WRX reliability?

Hi everyone. I am researching the purchase of a new WRX and I am trying to get some honest opinions from people more familiar with Subaru. I currently have an AWD Eclipse and I love the car but, if you haven’t heard they are prone to have thrust bearing problems that can result in big time damage. My car is working fine for now but, I just don’t want any headaches since it’s my daily driver and I need it to be reliable, you know? Anyway, I have heard good things about the WRX and I love the whole turbo/AWD thing. However, I have also heard that they have transmission problems… is this true? If so, are there measures you can take to prevent problems? I do plan to install performance upgrades if I get one but, what are the chances for consistent problems?

I know the 2002 just came out and there probably isn’t a whole to go on yet since they pretty much redid the car from top to bottom but, if anyone has any helpful info or advice I would appreciate it.

Thanks…

the only problem I've heard is the transmission problem, they have a bad gear box..... every car has something that isn't perfect, this is the WRXs it's still a really good car!

I have also heard of a problem with the WRX. One of my friends said that the engine is so high strung that after about 55,000 miles it starts to break down. Is this true.

I don't think so.... it's a really reliable car just that gearbox isn't the greatest

The info I have come across is that the transimission is the weak link of the car, but unless you are modifying it and increasing the torque, it isn't a problem. However, nearly all turbos start to croak after 50K miles (at least in my experience). You will probably need to rebuild the turbo sometime between 50-75K miles, but then again, if the rest of the car is known to hold up that long it isn't that big a deal.