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1995 Impreza - Spruce it up or upgrade


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Hi. Please bear with me as I tell my story :)

 

So I have this 1995 Impreza 2.2L AWD sedan that I have had since it was 40K old (my first car!). I've been kicking around an upgrade to a pre-owned Baja, OBS, or Forester (in order of preference). However, the good 'ol 95 has been good to me over the past 7 years, and I have her ticker at 120K now. Quite frankly, I am bored with it, I need a little more room for my bikes/work related duties, and another inch or so of ground clearance would be great...and a 5-speed manual. That being said, I am making do right now with what I have, but it might be more practical to replace some stuff and keep driving her :) So what do you think?

 

Mechanically, I have ok skills. Oil changes (diff, engine), spark plugs, fuel filter, front brake pads and rotors can all be done by me. Things that need to be addressed:

 

Rear Drum Brakes - I need to do something about them soon (and yeah, I have been saying that since it hit 100k). I have the Chiltons and Haynes manuals, and I could probably get by. But, I don't know if its worth my time/frustration. The pads are definately worn into the drum, and I am really unclear as to how to back them off. I would love to take care of this myself, but might as well just support someones business and have it done professionally. Any idea on what a rear drum brake service costs? Shoes, Drums, and any other problem that might pop up...

 

Radiator Hoses/Fluid - The fluid and hoses need to be changed. I have changed a radiator hose before on the road on a friends Ford, but we just let fluid fly all over the place. I have searched and searched, but I can not find out where to dispose of antifreeze. Any help is appreciated.

 

Transmission - new fluid need to go in, but I guess this is considered general maintenance.

 

Tires - probably going to seek out a set of WRX takeoffs with RE92's.

 

Suspension - Struts should probably replaced at this mileage anyhow. It's not a horrible ride, but it could be improved. Probably go with KYB AGX or an RS setup. Which brings me to my next question...I have a full set of RS struts/springs that I have been storing for years. They have 20k on them. Should they struts still be ok to use even after sitting in a cool basement?

 

So does it seem practical to keep it or move on to another sube? I figure that this stuff would cost about $1500 or so to take care of professionally, but then it would be good to go for another 100k. Or do I invest it on a newer pre-loved Subie and drive into the sunset with my ground clearance, cargo space, and 5-speed tranny...lol :)

 

Thanks for listening, and I sincerly appreciate any guidance/advice/help!

 

Kevin

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If you decide to do the coolant: Do a board search for "Coolant replacement"

 

I have shared my knowledge of this slighty tricky procedure. Main focus is avoiding air in the system.

 

And don't forget the cabin heater hoses!

 

 

I would suggest moving to a new car if you can afford it. The money you pour into the 1995 Impreza now will never come back. Sell it while it still runs well and rust hasn't become visible.

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Too bad it's not the Impreza Outback (Sport), and a year later... you'd have a buyer right here :drunk:.

 

I'd agree, though... unless you're hooked on her, and it doesn't sound like you are, I'd start looking around for something else. The only (logical?) reason I could see for pouring money into it ('specially if you're not doing it yourself) is if you want to keep the car around, and aren't questioning getting a replacement.

 

I've done drum brake repair on a few cars, and it wasn't anything horrible. Same goes for radiator hose replacement & coolant flushes. The only suspension work I've ever done had been on my '93 Cougar, which was a pain in the arse (would've been better if I'd have done it right, though... :banghead: ).

 

Good luck finding a preowned Baja, btw... I've been looking in the NY area idly, and haven't found any. I'll admit, though, I've been searching for that OBS (or Impreza Outback, depending on who you're talking to, and what year you're talking about), around '96-'97, and they're rare enough. Seem to be plenty of Foresters around, though, at least around Albany.

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...I would suggest moving to a new car if you can afford it. The money you pour into the 1995 Impreza now will never come back...

Not to rain on your parade, and certainly you can go ahead and do it, but the money that a newer vehicle depreciates will never come back as well.

 

It will be cheaper to maintain your Impreza over the next 100k miles than the maintenance cost and depreciation expense that you will experience with a newer vehicle. You just have to decide if the joy of ownership is worth it or not.

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if you can't find a baja up there come on down.....you'll find one here i'm sure. There was a nice stick that was up in northern NJ a while back at a Dodge dealer... price was really good too!

 

OTOH, you know if you upgrade you are going to take a chance of getting a less reliable vehicle (2.5) than what you have now. Welcome to the world of rod knock and HG's

 

I love my 05 OBS but to be totally honest....I wish I would have kept the 95 I traded on it and just fixed some of the small crap and did a lift on it like the W. Coast folks are doing....

 

New car/newer car depreciation is a bi#$%

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Certainly some good points that were brought up...there are positives and negatives to both routes. I am definately not attached to my car, but she has been good to me. Regardless though, a car is a bad investment either way you look at it.

 

If I could score a Baja that would be super, but I would equally be as thrilled with a 2001 OBS with the 2.2L. Infact, in some ways I would prefer it. It is cheaper overall to purchase, insurance is cheaper, and I have parts I can transfer over to it.

 

Kevin :)

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Regardless though, a car is a bad investment either way you look at it.

 

I think you just have to weigh how much you want a 5-spd, higher ground clearance, more space, and how much you want to scratch that new car itch. In terms of money, it's cheaper to fix your current car, but you won't be able to get 2 out of the 4 things you want (5-spd and space).

 

we had a 96 impreza coupe that we sold for our forester. with the birth of our first son, we jsut needed the space. it killed me to sell that car because it was running so well. we lost a car that wasn't going to depreciate much for a car that had lots of depreciation left in it (even though the forester was used).

 

Now it kills me again because we are considering trading for another car with the birth of our 2nd son. while the forester is "adaquate" for around town, our last road trip was cramped. we are now "weighing" how much more space, is worth to us. minivan or suv, here we come :-\

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