Armchair Bronco

I'm shopping around for a used Subaru Impreza in the 2001-2005 range and would like some suggestions on what to look for. This would include things to ask the seller (either private or a dealer) over the phone as well as a checklist of things to look for on the car itself if I take it for a test drive. I do NOT work on my own cars, so I have no hands-on experience in this area, but I am pretty technical and enjoy researching new things, so I'm certainly capable of learning a lot from some "How To" videos or websites. The car would initially be shared by my 3 teenage kids over the next 4-8 years (4 years of HS, plus 4 years of college with visits during Christmas and the summer). After that, I'd probably want to keep the car around as a reliable standby and maybe spruce it up (new paint job, leather seats, upgraded stereo, etc.) Call me "Old School", but I just love the looks of the 2005 Subaru Impreza. The bugeye models from 2002-2003 are also very cool in a quirky way. Please educate me (price; mileage; maintenance issues like timing belts, head gaskets; what to look for in an engine bay; manual vs. automatic issues; how to check for rust, etc.). (I started a similar thread for a specific vehicle that my wife didn't like, so I'm casting a wider net this time around.)

@grossgary - I can't speak w/ any authority on AWD vehicles in the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. Whatever I know is purely anecdotal. However, the folks I know who own them in these regions *love* their Subies and swear by them. So, Subaru's are probably in a class by themselves for AWD vehicles. Not surprisingly, both regions lead the nation in terms of active lifestyles: hiking, skiing, camping, off-roading, etc. IIRC Colorado and Washington state are two of the most "fit" states in the nation. You'll probably find at least a bagful of Granola in an old Subaru in Seattle to say nothing of a half-smoked joint in an Outback from Boulder. (Not coincidentally, both states just legalized marijuana.) I also agree w/ your assessment of German and American made cars. My favorite cars in the world are sporty German sedans (Audi's and Mercedes-Benz's), but ONLY if they are 100% under warranty. So: leasing something like a MB CLA 250 makes sense, buying one does not as you'll be stuck with HUGE repair and maintenance bills once the warranty expires. I'm going to focus my search on used Japanese cars: Subaru, Mazda, and maybe Toyota and Nissan in the 2004-2007 range.

Appreciate the feedback, @AdventureSubaru. I'm originally from Denver and went to school in Boulder. When I started pricing out Subaru's in Seattle and saw the high prices on CraigsList, I switched to the Denver/Boulder listing for some perspective...only to see the same sort of premium prices. You're right: people in the Northwest and in Denver/Boulder *LOVE* their Subies! I totally agree about the WRX and would not look at that model for younger drivers. However, the 2003 RS 2.5 Impreza that I test drove w/ my wife was not a high-performance car at all. It accelerated well, especially when merging on to the interstate, but from a dead stop in the city, it was nothing to write home about. And that's just what I'm looking for. Enough power when it's needed, not enough to be a temptation for younger kids to speed. We also really like the Mazda. My wife drives a 2007 Mazda CX-9 and loves it. On the Mazda 3, the view out the back and sides isn't as great as the 2003 Impreza, but it's a reliable, sporty, small car with better-than-average mileage. I also think the Mazda 3 uses a timing chain, not a belt, so a 100K timing belt change is not required. I'm not sure I have enough faith in cars in general to consider purchasing a used *anything* with more than 200K miles, but if I had to, I'd probably only consider a used Subaru.

Thanks for the feedback, @grossgary. Yep, it's frustrating shopping for Subaru's in an area where even older models with ridiculous miles are still commanding a premium relative to just about every other used car out there. I really want to keep Subaru's on my radar: my wife and I had a 1995 Subaru Legacy station wagon that we drove for 10 years. LOVED that car and did nothing to it but have regular oil changes every 3K miles. Both of my other cars (a Mazda CZ-9 and an Audi A4) are AWD vehicles, and it would be great to get the kids behind the wheel of a safer AWD car, too. The hard part is that my wife wants a used car with an almost impossible combination of features: low cost, low miles, great gas mileage, high reliability, and a modern interior. In the printing business they say: "Low cost, quick turnaround, high quality. Choose 2." My wife wants all 3, but I don't think it's possible.

Well, I took my wife to dealer this afternoon, she tried out the car, and didn't like it. So that's that. We each have veto power over the other, so it's all good. Her view is that given the age of this car and the fact that we'd be paying dealer retail + taxes & licensing + a $1,000 timing belt & water pump repair within 3K miles, we needed to be "out-the-door" for around $6,500. So, she wanted a $6K sales price on this car. But to tell the truth, even at that price I don't think she'd really like the quirkiness of this car. I'll keep my eye open for private sales, but it's hard to see an early 2000's Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 in our future. The Mazda 3 is now back at the top of our list, but I'll also keep my eye open for newer Subaru Impreza's and Impreza Outback's.

Here's a photo of the engine bay. I didn't look myself tonight because it was pouring rain. I know that a lot of dealers will steam clean an engine to dress it up, but from the photo below it sure looks like this engine has been well maintained.

Hi there -- first post on the site! I'm considering purchasing a used 2003 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 sedan for my 3 teenage kids to share. I'd love to get some feedback, pro or con, from users about this vehicle. Here are the details: - 2003 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 Sedan - 97K miles; timing belt and water pump service has *NOT* been done yet (due at around 105K miles) - Clean CarFax, 4 prior owners, only 5 service records available - Blue Ridge Pearl finish, spotless - Black & blue cloth interior, very clean - Car has new no-name brand All-Season tires; original alloy rims are in good shape with very little curb rash - Everything works inside & out (AC, cruise, flog lights, power everything, leather steering wheel & shifter, security system, telescoping/tilting steering wheel) - Dealer is asking $7,995 but I offered $7K + taxes and licensing, provided I get my wife on board (she wants a car with better mileage) I know that the 2001-2003 models have had issues with failed head gaskets. It doesn't appear that this car has had any head gasket work done on it. The Nada, KBB, and Edmunds dealer retail cost for this car all came in around $7,075. Opinions? This is a slightly quirky-looking but sporty car, and I'd feel comfortable having my kids drive this thing. It doesn't have great gas mileage, but it is AWD, and for a younger driver, there is a ton of visibility out the back. The more I drove it, the more I started to like it. And you're not going to see a zillion of them driving down the road either (like a Honda Civic or Toyota Camry).