2002 is a transitional year, and as you have stated by this time there could be a mix of old and new parts in there.

if you are interested in switching whole calipers, pads, and rotors,


try buying for a 2003-2004 US spec H6 car. (a little better,...and homologous.)

 

I've driven in the H6, quieter but it still seems underpowered and our 02 is a stick! Our 02 only has 107k on it and every time I want to sell it and replace it with something quieter like an Allroad I think "better the devil you know"! And of course the allroad is a bag of hurt as SJ said.

But, what do you think of the KIT, the calipers are obviously sticking and I've re lubed the guide pins on them all.

 

whoops I meant that you buy brakes for 2003-2004 H6 spec car.

and "parts train" seems to sell Centric kits. (bigger kits than the other companies).

 

I just replaced the rear rotors, pads, and calipers on Little Red. I will rebuild the parking brakes soon - pics to follow. The car is 17 years old and is coming up on a quarter million miles and is my kid's DD, so I went with AC Delco. They have OEM rebuilt calipers for about $100. I recommend PB Blaster and an impact wrench to get those 14 mm caliper bracket bolts off. That's what I use. I suppose large arms and a long pry bar would work as well.

If you need to bleed the lines alone, I recommend a cheap $8.50 one man bleeder bottle from some local auto parts store. I paid $27 for a fancy vacuum pump with it's own case and assorted attachments. None of which formed a perfect seal on the bleed nipple, allowing air to seep into the drain line and the piston failed, squirting brake fluid all over me and the floor. It is going back to Amazon soon.

I bought a little bottle that was held onto the rotor using a magnet and had a one-way valve that allowed me to pump the fluid out using the brake pedal. The old fluid looked like maple syrup, so I replaced it all with Dot 4.

 

1. throw the rubber bushings away...or replace them if you can't bring yourself to that.
2. use Sil Glyde, regular brake grease sucks.
3. replace pad clips

aftermarket calipers can rust quickly and atrociously if they're in rust prone areas, i'd personally avoid them unless there's a compelling reason to think they wont' do that.

otherwise yeah - brake components aren't complicate - buy whatever you want.

subaru calipers sticking isn't common, mis-diagnosis is more common. it's usually the slides.

you can also rebuild calipers - it's super easy. push out piston, clean up and replace seal and boot.

 

I've used the red Power Stop powder coated calipers, and they have a really nice build quality. I've had a set of those on my Forester for about 1 year now, no issues. I also used the non-coated Power Stop calipers on other vehicles (when the reds weren't available), and those were fine too, just give them a coat of caliper paint or so, for aesthetic appeal.

I've also used the Power Stop rotors & pads (currently running a set on my Outback) only 6 months so far, but they've held up great to the salty winter conditions in Canada, brake feel is great too.

 

1.5 years later and brakes are doing great, in fact the thing I like the most about this car are the brakes! The rest is crap!!