How you got your Baja.

[Rizzo]

Everybody tell the story of how you got your truck.

Use as many pictures as you have.







February of 2013 I decided, one, to buy a Subaru, second... I wanted a Baja.. Took me about 6 weeks to find what I wanted.

From my Crown Vic page.

I bought something else today.

We've been looking for a month or more now and 4 of you guys have been a big help. Folks from California, Oklahoma,Texas and Washington have been involved.


See I wanted a change. I really missed a 5 speed manual and I am also wanting to save on gas a little too. As it sits my Vic gets 17, This new car will get over 20.

I also took stock of what I do with my cars... I haul people and stuff. I more often than not have my back seat out of my Vic and use the Rubber floor as a truck bed.


So I looked and looked at ... Hatchback Wagons and such and during that time I was still analyzing what else is important about what I drive.

I like...need a car that people will ask me about. It's not just a tool to transport me, It's part of my identity.



So I found a unique model that this brand made for only 4 model years, 2003-2006.


I've looked from Oklahoma to Colorado to find one that's not yellow or silver, Manual not Automatic and not beat to death or rusted to hell.

Then after I was about done searching my wife found one today for $2,988 sticker.

We went right out, Test drove it and payed cash right then for it.

At the dealership. Now mind you, my ad had no pictures and I had given up by this saturday of the 6th week.

At under 3 grand I expected them to drag out a pile with flies circling it, I mean I expected to pay 6 grand for a nice one...




Paid cash... (Saleman's hands, I do not have sausage fingers LOL)




As he's counting the money I over hear a guy say " Yeah, I'm here to see the Baja", to which another guy says "Sorry, we just sold it"

HIT BRICKS MAN! (Yes, this is that guy) tru story..


I WIN!



Driving him home..


Home, an hour after we bought it.




BTW... My vic was no joke either.

This is the video I put in the craigslist ad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je5iMqlaOrc

Six second LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWJBGDMVj4c

Last time I saw my Vic..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY_rsAl_CEc



Who's next? Use pics... Tell your story.

[Takaaco]

Well we have a small farm here, mainly horses, cows, and the occasional pig or chicken. I drive a Chevy Silverado, and my wife hates it and refuses to drive it, but its really hard to transport hay and 100lb sacks of feed in a Pontiac Grand Am.
So one day my wife decides she wants a small truck, and since we have two little boys we needed a 4 seater. So we looked at several 4-door Chevy S-10's and Colorado's but nothing clicked. One day I asked her if she had ever seen a Baja. She said no, so I showed her a picture of one and she immediately said "I WANT THAT" So off to Craigslist I went.
Right off the bat I realized that Baja's really hold their value, and I dont like financing, and usually pay cash for everything, and the tax return was on its way. I was really thinking a Baja was going to be way out of budget. One day searching Craigslist I saw a listing for a 2003 NA with a crap load of miles (270k) for $6,700 about 3 hours from the house. I called the dealer and asked what the cash price was, and ths history of the truck. They told me they would take $5,500 cash and it was owned by a little old lady and all the services were done at the dealership (verified by Carfax and previous owner info). I figured worst case senario it might need a new engine, how much could a little 4 cylinder engine cost?? (lol little did I know).
The next day I drove the 3 hours to check out the truck. Took it for a test drive and the ony issue I could find was a mild case of "Subaru piston slap", some paint fade on the hood, and the spare tire winch was broken. This was 5pm on a Friday, so i hurried off to the U-haul to rent a auto hauler $118 later I pulled back into the dealer and said "I will take it"

Dealer Photo


Also happened to snag a ARE topper on Craigslist for $300

[Rizzo]

My wife pulled some inception shit on me.. I did...not...like Subaru's until I got one.

Same as you kinda, Domestic brands...until that one day our Baja button got pushed.

[bajaguy]

My brother and I were heading off to two separate colleges and we knew we would need another car. I searched craigslist about 8 months every other day.
My searches were as follows, first choice first:
Subaru Baja
Honda Element
VW Golf TDI
Mini Cooper
Nissan XTerra
Nissan Frontier (4 door)

I had pretty much given up on the first two just because of price. It was my dream car, but I was only searching the keyword "Subaru." I was searching for an engine for my VW baja bug and inadvertently I searched baja instead of bug. The first 3 postings were for a "Suburu Baja." Each consecutive ad was $500 cheaper. It had 71k mi and was less than half the kbb value. True, it had many issues and was used as a work truck. I have fixed most but here are some pics from when we test drove it.

Here are the pics that were on CL:








Here are some pics from the test drive:

Only one speaker worked and the dash was popped out...both fixed


That piece was not staying in and that was the previous owner's fix. -______- It is now attached from behind.


Scratches, practically all buffed out now.


More scratches that buffed out.


It appears he jacknifed a trailer... The plastic has been repaired with fiberglass, the putty splatters took hours to get off, and the tail light was replaced.


Again, it was used as a work truck...he still had stuff in it when we bought it. The mossy oak screen was removed within an hour of purchase.



Other issues included:
Sunroof not working (fixed by plugging it back in)
Wiper control switch malfunctioning (replaced)
Driver's seat belt locking up irrationally (replaced)
Driver's mirror held on by 1 screw (base replaced)
O2 sensor bad (replaced)
Really dirty (hours of cleaning, seats and center console removed to clean, gum scraped off the back window, etc.)


Interesting story from the trip home; The Baja was located 1.5 hours away from home. We were lucky enough to stop for gas before making the trip back home because we got out, closed the doors, and when we came back, the alarm went off. After trying to figure it out, we called the previous owner. He said, "yeah, it's the small button on the remote...wait...OH! I forgot to give that to you!" Yeah...that could have been way worse.


I have never seen a Baja go as cheap as mine since then. I continue to look and I continue to praise God for blessing me with such an awesome, safe, reliable, and fun vehicle.


Oh, and here is a pic of the baja bug. I do miss it...

[Trucklett]

Ooh. Great idea for a thread Rizzo!

I had fallen in love with the concept Baja when it first came out, but i could never afford a Baja new. Then when the turbo came out, I wanted one even more, but I was buying a house at the time and couldn't swing it.

I was searching for a 5spd Turbo for about a year and a half. Could never find one with low enough miles, a great service record, at a dealer (wanted a warranty), and within a day's drive round trip. I searched day after day on Craigslist, cars.com, autotrader.com, etc. Finally one afternoon in October 2012 on my lunch hour I found it: Black Pearl 2005 Baja Turbo 5 spd with only 70K miles at a Subie dealer only 1.5 hours away. I was over the moon. I called the dealer to confirm all the details, checked the CARFAX, gave him a deposit over the phone (I saw the ad less than an hour after they posted it and I was taking NO chances), called the dealer that originally serviced the car, and headed out of the office to see the car.

Now imagine my total and complete disappointment when I got there and it was an automatic. They confirmed it was a 5 spd on the phone. I was heartbroken. I had only driven manual transmissions for 26 years as daily drivers....I didn't want an automatic. The whole reason I was getting the Baja was to replace having two cars since it would be so practical. My old winter car, a 1998 Outback had 228K miles on it and was throwing enough codes that my father said, "Only call me if the CEL starts blinking. Otherwise...let it go." It was not going to last another winter, and I was tired of waiting. I drove the automatic. I loved the car. I knew I was going to have a hard time finding the 5 spd, and this car was perfect. Perfect inside and out - Wicked low miles and impeccable service history. It was a good $1500 under book and I just grabbed it.

I would still love to have a 5 spd, but I wouldn't give up the year and a half that I've had with her and the great Baja Buddies I've met along the way. I'll just have to buy myself a little sporty 5 spd for when I absolutely MUST shift myself.

When I first laid eyes on her. Sorry for the night time blurry cell phone pic. She had not even been washed or detailed - had just come in in trade for a new WRX:


My personal Subie mechanic taking her for a drive before I passed along ALL the money.


Now she's mine!


Goodbye old girl. You served the family well even with all your quirks Sybil!

[Subaru nutt 199]

My dad was looking for a truck to replace a 99 or 00 Chrysler Sebring convertible that he had for about 5 years. He didn't want a full size truck because of the size and still wanted to get decent gas millage. In the end he was deciding between the baja turbo, ford explorer sport trac and the Honda Ridgeline. The Ridgeline was coming out in another year and the sport trac was a little more exspensive and got worse gas millage. He decided to order the car from the factory with every option except the heated mirrors( who needs those in FL) and in 2005 we picked it up from mastro Subaru for 25k and the original msrp on the sticker was 29k. The car was still in wrapping and only had 3miles on it. The window sticker was still in the seat and not put on the window. Our baja is a 05 turbo white and silver with the auto.

[Rizzo]

Looks nice for a 9 yr old truck.

What's going on with the head light lenses?

[anarchy1024]

In 2010, my brother and I were still in university, and starting a summer job at the same place (driving a truck, delivering packaged ice), so we needed a car to get there and back. A few weeks earlier, we were talking about what to get, and we had a list of criteria:
- Four wheel drive (Canadian winters)
- Very utilitarian (Bikes, camping, transporting...whatever)
- Not a Honda or Toyota (because everyone has a Honda or Toyota)

The most likely candidate at the time was a Volvo V70XC, then I suggested, "What about a Baja?" Although we thought it the ideal car, we initially dismissed the thought because they're so rare, and out of budget for a good one.

We were driving back home from the truck driving school when we saw a Baja with a For Sale sign in the driveway of an autobody shop. We thought about it for a few seconds, then immediately turned around to check it out. Exterior was in very good condition; nearly no visible rust, no obvious damage. Interior was is decent condition. It was used partially as a work truck in a landscaping company, so there were some expected scratches and scuffs, and the driver's seat was really worn, but nothing major. Everything was functional. 2003 NA 5MT

Talked with the owner, did the test drive, then it came down to what was holding us back from getting the Baja in the first place: Price. With all other Bajas that we saw in the area starting around $12K online, $7500CAD was a great deal. Paid cash that week. A few days later, the owner dropped it off at a garage for the mandatory emissions and safety check, swapped the plates, and it was ours.

Unfortunately......... neither of us knew how to drive manual, and we still needed to get it home.

Between the two of us, I had the most experience ("experience" being used very loosely here; one lap around the block in a friend's RSX, only used first and second). We knew the theory behind it, but obviously putting it into practice is something else. But, good news! I didn't stall it once on the way back home, except when trying to reverse into the driveway, where it stalled in the driveway (it's parked enough). Probably burned the clutch quite a bit, though.

I took it to a friend's mechanic, where I just told him to do whatever he thinks needs to be done (only because my friend was there too, and he wouldn't rip us off). It wasn't too bad, I think: air filter, oil change/filter, rear suspension linkages, CV boot, front brakes, spark plugs, and I think some other things. Around $400 in parts. For the labour, they needed their computer fixed, so we managed to do a labour trade: a day of working on the car for a day of working on their computer. Apparently there was a bird's nest in the air intake .

Well, 4.5 years later, still going strong, and have no intention of selling it. It's perfect for everything that we do, and there's really never been a time when we wished we had a different car. There have been some problems since then, but none that are really the car's fault (e.g. the blown engine... university students, empty parking lot, new car, fresh snow...red-lining the engine while doing drifts and doughnuts... yeah...). Oh well, now we have a new motor in there (still the same 2.5L NA, though... considering an STI conversion, but it seems like a lot of work, money and time to do it properly).

[Rizzo]

I like your pics.

And I really like the surprise finding of the truck in the story.

[anarchy1024]

Thanks! My brother took and stylized those.

Oh, you know those plastic grills for the fog lamps? Has anyone had any luck replacing those for less than $50 each in Canada? I've looked several times online (inc. Ebay), and at a local scrap yard, but can't find any for a somewhat decent price...

[Rizzo]

Sorry I have not been back sooner.

I don't know of a solution, One problem is "everyone" hangs out on facebook.

If anyone finds out anything, it's soon lost in the news feed...