Imprezza for economy & reliability?

[Distance Commuter]

I'm thinking about a Subaru for my next car. I drive about 50K mi/year (!) and like to do a fair bit of my own maintenance. Got to have a wagon, I just like the space. I live in New England, so it has to handle weather well.

 

How about auto tranny vs. stick?? I can drive either. A stick needs a clutch periodically (big bucks for a shop to do), and an auto, well, if it goes bad, it's real expensive. With the RWD Volvo's we're using now the auto trannys are bulletproof, so that's the answer to the tranny question for our Volvos. How about the Subie trannies??

 

Seems the Imprezzas kept the reliable 2.2L engine through 2001. I've read too many horror stories re. the 2.5 HG issues. I know it's supposedly mostly fixed, but why ask for trouble?? So I thought a late Imprezza wagon would be good, but I don't see nearly as many of those on the market as Legacy/Outbacks and Foresters.

 

What's up here?? Is there a negative on the Imprezzas that I'm missing??

 

Don't need lots of seats. Mostly I drive alone, sometimes with the wife. Kids are grown, driving Hyundai's - ugh.

[gravelRX]

When people get them, they usually drive them until the car dies. Hence the low market turnout.

 

I have been quietly looking for a straight drive, early non turbo sport wagon for awhile now.

 

I recommend the straight drive because the easier you are on the clutch and tranny the longer it will last.

 

Good Luck,

 

Jay

[mtsmiths]

You'll do fine with an Imp. FWIW, I bought our 2000 Legacy 2.5L/auto in Nov. of 2001, used. At 13 months of age the car had 98,500 miles on it. My wife ticked over 100K miles driving it home from Spokane.

 

We are currently at 165,000 and have never had a problem with the car, except for one front wheel bearing (and I think that was the result of a curb kiss).

 

We have had a total of 5 Subarus, and the '00 is by far the best, and IMHO, an auto beats a stick in snow every time, especially in combo with the Subaru AWD system.

 

I know the 'stir my own gears' fans will give me a moderate flame job. My wife really didn't want to buy the car because it was an automatic, but after one winter, she will never have a stick again (at least while we live in snow country).

 

If you need a tad more room, get a Forester, it's just an IMP in SUV's clothing.

[Hondasucks]

so an Imprezza, is that like a Forrester? sorry had to poke fun (At least you spelled Subaru right (lol not Suburu or Suberu lol) but yes Imps are fun, just don't get the 1.8L engine unless you get a manual, the automatics are BEYOND GUTLESS (especially up here at 7200 feet..)

[subarubrat]

Over 150k on my 99RS that was an EJ25 with an aftermarket turbo kit putting down just over 300Hp. And I now make the same 104 mile round trip commute in my STI putting down 463. Another fellow I work with bought a 2.2Ltr after I pointed him in that direction and left it bone stock, he makes about a 100 mile round trip too and is just over 200k now and probably twice that left to go. My brother's 84 EA81 wagon is well over 300 and he makes a 140 mile round trip 5 days a week. It is lifted, running big tires, about the only thing stock is the engine and tranny other than a webber in and better exhaust out.

[SuBrat84]

Well I don't do a LOT of snow driving or anything.. but I tend to slide more with an automatic than with a stick... just me i guess.. each to their own... You can find legacies and outbacks with 2.2's also... Go with the 5 speed... these AT's aren't worth the metal they're made out of IMO. I don't know how inclined to mechanics you are.. but the first clutch job I ever did took me 2 half-days (sat & sun) ... dropped the tranny and did it all with relative ease.. worst part of it was having the pilot bearing/clutch alignment thingy a hair off and not being able to get the tranny in and needing to re-adjust the thingy.. wasted like 2 or 3 hours on that. ... Anyway... yup.. manual's the thing to do with these cars.

[Distance Commuter]

What's a straight drive??

 

 

 

When people get them, they usually drive them until the car dies. Hence the low market turnout.

 

I have been quietly looking for a straight drive, early non turbo sport wagon for awhile now.

 

I recommend the straight drive because the easier you are on the clutch and tranny the longer it will last.

 

Good Luck,

 

Jay

[n16ht5]

I think youre nuts if you want an auto for snow.. when they shift down for you automatically when you dont want them to you tend to go sideways not on your command... all 4 cars at our house are 5 and 6 speeds. .

 

sticks are way safer in the snow I think. especiially doing the drop clutch unstuck trick with the open diffs if you have one tire spiinning, bring the rpms up and drop that clutch , it will turn all the tires for a second, sometimes enough to get you out. just dont break those twig axles or listen to smashing pumpkins

[edrach]

I recently got a used '97 Impreza wagon for my wife this past spring. It is more enjoyable to drive than my '91 Legacy wagon altho I am more than happy with both cars. I'm partial to manual gearboxes for both the control of the car in the winter and the increased gas mileage over the automatic. My wife's Imp has over 113K now and is still on the original cluctch. I can image the cost of two clutch replacements in the first 250K would be less than repairing/replacing an automatic which I personally doubt would last that long (personal opinion only, no data to back up that last statement). The reason there are so few Imprezas availble for re-sale is that people keep them longer and when one hits the market they disappear very quickly. It took me 4 months of ACTIVE looking before I found our car; even the over-priced Imps were sold before I got to look at them. Good luck in your search. You might also note that in '97 Subaru changed the 2.2L engine to an interference type which would mandate paying more attention to replacing the timing belt in a timely manner.