mh_ccl

I'm in the market for a used Subaru and am wondering if I should just skip the Legacies and Foresters entirely and stick with the Imprezas. I'm not very mechanically inclined (though I've been doing some web reading) and thought I would ask for advice. I owned a 97 Legacy Outback wagon about 5 years ago and ran into the dreaded head gasket issue. I ended up getting a new engine put in the car. This makes me wary of buying another Legacy. From what I've read, the 97-99 were DOHC, and in 2000 the Legacies switched to SOHC, but that only meant that the leaks were more likely to be external as opposed to internal. Did Subaru ever resolve the engine issues with the Legacies? If so, what year/size should I look for? I also understand that the Foresters have similar engines and frequent head gasket problems, which makes me want to stay away from them as well. I'm looking at getting an Impreza. All my experiences with them have been secondhand but positive. Are there any mechanical issues I should be looking for when buying one? I know I want a manual, but can't be too picky if there are only automatics to choose from. Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated. I'm in a bind because while I was out of state, my car was destroyed in floods, so I've got to find a car here and drive it back to Alaska. I want to make sure I'm getting something that will be relatively trouble-free, especially for that long drive home!