View Full Version : Replacing the impreza
Well, we've thought about it all afternoon and seem to be changing our minds. Perhaps it is time for the impreza to go to a new home (i.e. to a crazy mechanic who's going to stuff with sti'ness).
I'm thinking 10-15k as a budget. Requirements:
1. MT only
2. Decent handling/brakes/seats
3. Good mpg
I noticed that 03-04 accords (4-cyl) are priced around there and likely good value for the money. When I suggested, she went ballistic... So there's some image requirement of some sort. I think she likes hatches the most, with sporty wagons/coupes next. So an rsx is a possibility.
I'll have to do some research.
Well, we've thought about it all afternoon and seem to be changing our minds. Perhaps it is time for the impreza to go to a new home (i.e. to a crazy mechanic who's going to stuff with sti'ness).
I'm thinking 10-15k as a budget. Requirements:
1. MT only
2. Decent handling/brakes/seats
3. Good mpg
I noticed that 03-04 accords (4-cyl) are priced around there and likely good value for the money. When I suggested, she went ballistic... So there's some image requirement of some sort. I think she likes hatches the most, with sporty wagons/coupes next. So an rsx is a possibility.
I'll have to do some research.
Mk IV GTI?
She loves gti's... Is it reliable enough? Also two VAG's in the family is one (two?) too many... I guess we'll be shopping this Saturday.
mazda6
Are they that cheap? She reacts violently to "family" size cars like the accord so I can only imagine the 6 is not far behind. But she already mentioned the 3.
I'm thinking 10-15k as a budget.
...she already mentioned the 3.
Can't you get a new Mazda3 for near that?
Is a mazda3 good / built well?
Is a mazda3 good / built well?
Used Saabaru like the one I had. Really.
Mazda 3s are nice compact cars, but you won't find a new one for $15k. Used, almost definitely.
Nick M3
06-28-2007, 10:05 PM
I know of a nice '02 WRX with 36K that will probably be up for sale pretty soon. :eeps:
Can't you get a new Mazda3 for near that?
If you go with a no-frills sedan model, they start at under 15K. The Civic sedan and coupe also start at right around 15K.
rautox
06-28-2007, 11:18 PM
mazda3, ser-specv, mazda6
Sharp11
06-29-2007, 12:16 AM
Well, we've thought about it all afternoon and seem to be changing our minds. Perhaps it is time for the impreza to go to a new home (i.e. to a crazy mechanic who's going to stuff with sti'ness).
I'm thinking 10-15k as a budget. Requirements:
1. MT only
2. Decent handling/brakes/seats
3. Good mpg
I noticed that 03-04 accords (4-cyl) are priced around there and likely good value for the money. When I suggested, she went ballistic... So there's some image requirement of some sort. I think she likes hatches the most, with sporty wagons/coupes next. So an rsx is a possibility.
I'll have to do some research.
Just for fun, I typed into Autotrader a 75 mile radius search between 10 and 15k - lots of interesting stuff came up; Acura TSX's high mileage luxo cars and big, heavy duty pickup trucks.
Ed
Does anyone here have experience with Mazda3's?
Edmunds can't stop gushing but we spent some time on their forums last night and they tell a more realistic story... My gf is very practical and she was very turned off by the special wrench/filter making the dealer the best place for oil changes.
I think civics are great... However we are really turned off by their image in this area. That's why I suggested accord, which did not fly.
I know of a nice '02 WRX with 36K that will probably be up for sale pretty soon. :eeps:
Must be wagon... Color, price?
Does anyone here have experience with Mazda3's?
Edmunds can't stop gushing but we spent some time on their forums last night and they tell a more realistic story... My gf is very practical and she was very turned off by the special wrench/filter making the dealer the best place for oil changes.
I think civics are great... However we are really turned off by their image in this area. That's why I suggested accord, which did not fly.
http://robert.aitchison.org/tiki-page.php?pageName=Mazda3+DIY+Oil+Change
There's nothing really special about it. You may need to buy a hex driver and a new filter wrench if you don't already have one of the right size for an existing car. If that's the only thing stopping you from driving one, don't worry about it.
John V
06-29-2007, 08:34 AM
She loves gti's... Is it reliable enough?
I can't believe I'm saying this... but if you're mechanically inclined and willing to spend the money to get the VAG-COM scanner and software (it's several hundred bucks) you can probably save yourself a lot of headaches.
If not, then no. It's not reliable enough. Move on.
Mazda 3 seems to be the best fit. What's this about a special wrench for oil changes? :?
Does anyone here have experience with Mazda3's?
I test drove a 5-door hatch Mazda3 when I still owned the 330i, and couldn't believe how much the car drove like the BMW. It wasn't going to corner or accelerate as fast, but the overall feel was surprisingly similar. I also liked the interior layout and appearance.
You owe it to yourself to go drive one.
And to drive the Civic as well. If you can get past the Civic's unusual interior design, which happens to be ergonomically correct, the car is very roomy, very economical (up to 40 MPG), and holds its value ridiculously well.
I can't believe I'm saying this... but if you're mechanically inclined and willing to spend the money to get the VAG-COM scanner and software (it's several hundred bucks) you can probably save yourself a lot of headaches.
If not, then no. It's not reliable enough. Move on.
Mazda 3 seems to be the best fit. What's this about a special wrench for oil changes? :?
Oil filter is accessed from above, in a housing that requires a hex wrench. Housing itself removed easily with a standard oil filter wrench. It's not all that special.
Mazda 3 seems to be the best fit. What's this about a special wrench for oil changes? :?
OT: I had to buy a $40 special tool for the Volvo oil change (bought at dealership as I was against the clock to do the oil chage before a trip to Canada). The filter (accessed from underneath), is inside a plastic housing with a multi-sided exterior with an OD of ~4". The housing is known to be fragile enough to crack if a regular oil filter /strap tool is used. So Volvo sells a special socket that grabs the plastic housing and attaches to a regular 1/2" socket wrench.
Access is a bitch too (had to use the tool with a 6" extension on the wrench), so the tool does make life much easier. And since we plan on having this car for 7 years, that's a lot of oil changes (no free maintenance), so I figured it was worth the investent.
Allright, I guess it's on... We had another conversation about keeping vs. selling and perhaps this is a good time to let an 11-yr old car go on to greatness...
Top contenders:
1. Saabaru (FC: any cons of the aero? I can feel my usual budget creep coming on)
2. Acura RSX
3. Mazda3
4. gti
John V
06-29-2007, 09:12 AM
Okay, the Boxster has a similar-sounding "housing" over the oil filter, which is a bare-element BMW-style filter. This "special" tool was purchased at Autozone for $5. Or, you can buy the Porsche one (made by Snap-on) for $100. :ack:
Top contenders:
1. Saabaru (FC: any cons of the aero? I can feel my usual budget creep coming on)
The Aero is just a WRX, so all WRX issues apply (gutless until turbo kicks in, more insurance, premium fuel, less fuel economy, etc), and all benefits apply, LSD, much more powerful, nicer wheels, better brakes and suspension, etc.
As far as Saabaru-raleated things to point out:
-The Aero options were set up with leather as a stand aolone option, which makes it difficult to find since most people didn't want to fork out the extra dough (understandably). However, the interior seats a cloth regardless, so you can imagine how nasty the seat scan get when you can't wipe them clean as with leather.
-In the Linear, the leather was part of a pricey pkg (premium) but it included a bunch more stuff, like the upgraded stereo, fogs, xenons, etc. But Aero has leather wheel and shift knob std as well as CD changer and upgraded stereo, IIRC.
So, the Aero was more conducive to spec bare-bones, which is why they seem/are cheap. The linear without the premium pkg was very cheap-looking inside (plastic steering wheel, hunk of crap stereo, etc), so you can find them really cheap, or pay a bit more and get one that has the prem pkg a $2500 option).
In short, I recommend the leather. But an Aero with leather may not be that cheap. A Linear like my old one is your best bet if you can find one, IMO. I sold mine for $16K a while back, so I am sure you could get one for 15 or less now. And you would still have ~2 years of warranty left.
tell your gf to stop being a badge snob and buy a mazda3
Okay, the Boxster has a similar-sounding "housing" over the oil filter, which is a bare-element BMW-style filter. This "special" tool was purchased at Autozone for $5. Or, you can buy the Porsche one (made by Snap-on) for $100. :ack:
Sadly (at least at the time) there was no autozone option. There was an online place that used to sell one for $10, but when I checked their price was up to $30 (plus I needed it ASAP, so I had no choice regardless). I don't know if this is an "R" only issue, or if all V70's/S60's use the tool as well.
She likes the mazda3. However, she knows all about mazda dealers from my rx-8 shopping (they're a lower form of humanity at least in this crummy area) and she hates the idea of having to go to a dealer for an oil change. I guess it's not necessary though she may have to be slightly picky about which gas station she goes to.
I'm the badge snob - I think it may not be as well built as a honda/acura/subaru product - and it's not awd. We need it to be VERY reliable. I don't care if my cars require some time & love, she doesn't like to spend more than a day/year on sth other than oil changes.
Jeff_DML
06-29-2007, 02:57 PM
Can't you get a new Mazda3 for near that?
here in san diego they advertise the 5 door hatch in the sunday paper for $15,700 or so. the 5 door only comes with the large engine too.
I test drove one too and liked it too. nice little car.
Fresh test drive report... Looked at saabarus. Drove both a MT linear & aero.
To be honest, we liked the linear a bit more. It's lacking in power (esp. for me) but the power delivery of the linear is linear whereas the aero is nonlinear and hard to drive smoothly. Considering that a cpo linear is asking 15.9k and the cpo aero is 20.7k, it's a no brainer for her. The cloth interior was really crappy though and I personally could never live with those seats leather or not (lower back). The power in the aero was much better but it takes some getting used esp. after coming from smooth bmw/porsche/audi normally aspirated products. It needs downshifts down to 1st regularly.
They are much, much quieter than a 96 impreza though you can feel they share dna.
Tomorrow we'll check out a mazda3 and we'll keep our eyes open for a premium linear.
cost of ownership is going to suck on the saab vs the mazda. initial price shouldn't be relevant
cost of ownership is going to suck on the saab vs the mazda. initial price shouldn't be relevant
Suck which way and why? :confused:
Fresh test drive report... Looked at saabarus. Drove both a MT linear & aero.
To be honest, we liked the linear a bit more. It's lacking in power (esp. for me) but the power delivery of the linear is linear whereas the aero is nonlinear and hard to drive smoothly. Considering that a cpo linear is asking 15.9k and the cpo aero is 20.7k, it's a no brainer for her. The cloth interior was really crappy though and I personally could never live with those seats leather or not (lower back). The power in the aero was much better but it takes some getting used esp. after coming from smooth bmw/porsche/audi normally aspirated products. It needs downshifts down to 1st regularly.
They are much, much quieter than a 96 impreza though you can feel they share dna.
Tomorrow we'll check out a mazda3 and we'll keep our eyes open for a premium linear.
Told ya. Too bad you couldn't buy mine 4 months ago. But yes, as it's documented here, the Saabaru seats were uncomfortable in long trips for me and the wife. Still, it was a great little car.
kognito
07-02-2007, 07:42 AM
equ,
If you decide to investigate a Mazda or Volvo (or any other ford product) I can get best pricing info for you.
I have a log-in at ford.myplan so I can see all inventory, window stickers, invoices, and plan prices. Armed with this data, you should be able to negotiate down to plan price.
I just need the zip code of the dealer, and some details of the car you want me to check out (type, color, last six of vin)
Let me know if i can help
kog,
I don't think we will (see next post) but we appreciate the offer, very kind of you.
equ
Suck which way and why? :confused:
saabs deprecieate like rocks
yes, even when you buy used
Nick M3
07-02-2007, 10:18 AM
Fresh test drive report... Looked at saabarus. Drove both a MT linear & aero.
To be honest, we liked the linear a bit more. It's lacking in power (esp. for me) but the power delivery of the linear is linear whereas the aero is nonlinear and hard to drive smoothly. Considering that a cpo linear is asking 15.9k and the cpo aero is 20.7k, it's a no brainer for her. The cloth interior was really crappy though and I personally could never live with those seats leather or not (lower back). The power in the aero was much better but it takes some getting used esp. after coming from smooth bmw/porsche/audi normally aspirated products. It needs downshifts down to 1st regularly.
They are much, much quieter than a 96 impreza though you can feel they share dna.
Tomorrow we'll check out a mazda3 and we'll keep our eyes open for a premium linear.
Did you look at one with a 2.5 turbo? It's a completely different beast from the 2.0.
Did you look at one with a 2.5 turbo? It's a completely different beast from the 2.0.
I think all Saabaru Aeros are 2.5 turbos; didn't the Saab launch coincide with the switch-over?
John V
07-02-2007, 10:26 AM
The 2.5 turbo is better than the old 2.0 turbo, but the power delivery still sucks.
Did some useful driving this weekend...
Mazda3, RSX, saabaru linear and 07 impreza back to back...
The mazda3 had 6,000 miles but was not in great condition so perhaps this isn't fair but we really didn't get it with this car. It is fastish and smoothish but still with a lot of road noise and a really rubbery shifter. To be fair, the front tires were replaced with some really cheap brand of tire (riken?) so sth was up (clocked back or accident on front axle). To me most of the niceties of this car seem cosmetic and it doesn't seem to have the perceived build quality of hondas or subarus.
Rsx: tight steering, nice handling - once again didn't feel 16k miles young (don't ask, this was a crap 3rd party dealer but they had most of the candidates lined up with MTs). The design is quite dated and the engine, while smooth, just needs more torque. Build quality is the best.
The saabaru linear was the best of the lot. A little less smooth than the previous two but good condition for 30k miles. Asking 14k and likely to deal. However, at this point, we'd lost all trust in this place and were ready to run without looking back.
On the way home, we checked out new impreza. 07 outback sport Special Edition. For what it is, car drove smoothly and beautifully.
This is not what she or I want (jacked up suspension, two-tone paint with a scripted outback sport throwback to the 80's)... It does have a tolerable interior (much better fabric than regular impreza). The SE gets you a nice stereo (240 watt, sirius, aux input etc). Last day of the month & 08's on the way, so even though we weren't too serious, the numbers ended up very low. 2k under invoice or about $17.5 for a new 07. Not the suspension or exterior we desire so we passed.
At this point we could do one of two:
1. Fix 96 impreza and wait for 08's... Seems like a pretty big update.
2. Look around for left over 07s. Either wrx or base, we haven't driven the 2.5 wrx yet, that may fix the ridiculous delay of the 2.0T aero that I drove. The deals are good enough to make buying used unnecessary...
kognito
07-02-2007, 10:37 AM
equ,
If you decide to investigate a Mazda or Volvo (or any other ford product) I can get best pricing info for you.
I have a log-in at ford.myplan so I can see all inventory, window stickers, invoices, and plan prices. Armed with this data, you should be able to negotiate down to plan price.
I just need the zip code of the dealer, and some details of the car you want me to check out (type, color, last six of vin)
Let me know if i can help
Of course, I'd be happy to help anyone on the board with this information.
I sent Kevin some data a few months ago when he was looking for a new tow vehicle for his car trailer.
Doug.
(owning ford stock has some advantages!)
I was busy writing my looong post when you guys posted about the 2.0 versus 2.5 turbos. I'm thinking the same - while I could feel nonlinearity the 2.5T in the LGT was never as bad as the 2.0T.
BTW, I'm pretty sure 05 saabaru aeros have 2.0T, 06 may have 2.5T.
BTW, I'm pretty sure 05 saabaru aeros have 2.0T, 06 may have 2.5T.
That's correct.
The saabaru aero sucks. We drove yet another one - back to back with an 03 wrx. It just doesn't have the handling - it feels raised and soft on turns.
This particular wrx had a nice sti exhaust, short shifter and summer tires but it's the handling/steering that was noticeably different. My gf is not (quite) a speed demon, and she noticed it first.
Not sure about linear vs. base impreza...
Sharp11
07-05-2007, 10:20 AM
2. Look around for left over 07s. Either wrx or base, we haven't driven the 2.5 wrx yet, that may fix the ridiculous delay of the 2.0T aero that I drove. The deals are good enough to make buying used unnecessary...
There ya go, that's how we got our 05 Outback wagon. We got a ridiculous deal on it - a used car price on a brand new car.
There's no shortage of Subarus out there. Up here, the Danbury dealer has so many leftovers, Subarus are stored at his Mazda and Jeep backlots - rows and rows of 'em.
Ed
The saabaru aero sucks. We drove yet another one - back to back with an 03 wrx. It just doesn't have the handling - it feels raised and soft on turns.
This particular wrx had a nice sti exhaust, short shifter and summer tires but it's the handling/steering that was noticeably different. My gf is not (quite) a speed demon, and she noticed it first.
Not sure about linear vs. base impreza...
If you are going with a linear without the premium pkg, get whichever you find cheaper betwwen stripepr linear and impreza RS. But I recommend the linear with prem pkg (especially now that they are used).
BTW, IIRC here is what the ('05) Saabaru gets you over the impreza 2.5RS (same year):
-4y/50K warranty
-side airbags
-sport seats
-obvious exterior changes
-more sound insulation
-better carpeting and roof/visor liner
-Can be had with (not available on impreza):
-cold weather pkg: heated seats/mirrors
-moon roof (a pretty crappy one, BTW)
Premium pkg ads:
-Leather interior including boot and steering wheel
-prem sound w/ 6-CD changer
-Xenon lights
-Fog lights
Good luck.
Noticed the moonroof was pretty crappy - I know the 92x has some advantages (potentially lower insurance as well). I just wanted to point out its worse handling (in turbo form)...
Noticed the moonroof was pretty crappy - I know the 92x has some advantages (potentially lower insurance as well). I just wanted to point out its worse handling (in turbo form)...
Yeah, I heard that. I aways commented here that the Linear felt a lot lighter than even its ~3100lbs (becasue my 190E was also ~3100 and it felt like a pig in comparison). I think Saabizing the Imprezas screwed up the Aero suspension but improved the Linear's.
I wanted to tie up this thread as well. Equ's gf decided on a Civic Si, we'll be picking it up next week. While she likes imprezas, this might be better for her driving. The car is owned by a Honda enthusiast who has a CR-V and a vfr bike. All in spotless condition.
Nice car, if underpowered. I considered one when I eventually got the SVT Focus. :)
She's in grad school doing a lot of mileage. 30+ mpg is very attractive to her and I don't think 160hp in a 2700lb car is underpowered in that light.
She's in grad school doing a lot of mileage. 30+ mpg is very attractive to her and I don't think 160hp in a 2700lb car is underpowered in that light.
Not to mention that my car outpowered it by all of 10 hp. Oh, and sometimes got me 17 mpg when I was feeling really good (or really bad). :D
Sharp11
09-07-2007, 10:56 PM
I wanted to tie up this thread as well. Equ's gf decided on a Civic Si, we'll be picking it up next week. While she likes imprezas, this might be better for her driving. The car is owned by a Honda enthusiast who has a CR-V and a vfr bike. All in spotless condition.
Nice, I like those - bet it's a lot of fun.
Ed
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