Been thinking of an upgrade in the All-Wheel department. Thinking about a 2002-07 Subaru Impreza. Will probably want to avoid turbos, crazy mods and lowered Kid Stuff. Just want a nice little AWD wagon to motor around in the snow. My AWD BMW raunched a front CV axle/joint and IF I could find one, would be out a huge chunk of dough. I can either drive it as is (works fine, just not AWD), or sell it to someone who REALLY wants it (classic E30, pretty nice shape, but it’s white, and I never really did like that).
I’m well aware of the trials and tribulations of the head gasket and valve cover gasket problems inherent in this vehicle. Not a biggie for me.
What I’m worried about is the drivetrain. Stuff like CV axles and shafts, and the components that make the wheels go round. Are they fairly stout and capable of going several hundred thousand miles? Are they very costly to replace? I don’t hear too much about that kind of stuff.
Who owns/drives one? What are your glowing triumphs and harrowing sagas? I gots to know…
Or maybe I’ll just suck it up and repair the E30. :rolleyes:
Where (roughly) are you located? Urban area with lots of mechanics in the area or more rural with fewer options? A good Subaru savvy mechanic is worth their weight in gold. Do you see a lot of Subarus in the area? If you do then chances are you have a decent shop in the area. You might want to investigate this before purchasing one.
Only personal experience involves a '94 Justy that was a compete nightmare. To be fair though, I knew it was used and abused when I bought it. What can I expect for a $350 car?
I had a 1992 Impreza ‘sport wagon.’ Great car, I had very little trouble with it. I had it for 12 years and by then it was worth all of about 800 bucks, so when the gaskets started to leak, I gave it up. I had a tear in my eye the day I let it go …
IIRC, it had about 125,000 miles on it by then and I’m sure it could have gone farther if I’d decided to fix it.
I don’t believe the head gaskets have been a problem for several years. They are among the more reliable brands. The only reason I didn’t really consider one is because every fourth car in my area is a Subaru and it’s kind of boring. Searching a parking lot sounds tricky.
Also not a fan of CVT, but they do that very well.
My 1992 Legacy wagon was pushing 250k before I decided to pass it on instead of finally replacing the original clutch. I recall a couple of CV/axle replacements; less than $200 a shot back then. My 2008 Forester now lives with my BIL & is still going strong. My 2014 Forester has yet to need anything at all except standard maintenance. My daughter’s 1996 Legacy sedan had a head gasket problem, but none of the others ever had a significant engine problem.
Only considering a 5 or 6 speed manual. Autos and CVT are right out!
I’m somewhat in the middle of nowhere, but they’re all over around here, but I only do my own work, so that doesn’t really matter. There a butt-loads of Subaru’s around, but I don’t know anybody that has one.
We’ve driven Subaru continuously since 81, now on number 6. Three Legacy wagons, one legacy sedan, two Foresters.
They’ve all been dealer serviced, but never anything needed other than regular maintenance. No major repairs. First 4 were manual transmission last two were automatic.
Head gaskets are still a issue, or still a expected repair to factor in, along with oil leaks. They have gotten better but failure is still to be expected, and Subaru still insists on a coolant additive which is really a sealer be used at all times to help forestall this issue. Some of the higher end used car dealers in my area that offer warranties and depend on reputation would change the head gasket based on millage and timing belt change interval before selling it even if the headgasket was still ok.
It is something to be aware of, but other then that the are great cars, fun to drive, dependable, equipped very nicely for the drivers experience - often giving extras when they didn’t need to such as projector beam headlights as standard. I would not let the head gasket prevent me from one, but I would account for it in the price and the time before expected failure.
For me the first major repair was covered under emissions extended warranty at 140K miles, a complete new exhaust system. Head gasket at 170K (longer then normal), Transmission rebuilt at 210k, retired at 310K but with the tranny acting up a bit. Some various little ones along with regular maintenance.
I bought a new 2004 Impreza, and kept it for eight years (and 120,000 miles) before giving it to a relative, who drove it several more years. Neither of us ever had any problems with it.
I didn’t buy another Subaru because I concluded that there isn’t sufficient snow or hills here to justify the higher-cost maintenance of the AWD system. If I lived somewhere with worse weather or rougher terrain, I’d definitely consider another Sube.
My last Subaru was a '97 Impreza 2.5 with the automatic transmission, I bought used with 80,000 miles. I got a great deal on it, I assume because some poor mechanic mistook “Subaru Piston Slap” for a bad rod bearing ( I assume this because another shop I brought it to made the same mistake ). I filled it with synthetic motor oil, and drove it to 190,000, when the transmission gave up.
My new mechanic liked the car so much that he bought it from me, replaced the transmission, and let his sister drive it another couple years.
I’m pretty sure I had to replace both front axles at some point, but that car never needed any unexpected repairs at all, much less a head gasket.
I have a WRX, wish I could have afforded the STI at the time. The bumper-to-bumper warranty is 36,000 miles and powertrain is 60,000. It depends what you’re looking for in a car. I have had a couple issues with the car but it was all covered under warranty. The biggest complaint I think is Subaru has really failed to update their interior features, stuff feels cheap, they haven’t kept up with a lot of the features other cars have, and their stock stereo systems are garbage. These things were only a minor issue for me, because my previous car was 10 years old so it was still a big upgrade for me.
If I was buying new (and could time-travel back 15 years), I’d love the WRX and STI, but I’m looking to avoid those now. Too much abuse and crazy mods by the Boy-Racer crowd for the last 10 years. I don’t want turbos and stuff that is on the verge of failure just when I buy it.
If I could find a nice one-adult-owned '04 WRX with low miles, it would be more than I wanted to spend. Some clown dealer has an '02 WRX with 94k, and is only asking $12995. :rolleyes:
As I understand it the STI power is optimal at higher RPMs than the lower model. Since you’re dealing with a turbo, that means you pretty much need to be committed to a higher RPM driving style in order to appreciate the car. Which means, great for track, less so for (reasonable) street play. You’re probably happy that you didn’t shell out way too much more money for a bit more car that wouldn’t really be that much more fun or practical. My lady preferred her SRT4 to the '16 WRX. And she likes her '18 Stinger better than either.
And yes, the Subaru stereo is crap, and the voice recognition seems to have been designed by an angry Parisian because it doesn’t even try to hear anything CLOSE to what you say. No shit, I actually had this exchange: Me: “Call Tristan” Car: “Switching to AM Band.” Mechanically the cars are sound, though. Mother in law has driven 2 Foresters over the past 12 years and has had no significant problems. I’ve owned an '86 GL Coupe which is the best snow car I’ve ever had; and a '99 Forester & '98 Outback which are refusing to die or develop the VALVE COVER (not sure I was aware of head gasket problems) leaks the older cars are infamous for. These days I’m driving a '16 BRZ which is totes amazeballs, and my only complaint (apart from the stereo gear) is that it’s NOT AWD. Still, a reliable car so far. Oh, and Toyota owns a chunk of Subaru these days. My BRZ has a Toyota boxer engine.
Our first was a 2002 Forester. Loved her. Head gasket went, but we had been driving hundreds of miles in the AZ desert and didn’t know it was an issue. We drove that car for 10 years, put 220,000+ miles on her, and had replaced a couple wheel bearings before we had to give her up. A few weeks after replacing the timing chain, it failed and took out the #3 cylinder. We both cried when we traded Goldie in. It was almost like she was a part of the family.
Our second is a 2015 Impreza Sport Wagon. I can’t speak yet to her handling in bad winter weather (the reason we spent so much on a car) because the area we have lived in since we bought her has been in a significant drought, so there has been no bad weather to drive in. We like Sylvia so far, but haven’t had the chance to bond with her, because we can’t afford any great road trips. We think we might be moving 900 miles away this summer. If we do, that might influence our opinion.
Used car shopping and talking to the dealers who do replace the head gasket even without a noticeable problem. Also note if your '15 Forester requires the Subaru conditioner the problem still exists.
They have gotten better at it, but it is not solved. One person said it was because of the Boxer design, so the bottom of the gasket is soaked with oil always, and the top will have some time to partly dry out. Don’t know if that is why, but that is one person’s opinion.
