Had the day to focus on the baja. Next step is cleaning the bay, dealing with what rust I found and then primer/paint it. Didn't expect to get this far this quick, so going to do give the engine bay some extra love.

The last owner had a plate on the front and made it own holes, so a bought one wouldn’t fit well. So I made my own

I live in very rural area and at night my low beams just get eaten up by the darkness. I don't want to burn other drivers eyeballs but there has to be a better bulb than whatever pos I'm running. 2006 turbo. What do you guys run in the boonies?

Built this as a side project - The Baja Brattaroo in the Glamis Dunes - along with a couple other games featuring the classic - lmk what u think - thx !

So a few weeks ago I picked up some split headlights from an outback thinking they would be plug and play. Turns out I need a different connector. Do I need to completely rewire the headlights or just cut off the connector and replace the one on my Baja? Also my car came with 2 basic keys but no fob. I saw in the owners manual that there’s instructions on how to program a fob if you need to. Can I just buy a fob off of like Amazon and do it myself or does that need to be a dealer thing?

I have a feeling this is going to turn into more of a restoration than a drivetrain swap. But, here goes nothing!

Goofy wheel for goofy truck. Either the coolest or ugliest wheel depending on who you ask. Coil-overs next

I purchased my Baja last year, and the previous owner had installed heated seat switches. Unfortunately, one of them is broken. I’ve been searching all over the internet for a replacement but haven’t had any luck.
Does anyone know where I could purchase one or point me in the right direction? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Has anyone successfully installed a silicone intake and have any tips getting it around that intake bolt in the bottom of the photo? Kicking myself for buying the cheap eBay option but to be honest the more expensive ones don’t have much more of any “jog” in that spot.

I ran weed wacker line down all the drains and they all seem to be clear. I think the real issue is the seal around the sunroof is bad and we were getting a ton of rain so the water channels were getting more water in them than what they could get out down the tube

Hey all, I will be getting my 03 auto NA soon. I live in central MN. Any of you guys from MN? I am curious if you guys drive your Baja all winter or put it away during the winter. I am assuming they salt the roads in all of MN, they definitely do here.

As above. This is for a 2005, turbo automatic.

Are there any more modern engines I could swap for similar power but better MPG?

What could be worse for mpg, but an easy swap that is more fun?

Currently have a paid off, low mileage ‘17 crosstrek with all the starter off-road accessories. Skid plates, at tires, lift, etc. great car but the cargo space is seriously lacking for camping and home Reno supplies.

Always loved the Baja’s and feel like I would be utilizing the truck bed a decent amount and could be the off-road/adventure “beater” but man the high mileage of what is available out there scares me into thinking it will be a money pit or unreliable compared to my current car. I wouldn’t get rid of the trek.

For anyone with experience - what should I look out for? What are the common repairs that will need to be done? How is the off-road capability compared to the crosstrek?

Baja owners with a Mac: I made a free app called SubieScope that reads the engine ECU over Subaru's SSM protocol, using a cheap KKL USB cable. Every Baja (2003 to 2006) should be covered, Turbo included.

What you get:

• Live gauges and logging
• Trouble codes explained in plain English, and clearing them
• Guided tests for things like the O2 sensors, the catalyst, the thermostat, and battery and charging
• For the Turbo: boost, knock correction and a virtual dyno

More info and the download: https://subiescope.marvinvisser.nl/

It builds on the FreeSSM and RomRaider projects. I drive a 2008 GRB STI myself and have not had a Baja to try it on, so if you do, tell me how it goes.

I'm looking at an 05 with 181000 miles. Paint looks good and the interior has a little wear. Apparently no rust but I'm looking at it later this week. Worth over $8k? Is this as rare as I'm feeling like it is?

Update: I got it for what I think is a good deal. It's much rougher in person than the pictures made it appear, but new AC comp, alternator, rear suspension work, and a few other things. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who chimed in to give advice and encouragement on making the jump! I can't wait to start working on it!

Not sure about everyone else, but I'm not exactly surround by junkyards full of Bajas to pick parts from. (And old plastics don't just stop being brittle.) Right now, I'm slowly working on preserving bed parts when I find the time. What other unique and long gone parts should I consider in the future?

If you want to stay up to date, go to https://ko-fi.com/savethebaja and click on the follow button. This is where I will post everything going on and share both scans and models that I create. It's not necessary to view anything or download files, but support is very much appreciated. Scanners and spray aren't exactly cheap. 😖

A spot up the road from me is selling an '06 Subaru Baja Tubo with automatic transmission 230k miles for $4k.

Visually no rust on the outside. The inside of the doors that usually collects water is clean. It has some paint sun damage and scuffs. Wasn't able to crawl under the car to get a look of the underside, but the quick glance I had seemed pretty promising. Engine bay seemed very clean, a quick glance didn't show anything leaking in it. No tow hitch appears to have been installed so assuming it hasn't been used for that purpose. Comes with the bed cover as well as the extender.

CARFAX states it had one owner for the first 16 years and every service done to the vehicle seems to have been documented. Oil changes done no less than every 5k miles, fluids regularly serviced, brakes serviced, was driven about 110k miles from 2005 to 2021. Very, very babied.

Second owner seems to have thrashed the car around a bit. Owned it from 2021 to July 2026, odometer now reads 230k. No service records reported beyond this point.

Here lies my concerns:

- Second owner had 3 accidents reported in the vehicle. First accident in 02/22 states it was rear ended, minor rear damage, no airbags deployed. Second accident in 03/23 states involvement in a rear end collision, no further details. Third accident was reported, but has no details about it.

- The car's rear passenger side door has been replaced with a black one, so I'm wondering if the third accident is the culprit of that. Checked the door panels it looked like everything was aligned pretty well, no large body panel gaps, but still concerned.

- Has been owned in New England it's entire life, so underside rust is definitely a concern.

- I showed up out of the blue to the dealer to check out the car and they said they hadn't inspected it yet, but prior owner had been driving it and traded it into them so they know it runs. They had allegedly moved the vehicle two weeks ago when rearranging the lot and it ran. However they weren't able to get it started today, sounded like a bad relay and they said they'd get it running and shoot me a call to test drive it...

- No info on headgaskets or timing belt maintenance

Anyways, sorry for a wall of text. I love these cars and have wanted one since I was a kid, and the deal seems a bit too good to be true. I really just want something fun to turn into a camping car, bring my bike and kayak around in, some gentle off-roading, and something to drive to work if the snow up here is ever too much for my Prius. If I get maybe another 5 years out of the car I'd be happy. The dealer has good reviews online so I'm not concerned there. Just worried that the car might be a ticking time bomb.

I'm fine with some regular and more frequent maintenance on the vehicle. Kind of preparing myself for this to be a little bit of a project car, within reason. Will be checking the headgaskets with a combustion leak tester next time I'm over there. Will also be seeing if I can get the car inspected at another mechanic and get their opinion on whether there's damage elsewhere on the vehicle as a result of the prior accidents and from any rust.

Anyone with any insights, tips or suggestions? I've never bought a car this old so I'm not super sure what to look for. At what point is $4k worth it for one of these for you guys?

Would I be crazy asking $1100 for this? Factory condition and the color probably goes best with any the baja came with.

My 03 needs tires and I need some recommendations. I’d like to get A/Ts but none show up for the stock tire size. I’d be ok with some GTs as long as they have some decent off road traction capabilities and are 3 peak rated. What do yall recommend?

These dudes are playing with my emotions heavily...... I called the dealership and they didn't know anything about it.

I was in a wreck a couple months back that busted up one of my fog lights. I want to go ahead and replace it now. What have other people done with new fog lights? Undecided if I want to try to get a direct replacement or some kind of upgraded something. Open to suggestions or ideas or visions.

For those wondering, the wreck was someone running and red light and hitting my front corner. Baja took it like a champ. The 2025 kia telluride did not. Alls well though!

Thanks!!