My new Daily

[Clinical]

Picked this up for $1900
at only 127,000 miles - this thing's a spring chicken. Most of them that are DD's by people on the car's forum have 200+
Not bad for the price at all if you ask me.
Nothing wrong with it really.
A few scuffs, and a baseball sized dent on the corner of the hood and that's about it. Oh and someone at some point painted the calipers and stuff yellow, ugh?

Ac/Heat work amazing /w Climate control. First car i've had in a long time that the rear defrost worked.. Power windows/locks all work. Cruise control, rides very smooth. Pulls harder than I expected out of a 230hp car with what it weighs.

The stock stereo system is absolutely phenomenal - especially since I can use my ipod with the $12 target ipod cassette adapter.

It's really fun to drive and gets decent mileage. Averaged 28 coming home with it and that was with a couple jabs and one 20-100 pull. Just had to see what it could do :P

It's a great car, these things sound amazing with a flowmaster so that will probably come along with an intake - after that nothing else. Theres really no aftermarket for these cars. I figure I'll just do the basics to get it to breathe a bit better and sound good :)

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/C1inical/IMG_0615.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/C1inical/IMG_0616.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/C1inical/IMG_0617.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/C1inical/IMG_0618.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/C1inical/IMG_0619.jpg

[derek072887]

there are more then you think for these cars lol, my buddy has one and he has designed, produced and is selling the very first rear sway bars for these cars and he is local! there are staged tuning for these cars also, everything from just injector and a tune to full supercharger kits...

you can also to a 5 or 6 speed swap if you don't like the auto. My buddy is sticking with the auto but pull a trans from another car (forget the exact make and model) that has 4.11 gears in it from the factory and is doing the swap as we speak.

[sparkles]

Congrats. Hope this one is a little more reliable for you.

[Clinical]

Well in more basic terms, it's not as easy as it is for DSM's where there are multiple companies that produce aftermarket products in bulk. A lot of stuff still needs custom work done.

If this thing's tranny ever goes out, a WRX tranny swap is definitely the route I'd take.

But it shifts great and has no issues.
This thing ought to be pretty reliable.

It feels nice to be driving what I consider a normal car that has all the goods, ac/heat/perfect working power options/cruise control/good stereo/etc.

I haven't had a car where everything worked on it since like, my Grand Am which was still a pos. This car is great and yet it still is pretty unique and fun to drive.

[n8kerns]

Nice find, I was thinking about getting one of them to replace but my cougar for the winter but I didn't figure they'd be easy to get parts for. I have to say though, wtf is with the windows?

[Deimos]

we had a customer get some you had to put the sticky weights on his wheels in a certain spot or as it spun the caliper would rip them off.

[NewSpeedSteed]

The SVX is a awesome car for its time, but it was not very mod friendly. They came in automatic only because Subaru didn't made a manual trans that could handle the power, people do swap in wrx and sti transmissions into them but it is in no way a direct "bolt on." There are two companies on the east coast that swap stuff into them (turbos, trans swaps etc) the trans swap was around 4500 (including labor) which leaves to believe that there isn't alot to it but still most people say its easier to get another SVX auto and change the gears if your looking for a boost in speed.

I was going to buy two of them a while back- guy where I lived had 2 (one running and one parts car) for 3 grand total. He had daily driven the running one for years, and bought the second one for a parts car since parts aren't easy to find. He ended up getting a new Civic so is getting rid of both of them.

Either way nice daily driver, unique and reasonably quick, with AWD its a year round car.

[DustinsDuster]

especially if this is just going to be a D/D- i wouldnt do anything to it. maybe get another set of wheels with winter tires and otherwise leave it alone. if you want it to last and be more reliable- don't do anything to it.

[Clinical]

It's definitely getting a different muffler - that's probably going to be all unless I decide to make a home-made intake.

These cars are so ridiculously quiet with the stock exhaust and sound amazing with just a flowmaster thrown in.
Definitely will keep the stock exhaust though when I get something new, just because of how nice and quiet it is and if I were to ever sell it.

Here's just a SVX with just a flowmaster thrown on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsgr8huE8o0

As it sits, mine with the stock exhaust sounds exactly like your typical new v6 camry - completely quiet.

Plans I have for it:
Going to get new, they work fine they just have a bit of a mushy old feel and clink a bit when coming to a complete stop.
Repair the hood or buy a new one - a fiberglass hood for these cars only run $350-$400 but I'll have access to the college bodyshop next semester.
New plugs / wires / o2 sensor - just want to try to get it running as good as I can and get the most mileage out of it since it'll be driven a lot.
New belts - again nothing wrong that I know of but I just want to be on top of the maintenance.

Thinking about getting HID's for it too.


It won't get any "real" performance mods.

I'm going to see if the wheels on the talon will fit on here. If so I'll probably repaint these wheels black and put them on the talon and keep my Evo wheels.

[derek072887]

have fun changing those plugs lol, i hear that are a MAJOR pain in the ass!

[sLoWnStEaDy]

I have always kind of liked those things but I still have no idea what is up with the windows....

[NewSpeedSteed]

I have always kind of liked those things but I still have no idea what is up with the windows....
Just Subaru styling. Weird. Hasn't changed much, they went from weird windows to enormous hood scoops and wings :suspect:

[n8kerns]

Thinking about getting HID's for it too.

Hope you don't mean just throwing one of those HID "kits" in it, nothing I hate more than the people that do that and blind the crap out of everyone in front of them. If your going to do it, at least retrofit your housings with some OEM HID housings.

[85XR7Project]

I have to agree, those headlights will only scatter the light beam.

[derek072887]

they have projector housings for the low beams from the factory, those direct HID's just fine

[Ricky]

O boy.... i was looking at getting one of these cars but after driving 4 and ALL of them having tranny problems i said fuck it. I saw that it was mostly 3rd that went out. The cars look neat and are fun to drive but what scared me away was that its really hard to find parts.


the car was designed working with Mclaren for the body design. The windows are designed like that for aerodynamics.

[Clinical]

Yep my only concern is the tranny and the ability to find parts but honestly, I'm hoping judging by their basic reliability I won't need parts too often considering everything on the car works great.

The tranny is perfectly fine too.
I don't think the previous owner even knew there was a huge folder of receipts for the car in the spare tire well cause she said she didnt know if the tranny had ever been worked on or when the last timing belt was done. She had it for 3 years.

Receipt book I found showed the tranny being rebuillt in 2002 when the car was at 110k - it's only at 127k now so it hasn't been driven a whole lot. Timing belt also was done in 2004 at 114k.

[Clinical]

lol some guy randomly confronted me today at the college saying he loves SVX's and always wanted one and asked me if I'd sell it.

I told him I'd sell it right at KBB "Good Condition" value - because, well it is.

It's not excellent because of the dent on the hood and a couple other exterior defects.

Anyway he said he could give me 2k cash and make payments bi-weekly of $100 but I told him I don't do payments so he took my number and may contact me somewhere down the line lol.

I think it's funny I've had it for less than a week and I already have someone willing to pay me the book price of it.
I really dont imagine myself selling it but if I could make out with 1,100 in less than a week I'd do it.

Hell I could almost afford that WRX I want if I did that and got rid of the talon!

[Ricky]

WRX for the win

Subaru's are picky on mods, meaning everything you change requires a tune.

My wrx may not be the fastest but i love the damn thing

[Drifte]

if its an 04 it requires a tune BEFORE any mods.

[Ricky]

^ haha yeah

[Clinical]

The only reason I haven't already gotten a WRX is because I don't want to be too much into debt haha.

I'm still a bit in debt on the talon but I'll have it payed off within the month most likely. Most of it was done when I sold the laser and the firebird.

I'm trying to decide what I'd want if I get rid of the talon.
It's just so hard to find something because almost everything will be taking a step back - as of now all I need is new wastegate springs to run 12's most likely.

If I could afford a decent 6speed LS1 that'd be nice - definitely trying to avoid an auto.

[Ricky]

your a wastegate spring away to running 12's.... if the car can make it to the track.

I should be low 13's with my subaru this year and i have 3" exhaust, FMIC, STI Turbo and tune. stock fuel and everything. WRX's are fun but get an insurance quote before you buy one... they are not cheep

[TbTalon94]

WRX's are fun but get an insurance quote before you buy one... they are not cheep


Same thing with Evo's


I'd keep the talon, fix all the little stuff slowly. Do things right and do them once. That car has so many problems because things weren't done correctly the FIRST time....

[Ricky]

WRX's are fun but get an insurance quote before you buy one... they are not cheep


Same thing with Evo's


I'd keep the talon, fix all the little stuff slowly. Do things right and do them once. That car has so many problems because things weren't done correctly the FIRST time....


got to pay to play...


Fast, Cheep, Reliable...... Pick two.

[Clinical]

lol the talon will be at the track again tomorrow.

This time without any trailer or anything.

Yeah I'm tempting fate quite a bit...
It did a 2hour drive yesterday without an issue.

Cordova is a total 4 hour round trip for me so hopefully no issues.

[imprezkid]

IM jealous, i love my subies, and i love my svx's but have yet to own one