Looking for help on a new impreza

[The Dude Abides]

Kinda funny. My grandma is looking to retire her escort and get a newer car. I asked her what she wanted, something small with a hatch so she can put her flowers in it. I asked her what else she wanted. automatic. I told her about the impreza and she was interested. I told her about the awd how it would be safer for her in the winter and she coudl still get 28 or so mpg. I was wondering what year or even trim package style i should go for or stay away from. Max 10 thousand. this is a 87 year old lady who doesnt need a wrx or a sti. Just the basic awd impreza. Any help on where i could look or what i should be looking for would be greatfull.

[subiemech85]

bun warmers

 

height adjustable seat and steering wheel

 

curb feelers

[idosubaru]

Might want to look at Leg wagons? They sit higher and are easier to get in and out of than the lower imp's.

 

not sure what she's looking for but the legacy's tend to be trimmed out better. roomy, quieter, more options, etc. imp's are fantastic though no doubt.

 

10K is easy to find zillions of imp's in that price range. heck you can get an H6 OBW VDC.

 

imp's a great choice as you get the older EJ22 or the newer EJ25's - kind of a win-win of avoiding the worse Phase I DOHC EJ25.

[The Dude Abides]

I thought of the legys but to big. Remember 85 year old woman. We dont want her driveing anything huge in comparison to here little escort. The imprez is the same size as the car she has now. Just a better motor and the awd. Honestly in her case the simpler the better. NO cd player, heated seats, or sunroof are necessary. She wont use them. The ony thing she really needs is a/c, power windows, and an automatic transmission. Anything else doesnt matter. Just a place to put her flowers.

 

And yes dennis probally height adjustable seats for my 4 1/2 ft grandmother who buy the way would knock your block off if you looked at her funny.)

[Olnick]

my 4 1/2 ft grandmother who buy the way would knock your block off if you looked at her funny.)

 

 

Now that's my kinda' woman. Get that lady an Impreza!

[idosubaru]

with that kind of change to throw at an impreza i'd look at dealers and make sure it's all tuned up for her - timing belt and water pump if it's anywhere near the tbelt interval, tune up stuff, coolant flushed, etc.

 

craigslist is another option.

[davebugs]

Too bad you're so far away.

 

I'm getting in a 99 Impreza sedan on wednesday. 66k, auto, major oil leak on front of engine.

 

Red, with a grey interior 4 door, no ABS. Needs a few odds and ends, already has a few minor dents.

 

Manual windows IIR. Probably gonna be in the 3k-3,500 range after it gets a clock spring, oil pump Oring amd sealed, crank seal, cam seals, Timing belt, accessory belts, etc. This may be the first car I don't install a new WP and idlers on - it's only got 66k.

 

Cheaper if youd buy it as is. I've been waiting on this car for months. They finally brought it last week and the airbag light was on. Took it to the dealer to diagnose - it's the clock spring (Subaru has a different name) so I got it cheaper but it's something else to fix - a fix I haven't done on a Suby before.

 

Anyways I'm trying to get the cars cleaned up for the summer so that I can play with my antiques. I'd be open to selling it as-is.

[Rooster2]

My vote is for an Impreza Outback Sport. To carry flowers, this small wagon is a good way to go.

[Bucky92]

^^^ I second that notion.. Outback sports are great!!..I almost bought one when I got my 08 Imp.

[Cougar]

The Sport came to my mind also, along with the Forester.

[bheinen74]

^^^ I second that notion.. Outback sports are great!!..I almost bought one when I got my 08 Imp.

 

aggree, third that. outback sport, about 99 or so, or impreza TI wagn

[The Dude Abides]

what are the year motors i need to be avoiding. Didnt someone say the earlier ej25 had HG problems.

[Gnuman]

what are the year motors i need to be avoiding. Didnt someone say the earlier ej25 had HG problems.

 

HG problems were in the Phase I (96-99 DOHC) with a coolant jacket to combustion chamber leak. This was addressed with a redesigned headgasket that fixes the problem

 

There was a smaller problem with the Phase II EJ25 from 99-03 SOHC (IIRC) that was coolant jacket to outside world. This was "corrected" by adding a "conditioner" to the coolant (basically a glorified stop-leak).

 

In the Impreza I have only seen SOHC engines unless you want to get into turbos, which you probably don't want to deal with.

 

My advice with regards to your grandmother is any Imp wagon, or a late modle Imp hatch with the basic engine. I would skip the 00-03 Imps just because i don't like the way Subaru addressed the HG problem in those years.

 

I just hit Vehix.com and came up with 7 between 5 and 10K within 100 miles of me These were all between 99 and 2004. The hatch had not come out by then, so it looks like a wagon is your best bet. IIRC teh impreza never got the DOHC engine, so you should be pretty safe there.