Tell me about 98-99 Impreza

[viceversa]

I am looking for late 90's Impeza wagon, base model with 2.2L engine and 5-speed. No turbo.

 

Questions, what was the last year of 2.2L, I don't want 2.5L.

 

Any known issues, comments are welcome.

 

What kind of mileage does it get on highway-only, can it do above 30mpg? It seems a pretty light car, smaller than Legacy.

 

I am looking something that's easy to fix with a well designed engine bay and a reliable 5-speed tranny. I already had a Loyale and it wasn't too hard to fix. I have a Mazda and maintaince on it is a nightmare. (Never again a transversely-mounted V6 in a FWD.....)

[Smpol19]

I belive 2001 was the last year for the 2.2 in the impreza. I have a 2001 OBS with 107,000 miles on it, the only non schdualed maitnence things i've done are an O2 sensor and a door handle that broke. I have a 5 speed and run synthic fluids in the dif, tranny, and motor. I get about 25 mpg on avrage, highway i get around 30, I've goten 32 once. I've been very happy with mine easy enough to work on once you get use to the sparkplug changes. I just wish it had as much room in the back as my old GL wagon had.

[Setright]

Well viceversa, you're already on the right track!

 

An EJ22 powered Impreza will meet your criteria. To be sure of the engine type, just look for the tell tale "EJ22" that's moulded into the top of the engine block :-)

 

The only thing you need to look out for when buying are the usual used car stuff. Get under it and look for bad accident repairs - crooked sills/frame rails and so on.

 

Inspect the oil filler neck for gunk, like wise the coolant. Pull a spark plug out if the owner will let you !

[viceversa]

Thanks for the pointers. I plan to get it off ebay, from someone with high ratings, but it still doesn't eliminate innocent ignorance, so yeah, I intend to look at it with a checklist. Look at exhaust, listen to engine, look under it for any leaks, etc.

You get something and you take your chances. I have more faith in 5-speeds than anything else. I want something 5-8 years old and 100K miles with a known repair history - and I am patient enough to wait for the right buy.

 

My last car was cheap, but came from an auto salvage auction, and what a repair nightmare that was (and is).