Drive another 02-05 wrx and compare. that's the best thing I can tell ya. if you can feel a major difference, then upgrade the bushings. But I highly doubt you will, because the issue you're describing is basically SOP for older wrx's.

if you're bored and want to spend money for science, then sure do it

:p

Will save monies and buy downpipe instead.

lol wat
Everything I've done on my sti is done on a Miata in half the time with half as much blood.

except oil filter changes
blows my mind how terribly mazda placed it

Remote filter kit was one of the first things I did to the car. Will have to remove it once SC goes on.

It's your car, do what you want.
I thought that dumping lots of money that could have went elsewhere in the car would make the shifter passable.
No, I wish I would have put the money elsewhere. The shifter really is just not gonna compare to the miata.
Yep, crowded engine bay with all the turbo poop.
I elected not to put one in when I could, makes servicing a breeze, so much simpler engine bay layout.
Naturally aspirated subie for the ease.

Why not have both? I do, no problems here.

lol, n/a subies are cakewalk to work on, probably as easy as, if not easier then, a Miata.
Not even in the same realm as turbo ones.

Speaking of which, I've been doing quite a few 2015-17 STi's lately, talk about a PAIN in the butt, the way they designed the cowl, you cannot even get to the turbo without pulling the intercooler and sound tube.

And you'll love this: the tube is plumbed in after the maf, so if it ever leaks, the car will lean out and likely blow up hahaha
That's on top of the weak pistons and spun bearing issues they seem to be plagued with, ANNND the janky air/smog pumps ANND the janky fpr/pulse dampener issues.

Subaru really stopped caring about the sti powertrain the past few years. Hopefully the new one they're supposedly developing is actually well engineered. The EJ served a hard long life, time to embrace the times.

Yeah the reason they keep adding all that janky shit to the EJ is because they're trying to pass current emissions with a decades old block.

As much as I love the EJ, it's time to let go.

Pre can-bus or not at all.
leave the easy swap options open.

You can probably get a Bosch reman for under $200. I've had really decent luck with them in the past.

Drill down through the menus here for the part number: https://www.boschautoparts.com/en/au...red-alternator
and then let Google find you a seller. Summit has most of the Subaru models for under $200 including a $30~$70 core charge, model dependant of course. When it's time to replace the 75A alternator on the WRX I'm going to look for one out of a EJ25 Forester X with all the bells and whistles, because its around 130A. Either a Bosch reman or a used one from someones partout somewhere.

If you really want to go cheap, you can always try to rebuild it yourself. Bearings and brushes are super cheap and easy to replace, and the regulator circuits are pretty generic and avalible online with a bit of searching.

I did brushes, bearings and polished the commutator on a 90s Ford T-Bird junkyard 3G alternator and swapped it into my 73 Ford pickup. Externally regulated 40A to internally regulated 160A makes one hell of a difference with ye olde sealed beam headlights :giggle:
And yes, other wiring upgrades were required ;)

We got a foot and a half of snow here over the last few days and it's still going.

Much fun was had. I legitimately go up my steep driveway sideways. GF did it a few times since we left her car in a covered lot at school and she was grinning the entire time.

When I replaced the wrx one shortly before selling it I plugged in random models to find the cheapest one and it was like a 120A one from a forester that was the cheapest from the parts store. cheaper than the 90A on that came on wrxs.

I just now watched the "unveiling" of the "updated" 2018 wrx/sti :laugh:

I mean.........they just gave up

I know. When are they going to put 2.5 FA in the car and give it a power bump?

I think someone mentioned 2020? hahaha
And even then I don't think anyone is even confirmed anything about FA or what it will even be.
Though to be fair, they are making a ton of money, and with no real effort at all, why would they change that?

A coworker came to me today to ask about subaru things, because I have one. It sounds like he's looking at a 2010 Impreza 2.5 automatic 5 door (wagon) that is owned by another friends girlfriend. Its supposedly 100% dealer serviced and unmodified, but needs a muffler? Kinda odd but whatever. She is smart and has money so the thing most likely isn't neglected, but I told him to ask about service records anyway. She says the only reason she's selling is that she wants a new '17 Impreza wagon. He's not a "car guy" so I went over used car basics with him, but is there anything specific to these particular cars I should tell him to look out for? TIA! :bigtu:

Head gaskets are a wear item on those. Every 80-100k or so unless you upgrade them to a revised non-piece of junk ones

Ahhh, I thought it might be in that age range. Is there any sort of recall or TSB on it, or is Subaru just pretending to ignore the problem in hopes that it will go away?