A vehicle from 2002 is fairly new to be shown here on Barn Finds, not to mention this one isn’t covered in barn dust. That being said, it’s 24 years old now, and these are interesting little cars. And with a turbocharged boxer engine and 5-speed manual transmission, they’re fun to drive and get decent MPG at the same time, while providing all-season traction. This 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX is listed here on eBay in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and it’s $9,900, or offer.
The six-spoke wheels look somewhat similar to what would have been on this car, but they appear to be chrome. The classic double-spoke wheels are much nicer, in my opinion, which is worthless to anyone but me. This car may not appeal to everyone on Barn Finds, and that’s ok. Not everyone cares for muscle cars, tractors, pickups, or any number of vehicle types. There’s room for everyone here.
The “bugeye” WRX was still part of the Impreza family in this era, at least in name, and this is a second-generation car. They were made from 2000 through 2007, and we received them here in North America from 2002 through 2007. There was a wagon version that would be my choice, especially in Sonic Yellow. Finding one would be harder than finding a mint condition Bugatti Royale on craigslist for $12,500. Well, they’re not that hard to find, but close. Here’s what the trunk compartment looks like. Here is a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX brochure to check out.
My apologies for the composite photos. The seller’s photos are small, and a lot of them are vertical. The Impreza was Subaru’s compact car, and by the second generation, there was no longer a two-door coupe, but I’ve always wondered what one might have looked like. The interior of this car looks nice from what we can tell from the smallish photos. There was no leather seating; this is what you got: fabric seats in a typically gray and blue color scheme, and no power seats. I don’t see a flaw inside at all, or even outside this Platinum Silver car, now that I think about it. The back seat looks like new.
The seller says this was a one-owner car when they got it, and it has just 63,000 miles, but there was an accident – not unusual for WRX owners. As such, the title is listed as “rebuilt,” due to an accident within the first six months of the original owner buying the car in 2002. Keep that in mind while you check out the 2.0-liter DOHC boxer-four with a turbo, 227 horsepower, and 217 lb-ft of torque. Backed by the preferred 5-speed (there was no 6-speed yet, but there was a 4-speed automatic), sending power to all four wheels as needed. They recently put $7,000 into it at a Subaru dealer, which isn’t hard to do. Have any of you owned a WRX? Would you take a chance on this one with a rebuilt title?
These are neat cars. I really liked the blue they had back then, like the one on the cover of the dealer brochure ( Thanks Scotty I really like it when you do that). I’d go with the stock rims as well if possible. Scottys 2 door looks spot on. I remember 2 door Impreza models back in the 90’s. It’s a shame they stopped making those. I don’t know how bad the damage was, but obviously the repairs have stood the test of time here. This looks like it could be a really good deal.
If I could be any kind of racer, Rally would be my choice. It looks like the most fun. These cars just remind me of Rally racing. I’d own it.
“wagon version that would be my choice, especially in Sonic Yellow”
I owned that exact car. Hands down, THE BEST CAR I EVER OWNED. Solidly built, light, nimble, neutral flat handling, and BEGS to be run. Only thing better would have been the STI for 320 HP.
I’ve owned a 911 (1972), Alfa GTV, BMW 2002, 914. They were great for their day, but the WRX is exactly what those cars aspired to be, and it’s 4wd.
These things hold their value well, as there always seems to be a boy racer that wants one and is willing to do what it takes to keep it going.
However, every single one of them has been run hard. You can’t escape it. I seriously doubt that there are any low mileage examples anymore. So you need to know what you are getting, in terms of compression and drivetrain wear and tear.
Yeah, I want another one.
Enjoyed your comments. Yes- we have the next version of this car as a wagon and man it is fun. I was lured into buying it by my then 15 1/2 year old. We went for a rather sedate drive with the owner around town. It seemed solidly put together and I didn’t see any issues so we made an offer. When I went to drive it home and was getting on the freeway, I finally gave it some gas. The turbo kicked in and I thought, holy s#$t! There is no way a 16 year old boy is getting this as his first car. When he got his license we made him drive a much slower car for a couple of months. Deal was he couldn’t have any wrecks or tickets and then he would get the keys. It was a long few months for all of us.
Many repairs later, I don’t see myself ever selling this car. Lots of plastic bits in the interior but it still feels super solid on the road and… knock on wood… has made it through multiple teenage drivers without them ending up on the wrong side of the hedge, which I attribute to the AWD.
These round headlight versions seem to command the most interest, fwiw, and may be becoming quite collectable.
No kids here. You’ve got guts and a good kid!
I miss that WRX every day.
I bet these cars fooled a lot of parents, smart kid ya got there. Reminds me of my own youth. I tricked my parents in the same manor. When I graduated HS in 94, my parents wouldn’t co-sign on a 90 Mustang GT, but they did co-sign on an Eagle Talon AWD Turbo TSI.
BTW, it was my strategy all along. 😝
Great reply Bluesman. Buddy had a bug eye WRX 5sp wagon. Awesome little car. He wrote it off on a gravel road practicing his rally skills…rolled it.
Soft gravel shoulders for those unfamiliar, will pull you right into the ditch in a blink. 😲
Yikes. I never dumped mine. I guess I was too old and too cautious. Ran a lot of clover leafs pretty hard and never found the limit. On pavement, you had to try hard to cut it loose. Too scary fast for that.
Under advice from my brother our old parents got the Impreza. The car was superb, athough it had a high cost of gearbox service, as i recall. It was so stable on the road that my 70 y.o. mom failed to understand that a front wheel was on fire! Other drivers allerted her to that!
In 2004 I had had enough of our piece of junk Mercedes wagon. And decided to trade it in to our sister dealership for a new Subaru. I wanted the WRX (I’m an ex-pro-rally driver) But the dog crates wouldn’t fit in the back. (T
the kids were involved with 4H training and showing dogs) So I settled for a Legacy 5 speed wagon. The interesting part is that other than cruising speed. (The Mercedes liked the 80 to 100 mph speeds, where the Subie seemed out of 1breath when the speed approach 80mph) The Subaru had more room inside (particularly the back seat) and was a ton more reliable. 3 months after buying the Legacy, the kids stopped showing dogs. I could have had the WRX! Our dealership owner’s wife always drove around in a WRX demo and I kept asking her for her keys. And she always said ok. But finally she asked why I didn’t take them. And I explained that I wouldn’t be able to resist blasting down a dirt or gravel road. She said I do it every chance I get!
Love the bugeye Subarus!!
I’ve always liked the WRX and being a wagon guy (I had an ’02 A4 1.8T manual wagon for a little bit, chipped, of course), a WRX wagon was on my shopping list when looking in ’12. Although I liked the one I saw at an auto show, I decided on a ’12 Charger with the Blacktop package. What a great, fun, super reliable car that ended up being.
SOLD for that $9.900 asking price.