Faults:

Head gasket went shortly after purchase.

General Comments:

Overall, a very good car.

A very quick car when wound up, but doesn't have the same up and go as the Evo, especially when overtaking in 5th, but nonetheless is still impressive.

Seats get a bit uncomfortable on a long journey, but I can live with that when the performance makes up for it!

However if you have 8-11k to spend on a performance car, buy a P1.

Faults:

Speed sensor and solenoid sensor on automatic transmission became faulty, causing shift shocks and irregular shifting, which won't allow transferring into 4th gear. However once the car warms up after couple of miles, restarting the engine clears the problem right away. Cleaning up the sensors may resolve the problem, but ultimately these parts need to be replaced with new ones.

Unfortunately the location of these parts are not accessible for average Do It Yourselfers; it must be taken to a professional, as with many of the repairs for Subarus.

General Comments:

I bought this car used with 113K miles on it, and it was my first Subaru. I had a vague idea about Subaru as a solid and reliable AWD car, but never knew why some people were thrilled about it.

But now that I am a proud owner of Subaru, you can say I am a big fan of this car, it drives amazingly strong and the handling feels very sturdy. It's a joy to drive it daily.

Overall as a 9 year old car, it feels as good as many newer cars, if not better. Definitely way better than the Honda's and Toyota's of similar class.

I would definitely keep this car and looking forward to buying another Subaru in the near future.

One negative thing about the car, is for subcompact car, the gas mileage is not really good. Some will say it's about 30 mpg, but I only get around 21 to 23 mpg in summer, and maybe 24 to 26 in winter, and I have done everything possible to improve gas mileage, like changing to K&N filter, changing fuel, oil, transmission filter, spark plug with narrower gap and change all fluids/oils.

Because the car is running on all wheels full time, and it's so much fun to drive, this car is not great if you want a gas miser. For me I am willing to pay a little more on gas for a little enjoyment in return.

Faults:

Faultless at 8 years old, I have the full service history from new, this car has never had any mechanical issues.

General Comments:

This is a fast wagon, despite only have a 4 speed tiptronic gear system, it can still do 0-100 in 5.9 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 14.3 seconds.

Don't listen to rumors of Subarus being unreliable, this is not true, I have found them to be more reliable than Hondas.

General Comments:

I was lucky enough to find a last of line classic Impreza with only 23K on the clock, which is in the colour I had been looking for (Mica Blue Metallic) and totally standard (except for the alarm) with every bill and comprehensive full service history. It’s in stunning condition, and the interior/engine bay and boot are as good as when it came out of the factory.

The only problem I have had with it was the aftermarket alarm failed, and I have had to have it replaced.

So far I have been as far apart as the Scottish Isles to Cornwall, and it is absolutely brilliant. In the past I have had cars such as MK2 Golf GTIs, an Astra GTE 16V and an Astra GSI 16V, but this thing is in a different league when driving it. The interior although in perfect condition is as is well documented, basic, but its simplicity becomes its charm.

I have had it inspected by my local garage, they reckon it’s pretty much perfect. A body shop, they reckon it’s never seen paint, and now it’s just sailed through its MOT so I’m extremely happy.

Downsides are the fuel consumption, which is on the steep side, even when driving easily (which I was fully aware of before buying) and you do get people trying to race you, but just ignore them.

So far, I honestly could not be happier with this car – stunning!