[Closed] Tell me about Subaru Impeza wrx

1) Don't get a standard WRX

2) Get an Evo

I actually know nothing about them

I've had two. Both brilliant, fun, reliable cars. Do it.

Rachel

I looked at them once, need to budget for a Tracker (installed and annual premium) and running costs looked like they'd be greater than the Beemer I had at the time - had a 535i...

Mate had 2, one a pro drive sport wagon, which was surprisingly small inside but okay for a weeks kit and 2 bikes. Drove it many times to France and back. Fuel economy is terrible, inside is a bit cheap. Was mental fast and fun.

He did drive like a complete tool in it, then went back to being normal when he changed to a Passat. Think the car encourages bellendary.

Get the blue one.

Mid life crisis again..

I've never had a proper fast car,

And, clutch was very heavy. Think unless you plan to track it's a big pointless.

I admit it's on my to own list too.

Another thing is can you use the word reliability and wrx in the same sentance?

What do i need to know before i look at some?

Or do i need an Evo?

What version are you going for? A decent evo will start at about £6k which buys a lot of Subaru as they are more common. Also, take note that a WRX up until about 2011 isn't really a ferocious or stupidly fast car. If you're looking at older ones they have about 220BHP new, so say about 210 BHP if you are feeling generous. Then it'll lose more power than a 2wd through the power train so they are really only putting about 160/170ish bhp to the road. No more potent than a golf gti or a big diesel, though easier to drive fast.

flip - Member

Another thing is can you use the word reliability and wrx in the same sentance?

Depends. If it's had a dogs life, cheaply modified, maintained on the cheap or not maintained then no. It'll be a money pit. If it's been enthusiast owned and had no expense spared then it'll go well. Like most cars. It's very common for owners to add STI components to improve their WRX but the engines are weaker.

DT78 - Member

And, clutch was very heavy. Think unless you plan to track it's a big pointless.

No and no. I have a heavier clutch in the Legacy, and you get used very quickly.

A few mates at work have them., one is a bugeye wrx which he paid 3k for with 75k miles. Had it 2 plus years and nothing at all gone wrong with it. Another one is some kind of special edition which has catd. Again no dramas. Both completely stock.

Do it you won't regret it. If funds allow try and go for an STi but standard WRX still good fun. If you find a well looked after one it'll be as reliable as anything else you can buy if a little thirstier 😯

They are quick

Had two STI's (that's the car not my personal life 🙂 ). Both have been great - reliable and fast but fairly basic. Both lasted two years before selling. Definitely recommended.

No more potent than a golf gti or a big diesel, though easier to drive fast.

Er mine was a lot more potent than a golf gti or big diesel.............or so I remember 😉

stevepitch

Er mine was a lot more potent than a golf gti or big diesel.............or so I remember

Rose tinted glasses? On a twisty b road they are great fun and can carry great speed through, and out of corners. Add rain to the equation and very little will keep up, but a WRX isn't a power house of a car. The power delivery feels urgent, short gears coupled to a big exhaust and it feels like a lot is happening but in a straight line any 3.0tdi will reel you in pretty quickly.

An STI is a very different animal though. Everything that makes it stop and go is considerably beefed up over the WRX, and they're quite capable of harassing a Porsche or Ferrari on a country road.

Mate had one and went to a Golf Gtd...bills are much less than the Impreza was...he misses the car but not the constant expense.

Had a 02 bugeye, wrx with various mods. Faster than standard and a hoot to drive. Heavy on fuel!!! Watch for gasket at back of turbo. They burn up due to heat and leak oil. Need replacing quite often.they do encourage bellendary as mentioned above. Needs to be blue with gold wheels or no point in getting one!

Ps. Does everyone get rid of them and get a vw diesel? I did and got a bora. Remapped and just as fun but 50mpg! Missed the scoob though.

only putting about 160/170ish bhp to the road. No more potent than a golf gti or a big diesel, though easier to drive fast.

Any data to back this up? A golf GTi, really?

King-ocelot
Any data to back this up?

Google drivetrain power loss, parasitic drag etc.

King-ocelot

A golf GTi, really?

Yes really.

That's a MK5 GTI, a MK7 is much faster again.

Fair does Jimjam, how well does a GTi do in the wet? Makes some used GTi's seem like a bargain if they still drive well.

My BiL had an '03 WRX (might have had STi written on the back I'm not sure) and we borrowed it quite a lot in NZ.

LOVED driving that stupid car. Reliable, fuel was better than our car ('96 Toyota Caldina) and we had 5 with 5 bikes on/in it to Queenstown for a weekend.

Most of the Impreza`s I see are old ones driven by council house sorts with Colin Mcrae stickers on thinking they have made it .

Cool story.

Owner of two here, first was a 2002 bug eye, 18 months old when I first had it, kept it for two and half years and chopped it in on a newer one. The reliability is brilliant so I dunno what he was on about up there. 2nd was a 2005 blob eye, two years old when I had it, full prodrive kit 0 to 60 in under 5, better handling than the previous due to ssuspension redesign. It was awesome in the dry, push hard and let off you will get oversteer which in a 4wd is interesting to say the least. I do miss it every drive I take on my own. Real world early 20th for mpg about town, once had 35 on a run back from Cornwall. However I once did over half a tank in less than a 100 miles.
As I said up there the reliability for those two was brilliant.

Also, take note that a WRX up until about 2011 isn't really a ferocious or stupidly fast car. If you're looking at older ones they have about 220BHP new, so say about 210 BHP if you are feeling generous.

I think the older STIs are around 300bhp aren't they. I don't actually know a lot about them. I guess most (if not all) are imports, and don't come cheap. But still probably cheaper than some of the equivalents. They also did a Forester STI, which basically came with a detuned Imprezza engine, weighing in at about 240bhp...you know, if you're looking for something a bit more practical....and possibly less likely to get nicked. They're not cheap to buy either though. Quite fancied one myself.

Standard wrx was 225, ppp on same car was 268. Sti standard was 265 pushed to 300 ish with ppp.

A PPP Forester XT would be a great buy if you could find one.

I've owned 3 as my everyday car over a period of 12 years.
Favourite was the iconic WR blue '99 saloon with PPP. Only changed it when first Benson JR came along & wife thought it would be better if the springer spaniel went in the boot rather than sit beside JR on the rear seat!
So I changed the saloon for a 2001 Wagon with PPP! Perfect family car!
Finished up with an 'update' to a 2003 Wagon (surprise surprise with PPP)
Only changed last year to an MPV - sort of miss the Scoob punch but can't belive how comfortable leather, auto, & a few mod cons like sat nav actually are after all these years! No doubting the Scoob was basic & plastic, but proper fun on tap!
Good advice above - you need to find a well loved one & it'll be bulletproof. Go for it.

I had a WRX sportwagon and had to sell it to buy a van.
A little bit of me died inside.
Just buy one, have fun and sell it when you realize it's a tad thirsty. They're a hoot. You won't regret it.

Ask yourself.

Will you be one of the 10 percent of Impreza drivers that are okay?

Or one of the 90% that are bell ends?.

Just a thought. 😀

Still better odds than an Audi driver.

I had a 2002 wrx for all of 18 months , yes it was fun to drive but the real world 20 mpg was to much to take ,swapped out for a Legacy ,and after that I will never buy another Subaru again ,

Been told some real horror stories By Adam at Scobby clinic about the 2005- onwards 2.5 hawkeye models , head gasket problems and rebuilds galore , and the fact that most parts are OEM Subaru only and cost a stupid amount of coin

Anyways this might float your boat http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Subaru-Forester-STi-2-5lt-6-Speed-Manual-/301348705046?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4629c85316

Mates sti makes 420bhp. 0-60 with launch control is scary sub 5s

Reliable?

ANY car over 10yrs old is in the issues section.

Generally very reliable.

Stretch to a STI. The only car I've felt genuinely scared driving was a borrowed modified STI.

Always fancied the WRX wagon with PPP, despoilerd. A little More torque power than the STI if I recall, lighter, if missing the sti bits.

I had four: 1996 Turbo, 2000 WRX standard, 2003 WRX with a few tweaks, and finally 2006 STI Spec C between 1999 and 2008.

The only thing that went wrong during that time was a water temp sensor on the 1996 car which put the engine into limp-home mode and cost 60 quid to fix. So my experience is they are very reliable.
They were mostly used every day except the Spec C, there's a big difference between the mk 1s which feel like they are made of kit-kat wrappers but go like hell and the later cars which are a bit more solid.
The Spec C was very very fast but tiring to be in for long. Short gearing, reduced soundproofing and small fuel tank in the interests of saving weight. My favourite was the modified WRX with a re-map and a free flowing exhaust, and some prodrive springs. Comfortable enough for everyday use but able to keep up with some serious machines on the track.
All of them were quite thirsty and would also eat brake pads on the track, especially the non-STI whose brakes are really too small for the car.

Got a Legacy turbo now but still miss the urgency and nimble handling of the WRXs.

I had a WRX STI Spec D for a grand total of 5 weeks. Great handling car - excellent levels of grip and stability. Ride was very firm and lacked comfort. Took a lot of concentration to drive smoothly on 30mph roads due to power and heavy clutch. Can't talk about top end performance as I didn't use it and drove at road legal speeds.

Changed the car very rapidly though as on day 1 I was followed by police for 8 miles. Followed by some unsavoury looking peeps for 13 miles and then had someone try and drive into the side because I wouldn't race them across the traffic lights... Not too good as a family car in my part of Brum perhaps...

I had a 54 plate blobeye wagon with the PPP kit for three years. 2nd best car I've had (after a much-loved but tiring Integra), stupid fast in the real world and, for me at least, bombproof reliability.
Eventually the crippling MPG once I started doing 600 miles a week, plus the fact that it was getting on a bit, contributed to ending up with an Octavia diesel...

Find a straight and unmolested one and you're away, you won't regret it.

Owner of a 2004 WRX Sportwagon with PPP here. We bought it in 2006, and whilst we talk about changing it from time to time (the in-cabin noise is deafening), we can't think of anything we'd prefer that does everything we want so well. It got written off in 2011, but we bought it back and had it repaired...that's how much we love it. Yes, the interior is awful. Yes, it's thirsty. Yes, it has a huge image problem. And yes, the Sportwagon seems to have perfected the art of a reverse TARDIS. But for putting a smile on your face when you find a nice piece of quiet Scottish road, I reckon it's difficult to beat. Absolute hoonery.

Never had a Impreza but I had 2 Foresters from that sort of era and loved them. Pound for pound the best spec'd cars i've ever owned.

Mmm well I had an evo4 and I reckon apart from being like sat in a plastic bin inside and flappy doors @150 it's probably one of the best cars I've driven ....truely mental and mind boggling cornering...tad thirsty but bang per buck not bad.

thinking of getting a wrx sti for the dog tbh...

The cabin noise? You mean the whurr whine etc? 😀

My cousin bought an old p reg sport wagon. £200 off a little old lady. £50 for some used rally tyres and alloys, then ran it as his winter 4x4 (lives in the pennines). A couple of years ago he squeezed a VAG diesel into it! God knows how! And says its all the car he'll ever need.

Bought my latest Forester in August. It went to Germany for New Years eve and back and Fort Bill planned this year. **** the mpg it rocks. Its filthy inside. Epic though. Japtastic. 8)