Question for impreza owners.

[GRN99EX]

My wife and I are looking at the Impreza wagon. I am a Honda enthusiast, and know very little about the car. All of the guys at ClubSi think very highly of the RS, and I had some questions I hope you can answer.
1. How is the cars build quality? fitment, interior, and exterior.

2. Longevity? Assuming proper maintenance and normal driving how long do they last?

3. Safety. How safe in the car, this is important because it will be the ride for my wife and new daughter.

Any help you can give would be appreciated.

Thanks, Sean

[JGard]

well, i know it rates very well in safety. i mean, that's subaru's thing. longevity? really good. take care of it, and it'll take care of you. as for build quality, many people speak of random squeaks and whatever, but it's a nice solid car. as for the interior, it's all a matter of taste. it seems kinda cheap for a brand new car going for around 20k, but i personally like it

[DirectQL]

LOL, ClubSi people think highly of Impreza? I wonder if the fact that both cars run the same thing in 1/4 mile.

Think of Impreza as everything better than Mitsu Eclipse. More room, more traction, true 50/50 AWD, way more reliabile, but without turbo. Check consumer reports for information that you're looking for. You'll find more subaru cars being ranked on the top.

- Z
(not an impreza owner)

[premiercompacts]

Sean,

When you speak of safety, I think that it matters how you drive it. I love my new Impreza 2.2L. The safety is remarkably huge compared to my old Camry. I have had my Subie sideways about 3 times and the awd just saves me everytime.
It is an incredible feeling, although mines a coupe not a wagon, so I dunno.'

Premier!

[Thug]

Id say everything rates very well except for some build quality issues. The paint is very cheap, the body panels dent easily, and as previously stated: the interior is not quite what it should be for the price and it has soem annoying squeaks.

[tmat3]

I was a Honda person until I got the RS 2 months ago. I owned 2 Hondas before the Subaru, and loved the Honda vehicles because of their VTEC engines, smooth engagement of gears on manual transmission, and gas mileage. But, I am now a Subaru person.

Subaru's body seems to be as well built as the Honda's.

A friend of mine has a 97 Outback, and he never had a single problem with it.

The AWD system is great (especially with a Limited Slip Diff) if you live in snowy areas. To this day, I haven't gotten stuck. I even tried to get stuck on purpose by putting my car in deep snow / mud. Managed to get out w/o problems. My Civic had a big problem in snow.

Only problem I have with my Impreza is the sunroof switch which acts up once a while.

Because of my experiences with my Impreza, I don't think I can go back to Honda unless I move down to no-snow area... That's my opinion.

[prezios]

I have had my 99 OBS for about a year and a half. No real complaints to speak about. Yes the metal is thin but the Honda's sheet metal is thinner. I know I owned 2 Hondas my sister has a civic and my father has an Accord. My OBS has never been back to the dealer for anything. No warranty issues. Just having alot of fun with this great car.

[SubyRacer]

Suabru engines are friggin rocks. the interior build quality is nothing special thou, but not any worse than Honda i dont think. like someone said before the paint is thin and chips easily (no chips in any of my cars thou.

1995 impreza L coupe 80, 000 miles no problems at all yet and has survived three major accidents

1992 Legacy Wagon L 200,000 + miles. not one problem ever except for when the A/C stopped working properly last year.

1992 SVX 150,000 miles no problems until it was totaled. it also had some problems with ots climate control at one time

198? Justy 300,000+ miles (its my aunts) all i know is that its still running strong.

safety Subarus now have excellent safety standards. and the 2000 Legacy sedan won best safety test in its class.(and my freind walked away the crash of the SVX when he it a tree at 40mph, not a scratch)

[This message has been edited by SubyRacer (edited December 04, 2000).]

[Fish]

the engine is bulletproof..

the interior is pretty standard.. kinda function over form..

*nod* cheap paint/body..

and get used to creaks.. the car is full of them.. kinda a signature of the car..

but I love mine.. easiliy the best overall car I've ever been able to drive..

[Faraz]

1) the SEATS are 10x better than the Si and the rest inside is just the same as a Si

2) both honda's and Subaru's last really long but Subaru engine seem to last longer than the Honda's after modding, but the honda tranny lasts long than the Subaru tranny after modding.

3)Subaru is Alot safter than the Si, the body is alot more solid, and with AWD and limited slip.

one of my best friend's is selling his 00 Si because he just feel the RS is safer and a more solid design and for the kids get a 4dr

[bluesubie]

If you're looking at an Impreza L wagon, I don't think it comes with ABS. The OB Sport does. In crash tests, the '97 Impreza scored 4 out of 5 stars from the NHTSA. The MY02 that comes out in the Spring has a 250% increase in rigidity.
Dennis

[250k plus]

Subaru's are indestructable. I put almost 200k miles on a 1986 wagon that I bought used, and had no problems. One day driving home from work, I hit a nice river running across the freeway and ran head on into a concrete barrier (hit at about 45 MPH). Here's the kicker - I started the car up and drove home!

I now have a MY97 Outback with almost 80K miles - no problems. I have no doubt any properly cared for Subaru will run as long as you want it to.

[GRN99EX]

Thank you for all of the great info. She thinks this is the one she wants.