1998 Subaru Impreza WRX review from UK and Ireland

Bulbs needed replacement.

Occasional starting problem if you started from cold and turned off after a minute.

Oil filter needs special tool.

This was a grey import. Bought at auction in Japan and imported. Find yourself a friendly grey import dealer and go, best holiday you'll ever have. Put through SVA which is like an expensive MOT. MPH speedo is required so has the advantage of "chipping" the engine, i.e. removing the 180km/h (112mph) speed limiter. You just solder an electronic element on the back of the speedo head. You'd be advised to buy the Impreza WRX (not STi) 250bhp auto hatch on the assumption that you will be the last owner, as future buyers want the manual, saloon version only. Which means they are missing the bargain of the decade. This was wife's car and she got some 265 miles per tank (regular, green) full per week and only hit 100mph once. That's once on the way there and once on the way back. Really easy, fast car to drive when you're dog tired. Good car in Europe, pulls away from Mercs and BMWs. Was too chicken to exceed 130mph (in Germany) but there's still a lot more. With a manual, the gear changes come up really fast, but an auto means you can keep both hands on the wheel and there's no chance of over-revving it. Brakes don't fade, presumably as harder pads are used compared to lower performance models. Headlight performance is nothing to write home about, but a little better than Lucas, prince of darkness glow worms.

Handling is good by normal standards, but understeers on wet roads compared to say a Legacy. You can go a lot faster on minor roads without increasing top speed, just by braking later. You half the braking distance and still find you have braked far too early. Best check this on an airfield first.

Disadvantages are you tend to get into a race with other "nutters" which is not so good for a woman driver. Also, the bonnet bulge identifies it and makes it a target for joy riders and other negative elements in society. Standard anti-theft protection is almost non-existent, Japan is (or at least was) almost a crime-free country. Disconnecting the battery does not mess up radio, etc. like Europe-sourced cars, which is just as well as you need top remove battery, air-filter, washer bottle to change spark plugs.