High-Mileage Subaru WRX Still Worth $7,500 Because Wagon

"The owner of this 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX says the car now has over 350,000 miles on it. Mazda Mazda6 owners are saying they would have to be crazy to drive their cars that far, but the owner claims the Impreza is still worth $7,500 - not bad for a 10-year-old car with over 350k miles.

"The car is currently in Texas, but the original owner was in Maryland and drove it to work every day until he moved to Arizona in 2009 with 218,000 miles on the clock. He took it across the country then, including a trip through Death Valley where he claims 120-degree temperatures didn't affect the car."

"Mazda Mazda6 owners need to either stop driving their cars or lease them and return them after a year. Subaru WRX owners, on the other hand, can just keep driving because they're wagons anyway, and nobody will ever want one again when new ones come out in a few years. They can keep driving them until they die of natural causes."

Legendary line: "The car is currently in Texas, but the original owner was in Maryland and drove it to work every day until he moved to Arizona in 2009 with 218,000 miles on the clock. He took it across the country then, including a trip through Death Valley where he claims 120-degree temperatures didn't affect the car."

What is high mileage for a WRX?

A 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX with 350,000 miles is still worth $7,500 because it's a wagon. Toyota Camry owners are saying they would have to be crazy to drive theirs that far but the owner claims his "Subie" is still worth the $7,500 - not bad for an old car with so many miles on it. Mazda Mazda6 owners need to either stop driving or lease their cars and give them back after 12 months, while Subaru WRX Wagon can drive theirs while there are still new ones every year (which doesn't look like they will be for long). They can keep driving their high-mileage wagons until they die of natural causes or until they reach 400,000 miles.

Toyota Camry owners are saying they would have to be crazy to drive theirs that far but the owner claims his "Subie" is still worth the $7,500 - not bad for an old car with so many miles on it. Mazda Mazda6 owners can drive theirs while there are new ones every year (which doesn't look like it will be for long), but they need to stop driving them after 12 months. Subaru WRX owners can keep driving their high-mileage wagons until they die of natural causes or reach 400,000 miles.

"This car is currently in Texas, but the original owner was in Maryland and drove it to work every day until he moved to Arizona in 2009 with 218,000 miles on the clock. He took it across the country then, including a trip through Death Valley where he claims 120-degree temperatures didn't affect the car."

Are WRX engines reliable?

The WRX engines seem reliable, but there is no real way to know for certain. Subaru builds some of their cars off of running platforms and parts from other vendors, which means that the engines might not be all that different from anything else. It doesn't seem like they've had any significant problems with engine or engine components, though.

However, I think general maintenance and servicing is more important than general reliability. For example, oil change intervals of 10,000 miles instead of 3,000 can make a big difference in engine life over the long haul.

There certainly are people who abuse or neglect their cars, but that probably won't apply to most WRX owners because it takes a certain type of person to purchase a car in the first place.

The WRX engines seem reliable, but there is no real way to know for certain. Subaru builds some of their cars off running platforms and parts from other vendors, which means that the engines might not be all that different from anything else. It doesn't seem like they've had any significant problems with engine or engine components, though.

However, I think general maintenance and servicing is more important than general reliability. For example, oil change intervals of 10,000 miles instead of 3,000 can make a big difference in engine life over the long haul.

Is a Subaru WRX hard to maintain?

The Subaru WRX is not hard to maintain. The only thing you need to do on a regular basis is performed oil changes. You don't have to change the belts every 3,000 miles or get your coolant replaced every 10,000 miles.

However, I think general maintenance and servicing is more important than general reliability. For example, oil change intervals of 10,000 miles instead of 3,000 can make a big difference in engine life over the long haul.

There certainly are people who abuse or neglect their cars, but that probably won't apply to most WRX owners because it takes a certain type of person to purchase a car in the first place.

After I got my WRX, the first thing I did was take it to a dealer and have them perform an oil change and replace the air filter. A mechanic at a local Canadian Tire said that the air filters would last for years, but I wasn't convinced, so I had him go ahead and install one. He also offered me $100 off of the price of the oil change if I would give him my business each time.

It was not necessary to remove the air filter, but it is recommended that you replace it every 15,000 miles or so. You can buy an aftermarket filter for about $25, but I had no interest in getting rid of my warranty coverage before then. A new one will cost around $100.

Getting your oil changed on a regular basis is the best thing you can do to keep your WRX running smoothly, no matter how many miles are on it. It's also important to have any leaks checked immediately so that they don't turn into anything bigger. The WRX uses about 1 quart of oil every 1,200 miles so oil changes are going to be a frequent event.