Rugged But Refined
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday May 13, 2000
MENTION Subaru Impreza to many people these days and the first thing they think about is the WRX rocketship.
But there are plenty of everyday Imprezas as well. These are not as quick as the Rex, obviously, but still come with decent performance and carry much lower purchase and insurance-premium prices.
Impreza was introduced to Australia in April 1993 and replaced the long-running Leone and L-Series models. More upmarket than them, it was aimed at the buyer wanting traditional Subaru ruggedness and reliability, but in a refined package.
The current Impreza is approaching its runout phase and a new model is expected by the end of the year.
Subaru is unusual among Japanese car makers in building cars that are out of the ordinary. Normally the Japanese stick to conservative convention, but Subaru goes for different body styles, flat engine layouts and four-wheel drive (the latter in most, but not all, models).
These are great machines for drivers who want something a bit out of the ordinary, but which retain traditional Japanese quality. Subarus impress in that the company seems to pay more attention to its engineers than the accountants, resulting in immensely practical cars.
The Impreza sedan is relatively normal in its looks, but the station wagon takes a path of its own, falling somewhere between a conventional wagon and a hatchback in appearance and practicality.
If you want a full-on station wagon you may care to look at the Subaru Forester, which shares many out-of-sight components with Impreza but is fitted with a 4WD wagon body.
Four-wheel drive is common throughout the Impreza range (Subaru prefers to call it all-wheel drive, abbreviated to AWD) and gives the cars better grip on slippery roads.
But some Subaru Impreza owners go on to forest trails and have even seen some on the beach. You're best to keep clear of vehicles with a background like that.
Not all Imprezas offer AWD; some of the lower cost variants have front-wheel drive. AWD became standard from 1995.
The Impreza range used a 1.6 or 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine until March 1996, with the bigger unit being installed in the dearer models.
Engine size then went up to 2 litres after these dates.
Though the bigger engines are probably the more pleasant to sit behind, the smaller units have good torque characteristics and shouldn't be discounted.
Transmission options are five-speed manual and four-speed automatic in all versions, with even the high performance WRX being sold with a self shifter - though not until February 1997, so it is unlikely that there will be many on the used car market.
These cars are easy to drive and park, but are a little on the crude side in comparison with some of the more sophisticated Japanese competitors. Spare parts and servicing are readily available, with many dealers situated in out-of-the-way areas. Prices are about average for a Japanese car in this class.
Engine access is reasonably good and the sensible home mechanic can do a lot of their own work.
What to look for
Be sure the engine starts easily and idles reasonably smoothly even when cold.
Look for exhaust smoke when accelerating hard after the engine has been idling for a while. Check for oily fumes from the oil filler hole when the cap is removed.
In an AWD Impreza look for signs of underbody damage and for sand and/or salt trapped in crevices.
If you find any of these warning signs either ask for a hefty discount or pass the vehicle up altogether.
Drive an AWD with the steering on full lock in one direction, then the other at slow speed and listen for creaks or clunks from the transmission. These probably indicate expensive wear.
Look for crash repairs.
The simplest signs are uneven paint matching, paint overspray on glass and other non-painted surfaces, and ripples in the panels, the latter are most easily noticed when viewed along their length.
Minor crash repairs are acceptable in today's hurly-burly traffic.
But if it involves a large area of the car either pass it up altogether or have a professional check-up - then push for a substantial discount.
How much?
Expect to outlay from $12,000 to $15,000 for a 1993 Impreza LX sedan; $13,000 to $16,000 for a 1993 GX; $14,000 to $17,500 for a 1996 LX hatch; $16,000 to $19,000 for a 1996 GX; $18,000 to $21,000 for a 1996 AWD GX; and $21,000 to $25,000 for a 1999 AWD RX.
Car buying tip
Tee up finance before shopping for a car and you will find yourself in a better bargaining position.
© 2000 Illawarra Mercury