I hope I posted this in the right place.

I'm a prospective STI buyer and wanted to know what common problems exist with the car. It's for my wife and I don't plan to mod it (much).

I own an Evo and there are certain things that are common problems like a weak pressure plate on the clutch...

Any help would be appreciated.

Yeah, well EVOs are defective cars, what can I say....???? JK :lol:

I've only got about 4K miles on my STi so I can't say. There have been problems with the previous STis that have been fixed for the '05 year. I'm not sure what problems remain, but I haven't seen any yet. I've read about a drivetrain thump that I haven't noticed yet, and I read that it was fixed on the '05, but since I have such low miles I can't say for sure.

I have experience with Subarus since my 1998 Legacy Outback and our 2003 Outback, and have been VERY pleased with the reliability, service and overall fit and finish of these cars. My STi makes me smile every time I sit in it... Sorry I can't say anything bad about them... :)

One thing to consider... The STi is a VERY high performance vehicle. It's all about accelerating fast, cornering hard, and braking fast. If your wife likes that kind of driving, this car will suit her well. If she doesn't you might reconsider buying her something that isn't a race car. IMHO... :)

^^ poster owns an EVO so he is familiar with performance ;) .

early 04s ran very lean (and made big power). those cars had problems with pinging in hot weather on Cali gas... dealership willing to "fix" it...

04s have some kinda "strut clunk" or something, which i've yet to experience after 10k miles..

5th gear syncro seems to be an issue if the car is driven hard. Look under the warrenty section, there are some good threads in there.

NE = Nebraska? :confused:

My 04 has 18k miles on it and I have had no problems so far. The only thing I have replaced is the clutch and that was because I was taking it to the track all the time. Bezerk just reminded me of the 5th gear problem. If I shift too quick into 5th, it will grind.

NE = any

I know someone with an 04 STI and had a strut clunking. It was fixed under warranty.

My wife prior car was a 2000 Mustang GT and her current car is a 2000 E55. We are tired of the "minor" problems that this Benz always seems to have. She drove that 2004 STI (I just mentioned) and had a stupid grin on her face. She likes driving my car, but it's a bit brutal compared to a stock STI. She was impressed how smooth the engine was compared to a 2.0 liter WRX (and my car).

So we are looking for a used STI around 27k or less in OK/TX and I'll be looking around SC/NC areas while I'm at Fort Jackson for a few months.

Thanks for the help.

I have 10K miles on my 05 STI. I bought it with 3K on it and the 7K miles that I have put on it are very very hard miles. I have had zero problems so far. Get an STI, U wont regret it.

Ryan

Alot of the problems with the '04s really don't exist anymore. My '04 had the ECU reflashed for the pinging problem long before I bought it (the dealer flashed all their STi's while they were still sitting in the lot), so that problem is no longer an issue.

Unfortunately, I had the dreaded rear suspension clunk from the passenger strut. No biggie though, had it replaced under warranty. That's been my only problem so far.

I would wait until the 06 comes out and get a used 05, I think you would like it better then the 04.

problems are road noise (get new tires), few interior noises, increased insurance bill, increased gas bill, causes the driver to get the "lead foot" symptom.

An STi is much better than an EVO :)

The Evo isn't going anywhere. I have to much work into it.
The insurance can't be any worse then her Benz or my Evo. Sounds likes everything is in good order with these cars. Now it's just time to find the right one.