My son’s 2002 WRX

[Patman]

Six years ago at the age of 16 my son bought his first car, a 2002 WRX, for $6000 Canadian. It needed a lot of work! In fact he almost wanted to immediately sell it when he found out that the subframe was so badly rusted that it would not pass the safety inspection He spent $4000 getting that sorted out and got to work making other body repairs and cosmetic modifications. Fast forward to today and the car is completely transformed! He’s got nice wheels on it, coil overs, a nice looking body kit and just yesterday he got it back from having it wrapped. The results are amazing! The car has just under 400,000 km on it now and is still on the original engine, turbo and transmission! No head gasket issues either! It has a mild stage one tune in it but he doesn’t beat on the car too hard as he’s trying to see how long he can get out of the original engine. Once that is cooked he has plans for an STI engine. He’s already got the bigger turbo ready to go when that happens. I’m so proud of him, he’s done a lot of the bodywork and repairs/maintenance himself. He runs Castrol 5w40 in it, avoiding the typical Subaru trend of using Brotella

 

[IndyIan]

Wow! not my style, but looks pretty clean! Good for him for working on it and getting it to his liking.

 

[Patman]

Wow! not my style, but looks pretty clean! Good for him for working on it and getting it to his liking.

It’s quite rare to see a near perfect Bugeye WRX up here since rust attacks them so easily. He stopped driving this car in the winter a couple of years ago and no longer drives it in the rain, so that should help keep it rust free. He never wants to sell this car

 

[Patman]

This was how it looked 6 years ago

 

[IndyIan]

It’s quite rare to see a near perfect Bugeye WRX up here since rust attacks them so easily. He stopped driving this car in the winter a couple of years ago and no longer drives it in the rain, so that should help keep it rust free. He never wants to sell this car

That's the way to keep it nice! The STi versions were great fun to watch at autocross, and even the regular WRX's were quite quick with a few mods.

 

[Krieg]

Nice car, a lot of work, Bet he learned a lot, I would redact the license.

 

[Patman]

Nice car, a lot of work, Bet he learned a lot, I would redact the license.

He’s not concerned about that, he posts on IG and FB all the time and leaves the plate visible. I’m the same way with my own car

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

I love what he’s done to the car but unfortunately the rims remind me of an Evo…

 

[fantastic]

2002 is a long time up north. That is quite the transformation & he put some labor/work into it to make it his own style. He will go on to tackle his other life obstacles. A proud Dad goes a long way in boosting the kido's confidence.

 

[Patman]

2002 is a long time up north. That is quite the transformation & he put some labor/work into it to make it his own style. He will go on to tackle his other life obstacles. A proud Dad goes a long way in boosting the kido's confidence.

I’m so proud of him in so many ways! He’s a very polite young man and he’s doing very well in his career as a detailer! He’s very good at paint correction and has aspirations of opening his own shop someday. And he’s saving up to buy his first house and plans on doing that next year, so he’s not just putting all of his money into his car like most 22 year olds.

 

[benjy]

nice restore!! i tested a 2001 new but opted for a 2001 VW jetta wolfsburg that was doing well with NO rust having fully galvanized body panels when i traded for a 2001 audi TT225Q about 10 years ago with just under 200 thou + running great. good luck with the subie!!

 

[ls1mike]

Nice job! My kid has put a bunch of money into his 03 Duramax. I should post something up like this.

 

[Patman]

Nice job! My kid has put a bunch of money into his 03 Duramax. I should post something up like this.

Do it! It’s nice to know that the next generation still loves working on their vehicles and restoring them. There is definitely hope for the future of the automobile

 

[wpod]

Nice looking and there must have been lots of blood $weat and tears, again nice job.

 

[oldcodger]

Great job! It is good to hear of a young guy who is willing to work for what he wants. No gimme, gimme, gimme like so many others.

 

[MCompact]

Strong work!

 

[Glenda W.]

Looks great!!! The skills he’s learning will be lifelong. Not to mention the pride of ownership and motivation to take care of things. Bravo

 

[D60]

My friend calls these fart cars. So, that's a hemorrhoid exhaust tip I guess???

 

[97prizm]

Six years ago at the age of 16 my son bought his first car, a 2002 WRX, for $6000 Canadian. It needed a lot of work! In fact he almost wanted to immediately sell it when he found out that the subframe was so badly rusted that it would not pass the safety inspection He spent $4000 getting that sorted out and got to work making other body repairs and cosmetic modifications. Fast forward to today and the car is completely transformed! He’s got nice wheels on it, coil overs, a nice looking body kit and just yesterday he got it back from having it wrapped. The results are amazing! The car has just under 400,000 km on it now and is still on the original engine, turbo and transmission! No head gasket issues either! It has a mild stage one tune in it but he doesn’t beat on the car too hard as he’s trying to see how long he can get out of the original engine. Once that is cooked he has plans for an STI engine. He’s already got the bigger turbo ready to go when that happens. I’m so proud of him, he’s done a lot of the bodywork and repairs/maintenance himself. He runs Castrol 5w40 in it, avoiding the typical Subaru trend of using Brotella View attachment 234180View attachment 234181View attachment 234182

That looks like either ultra violet metallic purple from an e36 M3 or the midnight purple 2 from the R34 GTR. He doesn't get harassed by law enforcement with the clear tail lights?

 

[Patman]

That looks like either ultra violet metallic purple from an e36 M3 or the midnight purple 2 from the R34 GTR. He doesn't get harassed by law enforcement with the clear tail lights?

I don’t think it’s either of those colors since wraps generally have their own color palettes. But it’s likely very similar to a few factory paints.

He doesn’t really get harassed too often because he doesn’t drive like most 22 year olds. He’s never even had a speeding ticket.