Is the 2.5 generally OK in the WRX if it's not being modified and just left as standard or does it suffer the same sort of failures as the STI?

 

From what ive read on here the same problem im afraid!!

 

My 2.5 WRX is modified with CAT back exhaust and intake.

Not mapped.

So very little change.

Currently at 123,000 miles with no problems at all averaging 100 miles a day

 

yup still crap

 

Anecdotally they'd seem to fail less often than the STI engine.

Running less boost you'd expect that.

 

OK here is my dilemma. I want a close to standard as possible Impreza WRX wagon! Ideally I wnat as new as possible and a 2l so that means 2004/2005, but I can't find any that are at a sensible price and haven't been majorly modded.

Tomorrow I am looking at a 2006 2.5 WRX wagon.... but of course I fear the dreaded 2.5!!!

What to do?

 

looking through past threads i would stay away unless you want to spend a few grand forging it when it go's

 

You are never going to get a well balanced and clear answer to this question, I would say, without knowing you that if it goes you will be kicking yourself.

Is getting the internales forged and a little bit of extra power to make more sense out of the rebuild not a option. The 2.5 has fly-by-wire throttle as you may know, you could have ECUTEK racerom with one map for low power good fuel and one map for a little bit extra.

p.s there was a thread on here if you didn't see it where a wrx 2.5 was used standard as a daily and did something like 269.000ish.

 

No having forged rebuilds isn't the way I want to go. This is daily driver and workhorse, different if it was a hobby car, but that us in the garage already

What's the chances I get lucky? Ever hopeful.

 

If the cars solid and well looked after then why not? Engine failure isn't guaranteed by any stretch of the imagination and of course there are things you can do to help safeguard the engine (decent fuel, mechanical sympathy etc).

 

To be fair it would be in the back of my mind waiting for it to go pop ...

 

I bet you £5 it will be o.k, that way if it does go bang you are part way to getting it fixed.

It is a shame though, iam sure a 2.5 wagon is a great car to own under the right circumstances, hope you can find the confidence to buy one and have trouble free motoring.

 

Sorry to keep coming back, my little brain keeps ticking over.

Surely the main problem with the 2.5 sti is Subaru trying to get good power and meet European standards and subsequently failing. The wrx on the other hand is not pushing for more than the engine can give.

If the sti is on the limit then by that logic the wrx should be below the limit.

 

can't see the point in hanging out for a late blob, higher tax band for what is the same car as the 04.....

 

The only time I ever think about failure is when I'm reminded by reading posts on threads like this.

 

get a JDM widetrack only £200ish for a year

 

My thoughts exactly. No point worrying about it, it might never happen.

 

Didn't the high tax band start some way through 2006, I think you can even get a early hawkeye with the lower tax, in fact you can.

 

Sometime early march I think

 

Yup.. You can.. I have one.

 

Hold out for a 2.0L Blob, better to pay £500 more now than £3k later.

2.0L PPP is the way to go if you want to have any confidence in the car and you can give it beans too, mine is on 109k still gets driven hard and been trouble free for 3yrs.

I'm sure some 2.5's do ok, but they seem to be the exception as opposed to the rule, at least with the 2.0L you know they're pretty bullet proof if well looked after.

As with anything it just takes a bit of time to find the right car.

 

In summary
If you want to buy a Subaru with a 2.5 litre engine
Pay the Price ( negotiate as hard as you can for cash discount )
Keep £5000 in the bank /under matteress and a phone number for a engine builder .

Surely now garages on the trade will be aware of the problems and will gave lower trade inns to cover potential problems in the future with the cars .

Subaru 2.5
Total disaster
Unless you forge them then you have a great car but for another 5k extra spend are they really worth it over rival modles ?

 

In my opinion the 2.5 WRX engine does not suffer the failure rate of the 2.5 STI, the WRX still suffers from the headgasket problem, but at much higher mileage than the STI version.
The 2.5 WRX does have a different design cylinder head combustion chamber to the STI, it seems to give the piston a easier life, as does a slighly lower compression ratio.

 

Well just had a look on Autotrader and I can see your problem, they seem to be holding there money well and pretty reliable too, many well over 130k one even at 170k, this is the best compromise between miles and price one I could find.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...reza?logcode=p

 

I also have a hawkeye sti in the lower tax band (55 plate) and have just swapped out my engine (still running sweet) for a forged one from a breakers for £1500 ,, that was easy to justify when most other hawks are paying loads more in tax


you don't HAVE to spend £5k on a rebuild to have a good 2.5 you just have to plan ahead and not wait for the worst to happen ,,, hope for the best but plan for the worst ,,,, a good 2.5 is such a awesome car to drive day to day its worth it in the long run and with a work hourse torque is everything

 

I think there is clearly substance to the 2.5 reported issues.

However, one can work out that most (but not all) failures are on modified engines and on the STI variant.

A standard, well looked after WRX will minimise the chance of any engine issues but then if you are that worried, just buy something else.

But just like you, once bitten by the Impreza bug, nothing else comes close for an every day fun car.

 

As you know Chris I have just taken the plunge and got myself a 2.5 wrx wagon. The way I see it is that an engine is mechanical whichever make/model/version you get..
No matter what you do you will always get some that go wrong and they are the horror stories that people post on places like this..
Most people forget about all the people that have the same car with no problems whatsoever but dont broadcast it..
It will depend on how well a car has been maintained, and having seen the car you are looking at, Providing you can get some clarity on the belt change..You should be fine.

 

I've been in the scene for 14 years now along with many others and over 1600 posts on 2.5 engine failures means something is seriously wrong with 2008 + cars engines

It will be interesting to review this thread in a year to see how many more have gone pop as well as the 2011 modle years which is just starting it seems
But if a worry that the 2011 cars are now starting

When will the 2014 cars start ?

 

I will add this fuel to the fire....

I was talking to an independent Subaru dealer a few days ago and he told me that he knows of only ONE engine failure on a 2.5 engine

 

I forgot to add that it seems like its post 2008 cars that go wrong although im not 100% sure on what the differences between early 2.5s and post 2008 cars are?? But by the sounds of it somethings different to cause or contribute to the cause of the failures??