I am in the markt for a "new" car and am very interested in a 98-01 RS. I was wondering if anyone can give me a quick rundown of some major problems to look out for, as well as what you would consider the max amount of miles the car should have to be considered.

I would definitely prefer something with around 50,000 miles on it, but if the right car came along would consider 70 or 80k. Just wondering if i am asking for trouble doing this or if they last forever without anything other than regular maintenance.

I have a 94 honda civic right now with around 165,000 miles and its been very good to me, but things are finally starting to wear out. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Chris

the rs is a solid car, 4 door and 2 door, but both are getting harder to find in decent shape and not ragged on. look to pay 7500-13000 depending on mods and condition. just check the for sale board and you should be able to find one there. i'm buyin one this summer, so i'm lookin too.

I love my '00 RS, 51K miles, bought it used. Occasionally i get a CEL due to a loose gascap (even though the cap is tight...WEIRD!) but other than that, great car. Have only had minor problems with it that i've actually fixed myself with basic hand tools (mostly just regular maintenance). Reliability wise, a pretty solid car.

-rallyshark

The only thing to watch ot for on the RS is:

the 98's have headgasket issues.

otherwise the only other issue is rear wheel bearings, they tend to go at random, I personally havent had any issues with wheel bearings on either of my 2 RS's my first RS was a 2000 had it for 40k miles, no mechanical issues what so ever.

My current RS is a 98 it has 112k. I have had it since 97k. No issues with it thus far.

Jay

The pre-'02 RS is a brilliant car. I bought an STI to replace it, but due to a bad accident with our Audi S4, we've kept the RS for a while. It's light, precise, and can be made to handle with tremendous confidence. Even though our RS was pretty heavily "modded", now that we've returned it to near stock I'm still amazed at what a well-balanced overall package it is.

The '98-01 RS has to be one of the best buys available for true car enthusaists. Decent power, great tossability: oversteer or understeer is your choice in any corner. Excellent ergonomics and superb all-weather driveability. Only drawback is lack of luxury frills, so if that's your priority shop for a used Audi A4 instead.

I should write ad copy for SOA... :lol:

Indeed, that was very well written.


I would like to stress that you make sure your RS has a transmission that is in good shape. Give it a real good shake down prior to purchasing - make sure that it feels good throughout every gear. You definitely don't want to acquire an RS with a bum tranny like I did.

I am amazed on how solid the RS is built. After 5 months of ownership I still can't complain.

I love my RS. I have a 2000 with 66000 miles on it. Its been driven hard most of its life and no major problems but parts do wear out. I need a new driveshaft ($500) a new tranny mount ($100)....it starts to get pricey but its all worth it

~Leor

I've had some troubles with mine, but I'm not so sure I'd say that I hold them against the car.

I bought mine in 5/2000 and it currently has about 103,000 miles.
I think the biggest problem so far was a blown timing belt tensioner. I had the belt replaced while they were in there replacing the tensioner, I think that was right around 70k miles when that happened. Don't remember exactly.

Right now I'm dealing with two problems. One is a CEL that won't go away, it's for a "piston 4 misfire" and nobody seems to be able to figure it out. I'm talking with SoA. Also, my clutch has been weak for a long while and I bought a new one (Exedy Sport) as a replacement, but hadn't put it in yet. Well, a couple days ago my throwout bearing started to moan, so that's necessitating the clutch job this week sometime.


I'd say if there's one weak link, it's the clutch. I think that the transmission is more capable than people give it credit for, but the clutch isn't so hot. Lots of chattering and crazy behavior.
I truly love the car. I never drove a car for as long as I've driven this one. I really do feel at home in it.

-S2-

Dang I almost forgot. :D

You most likely WILL have O2 sensor problems. They're a widely-known problem. Subaru did a recall on cars within a certain VIN range a couple years ago, to reprogram the ECU. Essentially there was a Parts Recall, #WXW80, for the bad O2 sensors. So many people had to have it done, though, that Subaru must've wised up and researched the problem. The ECU reflash seems to have done the trick for most of us, myself included.

Prior to the reflash (my car was NOT in the VIN range, but they decided to do it anyway) I'd replaced FIVE oxygen sensors. All for free, under the Parts Recall, but I did have to hound and scream at a couple dealerships to get them to understand that.


And yes, there's the wheel bearing thing. Back around '00 or '01 people were replacing the bad ones with Legacy bearings when they blew, but I think the new bearings Subaru uses to replace the bad Impreza ones are revamped Impreza bearings. I had to have a set done a few months ago.


Sounds like a lot I guess from how I talk, but really it isn't. The only two recalls (or "TSB" which is Technical Service Bulletin I think) I believe were the wheel bearings and the O2 sensors.

-S2-

I had a crank sensor go out... but that is it.

~~Quentin

I don't have an RS but my "L" has been just solid, either then some misc known Subaru stuff its just been great. A little tid bit about Canadian TS or "L's from 99-01 they all came with RS interior, and leather wrapped steering wheel with shifknob!
:p

I have a '99 RS, I put 60k on it before doing a WRX engine swap. But the car has had some issues. Mostly minor.

'99 RS's had a touchey Mass Airflow Sensor. They have since been recalled. Mine never went bad, but a lot of owners complained about it.

My RS had the radiator start leaking at about 65k.

Master cylinder replaced at 13k, turned out not to be the problem.
Clutch slave cylinder went out around 20k.

rear view mirrors whistled at 30mph and up.

clutch shudder got worse over time starting around 25k. Replaced at 50k.

Even though this car has had more issues than the Integra I'd owned previously or the Miata before that, this is still the most enjoyable of the three.