Thanks for the input. Patrick, maybe it was the water pump. Perhaps the coolant wasn't circulating, so the coolant temp sensor didn't see a temp change, thus didn't flash a dashboard light. Maybe that was the ticking noise I heard: at first, only when the gas pedal was pressed slightly, but then worsening to be ticking no matter where I pressed the pedal.

I considered leaving the wagon in my garage and selling it, bit by bit as buyers requested. The garage with a dead car would be as full of useless junk as it is now.

If I were a gearhead, I'd buy the $1000 motor and $1500 parts and do the swap. But I draw the line at car electricals, never anything related to combustion (engine) or motion (breaks).

Jim, thanks for sharing your great and well written WRX story. There must be online Subaru scrap yards with a stack of engines for your year/model. I came across Tom's Foreign Auto Parts in my search.

To the scrap yard it goes. But how can I convince them to let me take off the wheels (with new snow tires on) once it gets there?