Four-Door BRAT? 2003 Subaru Baja

This 2003 Subaru Baja is much newer than we typically show here, but it’s a unique vehicle that a lot of us non-contractors (who don’t need a full-sized pickup) could use for light-duty weekend hauling chores and drive it to work during the week. The seller has it listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Dalton, Georgia, and they’re asking $8,595. Here is the original listing, and thanks to PRA4SNW for the tip!

For the record, I know that a lot of people commute with full-sized pickups. I’m not sure if anyone here is a fan of newer Subarus or the “Fiat Jeeps,” as seen also in yellow behind this Baja. I like the photo location, although, as usual, I want more photos. More, more, more! Photos are literally free; take more photos! There is no engine photo, and that’s always super disappointing, but not surprising at all anymore, sadly. The biggest bummer is that there is no photo at all showing the entire reason for the Baja, the cargo bed! Arrrrrrgh. Here’s a 2003 Subaru Baja brochure to check out. The cargo bed extender is sometimes not there, so it’s nice to have that for hauling more boxes of books and junk to the storage unit that you’ll never look at again.

This is as close as it gets to showing the entire purpose of this oddball Subaru (is that redundant?): the tiny cargo bed on the back of what started out as a regular Outback wagon (is that redundant?). It’s a fun concept, sort of a modern four-door version of the BRAT, but one that you could actually survive a crash in, and have lots of comfort while taking it on road trips. Subaru made the Baja for only four model years, 2003 through 2006, and there’s no fancy Bi-Drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter definition for Baja as there was for the BRAT; it’s just Baja.

It’s hard not to think that the driver’s seat is in need of help when a seat cover is shown. These flat leather seats often show separated seams after a decade or two, so it isn’t surprising. You already noticed that this car has a four-speed automatic, which for some is great and for others not so much. I drove a couple of these a few years ago, thinking it would be a fun way to haul tiny, oddball Japanese market motorcycles to shows, but the 5-speed manual isn’t the best. The engine is at a higher RPM at 70 mph than I like, having had to replace Outback head gaskets in the past. An automatic may be the way to go here, at least if any driving outside of city limits is in order.

The back seat photos (there are two partial photos?!) don’t show much, but the cropped seating area looks good from what we can see. There is a pass-through to extend the hauling area to over six feet, but that means having a gaping hole back there, so that isn’t ideal.

Here’s where the engine is located! One quick pop of the hood release would have shown us Subaru’s 2.5-liter SOHC boxer-four with 165 horsepower and 166 lb-ft of torque. Passing through Subaru’s famous 4WD system and the automatic sending power through four gears to all four wheels when needed, the seller says they’ve owned this one for 17 years, and it has a new timing belt, a new water pump, new valve cover gaskets, a new coil pack, new spark plugs, and a transmission fluid and filter change. The tires are old, and with 241,086 miles, I sure hope the head gaskets have been replaced, but maybe it’s a moot point after that many miles. Baja Yellow is a desirable color for the Baja, as with the yellow Subaru WRX, so the “high” asking price may be in line, given the color. I know, who would pay more just for a particular color?! A lot of buyers would, including me. Would any of you have a use for a 4WD four-door car with a small hauling bed like a Subaru Baja?