2003 Subaru Baja Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I love my Baja! This is the second one I have owed. Hands down my favorite vehicle, fun to drive, economical and reliable!

When I first say these cars I was not sure about the looks. Didn't give them much thought. I was set on getting a Toyota MR2. Then reality hit. What was I going to do with a 2-seater that didn't even have room for groceries! Suddenly I thought of the Baja. The more I looked the more I fell in love with it. Two test drives later, one with a standard shift base model and one with an automatic sport model. Later that afternoon I was an owner of a sporty silver number. Love it! Now there are drawbacks to the car but those drawbacks are evened out by some great advantages. The mileage is down a bit due top the all wheel drive, but when you are the only one making it up a steep hill in 8 inches of snow you forgive the 22 mpg city. (It will get a good 29-30 on an open highway trip.) The bed may be too small for some but having a full back seat that can fit adults is a very nice feature. Great fold down backseat and bed pass thru and bed extender makes up enough of the room. I would classify this car as the perfect suburban pick-up. Not the quickest off the line but the flat 4 engine has plenty of go once you get it up to highway speed. Solid and steady acceleration.

All around great truck. Great trail clearance. Very stable platform. Comfortable passenger cabin. Rear seats are adequate for taller passengers. Baja's were well built and ours always received positive remarks. The 4 seating option is the only negative. The pass through was very helpful especially when I had to run to Lower for plumbing or the occasional lumber related projects.

Excellent reliability, low maintenance costs, and subaru handling in the rain / snow! This is an all around great vehicle with a number of creature comforts (leather, power everything, decent stereo). Also, gets excellent gas mileage to boot! This car had a unique look and is perfect for getting you and three of your friends up to the mountain for a snow day or on a weekend camp out!

Drives like a pricey European car, while being a four door sedan and truck all at once. It’s a great car.

I Love the car, though I wish I had the Turbo model. I'm having problems with O2 sensors although I believe the catalytic converter is the root of the problem. The '03 being the first year the suspension was built more like the Outback than than new models, which have better ground clearance and a more off road look. The rear springs should be stiffer but over all the suspension setup is rock solid, not too much body roll

I put most of my comments up above, all I can say is I enjoy this little car/truck immensely. I find it a real shame that the general public did not catch on more to these fantastic little rides. Only now are they in much bigger demand nearly a decade after they stop production due to lack of interest and overstock. I'd love to see Subaru bring them back one day and put the bigger engine in them. I'll miss my little "Baja-Breez" Fair thee well...

This is the 4th Subaru vehicle I have owned and I love their dependability and the AWD feature. My 1st one was a GL 10 5 speed turbo and you could engage the 4WD on the fly. The Baja has been on my most desired list since 1989.

Love this car, truck, cruck. Hauls anything from friends to bicycles to hunting gear, gets decent mileage, and incredible in the snow. Mechanically sound, cabin is super noisy with wind, engine is torquey but will win no drag races. Fun cruck.

14. Bought in 2003. A 2003 Subaru Baja, red/silver, 2.5L, 4-speed auto. I bought the truck new from Annapolis Subaru for the 4WD. It was a nice utility vehicle, good in the snow, good for small amounts of hauling. My son drove it for about a year before he got his Dodge Challenger.