Now my question is I am a student that needs a new car for the hour and a half commute to school and the needs for work.

I love the WRX but it's really not in my price range right now. I was just wondering how the RS of yester years stacks up in daily driving conditions.

And any opinions or comments you RS owners may have would be great. Thanks!

Great reliability so far, awesome looking vehicle, AWD helps a ton where I'm from, if I had to but a used Impreza, I would do it.

Nick C.

The RS has lots of torque, which makes it very nice for traffic... It's quick rather than fast and the AWD is a blast in slippery weather.

MGB

peppy car which handles perfectly.
nope.. never ever never ever selling mine :D

Jamie - www.subiegalracing.com

Originally posted by Subie Gal
peppy car which handles perfectly.
nope.. never ever never ever selling mine :D

Jamie - www.subiegalracing.com

I agree, except to say that mine dosen't handle perfectly (an adjustable rear sway bar helped A LOT). I think it is safe to say that it handles REALLY well for the money...

I'm not selling mine either.

The only way I'd sell mine would be to buy another one or a newer one.

To the person that said they would not buy a used one.. Why not? Most people here can't fork out the $25+ for every new model Impreza Subaru makes.. I see the 2001 Wrx's are coming down to more of a Senable price range..

You can also look at even older models that arent RS's and think about engine swaps and spending more money on mods :)

I dont ever want to sell mine either, it will just turn into a track car :devil:

Used Suby's are no problem!
RS's are a good buy, and probably plentiful now that a lot were traded on WRX's.
Given the choice, I'd probably avoid the quad cam 2.5RS of 98-99 vintage. It's just unecessarily complex. Not a bad car, but between a sohc and a dohc I'd take the sohc.
Still too much money? Get an L. The 2.2 is 135hp minimum depending on the year, very spunky, all the RS stuff fits it and without the power junk it weighs much less! Ours now has 150,000 miles on it with only a bad crank sensor and a leaky oil fill o-ring needing replacement...total cost to repair was around $100. Not bad for 4 years of use (purchased with 110,000).

I would NOT buy a 1.8 Impreza, however. Not enough power to enjoy the chassis!

With a proper wheel/tire package, rear sway bar upgrade and better exhaust/air intake you'll have a tremendous car no matter which you pick.

since your going to be commuting quite a bit, and if gas milage is important to you, the 2.5 liters, AWD, and aerodynamics only a brick could love aren't going to do you any favors there.
I've got a 01RS and love it inside and out, but if there's one thing I wish I could have, it's more miles to the gallon. Just something else to think about.

Originally posted by gm6
since your going to be commuting quite a bit, and if gas milage is important to you, the 2.5 liters, AWD, and aerodynamics only a brick could love aren't going to do you any favors there.
I've got a 01RS and love it inside and out, but if there's one thing I wish I could have, it's more miles to the gallon. Just something else to think about.

True. I'm getting about 24mpg right now with a 63 mile round trip commute. A tank of gas lasts the week, even with the a/c on.:) Its still better than the majority of vehicles on the road these days.

I just recently purchased my 1999 Subaru RS and im already hooked on it. I mean i had 3 Cavaliers b4 this car but just everyhing about it makes it a great car. I love the styling of it and its just made very well. I think that you should deffinatly buy a Subaru. Also SOA is great it pretty much makes owning a used subaru feel almost as if you were the original owner. Only thing i dont like about my car is that i just got it and it needs a MAF or cat .. havent determined which one yet. Good luck and i hope you choose to buy a scooby.

If gas mileage is an issue here's something to consider from Scoobys I've owned:
2000 2.5RS AWD 5-spd. - Average 22-24 mpg
1999 Legacy 2.2L AWD Auto - Average 26-28 mpg
1995 Impreza L 1.8L FWD 5-spd. - Average 30-32 mpg

And I loved every one of them! :D

'98 RS's and early '99 RS are the DOHC
'99 RS's all used the MAP sensor that was prone to problems
'00 & '01 RS's are generally considered the most desireable.

I just got a 2000 2.5RS w/9300 miles on it

Love it so far :)

i bought a used 96 2.2 L coupe. I absolutely love it! i tried parting it out and selling it, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I felt like I was whoring my child on a street corner...She's got 107k of hard use on her so far, and not a single problem ever! Subaru's are one of the best bangs for your buck in the automobile world in my opinion.

I just bought a 1998 Subaru Impreza L for the very exact reasons you are looking for a car. The power won't blow you away, but its adequate, it has AWD to go in any weather, and they are dependable. I can't complain about gas mileage because it gets over 300 miles to a tank.

The only way I'll ever get rid of my Subaru would be to buy another one.

-Charles-

Mmmmm... DOHC engine is nothing to complain about. Quite reliable and plenty of go. 1998 was the only year you could get an RS in Green


So sexah! :devil:

I had a 96 Prelude VTEC with a 50 shot Nitrous kit, exhaust, intake, and some other little toys on it. i had to get a nother car bacause someone ran a red and totaled my baby. i ended up getting a 99 2.5RS. She dosent have the flatline speed that my Lude had, but it will destroy most cars i have ever been in, or driven thru a twisty course. The scooby also has a butt load of low end power. Oh the AWD helps a bit too ;)

i would say go for a used 2.5RS you wont regret it :devil:

Monas