As our reviewer asked when writing about the 2003 Baja: Remember the Subaru BRAT? Yes, from the 1978 to 1987 model years, Subaru sold a pickup bed version of the Leone in the United States, and memories of the BRAT remained even after all the lawsuits over injuries suffered by passengers involved in tax avoidance “chickens.” were traveling, good jumpseats. For this reason, it seemed to make sense for Subaru to give the much larger Legacy the BRAT treatment; Today’s Junkyard Gem is one of those first year Baja pickups.
Most of the discarded Subarus I’ve documented are in car graveyards in my Subaru-loving home state of Colorado, but I discovered this one 1,300 miles southeast. That’s right, New Orleans, Louisiana, home of Louis Armstrong, Professor Longhair and the Cain’t Git Bayou 24 Hours of Lemons race. I was in New Orleans judging the 2024 Cain’t Git Bayou event and found time to sneak out to the nearby Pull-a-Part.
I couldn’t find a Baja in a Colorado junkyard that wasn’t burned and/or torn beyond recognition, probably because it’s so popular in the Centennial State that owners leave the less-vandalized examples on the road. I discovered two of which at the New Orleans Pull-a-Part.
Subaru built the Baja for the 2003 to 2006 model years and discontinued production after disappointing sales. In fact, in 2013, this publication rated the Baja the sixth most embarrassing car to drive (#1 was the Smart ForTwo).
The Baja was essentially a stretched Legacy Outback wagon with a pickup bed grafted on. In 2003, American Subaru buyers could still purchase a Legacy Outback sedan (which remained available until 2004), although the exterior Legacy badging was removed from the Outback sedan and wagon starting with the 2000 model year.
The reason the Baja had to be half a foot longer than its Outback station wagon sibling was so that it had room for four doors and a back seat.
“Sports bars” were located behind the cab to reinforce the structure and give the Baja a rugged off-road appearance.
The bed was small but useful.
All Bajas had 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinders under the hood, either a naturally aspirated SOHC version with 165 horsepower and 166 pound-feet or a DOHC turbocharged version with 210 horses and 235 pound-feet. For 2003, only the non-turbo engine was available, and that’s exactly what we have in this truck.
The base transmission was a five-speed manual, but this Baja has the four-speed automatic as an option.
These automatic transmissions often had costly problems later in life, but I believe blown head gaskets were the cause of this truck’s demise. There is an unused gasket set inside; Presumably the end owner decided that removing the engine would be too much work for gasket work and sent it to the scrapyard. That’s the problem with boxer engines and their cylinder heads that are difficult to access.
The keys are still in the ignition.
That’s a little sad because someone loved this car. From the Subaru Love badges we can tell that this was its owner’s fourth Subaru and that the owner’s interests included pets, hiking, musical theater, cooking, camping, scouting and family life. I see very few of these badges on junk cars.
It was a multiple choice vehicle, similar to the Pontiac Aztek.
As the next decade dawned, Lance Armstrong was still doing car commercials, but then it all fell apart.
Reincarnation is real!