[sperry]

A little off topic, but why are wheel bearings considered such an expensive repair?

I just did the front bearings on my WRX:

bearings: $100
seals: $30
machine shop labor to press bearings: $65

All I had to do was pull off the hub assemblies myself and bring 'em to the shop.

Granted $200 isn't "cheap" (plus I actually ruined one of my hubs because I put 150 track miles on a bad bearing ) but it's the kind of money you can save up and set aside for the inevitable.

Are rear SVX bearings much different/expensive than front WRX bearings?

I figure that an SVX that driven kindly will eventually require repairs, but not the kind of repairs that you can't see coming and save up some money for before the car will leave you stranded. I bought my SVX to use as a daily driver because I don't want to put miles on the WRX (not to mention the WRX is barely driveable on the street these days).