Great find. I don't see dropped suspension on your list?

I know where an auto 05 is in Austin that's for sale, but as you posted, $10k and its due for about 1200 in maint, timing kit, plugs and oil leak.

 

Yeah I'll probably leave it at stock ride height for the moment. The thought of a lowered Baja is pretty interesting, tho.

Not like I'm gonna go mudding in it.

 

Welcome to the club!
I have 05 Baja Sport (non-turbo) but we can share some stuff on ours, other than engine.
The interior is "Spartan" looking - but, I like it that way. After all, I dumped my 2013 Outback just to have this one...LOL
Don't see the mileage of yours, in your post (unless I've missed it)... mine has 91,000 and running like brand new!
I've just replaced headlights on mine and I put the Baja Turbo headlights (combo of H1 and 9005) in it. Still trying to figure out the wiring because the OEM was combo with 9006 bulbs...and the plugs/sockets do not match.
Good luck with your repairs...
I also put U-Haul (Curt) trailer hitch - the easiest hitch that I have ever installed - just bolts right in with 4 bolts!

 

I think one of the reasons these did not sell so well, is if you were considering it and you drove a regular outback and then this back to back there would be a glaring difference.

The Baja, is longer, heavier, and the suspension is just as weak as the regular 2.5 outbacks. I have ridden in the front seat of a Baja but did not drive it, I could remember how the back seemed to sway more. (no noise, nothing wrong, but it really stuck out in my mind). I hitched a ride to a class a few years ago, so I got use to it.

But the people who want them, want them bad.

I would be remiss if I did not upload cardoc's fav pic again. A silver 78 Brat (he should print one for the wall of the garage). By comparison your Baja looks plain, no yellow / red pinstripe, no blonde, no brunette. No enlarged head lights, No leather bra, no factory hood deflector.

Lockmedic did you get a bed extender? If not I guess your bikini sales models could sit Indian style. (when you post your cars that you have on the used car lot you should really include them).

 

I would be remiss if I did not upload cardoc's fav pic again. A silver 78 Brat (he should print one for the wall of the garage). By comparison your Baja looks plain, no yellow / red pinstripe, no blonde, no brunette. No enlarged head lights, No leather bra, no factory hood deflector.

What would be a good price on these in decent shape? There are two in town, one is a daily driver and the other just sits. 4WD of course.

I cant wait to see this Baja fixed up. We love those but they are severely overpriced, IMO. There is a lot to be said for a hatchback if you like this size vehicle.

 

Great find! Hard to come across those! Worth the effort, and if you ever sell it, you'll easily get what you put in to it plus a bit.

 

Looks like quite a project, but glad you found what you wanted! Always thought the Baja's were pretty sweet (I'm a fan of the Brat, never driven one though....my dad used to own one back in the day when I was born [1981] and drove form Utah to Arizona with me parked on the floor between my mom's feet) Man, those were the days. Strange that I'm alive to this day after that! LOL

Have fun with the rebuild!

 

Looks like quite a project, but glad you found what you wanted! Always thought the Baja's were pretty sweet (I'm a fan of the Brat, never driven one though....my dad used to own one back in the day when I was born [1981] and drove form Utah to Arizona with me parked on the floor between my mom's feet) Man, those were the days. Strange that I'm alive to this day after that! LOL

Have fun with the rebuild!

This seating position was considered a safety feature in another horizontally opposed powered car, maybe the Subaru dealers should offer loaner engines like Tucker intended.

..."The Tucker had many advanced ideas that were geared towards safety; it has a low profile roof (five feet above the pavement), and the floor is only nine inches above it. It has aircraft style doors for aerodynamics and ease of entry. It also has a non-shattering, pop-out windshield, padded dash and doors, a 'crash compartment' under the cowling at the front passenger seat area, into which the front passengers could duck for safety in the event of an accident. The car is powered by a 334.1-cubic inch, 6-cylinder, horizontally opposed, Franklin helicopter engine, developing 166 horsepower, located in the rear. The engine was fitted so it could be removed in a matter of minutes in order for it to be serviced by the dealer and a loaner engine would be installed so it could be driven while your engine was being worked on. This 4,235-pound car is capable of 109 mph and gets 24 miles to a gallon of gasoline."...
History Searching for 1948 Tucker photos - THE H.A.M.B.

 

Congrats, good find!

 

It did come with a bed extender. No bikini models tho. :-(

It's done 143k. Cursory glance underhood and underneath and a Carfax suggest it's been well cared for. No evidence of timing belt replacement having been done so that's tops on the list of the 'boring maintenance' stuff.

I've always wanted a Baja but I wanted a monochrome one. Never cared much for the yellow/red + silver color schemes. White would have been my first choice but with maybe 2,000 of these in existence and my beer wallet and champagne taste, I'll take what color I can get.

Not terribly concerned about resale on this one as when I'm done with it, it'll be one-of-a-kind and worth keeping.

The 05 LGT ruined me for having a Subaru with some giddy-up, but even as fun as that car was, I drove the wagon 95% of the time as it had a lot more utility. I didn't like having to haul stinky things (trash, manual transmissions, in-laws, etc.) in the cargo area with me, so enter the Baja

No joystick seats in the bed like the BRAT, so it doesn't help with the in-law issue, but I can always go "beverly hillbillies/National Lampoon's Vacation".

 

No joystick seats in the bed like the BRAT, so it doesn't help with the in-law issue, but I can always go "beverly hillbillies/National Lampoon's Vacation".

Bet the baja could stick the landing...

 

Timing belt replacement is on my list as well... in a couple of miles and/or in a couple of more miles....

 

I'm not married. . .referring to my sis in law (brother's wife) who also drives an Outback and sounds like Fran Drescher and calls weekly to report problems.

^^that setup would mitigate the need to find a new front cover :-D

Before I attempt it I need to be running open headers and get a dixie horn:

 

Before I attempt it I need to be running open headers and get a dixie horn:

That is a great subaru video, something for us all to work for. (best in a car with already busted suspension,... how much more damage could you do, alot).

I use to have a dukes of hazzard lunch box, and was the greatest envy of many in my hillbilly area.

And then did graduate to jumping my own subarus. On the dry pavement on a tiny rural road with a bridge that was just right, to give you 30 linear feet of 4 wheels off the road air time, if going like 70mph around sharp turns for the run up. (all this ridiculously dangerous, and happily never hit a oncoming car, a pedestrian, or a bunny rabbit).

Did not get that dixie horn. Now I want a "were in the money" horn like Rodney Dangerfield red rolls royce in Caddyshack.

 

Welcome to the Baja Turbo 5MT club! As far as bass goes, does it have the factory sub? Mine didn't either, but I have an underseat one from an old Outback. I just need to buy a harness because it isn't prewired. I've done some searching and I think Power Acoustik makes a couple enclosures that may fit conveniently behind the rear seat. It won't be permanent so technically you won't lose the functionality of the pass through.

http://poweracoustik.com/store/products/subwoofers/thin.html

They also make some very discreet amps too, I believe they are all less than 5" wide.

http://poweracoustik.com/store/products/amplifiers/razor.html

 

I'm not really looking for stuff to make sure people hear me coming. . .and don't want to lose functionality for it. Good suggestion tho. . . can't imagine anything fitting between that back seat and the passthru

I've done the trunk full of subs bit (I used to do custom autosound for a living, was MECP certified for a while), kind of over it now. Still like the rumble but I like being able to carry stuff more. . .and not a fan of making my car a target for thieves.

I've actually got a couple of factory (accessory) subs but I usually just sell 'em. They put a little rumble in your passenger's pants but don't do much else.

 

I'm not really looking for stuff to make sure people hear me coming. . .and don't want to lose functionality for it. Good suggestion tho. . . can't imagine anything fitting between that back seat and the passthru

I've done the trunk full of subs bit (I used to do custom autosound for a living, was MECP certified for a while), kind of over it now. Still like the rumble but I like being able to carry stuff more. . .and not a fan of making my car a target for thieves.

I've actually got a couple of factory (accessory) subs but I usually just sell 'em. They put a little rumble in your passenger's pants but don't do much else.

Those encloures are about 2.25" wide at the top and just over 5" at the bottom, length seems good too. Aftermarket enclosures under the seat may be too tight, the Baja seats seem to sit a bit low.

 

congrats on the baja and here is some inspiration for ya

 

about how many miles were on this? clean title or salvage?
nice one.

 

Great find I've always thought these were pretty neat. What could be done suspension wise to fix the sway or tail wag that outbacks and bajas suffer from without lowering them?

 

143k. Def. salvage title. Doesn't bother me as I'm doing the repairs and I doubt I'll ever sell it before ive thoroughly had my fun with it. I let a couple of AT ones slip through. One that was noteworthy was a nice clean 74k mile 06 turbo. Hit in the bedside. It brought over $6k before fees from some bidder 1200 miles away. Loco!!

Sway bars will no doubt help. Probably throw a Tribeca bar on the front.

 

Nice Baja! Please do a "write up" on the wiper heater installation.

I already have a heated windsheild installed in my Impreza, and I bought the timer and the switch, but I have no idea how wire it up properly and I don't have any wiring diagrams.

 

Got a break from the weather so I started tinkering with it a bit. Pulled off the bent sheetmetal and got a hot battery on it and lit off to see how she sounds.

This thing goes like hot stink!

Not quite as fast as my 05 LGT was but still pretty quick for a truck. Also needs a clutch, it slips on engagement but eventually bites. . . until the turbo kicks in.

Used a pry bar and a nylon strap to pull the top radiator support out enough where the top hose doesn't rub against the alt pulley. Radiator, AC condensor, and fans are intact! RH timing cover has a small piece out of it but nothing major.

Bumper horn is pushed down about 1.5-2", and in slightly. Body shop says it should pull no problem. I could replace the apron and headlight bucket, but I hate drilling out spot welds, and it's tough to make it look OEM when you're finished anyway.

Not terribly concerned about some distorted sheetmetal that no one will see as long as the panels line up correctly. Shouldn't be a problem, body shop I use has a 3d alignment system.

Headlight bucket is a little torn. Should be able to hammer that flat and weld it up. Not structural anyway.

Blaze inspected the turbo and oil fill. He seemed to approve.

Body parts showed up today too. . . crazy quick, wasn't expecting them until Thursday.

Took advantage of the nice day and cleaned up a bunch of 2nd gen headlamps and clearcoated them. I had a spare RH headlamp, although I'm not sure I'll keep the twin beam lamps in this car. Might swap the HID's out of the test mule.

About $750 in hard parts, and another $750 in paint and labor to the shop, so right at the $1500 low end I expected. If I add in the clutch job ($250 or so in parts and a lot of sweat equity), I'm still under $6k for a running, driving, shiny 5 speed Baja.

I started tearing into one of my H6 crossdash/engine harnesses to pare out the auto HVAC wires. . . what a mess. My living room looks like Walt Disney barfed up a plate of spaghetti. It's do-able and shouldn't be terrible but I'm questioning whether it's worth it. Wouldn't bother if I didn't already have the parts.

Heated windshield will be a breeze, as will the heated mirrors/seats. I'll take pix as I go.

 

Lockmedic: This thing goes like hot stink!,

yup with this Baja, together as a team you will be quite the chick magnet.

There of course can be a happy ending, with just the right girl:

edit Jerry Seinfeld use to own this Baja, it got stinky from a valet, so it is not your fault:

and if you can't take it anymore, Adam and Jaime think such cars are a part out:

.Lockmedic: My living room looks like Walt Disney barfed up a plate of spaghetti.

To bad old Walt is just a disembodied head frozen in Phoenix. If he was alive he could be running the animation company that made this:

 

Nice find!

I don't think I've ever seen a turbo Baja around here. There are a handful of N/A ones that I see all the time, though. One guy has an all silver N/A one that I drive past on my way home from work almost every day--must have a similar schedule or something. Complimented it when he was getting gas at the same time and he told me his wife makes fun of him for it but he still loves it and would never want to give it up.

 

Congratulations and good job:29:

 

I am done with mods on my 05 Baja.

Restoration and all mods on my 05 non-turbo Baja are completed.
Pics below.

 

It's a clean machine

It's a clean machine!

 

Ya know, if the other end had been hit, I'd want that as a donor car for a nice turbo swap. Just sayin'.

 

Funny thing, I was looking for a 5MT Baja turbo as a donor for a 2nd gen OB for a while, then eventually decided I'd rather just have the motor in the Baja.

If I run across a rolled one, I'll let you know. Wouldn't get your hopes up tho, there's probably less than 2,000 of these out there.

 

Congrats on the purchase, not sure if/how I've missed this before. A turbo with 5MT is closer to about 1,200 some odd units produced. When you start breaking them down by year and color it gets really interesting. Too bad it is impossible to get production number details for this thing. :28:

are you sure its heated mirror connector, not the tweeter connector?

There are both in the doors pre-wired. 05&06 are also pre-wired for Sport Lights too....Hella 500s.

 

There are 4 total Baja's for sale with in 100 miles of Seattle. 2 of them are autos.

Of the two manuals, one is a turbo. $14k for the turbo with 89k miles. But the non turbo has 166k miles for 9k. That makes the Turbo look like a bargain!