2001 Subaru Impreza WRX from UK and Ireland - Comments

At the 32,000 mile service, the car needed a new fan belt, rocker cover gasket, locking wheel nuts, and brake pads and disks.

I once read somewhere that everybody should own a Scooby at some time in their life. Should they?

This is a stunning car. This isn’t some tarted up sport version like many manufacturers will turn out. This really is a detuned street legal rally car. It has permanent four wheel drive. The hand braek is sharp and cuts out the central differential, so you can do hand brake turns with little effort.

The first time you open the boot, it nearly flies out of your hand, it’s so light. Tap on the bonnet and it sounds like it’s made of plastic. It does have air conditioning and the smart option of both CD player and tape drive with the radio. And the basic seats are proper sports seats, although better ones can be specified.

The long travel suspension isn’t hard. It soaks up rough roads, allowing you to put the power down without skipping all over the place. Which, with the smooth engine makes for fantastic motorway cruiser. It’s easy to find yourself at ninety when you thought you were only doing about seventy.

With the four wheel drive, it almost never loses its grip. Trying to pull out from a side road in the wet, and the front wheels won’t spin. The car just launches forward as if it was dry. And the couple of days I’ve had to go to work in the snow were the best ever. There was about five or six inches of snow on the road the first morning. Just turn the car in early and power drift round. I’ve never driven a car so controllable in the slippy stuff.

It all sounds like the perfect car, but it isn’t. Steering gets pulled from side to side depending on the road surface. I improved this by changing the Yokohama tires for Dunlop.

It may be a four door, but the short wheel base makes it pretty cramped in the back. And a very young boy in his Corsa wants to race you all the time.

But it’s the cost of running it that’s the bigger problem. It’s supposed to be the same insurance group as a Civic Type-R. But the day I bought it, I found it was about a third more expensive.

Servicing isn’t cheap either. Not quite BMW money, but if the car needs any extras, the Subaru dealers will charge through the nose for labour.

However the biggest cost is the petrol. I was expecting twenty seven or more to the gallon. But instead I’m only getting twenty four.

This is a civilised rally car for the road, but I use it mainly to commute twenty miles each way to work in rush hour traffic. And as I said, at the last service the car needed a new fan belt, rocker cover gasket, locking wheel nuts, and brake pads and disks, all of which seamed a lot for a car with only thirty three thousand miles on the clock.

So? Should everybody own a Scooby at some time in their life? Yes! But probably not for too long if they have a high mileage.

I can't wait to get a Subaru Impreza, I want one sooo badly.

I understand everything you explain, but just can't understand why you would buy it and drive to work everyday in it?

Surely you knew that the petrol would be bad... I mean 24 ain't much worse than 27...

What I will be doing is... buying a Scooby which will sit in the garage until I have spare time.

The work commute will be continued in my Mk1 Punto 1.2 60S, which actually has 58bhp.. LOL! But, in traffic it is as fast as all the other cars, and it is good on handling cos of the 195/95 R15's on it.

Oh, and the 43mpg makes traffic cheap.

The Punto cost me £300 last year... after a year it cost £300 for MOT and its £29 insurance (per Month)

I suggest that you try something similar.

Don't get rid of the Subaru... just use it for proper driving!!

I am currently driving a lexus IS200 sport. This is a fine car with great comfort, good looks and a nice sounding (slightly lethargic) engine.

Having previously owned a civic coupe I am very much beginning to miss the feel of a quick, light car. However having no back doors became a real annoyance so it was time for a change.

Problem is, the IS200 does lack power so I now have my sights set on a Subaru Impreza WRX. Lots of power, great handling and four door practicality. The WRX has roughly the same mpg as a an IS200 so that isn't a problem. My only concern is the Subaru's long distance ability as I commute 15 miles to work each day.

After looking at several alternatives over the last few weeks it has become clear that the 'Scooby' seems like the best option. Only time will tell.

Believe me, 15 miles is nothing in the impreza, its comfortable enough, I used to drive 25 miles along the A38 every day to work in my classic impreza WRX then in my 54 WRX. Every mile was a pleasure in both especially because it was early morning and I could use its power regularly. never got bored of it!

I own a classic Impreza and have travelled all over the country in it and have found it perfectly comfortable. However I may be wrong, but I would be amazed that an IS200 has rougly the same MPG as an Impreza. Before buying one I would look into this if this is an issue pre purchase.

Help, please can anyone tell me what is the most common faults to look for in a 2001 WRX when I go to buy. Don't know much about cars, but like driving them. I have a Lotus Elise for the weekends. Only a 1997 mk1; very bad for bends in the wet. Want a Sub for every day; love the sound every time one goes past, an always said my next car has to be one, so it's time. Can anyone help please?