 0 100km hr times
This is the car that started the craze in the US, amazing
I remember the first time I saw one of these. I was driving my 91 5.0 and I heard someone reving their motor at me. I look and it's the guy behind me, it sounded cool and I could hear the bov. light turns green and I take off with all that my 5.0 had, before I could reach the speed limit this white wagon bugeye wrx just Flys past me. I was impressed.
Man, how I lusted after this car during the FATF days...
Best Subaru ever!!! Bug eye 😍😍🔥🔥
It’s cool and all till a few years later the Sti came out few years later. That really put people in awe
Just wow. I watched the 2018 wrx vid before clicking on this one and they have the exact same 0-60 time and just about the same quarter mile time. How is Subaru still in business.
Like the song. Who is it?
pls upload the review of the hawkeye sti
Best Daily Driver
They used the wrong image for the WRX wagon, the one shown is the impreza outback sport
I love these I want a bug eye Rex so bad
Remember the tv commercial ?
I wanted one so bad was 19 in 2002
So did I, but I was 8, lol. I'd freak out every time I saw one...I'd get one now if the ricers hadn't ruined all their interiors and insurance rates. Maybe someday I'll have money for a mint example.
I want to see a MK4 jetta vr6 or 1.8t review!!
Is the wrx bugeye bad on gas ?
bugeye, blob eye or hawkeye?
Damn that small sedan takes off like a 911 Porsche
I'm a proud owner of a 2016 WRX but I wish I was old enough to buy this one brand new back in the day
Here is a nice cheap 2002 WRX for sale,
www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/31163585
And here is a 2004 WRX with 800 miles,
www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/34121215
Looking at them now, I am struck of how fucking small they were. Literally, sub compact dimensions if not worse. I owned a 1999 RS and still don't remember how truly small it really was.
I remember watching this on cable!
dtofq what channel was it on 🤔
It was either TNN or Speedvision at the time...I think TNN
Can anyone tell me why the wagon version was less expensive? Usually they are slightly more, right?
Good question. The wagon had a slightly narrower track ... about 1/2 inch, I believe. Maybe that is why. They also do not have the blistered fenders.
wrx had recaros and 17 inch mags in Australia
2:09 How did he launch like that? I tried that in my '02 and melted my clutch.
My 02 still has the stock clutch and tranny, I've used launch control a few times and it's still fine. I have a launch vid on my channel. I think you just need to drop the clutch and not slip it and try to induce some wheel spin to dissipate driveline shock...or maybe the tranny goes boom...I'm sure it will happen one of these days...
2:58 nice effort!