Subaru Baja - Anyone owned one?

[Kimsey47]

Hey guys & gals,

I'm writing to see if anyone on the forums here has owned a Subaru Baja, and if so what model did you own, how long did you have it, what transmission did you have, and what did you think of it? Also what issues did you encounter if any?

I'm interested in buying one as a daily driver and from what I have researched they appear to be very reliable cars. Before anyone gives me grief I can tell you that I'm interested in the function of this car... Not really the form! They are ugly as hell but meet my needs as a family car, small pickup, and comparing the gas mileage to a 2 wheel drive pickup, the turbo and N/A will both do better.

Anyways, thanks for taking time to read and respond!

[Wes B.]

I've never owned one, but I did do some extensive road tripping in an '03 Baja with the NA 2.5 and a 5-speed manual.

Pros: The gas mileage was excellent (~34 @ 75mph). The suspension setup is great for some light trail-running.

Cons: Due to its lack of power, driving it in the mountains is beyond difficult because the car refuses to go above 60 mph when ascending some of the roads in CO and UT.

[Kimsey47]

Bump for any more experiences with the Baja (Besides seeing one of the road and gawking at its beautiful design lines)

[bestwheelbase]

Man I wish I had some experience to offer. I imagine a Baja with WRX turbo motor would be loads of fun....

[Kimsey47]

Yeah I think this vehicle could make a great daily driver around this part of TN... I can haul the family, items for yard work, and then when bored take it on some of the less challenging mountain trails for some off road awd mud filled giggles. haha

[bestwheelbase]

Yeah that sounds like a good plan. Perfect for day hikes or finding good mountain biking trails.

[xjohnx]

If you can find an XT model, that's a bonus. Detuned STi motor if i recall correctly. ~250HP.

[Hardrock4445]

I may be alone.... But I don't think they look that bad. I bet one modded up would be nice.

[Kimsey47]

My opinion of them has shifted a lot... I used to really think they are ugly; however, since my priorities have changed (house, family) I see them as kick ass. Not the most visually appealing car, but not bad... Its not an Aztek or Multipla ugly.

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by xjohnx

If you can find an XT model, that's a bonus. Detuned STi motor if i recall correctly. ~250HP.

210HP

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

[brzninja]

A friend of mine owned one for about 3 years. She used it on her farm and put at least 50k miles on it. Ran like a dream as I drove it from time to time. It's built off the Legacy model just with a mini truck bed in the back. She drove the non-turbo AT version. She had no problems with it and only sold it because she needed a truck with a bigger bed.

I'm actually looking into buying one to be my winter / utility vehicle. I don't care what anyone says, those cars are damn sexy.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by xjohnx

If you can find an XT model, that's a bonus. Detuned STi motor if i recall correctly. ~250HP.

Correct. STI engine, WRX snail...I think. Same kind stuff the 2004 Forester XT had. More like WRX HP figure though.

[bestwheelbase]

So my idea of a WRX turbo motor in a Baja wasn't far off.

I should be a car designer.

[wheelhaus]

I have not owned a Baja, but have owned many Subarus (the BRZ marks #6). The NA 2.5 motors have good torque at low/mid RPM, which is great for a daily driver. Not sure if the Baja ever came with the 2.0 turbo form the WRX, it was a little anemic under 3k, but makes good power mid/upper RPM. The 2.5 turbo is pretty great all around. Keep an eye on the head gaskets past 80k miles. The 5sp manuals were accused of having "glass" 1st and 2nd gears, but this was usually from WRX owners doing hard launches. No experience with Subaru AT.

The majority of Subarus share a lot of parts and they're quite easy to work on. Nasioc is a wealth of information for Subarus in general if you can manage to find what you need. If you can find a well maintained Baja in good condition it should last you many years.