Impreza?

[Farang]

Is this thing worth a damn if it isn't a WRX? I am a young man in need of a new vehicle soon and although I'd kill for a WRX, it ups the insurance quite a bit and if I opt for a normal Impreza I get something like 50k miles taken off as well as a model year that is a couple of years newer. Thoughts? Alternatives? My max price is around $12k although I probably shouldn't be spending that much.

 

[RedArmy]

They're great cars to own and unless you need a WRX to get from A to B as fast as possible you'll be set. We've always had at least 2 Subarus in our family and we've never had a problem with any of the EJ25 engines. Overall it's a very solid car, plus it has AWD, so it's hard to go wrong.

 

[43st]

I know most Outbacks loose a lot of value due to the engine needing major work before 100k miles. Craigslist ads around our area usually mention if the car has had it's engine rebuilt. I'm not sure if the Impreza has the same issues or not.

 

[Demo24]

Originally posted by: 43st
I know most Outbacks loose a lot of value due to the engine needing major work before 100k miles. Craigslist ads around our area usually mention if the car has had it's engine rebuilt. I'm not sure if the Impreza has the same issues or not.

Wrong generation of engine. It was a head gasket issue that affected the 2.5l engines around 99-03 or so, perhaps a bit earlier. The model years he is looking at will not have any of those issues. In fact as long as it was taken care of you'll probably need very little to keep it on the road.

 

[zerocool84]

Why not look at a Civic or Focus or something like that instead?

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: RedArmy
They're great cars to own and unless you need a WRX to get from A to B as fast as possible you'll be set. We've always had at least 2 Subarus in our family and we've never had a problem with any of the EJ25 engines. Overall it's a very solid car, plus it has AWD, so it's hard to go wrong.

Good to know. I just look at the WRX and really , really want to be impractical It seems like I gain double by avoiding it though because obviously the 2.5L is less expensive but also it seems like WRX prices are inflated.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Why not look at a Civic or Focus or something like that instead?

I've driven a Focus quite a bit and it is the worst car ever. It did not fit me at all, and what the hell is with the tiny steering wheel?

Also I live in Seattle so I need to be able to get offroad. Nothing too crazy but I've driven a Jetta out in the woods and it was horrible. I assume a Subaru might be able to handle it a bit better.

edit: I should say I'm sure the Focus is great for many people, just not me.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Why not look at a Civic or Focus or something like that instead?

I've driven a Focus quite a bit and it is the worst car ever. It did not fit me at all, and what the hell is with the tiny steering wheel?

Also I live in Seattle so I need to be able to get offroad. Nothing too crazy but I've driven a Jetta out in the woods and it was horrible. I assume a Subaru might be able to handle it a bit better.

edit: I should say I'm sure the Focus is great for many people, just not me.

If you need to go offroad, a compact car isn't what you want.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Why not look at a Civic or Focus or something like that instead?

I've driven a Focus quite a bit and it is the worst car ever. It did not fit me at all, and what the hell is with the tiny steering wheel?

Also I live in Seattle so I need to be able to get offroad. Nothing too crazy but I've driven a Jetta out in the woods and it was horrible. I assume a Subaru might be able to handle it a bit better.

edit: I should say I'm sure the Focus is great for many people, just not me.

If you need to go offroad, a compact car isn't what you want.

I don't need to often, most people I know have 4x4 trucks or SUVs so the chance that I am the only one with a car to take us to the mountains seems rare. But should it come up I want the car to work better than the Jetta did, so a Subaru with a sport rack seems to make the most sense for me as a daily driver.

Otherwise I'm driving a 4x4 truck that gets 16mpg, losing 8-10mpg compared to a compact just for the 1% of the time I'm driving it on a dirt road.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Why not look at a Civic or Focus or something like that instead?

I've driven a Focus quite a bit and it is the worst car ever. It did not fit me at all, and what the hell is with the tiny steering wheel?

Also I live in Seattle so I need to be able to get offroad. Nothing too crazy but I've driven a Jetta out in the woods and it was horrible. I assume a Subaru might be able to handle it a bit better.

edit: I should say I'm sure the Focus is great for many people, just not me.

If you need to go offroad, a compact car isn't what you want.

I don't need to often, most people I know have 4x4 trucks or SUVs so the chance that I am the only one with a car to take us to the mountains seems rare. But should it come up I want the car to work better than the Jetta did, so a Subaru with a sport rack seems to make the most sense for me as a daily driver.

Otherwise I'm driving a 4x4 truck that gets 16mpg, losing 8-10mpg compared to a compact just for the 1% of the time I'm driving it on a dirt road.

Outback???

 

[abaez]

I have a non-wrx impreza hatch and love it. Paid 18k for it new.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Outback???

Impreza Outback???

 

[Mide]

I have an 08 Impreza Wagon 2.5 and I hate it. I drive an auto tranny and it is very difficult to get any power out of it, especially when you are going around 20-35 and need to accelerate fast on the freeway (rush hour merging). Without the turbo of a WRX the 4-gear auto sucks pretty bad. There is absolutely no "get-up and go". The only good things about the car is 1) The look of the new wagon 2) The heating/AC system. I would vote for a Civic EX or Mazda 3 instead.

 

[RedArmy]

Originally posted by: Mide
I have an 08 Impreza Wagon 2.5 and I hate it. I drive an auto tranny and it is very difficult to get any power out of it, especially when you are going around 20-35 and need to accelerate fast on the freeway (rush hour merging). Without the turbo of a WRX the 4-gear auto sucks pretty bad. There is absolutely no "get-up and go". The only good things about the car is 1) The look of the new wagon 2) The heating/AC system. I would vote for a Civic EX or Mazda 3 instead.

So you bought a car that you hate to drive? We have the same car in manual and it's fine.

 

[Mide]

Yeah my mistake of course...I didn't test drive it on the freeway. On city streets it's fine with an average of 27mpg mixed driving.

 

[Nyati13]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Outback???

Impreza Outback???

Yes, it's called an Outback Sport. It's an Impreza hatchback with 8 inches of ground clearance.