Hello all -

I'm looking at a 2007 impreza 2.5 non turbo special edition with 109k. It's an automatic and while I'd prefer the 5 speed, this will ultimately be a daily driven in-town car with some occasional county driving on dirt roads. The car itself is very clean in and out and looks like it was well cared for. I believe it's a third gen impreza because it's not as boxy.
Anyone have experience/s and opinions on these cars? I know the suby crowd know the motor. My gut says I really like the car and the feel of it but I need an opinion before jumping on it. The dude put the sti badge on the grill for cool points, Don't ask me why.

Looks like a perfect donor.

I saw that coming.

I do have thoughts of a suby for the 914 so maybe this would finally push me over the edge.

Find a local demolition derby and put it to rest.

Nice cars. Don't know that one specifically but do an earlier model. Rivals Toyota quality, no monster performance but nice balance, you get what you see, no bad surprises. That mileage, if the car's been maintained, should be basically just broken in.

I have owned a 2006 since new. It's a turbo model, but has been flawless.

The only thing to take into account is :

AWD drivetrain requires fluid changes more frequently than a normal sedan.
Frameless windows sometimes have crappy seals (cheap to buy)
It's not the quietest interior (as they wanted to keep it light)
Radiator on the turbo models are usually good for 100-110k miles
Really needs a rear swaybar to handle well.
Paint is really crappy and chips easily.

If you intend to buy some modifications, do swaybars first and then swift brand drop springs with better tires (assuming the re92's are still on it)

Bottom line is buy it, I love mine and will drive it into the ground.

With added sway bar, how is the handling? I've only been able to drive it in town, no twisties yet.
Paint looks very good on the car, almost flawness minus two very small door dings that you have to look for.
I don't intend to hot rod the car, though looks like lots of aftermarket options available.

I've had a 2002 WRX for the past two years and love it. Take care of the basics and the engines go and go. Not sure about that year, but mine needed a new timing belt at around 100K miles, so I'd check if it's been done. With the usual 'while we're in there's' (water pump, thermostat, etc... ) I think it cost me $800.

Ok well I will probably be picking it up tomorrow. Going with my gut. I've also convinced myself I can live without the turbo and a clutch, hopefully I'm right.

Sleep did not keep me content. Now the little voice in my head is telling me that for just a little more, I can get an early wrx... Do I need the turbo?

Only if you really feel you can't live without it. My bike and my 914 are my go fast toys and my Impreza is my go-to vehicle that is dead reliable. Minor drivetrain mods and suspension upgrades keep it interesting without a turbo. I've cruised across the desert at 85 while getting 30 mpg and plowed snow with the front bumper all the way up to the resorts without snow tires, not to mention the 4 wheel drifting in snow covered parking lots! The turbo would be fun but unless you know a little old lady who's had this fabled WRX since new with a book of service records, your chances of finding one that hasn't been beat on are slim. Keep work your work and your play your play...

^^ Agree ^^

Most used WRX's have been beat . Depending on generation, issues arise from abuse and neglecting to maintain correctly.

A list of these issues:
-Head gasket blown
-turbo nearing end of life
-transmission abuse ( launching )
-ring land failure ( running high boost with improper tuning, intakes or blow off valves)
-2006 Subaru went to a single cat exhaust and implemented an air injection system ( still used on modern Subaru's). These valves get corroded and stuck causing the car to disable cruise control. The valves are $800 and the installation is $$$.

I personally couldn't pass up a turbo version, as it is so much fun, but you will get like 20MPG. There are still cars out there with great original owners that spend too much money maintaining them just like an expensive Porsche. Find one of those.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/4829001801.html

Like this? Second owner... looks taken care of... New tranny + clutch. Engine mods, actually all the mods scare the pants off me as far as reliability. Help.

Why not go to a Subaru forum and ask them what THEY think.

I wouldnt buy a 7k car with 173k miles on the ODO. Subaru or not.

I guess you've never been on a Subaru forum . NASIOC is the main one and even the moderators are trolls. I'm not saying all Subaru owners are dicks, but the minority, the obviously vocal minority, made that the worst car forum I've ever had the displeasure of posting on. Every time I asked a question it was a pile on of people telling me how obvious the answer was, and how stupid I was for asking. On a positive note though, it really makes me appreciate how friendly and helpful everyone on 914World is.

Agree with all the comments about a WRX. 90% off them have been beaten on by kids. They're so easy to modify and so many aftermarket parts are available that it's a blessing and a curse. Took me months to find mine, so if you do decide to go for a turbo I'd be patient and make sure you get it thoroughly checked out.

Ask the owner of the sac car how old he is. Don't know about new cars other than a local member who got some pretty shocking estimates for routine services on a similar car to the black one. I bought a 97' legacy outback. Prior 1 1/2 years the owners (older couple, org owners) threw $ at the car like it was a 914. Radiator went south, over heated and it was COMPLETE cooling system, head gaskets and all that goes with that, while you're in there timing belt/water pump/tensioner. Just a tick over $1.9k. Tires and brakes had about 15k on them. 172k on the chassis. I'll just drive til' it dies.

I ask here because it's a very knowledgeable group, and not just on 914s but all cars. I trust the opinions here much more than the immature ricer crowd that tend to be on suby forums. It is hard to find a wrx that hasn't been beat to hell. I'm gonna have the '07 looked at by my mechanic before I decide to buy.

It looks thrashed almost to death. The options and repairs done all point the same way.

I agree. Just by looking at the list of mods you can tell this has had the p*ss driven out of it. The trick is to find one that has never been taken to Stage 2 (the Cobb Accessport is used to do the ecu part of this, then from memory you need a new uppipe and some other pieces of hardware).

As reference, I paid $7000 for my 02 WRX with 107,000 miles on it 2 years ago. It was a two owner and had never been tuned.

I'd definitely avoid a car with this amount of mods and this high a mileage. This is a 4K car at best, the seller is just making the usual mistake of thinking the value of the car is increased by the money they've poured into it.

"hot" air intake and blow off valve are a red flag.(no experienced wrx guy runs those unless they have a very large turbo & custom tune)

Everything else is standard fair modifications coming from experience.
The trans was replace due to launching, as the 02-03 wrx tranny was the weakest of the bunch.

Stay away is your best bet. Probably turbo back exhaust & cobb tuner is as far as you would want to buy. My car has been running that its whole 105k miles.

Not an Impreza or WRX, but I have an '05 Legacy GT wagon, Cobb Stage 2 tuning (minor in the big scheme of things) lowered with stiffer springs/dampers. Presently at 122k. I feel Honda and Toyota build quality is better, but I haven't found my Legacy to be poor by any stretch of the imagination. Clutch went about 85k, but beyond that everything else has been routine/normal wear items.

It's been a reliable, very fun car to drive, and certainly fun family transportation averaging 21-22 MPG in town and 25-26 MPG on the highway. Seriously considered a WRX, but found this GT wagon with a 5 speed and couldn't pass it up given the added room and older PO age - WRXs do attract the younger crowd.

I'm not thrilled with Subarus later offerings, but I feel Legacy GTs and WRXs from 6-10 years ago are well worth considering.

Will admit the teener is easier to work on, but many modern cars are a PITA when it comes to maintenance.

Also agree NASIOC is not a friendly forum. Same can be said for the Legacy forum and some of the Miata forums I've been a part of - kudos to the 914 World community

As with any purchase though, do you research and remember at times spending a little more can be money well spent. Good luck.

I was cautious and it paid off!
Had my mechanic inspect the '07 before purchase. The guy selling it was apprehensive and now I know why... Passenger side head gasket blown. Judging by his "reaction", the seller knew about it but was trying to pass it off to me as a perfect running engine with service records etc. Carfax shows it started it's life as a rental car! Money lost on inspection but a lemon was avoided. When I told him I didn't want the car due to the head gasket he suggested having his buddy do the work at his shop (no thanks), then got pissy with me for " wasting his time ".
Search continues.

congrats on the non-purchase. you and the seller are even with regards to wasted time.

Caveat emptor... bitches

Yep, head gaskets are an issue.
I had an 06 Impreza Outback Sport (wagon version of the car you posted) and had to have the head gaskets replaced. When I noticed they were leaking again (around 170K miles) I sold it.

That said, my OBS was probably the best car I have ever had. It was a tank in bad weather, felt like it could go anywhere. For a non-turbo car it was a lot of fun to drive. I liked it so much I got my wife to buy its newer brother this past summer (the Crosstrek).

Zach

Good catch on a bad car. I drove an SVX for a year or so, and proved my point. Good drivers are even better with AWD, and bad drivers get away with a lot of s__t by driving AWD cars. You can do all kinds of stupid stuff with AWD cars. And come out the other side okay, even in a heavy pig of a car with a crappy automatic, that SVX was one of the best handling cars I owned. And probably the best when you considered, it had crappy cooper tires. If I had slapped some real rubber onto it, I would have never got rid of that car.

Oh and changed the crappy auto out for a stick. The automatic trans in that car sucked....... Not sure how the other subie autos where but, I would not buy one with an auto.

The current CVT is nice, for what it is. Miles better then the automatic that was in my OBS. But then again, I never had a single issue with my transmission over 7 years, 170K miles. If it were not for the leaky head gaskets I would have continued driving that car until I bought my WRX this past summer.
Zach

This is the only car-forum I've ever been on. Guess I'm spoiled.

Great little cars, am more familiar with the legacy/outback. We've had an outback for a while, 180K miles, just suspension work at 150, and the serp idler pulleys every 60K, still runs like new. Ours is the 3.0R, but the car is bulletproof.

Better drive it, the Imprezza had 2 motors, the 2.0 is IMO so bad, couldnt even be called a dog.... Especially with a slushbox. BIG issue on these cars is head gasket, and upper valvetrain issues. Also, with any Subaru, make sure you use their additive when you change the coolant. Prevents most of the head gasket issues, which as I understand it is seeping coolant, corrosion and true leak.

I wouldnt own a 4CYL subi, especially without a manual trans but thats me.

stuck in traffic during a commute nightmare an automatic is a thing of beauty. first car i've ever owned with an auto. the 2.5 moves the car smartly.

From 2010 up apparently Subaru has a problem with the 2.5 .... excessive oil consumption (they say it's bad oil control rings outta the box).

There is a Class Action Law Suit out of NJ due to this. We own a 2013 and are experiencing high oil consumption at 33K on the clock.

Wife wants to ditch it for a Grand Cherokee, but I don't like any Cherokee built after 1993.

Anyway, we'll see if Subaru tries to dodge the bullet on oil consumption.

Since this is a common issue - Is there any way I can look/listen for a blown or leaking head gasket on a Suby besides spending $150 to have a shop look it over?

Look under the oil cap for green coolant. Check for milky motor oil. Look for oil in coolant overflow tank or in the radiator if it is cool.

Buy one of these and pop it on the radiator.

Click to view attachment

The '07 was leaking oil at the gasket, not coolant. What does that mean?

Ended up with an '02 wrx with just under 100k. Very pleased so far. The motor has more power than stock and goes vroom vroom. I'm glad I waited and looked around for the right car, and definitely happy I went with a wrx. It's quicker and more fun to drive than the base model imprezas I tried out. Practical enough for around town. Going to do a drive to the countryside tomorrow .

Great to hear that you were able to find the issues before buying that first car.

I have a 00' 2.5 RS and a 96' Brighton Coupe and love those cars.

I think the bugeyes don't get enough loving. Some nice examples still out there and hope you found one. NASIOC isn't a very good forum, and there's plenty of BS being thrown out there as accurate info. The EJ205 is an awesome engine that should last you far past the 200K mile range if well cared for.

If you haven't checked it out already, I recommend RS25 forums as a nice forum with plenty of good info on it compared to the "fanboi" NASIOC forums. Even though it's catered more for GC/GM chassis (93-01) Subarus, there are a lot of guys that swap the EJ205s into those cars.

Hope you enjoy your Subaru!

I actually think that NASIOC is a great forum, but you DO have to have a pretty good BS filter. Its what you would expect from a huge forum with a "younger" audience, though.

I have found that the Regional forums there seem to have better maners, as there is a half decent chance that you may actually run into the guy your talking too on line. Also, check to see if there is a local FB group. Lots of info and contacts that way.

Zach

Very true, NASIOC is a great resource. You just need thick skin really. Use the search function. Many times if your question is too "elementary" for them no one responds.