Impreza wagon - Anything to look out for?

[Thorin]

Considering buying a 4x4 small estate style car and was looking at 2001/2002 model Impreza WRX wagon. Any issues with ~80,000 miles? Problems to look out for?

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201148431465859/sort/priceasc/usedcars/dealer/412170/postcode/ls104tu/page/1/advert-type/dealer-stock?logcode=dsp

[gavin.starr]

I was looking at a simular car not so long back, the price of the car seemed cheap but then the tax was 50 quid shy of 500 pounds a year.

 

Which i wasnt prepared to pay out every year. I was looking at the forester though.

[jonathanc]

Have you considered the Nissan wagon variety? Stagea? Only heard bad things about old boxer engines...

[Thorin]

Have you considered the Nissan wagon variety? Stagea? Only heard bad things about old boxer engines...

 

Stagea's a bit big, didn't really want a full blown estate. I know nothing about Impreza's but it's going to be a cheap higher milage one if I get one, so if that's a bad idea with the boxer engine I'll have to think about something else.

[ashbuster]

i couldnt fault my subaru

i had the classic and never had any engine problems at all and it was set to 18psi

but a friend of mine bought one that just had a engine rebuild with all receipts as proof and it last 8k miles his was a jspec wrx

when checking the car things that are common to go are

power stearing pumps and seam to have leaks happened with mine and my friends

valve stem seals and indicators never turn off lol not sure if this is with all but same with both mine and my friends

also at high boost when you let off you feel a jerk , which is a bug in the ecu apparently , happened with my car but not my friends

 

heres a little more on that ecu bug because im useless at explaining

ECU bug

 

In a low gear at high boost, such as pulling on to a roundabout in 1st or overtaking in 3rd, even a tiny reduction in throttle results in a sudden jerk, far worse than you’d expect from totally releasing the throttle, and enough in some cars to cause the inertia-seatbelts to activate. You’d expect the dump valve to open and to get smooth deceleration from engine braking, but instead you have to be very gentle with the pedal.

 

Apparently it’s better on 1997/8 cars, but still present to an extent.

[supracars]

Generally fine main thing to look out for is oil leaks as thats a common thing wrong with them. However this will be quite obvious as they do let of an oil burning smell due to the exhaust running under the engine. It usually one of the rocker cover gaskets that leak and are a bit of pain to change or as mentioned earlier the ps fluid will leak

 

 

Good choice of car for this time of year as its very useful in the snow.

[j_jza80]

Have you considered an Audi S2 Avant? That's a small estate, similar price to the Impreza with similar fuel costs but cheaper tax and insurance. You also get the amazing 5cyl soundtrack

[Thorin]

Have you considered an Audi S2 Avant? That's a small estate, similar price to the Impreza with similar fuel costs but cheaper tax and insurance. You also get the amazing 5cyl soundtrack

 

Finding one would be the main problem. There are a grand total of zero S2 Avants on Autotrader

[dan294]

You've also got to watch for bottom end knock. They are prone to spinning shells on cylinder 3. (I think)

I had a P1 before the Supra, had a full bottom end rebuild at 35000 miles!

Saying that though, I never had a problem whilst I owned it. Had about 75k on the clock when I got rid.

A mate of Mine's dad has a W Plate WRX, only problem he has EVER had in 100,000+ miles is a dodgy spark plug, it's never missed a beat and he loves it. The service intervals on the P1 were every 6000 miles.

[j_jza80]

Finding one would be the main problem. There are a grand total of zero S2 Avants on Autotrader

 

This is where to find them: http://www.s2forum.com/forum/

 

They're just as well put together as a Supra, and the leather interior is nice

 

An S2 will hold its value far better than an Impreza, and is certainly more respectable. Don't be put off by high mileage, they'll cover 250k easily and still feel fresh. The only known problem with 1995/1996 cars is the subframes can rot (most are fine though) and they go through suspension bushes at a similar rate to the Supra. Earlier 6 speed cars (1993) can have problems with 1st and second gears, the '94 on cars have very tough boxes. Avoid the 5 speeds, they're not as desireable and the engine isn't as good.

 

If I where looking for a quick estate, it'd be an S2. However, if you want some fuel economy too then theres always the Audi 80 TDi Quattro Avants, which have a 2.5 5cyl TDi lump. These can easily be tuned to circa 200hp and will still return great mpg. They are very well built, just like the S2. They are rare though.