The Impreza, specifically the WRX, is a great buy.  At $25K sticker, it's a great performer and the AWD works quit well.  I got to abuse one in a test drive shortly after they came out last year and was really impressed.  Cargo room is less than a Ford Taurus or similar car, especially in the trunk area, so if you plan on hauling stuff around I advise getting the WRX wagon.  You'll generally be able to get them at a discount over the sedan, as they don't sell as well.

As far as owning the streets, that's a tough one.  First, let me say that I lost a cousin to street racing, and he wasn't in the race, so it's an utterly stupid thing to participate in.  That being said, AWD launches are a hoot.  Dropping the clutch at 4000-4500 RPM results in immediate acceleration.  You'll have great 0-60 times because of the AWD, and traction will be great, but your 60-100 times will suffer because of the drain of an AWD drivetrain.

Suspension is great, even stock.  Take a 90 degree turn at 40MPH and the car has more stability than I would expect from a stock car.

Overall, for a 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds, good gas mileage, and a good AWD drivetrain, I'd say it's definitely worth it.  If you want more specifics, check out [url]www.i-club.com[/url]

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

There's a huge difference between replacing a turbo on a car designed for one, and trying to put a turbo on a car that doesn't have one.  The 2.5RS models have a high compression engine, which means you cannot turbocharge them without running really low boost or lowering the compression ratio by either replacing the pistons with lower compression ones (the right way) or adding a collar between the block and the head (the wrong way).

With the stock WRX, there's still HP to be squeezed out of the stock turbo by using a piggyback computer from the ECU to up the boost and fuel.  Putting a turbo on a non-turbo car means deriving your own engine management system, and that's a lot of money.  You'll be better off pulling off one of the three catalytic convertors, installing a turboback exaust system, and getting a piggyback ECU than trying to put a turbo on the 2.5RS.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

My brother has one.

He had this stage III put in last Friday minus the up pipe, hacksaw silencer removal, and muffler:
[url]http://www.turboxs.com[/url]

Saturday: AWD dyno run and boost adjustment; identified and corrected slight timing problem.

Yesterday finished up by adding a Blitz muffler to it which has a nice rumble. (Boxers don't get that ricey sound)

Brought it back to my house, back seat still full of the entire stock exhaust system, and
gave my girlfriend ( she owns a 2002 2.5 RS - don't laugh it's paid for) a free facelift in it  :)

Right now it's waiting to go back on the dyno
for some fine tuning.

Whatever you do, don't waste money by just slapping on parts.



As for me...I'll sit back and let them play with their ugly Imprezas...I'm waiting for a Turbo Legacy!

Mmm...B4[:P]


[img]http://home.earthlink.net/~thegardenweasel/B4.jpg[/img]

Slushbox (auto) or standard?  It makes a difference, as the AWD is slightly different between the two.

The Imprezza coupe and RS are fairly roomy, for smallish people in the rear.  Suspension and motor are pretty rock solid.  The flat 4 is a great motor that revs pretty well and plenty of torque for its displacement (2.2 or 2.5liters).  There is a healthy aftermarket that has support for suspension upgrades (highly suggested), motor and brakes.

Downside:  The manual trannies in the Scoobies are notoriously weak.  They haven't even been well upgraded for the current WRX.  So, adding HP to the motor will most certainly reduce the life of the gearbox.  The switchgear is cheap, as well.  For the price, it is on par but tend to squeek and rattle after a short life.  My best friend had a new Imprezza wagon, traded it in for a 2.5 RS and traded that for an Audi A4quattro after riding a few hours in my 122k mile audi quattro. My Audi had far less rattles and squeeks than his scooby and 3x the mileage.

Personally, I like the Subarus, as they have introduced an AWD, turbo car for the masses.  However, you get what you pay for.  There is little attention to detail and some weak parts of the car that are known and not fixed.  For the money, I would go with a late model Audi quattro and not worry one bit about the driveline or the AWD system.

AWD is tons of fun!  If you are lucky enough to live in the snow belt, invest in some *good* snow tires and have fun in empty parking lots.

For some more info, check out http://www.i-club.com/

HTH;

-Racer934

Check out [url]www.i-club.com[/url] and go to the forums.  They are about as busy as we are here, if not more.  Do not buy without going there first.  Awesome board with lots of good info.

I love my WRX wagon.  The car is the perfect blend of practicality and fun.  Everyone who's been in it has been impressed.  But, if I was younger I'd get a TS wagon or an RS sedan as the insurers got wise to the WRX and now charge a premium.  The WRX hauls ass but there is gobs of turbo lag that the 2.5 doesn't suffer from.  As for good gas mileage, I get about 21 avg. and that has to be premium.  I think the RS gets a little better, plus not so tempting to rev. [}:D]

The TS/RS are about 4 grand cheaper.  And most Subarus are selling for about 100-300 over invoice right now.  Check out the i-club board in your area and they'll steer you to the right dealer.

I was tempted by the Toyota Matrix, but their AWD only has 130hp, and I wasn't crazy bout the looks.  Great gas mileage though.