late 90's Impreza, am I just kidding myself?

[Phizinza]

I'm looking at maybe getting a late 90's Imp. What I want out of the car is decent reliablity, performance, no squeaks, no rattles, and no stupid door seals that leak and make air wooshing noises. (lol, that last bit didn't come out right.)

 

So can I expect this from, just say, a 96 to 98 Imp with <140,000mile on the clock? Or am I kidding myself?

[idosubaru]

oh yes most definitely. i assume, like here, the impreza's you're talking about have the EJ22. excellent choice.

 

AWD - check for torque bind (most prevalent on automatics). this is avoidable with proper care of tires and trans fluid. check the clutch on manuals of course.

 

in the states 1997 and up are interference engines so you will not only want a new timing belt but make sure the pulleys and water pump are all in good shape. at that mileage the water needs to have been replaced by now or i would just replace it myself with the timing belt.

 

i would plan on new timing belt, water pump, oil pump seal, and cam seals. then 200,000 miles here you come!

[Phizinza]

We got three model choices in 96-97. LX which was 1.6L and barebone everything else. GX 1.8L with option Aircon and the like. RX 2.0L with most of the goodies including the WRX side skirt and a better front bumper with fog lights.

I would like to get an RX, but a GX will do. I plan on putting a EJ D/R box in it and a bigger engine (thus the other thread.) Then some suspension lift and tyres. Should make a good tourer.

 

I just don't want to go and buy another car that is going to annoy me with little sounds and things not working properly. So, you reckon a late 90's Impreza is going to be the ticket for me?

 

Oh, there was also the forth choice which was the WRX (out of my price range)

[idosubaru]

yes, the EJ18 and EJ22 are insanely reliable.

[Phizinza]

Not so much worried about the motor, more of all the little things on the car. Like all the dash instrumentation, door things like windows, blah blah.. I know when you have a good EJ22 its good. Just not sure if buying a 90's Imp is going to fix my issues with my present car. I need good brakes as I'll be towing with it.

 

Its just the little things that I want to know that will be good. I'm just fed up of rattles, squeaks, poor heater controls, and things like that. Oh, and I would like a good sounds system.. Maybe something that only needs some decent speakers swapped in and maybe a new headunit. None of this cutting, chopping, wiring nightmare.. Ok, yeah, I'm getting old.

 

I should really go test drive a bunch of them and that should tell me what they are like.

[Ozsubie]

I've got a MY06 Impreza and for a new car it has it's fair share of rattles, but hey the 90's Imp's may be better put together, but definitely take some for a test drive to see for yourself. Also if you're going to be towing it may also be worth checking out the mid to late 90's Liberties and they also seem to be a bit smoother and less prone to rattles than the Impreza's. The 2.0 in the MY06 is adequate and can be got going quite nicely, but it's not going to win any traffic light drag's, but again the 90's Imp's are better as they have less weight to haul around. Also, watch out for the road noise level's in the Imp's as they can make a bit of a racket on our australian coarse chip bitumen roads.

[idosubaru]

i would think a legacy sedan is a better fit than an impreza for you. they are better built, heavier and just more solid in those regards. not that impreza's really have issues, i'm just basing that on your input. many mid to late 90's impreza's have rear drums and small front brakes. so you'll be wanting to upgrade if you want better braking for towing. but that's easy enough, the drum to disk conversion is the annoying one.

[Phizinza]

Yes, the Liberty(Legacy) maybe would be a better option. But they are a little more expensive and I don't really like the look of them. I think the RX has rear disc, but yes that is something I need to look into. I had a mate who put WRX brakes on his 97 RX Imp. Was very easy. So you say putting rear disc on a drummed Imp isn't easy?

 

Rattles in an 06? Hmm... :-\

 

I will be towing, but only to and from offroad meets, which will be maybe at most 5% of the time. And most of that is straight open roads. Brakes and power are defiantly on my mind for upgrading.

 

Anyone know the kerb weight of a Liberty(Legacy) and an Impreza from the late 90's? I've looked at Liberty sedans (I even have 89 Liberty wagon down the paddock as a donor car for my Brumby) and I don't like the look of them. And for some stupid reason that matters a lot to me. I guess I'm just kinda ricey..

[Subarupusher]

97K on the wife's 96 Impreza Outback Wagon Automatic. No major rattles. The rear window always had a little rattle when on the freeway. It happened on a few of the same model we test drove before we bought it.

 

It has been through two water pumps and has had the typical cam seals and a few other front end seals put in. Brakes have been redone.

 

The stock stereo failed around the third year of ownership. I stuck a Forester one in and that lasted another 5 years. We then stuck a Kenwood in with Sirius Sat and the stock speakers are still working well.

 

The one component that has failed twice and been a pain is the harness that is exposed when you open the back door. That wiring powers your rear washer pump, wiper, and rear door lock.

 

I think total maintenance costs over the years have been about 3K and it has never left us stranded.

[Phizinza]

Cheers pusher, this is sorta what I'm after. Little personal reviews from people.

Thanks

[idosubaru]

the impreza's are definitely lighter.

 

i have a 1997 impreza OBS. owned it from 60k - 110k so far and the only non maintenance items i've replaced are one CV axle. i've got an annoying EGR issue that causes a check engine light that is mostly an annoyance. WRX 6 dash in disk changer that also plays tapes is a nice upgrade for my wife and i. it's not a "system" but does the trick for us. no complaints really but do get an occassional bizarre clicking noise i've never identified. it's been there after the new axle was installed, swapping wheels, replaced brakes, etc.

 

other than that i've done the timing belt, water pump stuff with it.

 

the rear drums are not that bad, but it is a rather large job. have to swap the entire rear hubs or disassemble and get all the right parts and have to deal with the emergency brake. either get the drum cable to work on the disk or swap a disc brake cable in. rust makes the job a real PITA.

[Phizinza]

Rust is not so common where I live to most places I've heard about in the US, so that should help.

Would Liberty/Legacy rear discs/hubs/knuckles bolt on? They look the same. And I have a 89 Liberty with all the brakes on it right here.

 

I'm going to start a new thread about towing just to see what people think.