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VERDICT · VERIFY TUNING HISTORY, DIFFERENT ENGINE FROM THE OLDER STI

Subaru WRX 2.0L Turbo
is it a safe used buy?

A genuine rally-bred performance sedan, paired with a meaningfully newer engine than the older EJ-based STI covered elsewhere on this site.

GENERATION4th gen (2015–2021)
ENGINE2.0L Turbo
POWER268 hp
USED PRICE$18,000–28,000

How the engine fits this car

A genuine rally-bred performance sedan, paired with a meaningfully newer engine than the older EJ-based STI covered elsewhere on this site.

Avoids the older engine's external head gasket leak tendency, though tuning history still matters given this car's enthusiast following.

Subaru WRX-specific pros and cons

This is about the car itself — for engine-specific failure points, see the dedicated engine page below.

WHAT HOLDS UP WELL

  • Does not share the older EJ25's documented head gasket leak tendency
  • Genuinely engaging all-wheel-drive performance and rally heritage
  • Modern direct-injection architecture with real tuning potential
  • Strong specialist and enthusiast community knowledge

WHAT TO WATCH

  • Ringland wear risk on aggressively tuned examples, detailed on the engine page
  • A meaningful share of used examples have been modified
  • As a comparatively newer engine, less long-term high-mileage data exists
  • Insurance costs reflect the car's performance category

Pricing on the used market

Mileage band
Typical price
What to expect
Under 50,000 mi
$23,500–28,000
Lower-mileage, often well-kept examples
50,000–90,000 mi
$20,000–23,500
Sweet spot, verify tuning history
90,000+ mi
$18,000–20,000
Inspect closely for signs of hard use or modification

The engine itself

This WRX is a defining application of the FA20 turbo. Full detail on this meaningfully updated engine lives on the dedicated engine page.

FULL ENGINE BREAKDOWNSubaru 2.0L Turbo (FA20) — Reliable or Not →

Pre-purchase checklist for this generation

Ask directly whether the car has been tuned, and get the tuning file if so.

Have a specialist perform a compression or leak-down test on modified examples.

Ask about track use specifically, and inspect brakes and tyres accordingly.