Showroom-Fresh 4,000-Mile 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX

Showroom-Fresh 4,000-Mile 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX

#ShowroomFresh #4000Mile #Subaru #Impreza #WRX
[rule_3_plain] #ShowroomFresh #4000Mile #Subaru #Impreza #WRX

Overseas, Subaru offered a turbocharged, rally-ready version of its otherwise demure Impreza compact car for about a decade before the WRX finally wound up here. It was fashionably late, dressed in suitably dorky duds when it arrived.
But let’s be honest: nobody has ever bought a Subaru — let alone a WRX — because of its sexy lines. Subaru builds rugged, purposeful cars, which usually have more personality than their rivals — especially the WRX.
The WRX’s name is a portmanteau of the World Rally Championship and the word “experimental,” even though Subaru has offered a production car related phệ the Impreza since 1992. Professional-level rallying has never caught on in the U.S., which is a real shame. Rallying was a big deal in Europe in the 1990s. Subaru leveraged its all-wheel-drive know-how phệ dominate the mixed dirt and paved courses that made up the international rally circuit.

With drivers Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Tommi Makinen, Mikko Hirvonen, Petter Solberg, and others behind the wheels of modified versions of its Impreza WRX, Subaru won three consecutive Constructors’ Championships in the World Rally Car class that, for many, remains the definitive image of modern rallying. Part of what made the class so critical was that automakers had phệ homologate a hefty 2,500 vehicles that were relatively closely related phệ those race-prepared cars that ripped through rally stages.
Subaru turned phệ British motorsport firm Prodrive phệ develop its rally cars, which, per rally rules, began life as regular Impreza examples from the automaker’s factory in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. For many reasons, Subaru exited rallying on a global stage in 2008, which meant only two generations of Impreza models were the basis for rally cars.
That’s not phệ say that Subaru has entirely shunned motorsports. The company’s U.S. operations — which have sway since our market is by far Subaru’s strongest — took over with what’s now called “Subaru Motorsports USA.” Even though Subaru may no longer send its cars flying through the Tour de Corse or the Monte Carlo Rally, Vermont SportsCar (in, you guessed it, Vermont) builds purpose-built rally cars for grueling competition use.
Of course, when the first Impreza WRX finally landed in the U.S. in late 2001, Subaru was still in the thick of global rallying — not that the people who bought 165-horsepower Outback wagons cared. Back then, Subaru was transitioning in the U.S. from niche brand phệ niche brand with cars people really wanted. Its second-generation Outback and first-generation Forester were hits, but neither was aimed at enthusiasts.
And then the Impreza WRX arrived, with a 227-hp flat-4 that helped give it a 0-60 mph sprint below 6.5 seconds. Not only was it quick, but the first WRX we got was also spectacularly fun. Its all-wheel-drive system — aided by a limited-slip differential — gave it tremendous grip, and its steering was borderline telegraphic. Sure, it lacked the polish of a BMW 3 Series, but it was arguably more fun and the better part of $10,000 less. Amazingly, Subaru wanted just $24,500 or so for the original WRX ($500 more for the wagon version).
Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $35,000, which is still the better part of $5,000 less than the redesigned 2022 WRX — as if you needed a reminder, these sporty 4-doors remain something of a bargain.
Not many performance-oriented cars survive two decades unscathed (if they make it at all), which is what makes today’s Autotrader Find, this sub-4,000-mile first-year Impreza WRX, a fantastic find. The selling dealer in Gladstone, Oregon, notes a few typical aftermarket tweaks added by the first owner (who didn’t take advantage of them). A coil-over suspension, strut bars, aftermarket wheels, and a tune by Texas-based Cobb Tuning should make this Impreza WRX even more fun than it was when it left the factory.
Not only is it one of the oldest WRXs you’ll find on Autotrader (first registered in June 2002, not long after the first Impreza WRX models went on sale), it’s also one with the lowest miles. See Subaru Impreza WRX models for sale
Related:

2022 Subaru WRX: Choosing the Right Trim
Deep Dive: 2022 Subaru WRX
The Toyota 4Runner Is an Excellent Rally Racing Support Vehicle

#ShowroomFresh #4000Mile #Subaru #Impreza #WRX
[rule_2_plain] #ShowroomFresh #4000Mile #Subaru #Impreza #WRX
[rule_2_plain] #ShowroomFresh #4000Mile #Subaru #Impreza #WRX
[rule_3_plain]

#ShowroomFresh #4000Mile #Subaru #Impreza #WRX

Overseas, Subaru offered a turbocharged, rally-ready version of its otherwise demure Impreza compact car for about a decade before the WRX finally wound up here. It was fashionably late, dressed in suitably dorky duds when it arrived.
But let’s be honest: nobody has ever bought a Subaru — let alone a WRX — because of its sexy lines. Subaru builds rugged, purposeful cars, which usually have more personality than their rivals — especially the WRX.
The WRX’s name is a portmanteau of the World Rally Championship and the word “experimental,” even though Subaru has offered a production car related phệ the Impreza since 1992. Professional-level rallying has never caught on in the U.S., which is a real shame. Rallying was a big deal in Europe in the 1990s. Subaru leveraged its all-wheel-drive know-how phệ dominate the mixed dirt and paved courses that made up the international rally circuit.

With drivers Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Tommi Makinen, Mikko Hirvonen, Petter Solberg, and others behind the wheels of modified versions of its Impreza WRX, Subaru won three consecutive Constructors’ Championships in the World Rally Car class that, for many, remains the definitive image of modern rallying. Part of what made the class so critical was that automakers had phệ homologate a hefty 2,500 vehicles that were relatively closely related phệ those race-prepared cars that ripped through rally stages.
Subaru turned phệ British motorsport firm Prodrive phệ develop its rally cars, which, per rally rules, began life as regular Impreza examples from the automaker’s factory in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. For many reasons, Subaru exited rallying on a global stage in 2008, which meant only two generations of Impreza models were the basis for rally cars.
That’s not phệ say that Subaru has entirely shunned motorsports. The company’s U.S. operations — which have sway since our market is by far Subaru’s strongest — took over with what’s now called “Subaru Motorsports USA.” Even though Subaru may no longer send its cars flying through the Tour de Corse or the Monte Carlo Rally, Vermont SportsCar (in, you guessed it, Vermont) builds purpose-built rally cars for grueling competition use.
Of course, when the first Impreza WRX finally landed in the U.S. in late 2001, Subaru was still in the thick of global rallying — not that the people who bought 165-horsepower Outback wagons cared. Back then, Subaru was transitioning in the U.S. from niche brand phệ niche brand with cars people really wanted. Its second-generation Outback and first-generation Forester were hits, but neither was aimed at enthusiasts.
And then the Impreza WRX arrived, with a 227-hp flat-4 that helped give it a 0-60 mph sprint below 6.5 seconds. Not only was it quick, but the first WRX we got was also spectacularly fun. Its all-wheel-drive system — aided by a limited-slip differential — gave it tremendous grip, and its steering was borderline telegraphic. Sure, it lacked the polish of a BMW 3 Series, but it was arguably more fun and the better part of $10,000 less. Amazingly, Subaru wanted just $24,500 or so for the original WRX ($500 more for the wagon version).
Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $35,000, which is still the better part of $5,000 less than the redesigned 2022 WRX — as if you needed a reminder, these sporty 4-doors remain something of a bargain.
Not many performance-oriented cars survive two decades unscathed (if they make it at all), which is what makes today’s Autotrader Find, this sub-4,000-mile first-year Impreza WRX, a fantastic find. The selling dealer in Gladstone, Oregon, notes a few typical aftermarket tweaks added by the first owner (who didn’t take advantage of them). A coil-over suspension, strut bars, aftermarket wheels, and a tune by Texas-based Cobb Tuning should make this Impreza WRX even more fun than it was when it left the factory.
Not only is it one of the oldest WRXs you’ll find on Autotrader (first registered in June 2002, not long after the first Impreza WRX models went on sale), it’s also one with the lowest miles. See Subaru Impreza WRX models for sale
Related:

2022 Subaru WRX: Choosing the Right Trim
Deep Dive: 2022 Subaru WRX
The Toyota 4Runner Is an Excellent Rally Racing Support Vehicle