first of all the wrx has 227 hp not 160
besides that my faimly had a 99 outback, which we just traded in to get a wrx, with which is great in the snow. we live in buffalo so we know a little about driving in the snow. we had a 5sp that worked well. If i were you i would get a more recent model because the power is better at lower rpms which makes it much better in the snow. for a used one it wont be alot, it all depend on what you need though. the impreza is a little smaller than the outback but it is also cheaper. also if it makes a diffrence you can't get a sunroof with the mt ( it matters to some people) i am not sure of what a used one is going for but it is not a huge sum. hope this was helpfull