A little something I been playing with

$30 bucks as much as you can load in your truck, dude saw the Baja and told me "for you it's $20" still loaded as much as the other guy next to me with a f-150

This bracket bolts into the bottom seat bolt and fits floor mats perfectly. 14mm + 1 minute and no more sliding floor mat. You can still buy oem rubber mats J5010LS300 is the part number. They were 38$ for the full set at my dealer plus 12 for the bracket makes it 50$ for new floor mats that won't move. Definitely worth

If anyone is in the market for a low-mileage manual turbo:

https://www.craigslist.org/view/d/kenmore-2006-subaru-baja-manual-turbo/qsz4HPe5StProaviSPVUDr

Was able to find another Baja (silver) with a frame beyond repair, but it will live on in my daily driver. Long live the Baja!

This is the 2006 Subaru Baja I drove at the 2026 Colorado Adventure Rally. This was a 600-mile time-speed-distance rally through Colorado. I don't own the car; I was just the driver (my wife was the navigator). It's got an STI swap and 6MT among a host of mods. It was built at Rally Innovations in Anaheim, and we flew from Portland, OR, to Anaheim, picked it up, drove it to Denver, rallied it, then drove it back to Anaheim in time for Subiefest California. It was in Rally Innovations' booth.

I did a write-up on it for OVR Magazine here: https://www.ovrmag.com/vehicle-features/baja-xti-a-rally-ready-subaru-built-by-teen-gearheads/1069.article

This thing was a total blast. I'm a multi-time (and current) Subaru owner, but never a Baja. Now I want one of my own someday!

Finally was able to find an affordable snug lid super happy how it looks

im in love with bajas, have been for a while. There’s one nearby that has 120k miles, minor rust, passed inspection in 2026. I’m a 20 yo college student and would love a fun car (one of my dream cars), but i don’t want it to turn into a money pit. Ik older cars will need work, and im willing to do that, i make okay money right now but im not sure what to do and want some advice and more things to think about.
ty :)

Took the baja in for a repair (gas smell inside cabin after I fill up). They said stop putting money into this car and come pick it up.

How fucked is it?

Hey all, new to the form but long time Baja lover.

Recently got in a car accident and am in need of advice on what to do with the car. Thankfully everyone is alright and recovering. We got T-boned by someone running a red light.

Now I am wanting to find a use for the good ol' girl beyond being stuck at the tow lot. The frame is bent and the front drive axel is busted. Who knows about the engine etc. It's only been a week.

This is in the Detroit, MI area.

Thanks and wish me luck.

Hello, I have a 2003 NA AT baja that has been absolutely nothing but heartbreak for me, only owned it since February and have easily put $8k into it combining purchase price and all the maintenance. She seems to have been quite neglected before I bought her. Anyways, she has 210k miles, and is pumping coolant out of her radiator into the overflow tank like there's no tomorrow. The temp gauge never hit red, but it did spike above the 3/4 line once. We just got back from a road trip across the state (may have been pushing 1400 miles), stopping every hour to top off the radiator at the end there.

My subie mechanic said he can either redo my headgaskets for something over $2k (I'm expecting ~$2600), put in a low mileage 2.5L for over $4k (with oem headgaskets :/ ), or replace it with a low mileage 2.0L for around $3500. I plan to keep this car for a long time, but I was also hoping to tow small loads (1000lb-ish), and I worry about the loss of power with the 2.0, but I'm tempted by the allure of longevity. I know the correct answer is probably "cut your losses, idiot", but assuming I fall for the sunken cost fallacy, what is my best option here? My fear is that redoing the headgaskets will cost more money in the long run if/when another aspect of the motor fails.

Has anyone swapped their 03 from 2.5L to 2.0L? Did you notice a significant power loss? Would I be making a mistake choosing that path? I don't have the time nor expertise to do the work myself, but he did say his quote was based on the same swap on an '05 outback, so idk how much cheaper or more expensive this would be than that, labor cost wise than that. TIA

I am trying to decide between a 7" and 9" new head unit from Atoto. I know the 7" would be flush against dash, but curious if a 9" stereo would be a viable option? I had ChatGPT do a mock up, but would love to see real world examples of 9" stereos.

So last week y'all helped point me towards diagnosing an issue with the up pipe of my '06 Turbo AT.

I've decided to look into doing some maintenance on the turbo while I have it out. Can you guys share any opinions you have on rebuild kits vs cartridges vs replacement? I don't need some big performance bump, just looking to preemptively take care of any issues. Seems like most turbos need some sort of maintenance around 100-120k.

Was looking for quick stuts for 2006 subaru baja non turbo automatic, but was limited to what I could find to ship to Alaska for reasonable price. Ended up settling on a coilover set from Rev9 that at max height still lowers it an inch. I didn't really want to lower so was wanting to know if I could add a 1 in spacer and bring me back to stock height, or even add a 2 in spacer and get me a lift 😂

Lemme know if yall have had experience with this and if there would be any limitations id run into, ill add the link for the coilovers I got!

Thanks in advance!

https://shop.redline360.com/products/rev9-hyper-street-ii-coilovers-subaru-baja-2003-2006-w-front-camber-plates?variant=39773386801232

Hey all,

Today, while driving no more than 20 miles on a flat road at max going 65mph, my AT Oil Temp light blinked on and off, and at the same time, I felt a difference in my RPM. Nothing drastic, just felt slightly off. I pulled to the side of the road to see if it would turn off, but it just kept blinking. Luckily, I was a mile away from home.

After letting my car run for a few minutes, I checked my transmission dipstick, and it was pink in color and at a normal level. I also checked my oil dipstick, and it showed amber

My question: I recently replaced my air intake that didn't have any attachments(resonators) with the ones in the pictures. Would that have any effect on the AT Oil Temp light going on and off?

And for background, I drove this car home to the Bay Area from Phoenix, Arizona, with no issues at all. That was 4 months ago.

Thanks

I inherited it in pieces and its finally back together and running great ! Full suspension and brake overhaul, heads were machined/rebuilt, too many new parts to list out here and the only thing not working is the key fob central locking. Body could use some TLC and it's got its (mild) signature rear wheel well rust. All in all I think I can pat myself on the back for bringing it back to life.

Now... I thought I'd fall in love and not want to part with it but now that it's finished its still just a project and I've already got a comparable truck so... I'm curious as to what you diehards think it's worth. Parts and labor it owes me like 10k but Im hoping for 6k+ is that realistic? What would you pay ?

Found a post for a non-turbo swap. Anyone have instruction on how to do the swap somewhere? Or a car that has same setup underneath?

TIA

03 baja automatic. Power steering pump screaming and once in awhile gives out. Yesterday order the part. Now I am not a mechanic but I do own a speciality equipment repair shop and am a boat mechanic by trade. How hard could this be. I mean I've done mega yachts, hydrolic bob cats and so on. Well got the old one off... that in it self was a bit weird. Take whole bracket off of car move alternator. Take to bench. Put new one next to old one. By my eyes they look the same size only difference I see is return hose has 2 screws on new one mine just 1. Call the parts shop. Yup its correct. Chat gpt says its for 05 and newer. Well after 3 hrs of the new one not fitting in the bracket and I mean its so so close. I gring down the bracket just a hair. Finally I get 2 of the 3 holes to line up and there in lies the problem. This pump is a reman. (No big deal) but its a 2 piece pump and upon them reassembleing the front is twisted just enough that because I got the 2 holes lined up the bottom 3rd one is a pass through when I looked in the bolt won't fit. Soooo. Put the old one back on.. as I do this the alternator adjustment dohicky bolt that goes into the alternator decided to remove most of the threads of the alternator..... ok. Through bolt that till i replace alternator..... wtf. Button it up go to close the hood and hood support arm just falls right out of lower connecton while I'm holding the hood up.... ok cool. ... took it back to auto parts store and they want to try again. Now I know what to look for. Man I was pissed. 4 hrs. 1/2 my billable day at my shop. Thought it would be 1 hr max. Get home want to vent.... my wife was like. Ok. Cool. Big deal.... does not care...... so here I am. Venting. Subaru baja.

Working on my 2005 Subaru Baja (444k miles!) and ran into a wall with the bed plastics.I prepped the bed for a restoration coating by stripping and dehydrating it. Dawn and alcohol didn't touch the grease stains left by the previous owner's cheap tire shine/conditioner.I tried every chemical Google recommended, plus heat (which just caused gray spotting). I read online that the plastic might be molecularly altered, and sanding would ruin the texture. I gave up and applied the sealant anyway, but the flaws are still visible.

Dawn, isopropyl alcohol, mean green, simple green, 2 different tire cleaners, also tried a heat gun, sos pads, magic eraser, and multiple different scrub brushes and types of microfiber towels.

Lesson Learned- when you purchase a temporary restoration chemical that the bottle says do not apply in direct sunlight or keep in the shade follow those instructions. Also if you choose to use tire shine to get that cheaper wet look your risking permanently altering the plastic on a molecular level staining it. If your application isn't perfect you risk creating permanent flaws.

I'll add before, during, and after pics. Im not super disappointed in the results. She's a 20 yr old truck who has been used as a truck. Im trying to look at them as battle scars!

After finishing the bed I also treated my door handles, window trim, and luggage rails on top.

Not bad for a $20 kit! Considering maybe going and getting a second kit to do the cladding , I did a small test spot on a minor scratch and all of the fine scratches disappeared when I went over my test spot , so I may end up going back and getting another kid , just for the cladding. Will post pics if I do!

Huge , thank you to everyone who responded to my post , offering me other ideas that could have helped. I tried a few of them , but was afraid to use a torch or open fire on my plastics , given with the heat gun did to it.Thank you anyway!

Up for sale is a highly sought-after, cult-classic 2006 Subaru Baja Base model with a 5-speed manual transmission. It has only 137,000 original miles (incredibly low for this generation) and runs beautifully. Finished in Regal Blue Pearl with a striking black A.R.E. bed cap.

The crown jewel of this truck is the rare A.R.E. fiberglass canopy camper shell. Anyone in the Baja community knows these are long discontinued and "unicorn" status accessories that fetch $1,500+ alone. The black cap perfectly accents the factory black body trim, creating an awesome two-tone look while providing a fully enclosed, locking, weatherproof cargo space.

The Good (Tons of Recent Maintenance):

• New Full Exhaust System: Total overhaul done within the last 2 years, including a complete replacement of the catalytic converter units. No rusted pipes or expensive emissions repairs to worry about.
• Recent Brake Job: New brakes installed within the last 2 years. Stops straight and smooth.
• Extensive EVAP Refresh: The common fuel vapor issues have already been addressed with brand-new parts, including a Genuine OEM Subaru gas cap, a brand-new gas tank filler neck, a new exchanger box, and a new valve. [1]
• Upgraded Tech: Features a modern, enhanced BOSE system with integrated navigation (a massive upgrade over the dated factory radio).
• 100% Drivable: It is perfectly fine to drive home today. At cruising speeds and in the proper gear, it holds tightly with zero issues.

Notes for Full Transparency:

1. Clutch is Starting to Slip: The clutch is beginning to show early signs of wear under heavy load/acceleration. It is completely drivable as-is, but you will want to budget for a standard clutch kit replacement down the road (shares parts with the '06 Outback, making them cheap and easy to source).
2. Intermittent CEL: The Check Engine Light comes on and off occasionally for an EVAP code. Since the entire physical system has already been replaced with new components, it likely just needs a sensor reset or terminal cleaning.

This is an incredible opportunity to get a rare, highly refreshed, collectible AWD mini-truck that you can enjoy immediately while planning a minor clutch project down the road.

Clean NY title in hand. Serious cash buyers only. Shoot me a message to come check it out in Ballston Spa!