newbie questions about impreza

[jonasjonas]

hi, i'm considering getting the impreza rs sportwagon, but i have a few questions...
1. how dependable are imprezas? were there any ongoing problems in the older models? if so, are the problems fixed for the newer models?
2. how is the fuel economy? on the website it says the impreza rs sportwagon gets 23-30, but a friend told me he only gets 22 avg on his 04 impreza wagon (i can't remember if it's an rs or wrx though).
3. any other good/bad things i should know about from you long running impreza owners?

for my next car, i'm set on buying an awd wagon, but i want to find the most dependable and fuel efficient wagon out there. as of right now, impreza rs seems to fit the bill the best. but if anyone has any suggestions for other awd wagons that might qualify, please let me know! (but they have to come in manual...)

by the way, i'm not old. i just think awd wagons are the superior vehicle!

[freakray]

Impreza's are very reliable with no significant issues since about 1999.
The mileage your friend is getting must be for a WRX, I never got that low with any of my Subarus.

[SabreKhan]

...or he drives it like a bat outta hell. I drive a WRX and I get about 26mpg on a non-autocross tank, and I don't exactly conserve gasoline when I drive. On a race tank, I get... well, not even close to 26mpg.

[dubl_j]

I keep track of my mpg's on every tank. Normally 50/50 mix of city and highway. ~22/23 for the tank. A recent trip I took to AC which was all highway, ~28 @ about 85mph average speed down there.
A few of my friends drive an '04 WRX as well (all 5-spd) and their average tanks are about 22-27mpg as well. Is it really good? Well... no, but for an AWD car that is fun as hell to drive, it's good enough for me.

[LjasonL]

I get like 30-32 at ~70 mph on the highway. 24-ish in town.

Originally Posted by jonasjonas

by the way, i'm not old. i just think awd wagons are the superior vehicle!

It's true.

[keita]

Originally Posted by jonasjonas

by the way, i'm not old. i just think awd wagons are the superior vehicle!

Why would that be?? I'll believe that when Peter Solberg drives a WRC Wagon.

[LjasonL]

Originally Posted by keita

Why would that be?? I'll believe that when Peter Solberg drives a WRC Wagon.

Talking street cars, not rally cars.

[keita]

Originally Posted by LjasonL

Talking street cars, not rally cars.

Fair enough. Let's hear some (logical and accurate) reasons.

I won't take "mo space" as a reason for being a superior vehicle.

[LjasonL]

Originally Posted by keita

I won't take "mo space" as a reason for being a superior vehicle.

Well, that's pretty much the reason Same car as the sedan (I know it's not exactly the same, but close enough to not matter 99% of the time) but with more space.

Plus it looks better

Personal opinion I guess, but I see the wagon as the superior vehicle

[keita]

OH...well.

I was thinking that there would be some technical reason for it

Such as the wagon frame has more rigidity and prevents body roll or something...

I'll stick with my sedan.

[LjasonL]

Hmm... I guess you could make an argument for the wagon having better weight distribution due to the extra weight behind the rear axle. But the sedan has a 20mm wider track and 80 pounds less weight so it kinda evens out.

[Hossain_Trance101]

Impreza RS overall should be fine. You d only worry abt fuel economy if its a WRX (a car which i m not very keen of) coz it has a turbocharger. It's also a very reliable car and probably the cheapest brand new AWD wagon. However, if u r interested, my suggestion is that you check out the second hand market for older model SUVs such as the Landcruiser 80 series (my fav landcruiser), Land Rover Discovery, etc. as they have tremendous offroad capability and power at the same price (they may be even more reliable in the outback or countryside as they have a higher suspension and r built to last) and has BIG capacity. Fuel economy might be a little problem but still worth it. U may even like to get an older model RS Wagon at a much much lower price...

[keita]

Hossain, could you do me (and eveyone else) a couple of favors please?

1) Type like an adult
2) Do something with that ugly yellow thingie

Thank you much.

[Hossain_Trance101]

Thanx for your comments keita and please note htat I changed my UGLY signature for everyone. However, I don't understand what you mean by "typing like an adult". Do you intend to that words like "coz" or "fav" makes my writing immature? I am quite willing to use words such as "because" or "due to" or "personal favourite" or the like if you wish. (Note: I typed as much like an adult I think as possible in this reply)

[keita]

INFINITELY better. Thank you.