14 replies to this topic

[subeman90]

I am seriously considering buying a Turbo Baja 5 speed. If you have a TB please let yourself be known and tell me about your mileage and if you had any problems or not. I am also interested in hearing from the regular baja owners too. I would like to know what you are getting with yours also. I was thinking about a WRX but when I drove the TB I was instantly sold on it for its more useful powerband but I haven't ruled out a regular baja. Mostly interested in the mileage from the 5 speeds though...automatic is not a consideration for purchase here.....

TIA,
Matt

[Grimmreaper]

I just bought an 05 Baja Sport with a manual 5 speed transmission. It is not a Turbo but I did not buy it for that purpose and it meets my needs, the Baja rides great and handles extremely well. The day after I took delivery of it, I went on a road trip from Norfolk, VA. to Bloomington Illinois and back. For highway cruising I averaged around 28 Miles per gallon, around town with a mix of highway driving came out to about 25 miles per gallon. it cruises comfortably at 70 mph (even while climbing the mountains in West Virginia) the RPM is at 3200RPM when at that speed however.

However when driving around town, I rarely have the RPM beyond 2500 RPM unless I am cruising at 65mph or greater.

[Texas S]

Check out the Baja board on nasioc.com, fair bit of bragging & complaining going on over there. The biggest complaint seems to be lack of storage on interior. People are frustrated with lack of aftermarket, but that's half the fun! Make sure you get a good price, Subaru wants to move these cars.

[phunlover]

hello all, i'm new to the board but i just want to chime in here and there about my problematic turbo baja...all kind of tranny problems, truck won't start...twice now when it's cold...radiator cap has been replaced b/c it was supposedly bad and leaking antifreeze...but now i'm reading that it could be signs that it is a head gasket...going through with lemon law hopefully will get resolved real soon as i am losing my patience with subaru's.

also if anyone has heard anything about problems relating to shifting, turbo, etc...with the baja please let me know...mine is a '04 silver!!

[Texas S]

What transmission do you have Phunlover?

[Seahag1978]

I have had my Baja Turbo 5 sp. for about 6 weeks. I love it! I get somewhere between 20-25 mpg. I do city driving mostly, very short hops... a 3 mi. commute to work, I also go home for lunch. Premium gas puts a little damper on it, but other than that, I can't complain, and I traded a Hyundai that was sometimes getting as high as 42 mpg. highway.

I love the Baja's gearing because even through residential areas (35 mph), I can get into 4th and pretty much just coast along. First gear is a little touchy... at about half-clutch, it wants to bolt, so takes a bit of finessing until you get used to it. On the highway, it has the all the power you'll need.

The interior storage isn't any different than any other 4 door sedan, but obviously lacks closed trunk space... I going to look into a large collapsible waterproof bag, (like the Christmas tree storage bags) and a couple of bungees, to keep under the back seat in case of rain.

We just got a black lab and at the suggestion of another board member, the seats fold down flat add a pad, it's a perfect platform for the dog... he loves it!

Anyway, I love the car, it's a blast to drive and it's officially my all-time favorite!

[Gnuman]

hello all, i'm new to the board but i just want to chime in here and there about my problematic turbo baja...all kind of tranny problems, truck won't start...twice now when it's cold...radiator cap has been replaced b/c it was supposedly bad and leaking antifreeze...but now i'm reading that it could be signs that it is a head gasket...going through with lemon law hopefully will get resolved real soon as i am losing my patience with subaru's.

also if anyone has heard anything about problems relating to shifting, turbo, etc...with the baja please let me know...mine is a '04 silver!!

phunlover, please do not let one bad apple ruin the whole barrel for you. Obviously, this one slipped by QC, but generally Subarus are a very good car all around. You may want to try a later model year as well. IIRC, there were a few changes in the '05 powerplants. . .

[phunlover]

phunlover, please do not let one bad apple ruin the whole barrel for you. Obviously, this one slipped by QC, but generally Subarus are a very good car all around. You may want to try a later model year as well. IIRC, there were a few changes in the '05 powerplants. . .

04' 2.0 engine with turbo...don't really know tranny details since they dropped a new one in and a new transmission control module.

i just hope if i get a legacy gt that it won't have the same turbo, tranny, and battery/starting issues that i have with this one.

[Texas S]

04' 2.0 engine with turbo...don't really know tranny details since they dropped a new one in and a new transmission control module.

i just hope if i get a legacy gt that it won't have the same turbo, tranny, and battery/starting issues that i have with this one.

The Baja T's actually the 2.5, the WRX is the one with the 2.0. The LGT is similar but revamped and quite a bit nicer and more refined. I think the tranny's also considerably re-engineered.

So you're saying it's an auto (sportshift) correct? Subaru has some problems with their autos, I'd talk to them about either getting one of the more recent autos off the assembly line or consider a manual. Like Seahag says, they can be a bit touchy but once you learn it you'll love it.

Don't give up on the Subaru!!

[mtsmiths]

I noticed a tag in a parking lot in Whitefish yesterday. In Montana they're trucks.

[phunlover]

yes...correct...it is auto w/sportshift...really?? i didn't think a manual would be good in my case with all the hills of pa...

The Baja T's actually the 2.5, the WRX is the one with the 2.0. The LGT is similar but revamped and quite a bit nicer and more refined. I think the tranny's also considerably re-engineered.

So you're saying it's an auto (sportshift) correct? Subaru has some problems with their autos, I'd talk to them about either getting one of the more recent autos off the assembly line or consider a manual. Like Seahag says, they can be a bit touchy but once you learn it you'll love it.

Don't give up on the Subaru!!

[subeman90]

The hills of PA.... HA!!!!! don't worry about it. you would be surprised the amount of torque that the 5 speeds can put down and not have to be downshifted. When I went to montana in my 02 OB years ago I usually NEVER downshifted for their mountains (which make ours look like ant hills) and that was a NON turbo car...if it had been a turbo i'm sure it would have been all the better. Where in PA are you might I ask? Also, FYI in PA you must register the baja as a truck....so that means your reg. is going to be more money than the $36 for a car (I forget how much light trucks are).

Somebody dug this topic up from the dead.....BTW, I didn't buy the TB (I couldn't get what I felt was a good deal on an 04 leftover) so I bought the 05 in my sig.

Matt

[phunlover]

yeah i know that about the reg...i already own the P.O.S. LOL

The hills of PA.... HA!!!!! don't worry about it. you would be surprised the amount of torque that the 5 speeds can put down and not have to be downshifted. When I went to montana in my 02 OB years ago I usually NEVER downshifted for their mountains (which make ours look like ant hills) and that was a NON turbo car...if it had been a turbo i'm sure it would have been all the better. Where in PA are you might I ask? Also, FYI in PA you must register the baja as a truck....so that means your reg. is going to be more money than the $36 for a car (I forget how much light trucks are).

Somebody dug this topic up from the dead.....BTW, I didn't buy the TB (I couldn't get what I felt was a good deal on an 04 leftover) so I bought the 05 in my sig.

Matt

[subeman90]

Sorry about that.....doing 3 things at once. How much is reg. for a "truck"? You never did say where you are at and what dealer you are working with... Very curious here...

Matt

[phunlover]

i think reg. was around 55 or so..

sorry, as well reading 4000 diff. posts trying to figure this all out...

bill gray pittsburgh, pa first...

now they closed and i'm at

p & w subaru pittsburgh...

Russ