2005LGT to a 2013 Impreza wrx, am I crazy?

Background...I love my 2005LGT (5 speed) and it has 150K miles and the back left has a high speed shake that no one can fix. The P420 CEL comes and goes because of the cat sensors and the entire body under the car has minor/moderate rust and sooner than later I'll need to replace the entire exhaust system, never mind that eventually some part will fail. I drive this car very hard each day, it begs to be red-lined a few times a day and I do my best to deliver. But... I can't handle the high speed shake and don't want to be dumping +K cash into a car that is only worth 6K.

So here is my question... With no option of getting a new Legacy GT until perhaps the summer of 2014 (when the 6th generation comes out) which is risky that there will even be a GT version at the rate things are going, do you think I'll enjoy driving a 2013 Impreza WRX? Based on the specs, it looks like the closest thing I can find to my old car, do you think I will like it? Will it have a smooth/similar ride to the legacy on the highway or will it feel like I'm riding a sportscar? Ofcourse I am going to take some test drives, but I'm just curious for input from others.

Thanks for your help.

I think the key word here is LOVE you LOVE your car! How often do you think people say that? If the car has not been in a accident I'm sure you can find a professional to fix the high speed shake ( bent frame?). Depending on your finacial situation, why not rebuild the motor, tranny and suspension, what maybe $6k and while your rebuilding the motor add a few extras to take it to stage2 or more. You'll still have the ride you love, more power and the best of all no huge monthy payments unless your going to lease it, than that's another story.

I've had my wagon for 7 years and wouldn't consider a new 2013, that's just me though, some people love a new ride every 3 years that's why they lease. Think of yourself basically driving your car brand new off the showroom floor with suspension,tranny and motor upgrades ( the way it should have been built) and I think you probably keep it. Although I have no idea what condition the body or interior is in. GL.

Bought a brand new 2011 WRX and sold it within a year. Thing was like a piece of plastic held together by plastic with plastic rivets and plastic sheeting riding on plastic while smelling like plastic. Get my point?

Car was fun but offers nothing compared to the Legacies. That is my opinion though. 2013 is the same as a 2011 minus clear headlights. I say "if" you are going WRX do not buy a new one first of all and make sure you really want one cause they are completely different than a legacy.

I am so much happier owning an older gen 4 compared to a GRB WRX.

Keep and fix, why go and buy the boy car wrx/sti

Agree with ocd, interior is cheap and I could never own one, maybe rent it for a day or 2 but I can't own one

You should upgrade, not downgrade

great advice, just what I was looking for (and to some extent making some of my fears come true! which is a good thing). I've never purchased a used car, but I've never ever considered dumping 5-10K into my current car so that it lasts a long time, now I'm starting to think this way. Actually, if I can make it to the summer of 2014 hopefully the 6th gen has GT version and doesn't look totally bad, then I'll just get it.

I will still take the WRX for a spin, but sounds like it is not even going to be an option.

Now I need to find a mechanic who has a vision of taking my car forward...

thanks everyone!

Background...I love my 2005LGT (5 speed) and it has 150K miles and the back left has a high speed shake that no one can fix. The P420 CEL comes and goes because of the cat sensors and the entire body under the car has minor/moderate rust and sooner than later I'll need to replace the entire exhaust system, never mind that eventually some part will fail. I drive this car very hard each day, it begs to be red-lined a few times a day and I do my best to deliver. But... I can't handle the high speed shake and don't want to be dumping +K cash into a car that is only worth 6K.

So the main problem is the high speed vibration. Your short term solution is to find a mechanic who knows what he's doing. It's not like there is an infinite number of possible causes to sort through here. Bent wheel? Tire out of balance, flat spotted, cupped, etc? Have you tried swapping the LR wheel to another position on the car and seeing if anything changes? Blown shock (look for oil seeping from it, or give that corner of the car a good push downward and see how it reacts)? Disintegrating control arm bushings? Condition of brake rotor? Wheel hubs can also bend if you hit a pot hole or curb hard enough. Condition of axle shafts?

P0420 could be a fouled sensor rather than the cat itself being bad. That's not too expensive to fix, and you can buy spacers to get the sensor farther out of the exhaust stream to reduce future fouling. Don't know if there's anything that can be used to try cleaning the sensor, never tried. Can't that code be eliminated and readiness forced with open source software?

IMO, if you generally like the car and the engine runs well, fix the couple of nagging issues and then keep driving it until something more catastrophic happens.

Do it!!!

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