@@leoolivares3261 id say you're probably good with a WRX (with an FA20 engine) I've read enough things about the STI EJ25 engine that eventually scared me off of it.
Good video. I’m 63 years old and the STI is on my bucket list, big wing and all. With COVID and other factors it looks like we won’t see the revamped global platform STI for two years. I don’t want to purchase any vehicle in it’s first year so I’m looking at three years. The new WRX is probably gonna be two years out for the same reasons. I’m in the market for a new car now so I’ve decided to get a 2020 WRX Premium to hold me over until I can order a new STI (2024 model?). I figure I will save about 10grand by doing that and from what I hear the WRX with a tune will keep me happy for a while. I appreciate the openness of your videos. There are literally dozens of people reviewers out there and most flavor their views because their cars must be cool or they wouldn’t drive them. I like how you show the good with the bad. Your honesty is refreshing. I live in Maine so four wheel drive is a must so I’m willing to compromise.
@@remissiveslave Wrong. A proper tune and you will be fine. Extreme majority of breakage is due to the driver not knowing how to drive or constantly doing digs and rolls. Furthermore, most guys our age buy cars in cash. The dealer has to prove the tune or modification caused the issue before denying the specific claim AND the majority of the denied claims, SOA will honor anyway. You have no idea what you are talking about.
@@sw417 cars in shop at 28k for rod bearings; oil changes every 4000 miles, don't EVER hard launch, never wot, never red lined it once, usually 4500-50000 rpm, when i enjoy it, let it warm up, oil is always 180+ before I hit Amy boost, never go hard for extended times, take it easy in high Temps, buy the best fuel available (93), never keep it in low rpms when getting on throttle; rev match doenshifts and keep the rpms in the proper range fir accelerating. For you to fuck Boi b.s me with this, it's safe to tune nonsense, would be wonderful to park the car at 28k miles for 2-4 months to replace motor. I agree tuning is chill, if you have deep pockets and agree a tune won't necessarily destroy motor, but these p.o.s ej-fa, boxer motors are a fucking gamble from dealer lot, let alone adding 50+% more power on a car that you need to spend half the time analyzing the access port for the right number perimeters.
@@sw417 you must think your the only person to ever experience the risks of tuning these wannabe sports cars. I know three people who specialize in subarus, mist of them do their own work and they literally use probably less than 20% of the original parts by the time they do their engines. One if my friends works at a dealership and we talked about the fa one morning and he highly recommended not touching the motor until warranty expires because it's easy for them to isolate certain damages the tune can make, because usually if the tune isn't great it will fuck up the rings first because of improper fuel air mixture and blown by you would unlikely see stock at low mileage, then if they found the flash history on ecu, most people would deny this. Ita a discretionary situation, but many people don't want to do warranty work because it costs the bean counters money. The metal they've on engine component in these cars are dogs abit, as are most cars Sue to tight and failing profit margins these car manufacturers are in, due to regulations.
6 years with my wrx. 400whp and she's never let me down. Only thing that had to be done under warranty was trans due to the first owner not knowing how to drive. Bad synchros. Love this car so much I bought a 2022
Great video man! I bought my 2015 wrx around the same time you did, I'm at 170, 000 miles! Yep, that's right! No issues. Proof that these cars are solid!
Weird how similar experiences i've had with my 15 as well. AC fixed (out of warranty however), throw out bearing fix which dealership recommended just replacing entire clutch assembly while they were at it (split 50/50 as it was a few 1000 out of warranty), and even got rear ended the first year too with similar damage.
@@CrunchyBaguette Just looked it up, for AC it was just the compressor. Actually happened much earlier than I had remembered and was under warranty and covered.
2016 STI Owner here: no tune no heavy mods no Bagging no issues here after 5 years, knock on wood. I done a Muffler delete, Ingen cold air, some other minor stuff. Absolutely love this Car!
I just found you five year video and the was recommended after. I'm probable going to buy one tomorrow, so exited. Also love the shirt, they've had such a great season
That is good to hear that the WRX is as reliable as the rest of the lineup. Now will check Jonathan Boring's channel where he posted a 2015 WRX with 200,000 miles - that I want to see before buying one of these. Thank you for this.
I have a 2020 WRX and my only issues with A/C is that it comes on on it's own (even with heat in the winter, for humidity control or something) and screws with my shifting. But that's an overall design issue, not a specific model year issue. I did have the 6 speed rebuilt with new shift collars for a somewhat rare issue where 4th and 5th gear rattled in the shifter. But it was under warranty and no cost to me. And yes my biggest issue is the seat. There's no knee support and the clutch throw comes up at you like a tractor. I often get a shaky left leg in traffic and rough engagement as a result. If you're looking to buy one used though go 2018+. Revised front end that looks much better plus revised screens. The radio and top center screen are much cleaner. Also the 2018+ has a different shifter mechanism and rear diff. I don't know what changes were made, just that my 2020 has different part numbers for both. And I have a factory short throw shifter, I'd highly recommend that.
I have the same car in the same color and I agree with everything you said about it. Only difference is that I have problems with my Bluetooth. My one gripe is I wish it had better soundproofing. Good car at a great price!
I just got a 2020 wrx premium yesterday and to be honest... the souped up impreza was the point. Needed a car for the baby on the way but still wanted to have fun. So it was perfect. It’s fun to drive but it’s not it’s only purpose. A great compromise for the price. Our expensive car budget is our 4Runner for off-roading. It’s a great car it seems. I hope to have the same experience you do.
I think I actually watched your 1 year review when it was newish and just now stumbled upon your channel again. I’m a lot closer to being able to buy my first vehicle on my own so this video is certainly a useful one for me.
Great video I just purchased my 2015 WRX Premium 3 Months ago with only 76K on the odometer, Clean title no accidents and two previous owners it's that beautiful pearl white metallic with the black emblems and trim and of course it's a 6 speed manual cuz only a fool would opt for the CVT on a car like this. The asking price was already below listed value at $12,500 but I got and additional discount of over a grand and managed to get $3k for my old trade that I kept meticulous care of like all my vehicles so after my haggling (I was also a trained and licensed auto sales and financing specialist many years ago) I drove it away for only $8805 out the door including all taxes and license and registration fees. It's in great shape and I fully inspected it with a fine tooth comb at the huge auto service and repair shop where I am the general manager and of course it needed a Lil love with simple general maintenance work and it did need a couple larger repairs on things that were ok at first but became apparent awhile down the road and I wasn't the least bit upset about it cuz I expected if to need a Lil work at the price I got it for but as the manager at a very large auto repair and service shop I was able to take care of everything she needed for damn near next to nothing (no I never did anything shady to get such a deal on all the work she got lmao!) Cuz I am able to source any part I need from a plethora of parts suppliers at my beckon call and get them for well below wholesale and tax free and have them delivered right to me also for free and all the labor I did myself outside working hours and threw a few bucks to some of my gents to help on some of the labor outside business hours that way they can earn a Lil extra cash on the side.but for $2200 bucks I was able to do it all including a much needed complete full synthetic oil and filter change with a professional BG engine flush and restoration kit, change every vital fluid including coolant and brake fluid exchanges, change the gear oil in the rear axle and front diff/transmission, install a dry high flow panel air filter, replace all brake pads and rotors with very top shelf high carbon upgraded pads and rotors all around, install four brand new ultra premium tires, have a couple of complete professional GDI fuel system and carbon cleaning services, replace the front passenger seat belt and retractor assembly that became stuck, all new OEM spark plugs and just to be safe four all new OEM ignition coils, new serpentine belt, four all new amazing Bilstein B6 struts with all new OEM coils from the dealer, the entire a/c system was replaced because the old one failed a few months after getting it including new OEM compressor, new complete condenser and receiver drier assembly, new expansion valve, all brand new high and low pressure lines and of course all new seals and the whole works except the evaporator core, and because just like he said in the video my throwout bearing was also going out I replaced the entire clutch kit and a new flywheel and slave cylinder all from Exedy the OEM clutch brand and the 7.4 hours labor to do the job and of course I also upgraded to all LED exterior lighting and all just $2200 bucks and a few cents lol. Now she truly Is a brand new WRX and it was only a total of about $11k for the car and all the love me and my boyz at my shop put into her. Obviously the last owners were a bit hard on her but I knew what was expected of it and having a 2015 WRX that looks new, runs new, is completely leak and rust free. CA car it was nothing I couldn't handle myself with some help from my guys and only $11K into it she's like brand new and i own her outright pink slip in hand I think that's a sweet deal I'm just lucky I'm in an industry I not only love but get all my car care needs for barely pennies on the dollar I truly am fortunate. Wrexs for life!!!!!
Oh and I Also replaced the battery with a new AGM battery, replaced the washer fluid reservoir, I went this far I don't wanna leave out any juicy details lmfao 😂
I had AC issues on my used 18 wrx. Had a bad compressor and a hole in the condenser. But because there was no wear damage, it was replaced for free without warranty. Just faulty parts for some reason. Was $2000 worth of work under Subaru’s dime
6 years in 2016 WRX Premium-> Reseal oil scavenge pump x2 under warranty (oil leak), battery x2 replaced under warranty (then go a AGM interstate costco battery), Stock Headunit replaced under warranty due to connection problems (replacement had problems too out of warranty though), A/C Compressor went out at 61K miles (no warranty, costs $1250 to replace with labor, called SOA and got a small discount). Most unreliable new car I've owned. Fun, but never again. Car is stock.
Here in Canada theese are like 20-24k used (15-18k USD) with about 40-80 000km (about 45k miles). I'm saving for one for next winter, hope the price drops with thre reveal of the new gen!
Very well done video. I think your assessment is spot on and agrees with my experience as well. Bought a 2012 WRX hatch with 60k miles on it 5 years ago. It came with a heavier clutch and I upgraded it to a Stage 2+ custom tune (300whp). It now has 110,000 on it And I have had no other work done in it besides standard maintenance and oil changes. Can’t agree more with the tune statement. Hate the factory rev hang. Liked the Cobb tune but my custom tune is heaven. I also average 22mph on my custom tune doing mostly suburban driving. So the tune improved everything. Snow tires make a huge difference and I went with a narrower snow tire as well to avoid the snow hydroplaning you get with a wide tire. I can drive at posted speeds of 40 to 55 with zero notice of winter weather that has everyone else driving white knuckled and no faster than 20mph. Just like you said, my WRX is a great reliable driver. An absolute beast in the Michigan winters. And given a straight or some curves, ohh so fun. I also really enjoy playing with the gears, heal-toe downshifting, etc. Can’t say enough about how much fun it is to drive my car every day. I highly recommend a stage 2 tune, it just 2xs the fun. 😁
Each day I’m getting closer to trading in my legacy for a wrx I got the legacy as my first car but I feel like I’m ready for a car I will keep. Your videos help allot !!
I had a stock, non-tracked 2015 STI that spin a rod bearing at 109k miles. As someone else said, these cars are ticking time bombs. I didn’t drive this like a maniac, and was religious with maintenance and repairs. While they are fun cars, it is playing with a financial Russian roulette.
The cold weather CEL is interesting. I've had my 2017 in very cold weather (below 0 deg. F) and never experienced this. Overall just a great car for daily driving.
Thanks for the great video . I just bought a 21 WRX Linited and really like it. I see the tune issue from the factory as it falls flat at 4000 rpm and I don’t like that. I will have to hold off on the COBB tune tho because I don’t want issues with my warranty. Sounds like I would love that tune. It’s my daily driver and will take great care of it.
I drove an 2020 sti and it was unlivable so harsh on ride and clutch felt like it would snap so light. I am so happy I got my 2020 wrx checks all the boxes for me. I got weighted shift knob, perrin shift stop, boomba shift plate and is very nice. Even if I had the money for sti I would go for civic type r inside.
I got a 2020 cvt new. I'm really happy with it. Sort of regret not getting the manual but the eyesight is really nice on my commute. I was thinking I'd pay it down a little bit and trade it in, but I might just keep it until it's paid off and get a 2nd car and keep it as a beater.
I only ever wear jeans with flex material so bending your entire leg in shifts is not an issue 👌😎. My brother is looking to getting one of these possibly and I'm glad you have mainly good things to say about it
I am still on the video’s first ad and the video has not started yet but I know this car 100% runs like new before seeing it as a Subaru runs for over 20+Years. Edit: guys don’t take this video as something to make you now but a 2015WRX as don’t forget this is the first run and ofc all first runs of phones, Cars, Etc. All are gonna have problems… as I can say this as I have a 2015WRX and although it sits in TX a hot state I have never seen any of the problems listed here thankfully!!! Even on that pilot vortex that happened down here in TX the Check engine light was never on. So pleases keep this in minds…
its 8/13/24 i just traded in my 2017 impreza limited cvt with 170,000 for a 2017 manual wrx with only 64,000 miles get her for $17,000. im thrilled with the purchase.
So these mods you made it actually voids your warranty, the intake, cobb tune. And going to 18" wheels instead might look better but the ride is rougher because you are going to smaller tire less cushion. I put 17x8.5 rims to be able to put wider bigger tires and they are light weight wheels only 15.7 lbs vs 23.7 factory wheels. Nameless muffler is just a muffler delete it does not provide any horsepower just noise, for that price you could have got full catback exhaust. I agree with everything else. Nice video.
Dollar for dollar, the best high tech/engineering/manufacturing in any car. Lotsa quirks, but you can drive these off a lot and get great resale value after 5 years.
I think if you don't mod or abuse it and just keep it stock. It'll probably last awhile before major repairs. Thats the problem. People mod subies and abuse them. The boxer is a good engine design that can last several 100k. The problem is turbocharger. Though I'm.sure it's good stock! As long as you keep things in check this car will probably last you awhile. Even the most reliable engines can have issue with AC components. It's just the nature of Air con. Mine went out after 170k (Mercury Grand Marquis) and I never bothered to replace it. I will this summer when I get my.WRX!
I do deliveries on a 2016 Tacoma manual trans. Trust me when I say that those knee pains are real and really make you consider driving auto when in comes to higher sitting seats. I wonder if buckets would fix that issue
Great question. I think 2 reasons. One is that in my head I think the Z will always be a little more fun so it's hard to leave the Z at home when I head there. Secondly I'm still looking at getting rid of the wrx soon (possibly for the next generation one). As I'm just waiting for a new car to come out that I want, I fear I may take the wrx to autocross and have something break prior to trading it in. I think I'll try to take it atleast one time before it's gone though.
Awesome review! I had a question about the AC issue you had, I'm actually having that issue currently and was wondering what you got done to it to get it fixed? I know it's a year ago but hopefully I can get some info from you 🤞
Can I ask you how you got them to cover the issues under warranty with the modifications of you car? They didn’t care ?... that’s my main concern is modifying my new car and voiding the warranty
I call subaru of america in they told me what I could get away with on my wrx . They have to prove the mod is at fault . They can't just guess in turn you away.
how has the gas mileage been on it? ive been offered to get a 2017 wrx sti but i dont have that much experience with a clutch transmission and its very scary im not gonna lie but i still want to consider get it. nice video man, definitely comin back!!!
Did you check the code you were getting in cold weather? I had a similar experience with more than one car of different makes. In every case, it was a bad thermostat. The check engine code will probably be something like 'cooling system performance'. Another sign it's a bad thermostat is that the engine temperature barely or never reaches optimal level when it's cold outside even when running for a while. That means thermostat is stuck open. But it's only going to be that way when it failed totally. Mine took a few years to get to that point.
I had the same issue with my ac on my 2015 wrx, I never took it to the dealership just kinda dealt with it, however after I went stage 1 plus with a cobb intake and tune the problem went away lol
I just bought a 2015 wrx prm. Not even a week later u had to take it to a dealer bc the intake hose slipped off the intercooler and I’m pretty sure it sucked in the rubber seal aswell
Porsche owners will "kill me" but I own a mint Cayman S (987.1 , 38K kms) and I like the handling/steering/ride compromise in my 2021Scooby XV (GT edition) just as much. 🙃!
Watched the 5 year video last year which is what led me to this one. Love these, keep it up! I dont know if you made another video on it, but when you mention the Stage 1 cobb tune, how long ago did you get that? And I assume since the car has been reliable, the tune hasn't messed anything up either? I have been driving a 2016 WRX for the last year and a half or so, and have been wanting to do a performance mod finally, but sacrificing reliability isn't something I'm interested in if that's what'll happen. It's my only car, and I'd like it to live as long as possible lol. So would you recommend a stage 1 pack from cobb? Appreciate anything you could say on it!
With everything tune at your own responsibility. But having said that no It doesn't ruin your reliability unless you are a person who doesn't do proper maintenance on his/her car. Stage 1 helps with the major rev hang and brings the car to life. As long as you are doing your oil changes and other required maintenance on the car and are not launching it 90 percent of the time the car will be just fine.
Any time the shifter feels really notchy than other times? and does it change when you shift faster or slower? did the shifting change the way it feels compared to before and then after stage 1? Ever change your gear oil? Thanks for posting these vids, recently bought a 2016 wrx so its nice to get someone's perspective of ownership c:
You know what, it has never really felt that notchy to me. Especially compared to my Z which is very notchy. I forgot to mention this, but I do have the STI shifter (dealer installed). And the shifter still feels the same as it did prior to stage 1. Enjoy your 2016 wrx its a great car!
Thank you for this. I am considering WRX in the next couple years but I have doubt on the engine reliability. I've always been a Honda, Toyota driver so I'm nervous buying something knowing that it won't last as long.
You should get one. These new engines are definitely better than the EJs. If you are buying used try to find one that's bone stock. Im not saying modded ones are bad because some do take care of them extremely well but you don't want someone who's been launching it all the time.
@@Human14922 up to you personally man. An STI is nice but I'm not paying 13k more for 30 more hp. Yeah it has more stuff but I'd personally use that money I'm saving and making this wrx a beast. I daily drive mines, so gas mileage is important. An STI has terrible gas mileage. Dropping 1.5k in power mods you're looking at around 315sh whp. Already faster than a STI
@@kidinkk123 Yes as someone who has been driving an NA car, being boosted is amazing. Not only the spool noises make me grin so big, but as well as the corner handling 🙌🏽💯. Almost on 5k and it is definitely worth it imho. 6spd manual is a better choice than the cvt. No hate on automatics, but it’s all preference.
@@godsplannn the only thing stopping me from the 21 WRX is the hang rev. Heard you had to get an access port and I was looking at them and they go for like 600$ on COBB. Overall tho car is lovely man
@@RacerMP1 yeah men on average have more musculature, denser bones and more testosterone which contributes to average greater strength. I'm guessing you have twig arms or you're very overweight.
You prolly took real good care of it and don’t beat on it often if you’ve never had issues these cars are notorious for problems especially the used ones because there all basically modified and have been driven into the ground careful when buying one I was one of those unlucky guys and mine only had 19k miles especially buying a used one if you want a car that’s gonna run for a long time and you like going fast often do not get one of these cars (my opinion)
it really scares me to get a tune. I bought my CPO 2015 for the warranty and just hearing how stock cars blow up all the time really keeps me from tuning mine :/
If you are going to go the tune route just make sure you keep up with maintenance on the car, and also you properly tune the car to whatever you install. Reason subarus are known to blow up is that kids forget to do oil changes, and or actually run a tune once they install a downpipe. They be putting all these mods in the car without a proper tune and what happens is the computer doesn't know how to handle all these changes and they blow up their motor. Or they get a really shit tune and they end up going to like 28 psi on their stock turbo and Bpv.
If you’re scared that it’ll blow up it just means you don’t have the finances for if it happens lol. The reason people build their cars is because they know they have the finances to back up things that go wrong. You should probably find a way to make more money if you’re scared of tuning the car. That way you’ll never be scared lol...
@@guaripolo69 if you have enough money, you can have all of those things. again, goes back to not having enough money. dont use house or retirement as an excuse, you probably dont make much lol. If you're making well over 6 figures yearly, you can afford to spend on your hobbies and have investments for retirement and housing too. take the lesson for what it is, moron.
I think we are good with the 2015+ WRX. The head gasket issues are from the EJ engines. The current STI still runs the EJ engine, but the 2015+ WRX has the FA20F engine, which is a much improved iteration of the older EJ motor. Not seeing any issues in the past 6 years with head gaskets on the new FA20F engines
I have a 2019 premium, I was curious about the stage 1 tune cause that's all I'm really looking to do to it for mods. Clearly my question about does it stay reliable was answered, but do you need to take it to a shop to install it or is it just DIY?
I love your content my guy! Quick question, how were you able get warranty work covered with that cobb intake and accessport? Doesnt that instantly void it?
Overall a pretty solid ownership review but not sure why you compared the WRX to the STi, 370z Nismo, and Type R. Subaru design the 2015+ WRX to be cater more towards the daily driver consumer hence is why there are so many VA WRX on the road today. The STi was designed to be a full blown sport car not the WRX. Also, the cars you compared the 2015+ WRX to cost nearly if not twice as much as the 2015+ WRX. In other words, you’re particularly comparing apples to oranges.
I'm looking to get a 2020 model (Premium WRX), with the Performance Package. Do you think given your current experience with this type of car, that I should? It will be my first car, and I'm really looking forward to it.
I'd say get a 2020 base and then mod it to your heart's content. The premium is gonna come out to 35 or 36k and the only difference is like a sunroof and better seats? I bought my 19' base for 26k brand new and spent about 4k already in upgrades and it's wayyyy better than a premium wrx and faster than a stock STI.
