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Subaru impreza

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thegardens8
Posts: 300 - Karma: 479
Thinking about saving up for a used subaru impreza as a first car. Can anyone who has one or who has had one can give an honest review and maybe share some pros and cons, and maybe your overall experience with it?

And if you don't recommend a subaru any other vehicles that would be good in winter conditions that's not a gas guzzling truck?
Dec 7 2013 11:22AM
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scandy101
Posts: 460 - Karma: 19
cheap build quality, slow, nothing special in terms of reliability, not as good as audi in snow.
Dec 7 2013 11:34AM
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scandy101
Posts: 460 - Karma: 19
whats your price range?

Dec 7 2013 11:35AM
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thegardens8
Posts: 300 - Karma: 479
not sure yet, probably in an agreement with my parents that they would pay for a large portion of it for my birthday and christmas which are close together so max budget is $15 k probably but that would be pushing it
Dec 7 2013 11:41AM
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skier58284
Posts: 1705 - Karma: 5,365
If you want a Subaru as a ski car get a Forester. Or if you must, an Outback.
Dec 7 2013 5:35PM
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skier58284
Posts: 1705 - Karma: 5,365
$15k can definitely get you a used Forester that's not all that old. You might get one under $9,000 if you're lucky.
Dec 7 2013 5:36PM
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stezybake[D]oven
Posts: 370 - Karma: 36
i have two subarus 02 wrx and an 98 rs, the regular impreza base is in my opinion kinda boring, just a car i love my turbo over my no turbo rs, but yes if u have a good budget you can find many reliable cars forester xt's are very nice (early models b4 08) and you can do well getting one that was sold to an older lady or gentleman. also the xt's have a turbo but do not make the higher insurance rate as a wrx and can produce similar power. the awd is very nice and offers a lot of control and subarus in general are relatively easy to work on, so it would be cheaper than like audis or vw's. i would honestly say get something u really like and want to drive (for whatever reasons u have) that goes a long way liking the car how it looks and operates goes a long way cuz you can easily get 200-300 thousand out of pretty much any subaru so ud have it for a while. hope that help s man gl on ur search.
Dec 7 2013 6:10PM
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Laurent.
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 25,313
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Dec 7 2013 6:19PM
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whoa-dere
Posts: 10596 - Karma: 7,103
not the most high end thing but it'll do. at least it's all wheel drive so it can get you to the mountain
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Dec 7 2013 6:46PM
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caucasian_chad
Posts: 4078 - Karma: 3,625
My Impreza Outback Sport has been bottomed out on countless rocks, jumped, gone in the ditch twice, been used as a training car for 2 people learning to drive a manual, and driven at very high speeds on rough dirt roads. I have done zero non preventative maintenance on the car. Tell me again about the poor build quality.
Dec 7 2013 7:59PM
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last_tango
Posts: 2635 - Karma: 2,665
Biggest thing to look out for on subarus is the damn head gaskets. If you get a 2.5L that is 07 and back you will most likely blow head gaskets. If you buy from a dealership demand that they replace the head gaskets for free. Other than that one issue subies are great. I blew both head gaskets on my 06 at 99,000 miles and got it covered under warranty and subaru hooked my up with a deal on a timing belt change and water pump.
Dec 7 2013 8:09PM
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RusselCrowe
Posts: 367 - Karma: 1,111
OP if you could find a wrx or 2.5gt that would be better if you want something faster. Normal Imprezas arent as fun to drive I've heard as oppose to turbod subarus.
Dec 7 2013 8:17PM
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rudager
Posts: 11335 - Karma: 4,624
All you guys saying turbos are more fun, fast, etc... Of course. The kid wants an Impreza. Nothing fancy, and if I was him, I wouldn't look for an older fancy one anyways. It would most likely be driven to hell and back, and not on a paved highway.

There's nothing wrong with a normal Impreza. I have an 07 sport wagon, and I love it.
Sure it might be slow to accelerate, interior is like a uhaul, and everything else is basic, but it's a base model.
I still have an incredibly fun time driving it. Super fun on dirt roads, super fun in the snow. Corrects easily when the back is thrown out, plows through mud, snow, crud. Plus it's practical, hold all my stuff, I can sleep in it, moderate on gas, and gets me to the hill, or through a blizzard (Calgary had a mighty one last week, made for fun driving).

If you find one, go for it. Doesn't have to be a WRX or anything, they're still a beast of a car for what your paying for.
Dec 7 2013 8:45PM
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Aidan-G
Posts: 9415 - Karma: 10,861
Buy an AMC Gremlin
Dec 7 2013 9:02PM
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skodeo7
Posts: 14949 - Karma: 9,234
Seriously. Of course a WRX would be fucking awesome but its completely impractical. I'm 27 now so I have a bit different thought process then a lot of you. Rudager gets it though!

The Imprezas are pretty sweet even though they're not a race car. I just got a 2013 hatchback myself. 5 speed, black Impreza Sport premium. Thing is fucking awesome. rated at 33 highway but gets more. Gonna get the windows tinted in the back eventually then she'll look even nicer. Fucking love this car.

I've owned a 96 Outback and 2002 Legacy in the past and really liked them both, but neither have been quite this awesome. I traded in my 2009 Tacoma which I loved and put some heavy mileage on, 140k in four years. The Impreza is perfect for my situation now which involves a fair amount of commuting into Boston.

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Dec 7 2013 9:08PM
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last_tango
Posts: 2635 - Karma: 2,665
I owned one as well. I sold it at 350,000 miles and the person I sold it to has it at over 400,000 miles. When I owned it, it would start up every day off the north face of mount washington (home to the most brutal weather in north america) drove me up a mountain for work and then jump started several trucks. Most epic car I will ever own. It won't fucking die.
Dec 7 2013 9:11PM
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NSwidow
Posts: 888 - Karma: 3,222
I am a woman. So i think my opinion is void. Not because of my vagina, but my lack of car knowledge.

I have a Subaru Impreza and I love it. When i put my foot on the peddle on the left, it stops and the one on the right makes it go fast.

Seriously though- i wouldn't want any other car. But i also don't give much of a shit.

Glad i could help.
Dec 7 2013 9:46PM
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Lagoon
Posts: 175 - Karma: 409
I would happily buy this if I had your budget and actually needed another wrx...
http://watertown.craigslist.org/cto/4220894403.html
Dec 7 2013 11:51PM
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-Robert
Posts: 2000 - Karma: 1,491
My parents got an 04 forester with 66,000 miles for under 9. 15,000 is a pretty good budget to work with.
Dec 8 2013 12:00AM
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thegardens8
Posts: 300 - Karma: 479
This, not looking for a performance sports car like a wrx, just something that can handle well and is reliable enough to get from point a to b in winter conditions
Dec 8 2013 12:27AM
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thegardens8
Posts: 300 - Karma: 479
U could never find a price like that with that Mileage in Canada. Sweet deal
Dec 8 2013 12:31AM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
aw only two pedals? :(
Dec 8 2013 1:03AM
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Tall_Paul
Posts: 958 - Karma: 57
I honestly love my impreza. I get 28 mpg, it rides smooth, the hatchback allows me to carry a bunch of stuff in the back and even my bike fits in because the seats fold down. It is honestly the most practical car: good gas mileage, all wheel drive, comfortable ride, and if you want to mod it, subaru engines are made so that you can add mods to them. Oh and it also has love because thats what makes a subaru a subaru...
Dec 8 2013 1:11AM
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Chunter
Posts: 2050 - Karma: 1,894
lol
Dec 8 2013 1:16AM
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-Robert
Posts: 2000 - Karma: 1,491
Just couldn't pass it up. The only thing I would change would be tinted windows and a place for an aux cord haha.
Dec 8 2013 3:23PM
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J_Christoph
Posts: 2519 - Karma: 8,752
Too bad you're in Canada brotha. ksl.com is great for used subarus here in Idaho and Utah. Anyways imprezas are great in my opinion
Dec 8 2013 3:39PM
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Dr.Dickless
Posts: 2620 - Karma: 1,392
Don't buy a used WRX, some fifteen year old kid beat the shit out of it and now the turbos about to blow and he's looking to get rid of it If your budget is $15k buy a used XV crosstrek, you can probably pick one up for that price soon.
Dec 8 2013 3:42PM
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OGoriginal-gaper
Posts: 354 - Karma: 86
Buy a rear wheel drive so you can rip mad skids, screw that flat 4 shit as well my mate has an impreza and if there's 4 people in the car it can barley make it up hills. But if you must buy one make sure its a turbo impreza a here they go alright.
Dec 11 2013 6:36AM
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coling
Posts: 1086 - Karma: -3
Dont worry hes full of shit. Subarus are rock solid from what ive seen. The japaneze engineers copy the germans well
Dec 11 2013 6:40AM
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funinc158
Posts: 688 - Karma: 58
Impreza is a great ski car. I got a '13 sport premium after my Rav4 died this summer. Yeah its not the fastest thing in the world but in everyday driving Im not out to race people everytime I go get something to eat or to class. It handles pretty well in the snow, I do need to change out these low profile yokohamas though for snow tires then it will be really great.
Dec 11 2013 9:27AM
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ggfski42
Posts: 651 - Karma: 700
I have an 06' impreza wagon, there are better cars out there. But i love mine, its perfect for my lifestyle. Great gas mileage, handles lika boss, and its just a nice car. I kinda wish i bought an Audi though, pretty sure an a4 wagon is gonna be my next car.
Dec 11 2013 10:13AM
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SFB
Posts: 8895 - Karma: 26,352
seriously you have 15k to buy your first car?? i got my car for 3k and it still hasnt had any problems or broken. you could save a lot of money if you buy a cheaper car.
Dec 11 2013 10:45AM
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scandy101
Posts: 460 - Karma: 19
i used to work on imprezas pretty much weekly at my last job. they arent necessarily that bad when compared to your typical cheap economy car, but id consider most cheap economy cars as having poor build quality. they're underbuilt, cheap materials, stupid things fail on them. fine for driving around town getting groceries, but for a performance oriented car, or "rally car" like most kids in a wrx think, they're very underbuilt and deteriorate pretty quickly.
and pretty much any car can bottom on rocks and go into ditches, if you dont have a low hanging oil pan or something there's not much that could go wrong unless its a huge impact. and wow, TWO people learned to drive a manual on it? thing must be a tank eh?
Dec 11 2013 1:10PM
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MASkier
Posts: 657 - Karma: 704
I have a saabaru and I love it to death, but check CR for reliability. Also I love boxer engines because they sound like aircraft engines(kind of).
Dec 11 2013 1:34PM
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Miomo
Posts: 4302 - Karma: 14,133
What was your last job? Sucking dick?
Dec 11 2013 1:37PM
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BigScaryLarry
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 2,732
i have a 98 outback and fucking love it. gets good gas milage and is very reliable. plus it holds a ton of shit and is very comfortable to sleep in.
Dec 11 2013 2:02PM
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scandy101
Posts: 460 - Karma: 19
yup
Dec 11 2013 11:39PM
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Dr.Dickless
Posts: 2620 - Karma: 1,392
Anybody who thinks they're rally cars is stupid, the closest competition is like a honda civic, this is why you can't get a used WRX though because some retard sophomore thought it was a rally car and destroyed everything on it
Dec 11 2013 11:44PM
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caucasian_chad
Posts: 4078 - Karma: 3,625
So I'm bumping an old thread, fuck it. My favorite part of this post is that he conveniently fails to address the one thing that was most likely to fuck the car up from my OP, the fact that we jumped it in my friend's hayfield one night. Wouldn't wanna mention anything that dilutes the validity of the point you're trying to make, eh?

Unless you are a mechanical engineer, you do not have the technical knowledge to declare the car underbuilt and I know for sure that you aren't sending car parts back to a lab to have the steel tested, so you're just talking out of your ass about the quality of materials as well.
Dec 13 2013 1:26AM
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iH8pow
Posts: 1813 - Karma: 7,725
ironic that the guy harping on subaru for poor build quality is the one pushing audi. head gaskets are a common problem on subarus i'll give you that but that's about all, and yea the interior can be cheap but i'd still take my chances with a subaru over an audi.
Dec 13 2013 9:59AM
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Dr.Dealgood
Posts: 2587 - Karma: 1,352
Couple things....

Rudager and Skodeo7 are on point.

I've owned multiple Subarus, never WRX but I have had wheeltime and known people who drive them. They're fun. They are good in bad weather, they're not an automatic license to drive like Colin McRae, but they're fun and solid.

I had a 98 Outback Impreza--one of those little hatchback guys. That car was amazing. Saved my life twice, ~30+ mpg highway and ~25-26 around town. Unfortunately this car got totalled on the way to Sunday River when I drilled a loaded horse trailer. That was fun. But myself, three friends, and all our gear was fine.

Foresters are great, you can fit a lot in them, check em out.

I would reccomend an Outback though, you can play with the motor if that's what you're into especially if you go for a Legacy model. They are rediculously dependable cars. And believe me you can load the fuck out of them. Mine has been jokingly referred to as a Suber-Truck. However!--if you're going for something 98-01 (roughly) check to make sure the engine head gaskets have redone. This engine to my knowledge can be a leaker INTERNALLY which can cause some real headaches. Some people with these models have sworn by them and never had a problem, others have been plagued. BUT if you go with a 02' and above you're much less likely to have problems; they can leak but it's externally and often is paired with them smell of coolant burning--so, easy to spot early on. I have an 02 Outback Wagon. I purchased it I think in 08 for $10.5k. It was from VT and had some body/cosmetic issues but it was a 5 speed and in good shape. I did end up having to dump $3k two years later into it because the garage I bought it from lied to me about timing belts and water pumps, brakes, and redo my headgasket seals. That's the ONLY big investment I've made in this car and it's been everywhere from New England to Mid Atlantic and all over the west. They can be light oil burners though so if you're not a religious k oil changer, pour a little love in there.
Dec 13 2013 3:26PM
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bieberhole69.
Posts: 654 - Karma: 1,387
I just got an 05 rs and absolutely love it. I managed to pick one up with 77,000 miles, already had the head gaskets and the entire lower block replaced for $6000 (the guy was leaving the country the next week, kinda sketchy but the car checked out). As mentioned, make sure that's already done, as its a pain in the ass and another $1000-2000.
Also, you probably don't have to worry about this as much with your budget but since the 02-07 imprezas have the "naked" roof (no rails), you have to do a custom install for ski racks. Don't get the Q-towers, which clamp onto the door openings. They scrape against the window every time you close the door, kinda shitty. Anyways, you have to drill into the roof to put a rack on, kinda sucks and costs like $400.
Dec 13 2013 6:25PM
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rudager
Posts: 11335 - Karma: 4,624
Don't know about all the models, but my 07 sport wagon has rails on it
Dec 13 2013 7:19PM
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scandy101
Posts: 460 - Karma: 19
oh wow you jumped a car in a hayfield. sweet, me and my friends used to jump our cars at a friends property, he had 5 or 6 good sized jumps for his dirtbike and we'd take them off his 30 foot table all the fucking time, hardly broke shit. hell we had a beater volvo 240 and a beater e30 at one point and it took us a months worth of complete abuse to until we finally broke those things, we'd overshoot as much as we possibly could and nose dive and the things would keep on trucking. so sorry im not impressed that you played ken block one night in a hay field.

and no, im not a mechanical engineer, but i've spent my entire life working on and building karts, cars, track/race cars, etc. so i think i can tell a poorly built car when i see one, especially when im the one fixing the flimsy things myself.
again, not saying its that bad for an economy car, but thats about all they are, an economy car with awd. putting DC stickers in the back window doesnt change that.
Dec 13 2013 10:35PM
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,485
Lezbaru
Dec 13 2013 10:39PM
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Tall_Paul
Posts: 958 - Karma: 57
the subaru baja is all you need
Dec 13 2013 10:44PM
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scandy101
Posts: 460 - Karma: 19
it completely depends on the specific model, you cant just say subaru is reliable, or audi is unreliable. both companies have their better and worse models. the 2.7t is a fucking time bomb of an engine, probably the most ridiculously expensive to maintain engine ive seen, yes, in terms of performance its fucking amazing, but unless you luck out and get the 1 in 10 that doesnt seem to have huge problems, you'll spend more on maintenance than you did on the car.

but if your talking about audi's old 20v engines, the c4 s4 and s6, a6, audi 90, etc.. those things are tanks, we had one guy with a 90 at something like 370,000 miles, stock engine, and he only came in for regular maintenance. all those older audis kill it in terms of reliability. BMW also has their good and bad models, e30's are beasts, e36's and e46's are pretty damn good. some subaru's will keep on ticking problem free, but you see some that are just complete lemons. and impreza's are not aging well, unless you can find a pretty new one, or an older one thats been babied, id pass, i just see so many of them with way too many problems.
Dec 13 2013 10:45PM
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scandy101
Posts: 460 - Karma: 19
now thats a fucking car, baja xt's are awesome.
Dec 13 2013 10:46PM
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JeremyClarkson
Posts: 1599 - Karma: 1,934
This.

I live in a town where the lesbian population is 15% and the amount of lesbians driving Subaru wagons with golden retrievers in the back is unbelievable.

With that said...I also currently drive a first gen legacy wagon.
Dec 13 2013 10:46PM
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ThaLorax
Posts: 21083 - Karma: 8,455
I'm amazed that nobody is telling OP not to spend 15k on his first car. That said, "Don't spend 15k on your first car". That's what you spend on a car when you are in your 20's or 30's and have more money.
Dec 13 2013 10:54PM
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