[Wolfe787]

ok so as i posted on the noob forum i need to replace my soon to die slow as moped brand new 08 SX4

and so i went on the search and even though on evos, then made sense, IM A COLLEGE STUDENT! i need a reliable car and then thought subaru

then research and more and i love wagons, more research, and im bit short on cash, more research, darn that forester looks sick, I FOUND IT!

and so this are my options
04 FXT 4EAT 51k miles on the odo
05 FXT 4EAT 43k miles on the odo
07 FX stick 23k miles on the odo

they are all the same price and was wondering if its cheaper to swap the autos to manual trans ( i just don't know how to drive autos, they seem to blow up in a month or 2 ), or just do an engine/trans swap on the 07 with STi parts...

im also wanting to drop coilovers (yes i dont mind the rash ride or whatever your gona tell me) and dont know if the FX actually acomodates them

any tips and help is very very apreciated

any go use the search will be ignored, i am doing just that right now and have been doing it before i even created the account

again THANX

 

[Wolfe787]

come on!!! 22 views and no one says notin?

im very biased to get the 07 as its got even less milage than my sx4... and for $13k i can't really ask for much

probably easier to swap a turbo drive line in than swap the auto to manual trans.... and i get the sesy 07 look

after reading a bit on the suspension stuff, i might actually hold the coil overs till later, and i can probably drop in a turboed V7 engine when the stock one goes boom later on (achieving a longer life span on me)

any suggestions? im really getting pissed off with the sx4, every new morning he makes a new rattle and anew sound, and the finicky brake and oil maintenance I give to every car i own is not making sense anymore if then I sell the car (700 on tires, 150 on brakes, 100 in oil change)

 

[Arthrogrian19]

How much are the 04 and 05 going for? If the prices are comparable I'd go for the '07, since you expressed interest in the 5mt. It should be noted that the '04/05 XTs have the EJ257 (STi motor), whereas the '07 has the EJ255 (WRX motor). Both are great motors and respond well to mods.

Is the '07 an XT Limited or XT Sports?

 

[Nasarog]

2011 0 miles FXT!

 

[Wolfe787]

the 07 is an FX with 23k miles, and its ar $12.5k, that would be actually cheaper than the other 2 fozzies ive seen

i was planing to spend 20k on an evo (and darn they were nice) so if you come to think of it, i bet i can pull of an STI swap in around the 7.5 grand i have left, but that would be irresponsible from me and wasting money without having a good paying job and no degrees to back me up.

engine wise im really not concerned, when i have another ride to move me back and forth i dont mind tackling a full stand alone system with an Vx series fully built engine and doing 600 whp on an fozzie; heck i could buy the engine now and little by little build it up, then its pretty much a swap it up and start tunning

my biggest concerns is the swapping of the trans and suspension from a STi or readily available upgrades for the forester as this i can tackle while im still at college

also im looking for a rock reliable drive train to move me about for 2-3 years i have still left on my engineering degree (hence biased for the non turbo, boost is addictive)

im going to see the 07 tomorow and will keep you all posted, anything i might/should look at in the 07s???

worried about warranty leaving me behind (not that different than my current car, 6k miles left in the waranty and its an 08 )

 

[Wolfe787]

2011 0 miles FXT!

i really dont like the 09+ FXs, they are so freakin HUGE!!! not wagonish anymore (yes i like wagons and im no lesbian, long story short, me 5 year old sitting in an awsome BMW drift wagon WOOOOOO)

besides the budget here is stupidly priced, 7% tax plus customs put the 2010 sti starting at $43k... ouch for that

 

[frogstar7055]

Lotta work either way so pick,turbo or 5mt.

Or keep looking.

 

[kungfupanda1]

04 FXT 4EAT 51k miles on the odo
05 FXT 4EAT 43k miles on the odo
07 FX stick 23k miles on the odo
I'm using it. Thanks about this useful forum .

 

[Blue Fox]

I would go with the XT personally. Even though it's an Auto, you can't help but smile each time the turbo kicks in, and it's insanely quick for being an auto as well. I have no complains with the Auto, and it does EXCEPTIONALLY well off-road. The X with the stick will be decent, and it does have the lower miles. With the higher milage XT's, make sure you have it checked over before you purchase. I would have a shop do a compression/leakdown test, amount checking other bits of the vehicle for possible replacement/repair. Check the tranny for binding (doing slow figure of eights in a parking lot and see if the tires hobble or jutter around). Other than that, the XT's (even if something does go wrong) are very easy to work on, as long as you have some sort of mechanical ability. Good luck. Loving my XT BTW. :biggrin:

 

[Blue Fox]

It should be noted that the '04/05 XTs have the EJ257 (STi motor), whereas the '07 has the EJ255 (WRX motor).

I believe you meant to say that the 04/05 XT's have the EJ255 (STi) motors, and the EJ257's (WRX) were in the 06-08's.

 

[Wolfe787]

i have decided on the 07 as its still on the warranty and the stick ( i really hate slush boxes ) AND after all im switching from an 08 :icon_confused:

i will be visiting the forester today (1.5 hour drive but its on the way for college so i dont mind )

if all seems well, bye bye FWD crappy suzuki and welcome AWD GOODNESS!!

again, im really interested on the forester suspension wise, im not that desperate for turbo power, besides, nothing a 75 shot cant resolve

(getting ready for the flaming because i said i would use NOS on a subbie)

 

[Arthrogrian19]

the 07 is an FX with 23k miles, and its ar $12.5k, that would be actually cheaper than the other 2 fozzies ive seen

Ah, I misread the original post; I thought the '07 was an XT 5mt. The '07 FX will last a long time, and the N/A engine is very peppy around town.

I believe you meant to say that the 04/05 XT's have the EJ255 (STi) motors, and the EJ257's (WRX) were in the 06-08's.

It's the other way around. 04/05 XT = EJ257, 06+ = EJ255. :icon_biggrin: The 04/05 is coded "EJ255", but it's the same block as the 04/05 STi EJ257.

i have decided on the 07 as its still on the warranty and the stick ( i really hate slush boxes ) AND after all im switching from an 08 :icon_confused:

i will be visiting the forester today (1.5 hour drive but its on the way for college so i dont mind )

if all seems well, bye bye FWD crappy suzuki and welcome AWD GOODNESS!!

again, im really interested on the forester suspension wise, im not that desperate for turbo power, besides, nothing a 75 shot cant resolve

(getting ready for the flaming because i said i would use NOS on a subbie)

Congrats on the purchase! You'll love it! If you're looking for a firmer/lower suspension setup, I suggest looking for some '04 STi or WRX (wagon) springs and struts. Or, you could buy some Swift springs and retain your stock struts. Also, an STi rear sway bar, STi sway bar mounts, Kartboy endlinks and Kartboy subframe locking bolts will make s huge difference without breaking the bank.