Opinions on Impreza station wagon?
Discussion
I'm thinking of buying a second hand (7k ish) Impreza station wagon for Mrs Get and the dog (in a few months). I need 4x4 as we are in the Highlands and we get stuck. Space not too important, but must have 5 doors and some grunt as I'll also use it for a bi-weekly 800 mile round trip down south, and need to overtake numpties.
My questions:
What engine should I look for? 2.0t? Anything I should be wary of? I presume the Impreza is a better chioce than the Legacy/Forester? (considering I would like a smaller more nimble car and only have about 7k?)
You can see I know nothing about the marque, so all commets/advice gratefully received.
Ta
Steve
My questions:
What engine should I look for? 2.0t? Anything I should be wary of? I presume the Impreza is a better chioce than the Legacy/Forester? (considering I would like a smaller more nimble car and only have about 7k?)
You can see I know nothing about the marque, so all commets/advice gratefully received.
Ta
Steve
rsvmilly said:
A friend of mine has a '98 turbo Wagon. It is really rather fast.
I'd imagine fuel consumption would become an issue for you on your long trips. They are pretty thirsty; 15-25mpg.
I'd imagine fuel consumption would become an issue for you on your long trips. They are pretty thirsty; 15-25mpg.
Not too much of a problem... I rarely make 15mpg! Range would however be a problem.. I need 320+ How big are the tanks?
GetCarter said:
rsvmilly said:
A friend of mine has a '98 turbo Wagon. It is really rather fast.
I'd imagine fuel consumption would become an issue for you on your long trips. They are pretty thirsty; 15-25mpg.
I'd imagine fuel consumption would become an issue for you on your long trips. They are pretty thirsty; 15-25mpg.
Not too much of a problem... I rarely make 15mpg! Range would however be a problem.. I need 320+ How big are the tanks?
Tiny
The legacy has a 62 litre tank, which is PATHETIC!GetCarter said:
Not too much of a problem... I rarely make 15mpg! Range would however be a problem.. I need 320+ How big are the tanks?
I generally get 250 out of a 55l tank in my 97 wagon. On longer journeys where I'm taking it steady I can squeeze nearly 300 (And occasionally only 200
) OTOH I've been testing a few potential replacements recently and I simply can't find anything that is as good to drive.
For that money or less you should get a mint MY99/00 model turbo sportwagon (which I have) and I think it is a great car. The 99 onwards models have a bit more power, better but still not great brakes/lights. They also have slightly longer gearing than the older models to help improve mpg, on a long m'way drive I have seen over 30mpg but as soon as you put your foot down...! On journeys like this I get approx 300 miles out of a tank. The only other issue is noise/refinement above about 80, it can get a bit intrusive, the newer 'bug eye' model is a bit slower but much more refined but I think you will struggle to find a decent one for £7k, for example a friend just picked up a 2001 model with 35k on the clock for £8.5k. Also the interior of the newer car is better and would perhaps be more relaxing on long drives.
You can get about 30mpg on a M-way from a UK Impreza turbo if you're careful. (Been there, done it.)
So you can reasonably expect 350+ miles from a tank if you need to.
I get about 250 miles froma tank in my STi. It has silly short gears and M-way cruising happens at 4k RPM and above...
If they're not heavily modded with loud exhaust etc, then the noise isn't at all bad... It is, however, worse than the equivilent saloon.
So you can reasonably expect 350+ miles from a tank if you need to.
I get about 250 miles froma tank in my STi. It has silly short gears and M-way cruising happens at 4k RPM and above...
If they're not heavily modded with loud exhaust etc, then the noise isn't at all bad... It is, however, worse than the equivilent saloon.
Gazboy said:
Iirc they are all 2.0 boxer fours, most are turbo'd.
They are fairly juicy iirc.
If you click on "this forum" then "FAQ" there will be a buying guide thread- in there somewhere is a handy link to Imprezas.
They are fairly juicy iirc.
If you click on "this forum" then "FAQ" there will be a buying guide thread- in there somewhere is a handy link to Imprezas.
There was a 1.6 and I think also a 1.8 version. Of course you wouldn't want one of these, although having said that there is some fun to be had from selecting the low range gears and driving it like you stole it
Not that I ever did that in any of the courtesy cars I had, honest
Seriously though, I had a '98 5 door Turbo and loved it. Great all-rounder, only sold it when a company car came along and it seemed silly to have two estates.
They were made with 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.0T engines, if you want grunt you'll be wanting a turbo. Legacy, Impreza and Forester all handle fairly well but if you want the smallest/nimblest as mentioned the Impreza is best option. I have a '97 2.0 na Legacy wagon which has a huge amount of space and is a bit nicer/comfier/softer than the Imprezas, I can get around 700km out of a 60L tank taking it reasonably easy on the open road (ie generally cruising at 100-120km/h on A and B roads which also have corners and hills to slow you down) but its not exactly rapid (155bhp, 1400ish kg).
They all handle well, but can get a bit boring unless you're driving the wheels off it due to the AWD making things seem so easy. I guess that not such an issue if you have other toys as well though. Be warned, gravel roads will become your friend
They all handle well, but can get a bit boring unless you're driving the wheels off it due to the AWD making things seem so easy. I guess that not such an issue if you have other toys as well though. Be warned, gravel roads will become your friend
I get around 300 miles to a tank. This really depends on how its driven; I got 800 miles out of just under 2 tanks on the motorway. However if you keep that flat 4 on boost you can almost hear litres of fuel gushing into the cylinders. Get the turbo and strap a jerry can to it They are great cars..... You can fit the dog and a weeks shopping in one and still give cars that cost 3 time more a run for their money
They are great cars..... You can fit the dog and a weeks shopping in one and still give cars that cost 3 time more a run for their money I have recently bought an MY99 Turbo wagon as a fun runaround. Its my third Impreza and they are very good cars - reasonably quick, lots of grip, plenty of space. Suspension is firm but not uncomfortably so. As others have said, MY99 got slightly more power (215 instead of 208 BHP I think) and 4 pot calipers. All my Imprezas have been 99 so I cant comment on the difference the above makes. I would say that the standard brakes are just about adequate, so wonder what the previous 2 pots would be like.
My only real criticism is that the cars are a little dull, but not necessarily in a bad way. Exactly as Gravelben says, the massive amount of grip means that at sensible speeds the car almost drives itself. Handling is a pretty subjective term and means different things to different people - I would say that an Impreza handles average at best, but more than makes up for it with the amount of grip. Contrast to my 944 Turbo which handles superbly but has less grip. For a fun blast I prefer the 944, but for everyday driving the Impreza is superb - swift progress with no dramas.
Seems like a sensible choice for what you are after.
My only real criticism is that the cars are a little dull, but not necessarily in a bad way. Exactly as Gravelben says, the massive amount of grip means that at sensible speeds the car almost drives itself. Handling is a pretty subjective term and means different things to different people - I would say that an Impreza handles average at best, but more than makes up for it with the amount of grip. Contrast to my 944 Turbo which handles superbly but has less grip. For a fun blast I prefer the 944, but for everyday driving the Impreza is superb - swift progress with no dramas.
Seems like a sensible choice for what you are after.
steve 944t said:
I have recently bought an MY99 Turbo wagon as a fun runaround. Its my third Impreza and they are very good cars - reasonably quick, lots of grip, plenty of space. Suspension is firm but not uncomfortably so. As others have said, MY99 got slightly more power (215 instead of 208 BHP I think) and 4 pot calipers. All my Imprezas have been 99 so I cant comment on the difference the above makes. I would say that the standard brakes are just about adequate, so wonder what the previous 2 pots would be like.
My only real criticism is that the cars are a little dull, but not necessarily in a bad way. Exactly as Gravelben says, the massive amount of grip means that at sensible speeds the car almost drives itself. Handling is a pretty subjective term and means different things to different people - I would say that an Impreza handles average at best, but more than makes up for it with the amount of grip. Contrast to my 944 Turbo which handles superbly but has less grip. For a fun blast I prefer the 944, but for everyday driving the Impreza is superb - swift progress with no dramas.
Seems like a sensible choice for what you are after.
My only real criticism is that the cars are a little dull, but not necessarily in a bad way. Exactly as Gravelben says, the massive amount of grip means that at sensible speeds the car almost drives itself. Handling is a pretty subjective term and means different things to different people - I would say that an Impreza handles average at best, but more than makes up for it with the amount of grip. Contrast to my 944 Turbo which handles superbly but has less grip. For a fun blast I prefer the 944, but for everyday driving the Impreza is superb - swift progress with no dramas.
Seems like a sensible choice for what you are after.
I think you have hit the nail on the head, it is a car for all occasions, not doing anything in particular brilliantly but doing everything well. I swapped an E30 M3 for the Impreza and whilst the Impreza is certainly faster in almost all road situations it is nowhere near as much fun as the E30. If I could choose I would have both!
I have had my 2000MY Turbo Wagon for 6 months now, and whilst it's very good and fast, I am considering changing to a more 'plain' car. The 18 mpg (or 200-215 miles per tank) is one problem, but every arse pulling out on front of me on a dual carriageway and staying there at 65 mph apparently because I'm in a fast car gets really boring. In some ways I had more fun in a 2 litre Mondeo Zetec because nobody expected it to be fast and it didn't stand out! Mine has 65k miles and is in 'proper' blue and I would assume you could get one like these for about £6500! Mine is one of the very last of the classic shape before the bugeye and I believe is 220bhp! Another thing to note is the front end changed shape slightly sometime before this so the grille wraps round the headlights more (if you know what I mean!!!)
A standard UK Impreza is not that fast once rolling Steve.
Many 'family cars' cars will see you off on a DC/Mway.
208/214 bhp through an AWD transmission means not a lot reaches the wheels.
The handling (as stated) is poor, too much understeer bias with open diffs meaning few options, and the brakes are prone to fade if you have fun in the bendy bits.
DJ (used to own a standard UK 5 door - now owns a non-standard UK 5 door)
Many 'family cars' cars will see you off on a DC/Mway.
208/214 bhp through an AWD transmission means not a lot reaches the wheels.
The handling (as stated) is poor, too much understeer bias with open diffs meaning few options, and the brakes are prone to fade if you have fun in the bendy bits.
DJ (used to own a standard UK 5 door - now owns a non-standard UK 5 door)
DocJock said:
A standard UK Impreza is not that fast once rolling Steve.
Many 'family cars' cars will see you off on a DC/Mway.
208/214 bhp through an AWD transmission means not a lot reaches the wheels.
The handling (as stated) is poor, too much understeer bias with open diffs meaning few options, and the brakes are prone to fade if you have fun in the bendy bits.
DJ (used to own a standard UK 5 door - now owns a non-standard UK 5 door)
Many 'family cars' cars will see you off on a DC/Mway.
208/214 bhp through an AWD transmission means not a lot reaches the wheels.
The handling (as stated) is poor, too much understeer bias with open diffs meaning few options, and the brakes are prone to fade if you have fun in the bendy bits.
DJ (used to own a standard UK 5 door - now owns a non-standard UK 5 door)
can't help myself but quote some figures from Evo mag that they got from a MY99 standard car:
0-60 5.4secs
0-100 14.5 secs
1/4 mile: 14.6secs
most 3rd gear increments: 3 secs
I still call that fast but obviously these days there are a lot of powerful/torquey diesels out there.
The handling is interesting, my car came with Pirelli P6000?! on and frankly they are awful,it understeers badly, screeching round the corners, I have been told a well chosen set of tyres makes a big difference...
and yes the brakes, even with 4 pot calipers do not inspire confidence.
Edited by chippy17 on Wednesday 28th June 09:47
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