Hello everyone, and thx in advance for your thoughtful replies and input.

 

We have a 2010 forester 2.5i...our first subie bought 5 yrs ago when we got a weekend place up in the mts.  love the car.

We just bought our teen a 97 Impreza Sport Outback wagon.  I'd read such great reviews about its handling, reliability, and that EJ22 engine that has so many great reviews.  Paid 3750 for it, the body shop guy checked it out and there is a bit of rust L rear quarter (wheel well?  sorry, i'm trying to remember his lingo) that he's going to fix, he says it's not bad and the car is otherwise solid.  156k miles, two owners, looks pretty good exc small scrapes, clear coat coming off in some places (but overall really not bad).  The interior is pristine, I am guessing no kids or dogs!  (Or, very good kids and dogs).  Checks out well mechanically, drives well, and looks well maintained.  Kiddo loves it and she is looking forward to having her own car.

 

DD is a great kid--careful, studious, straight A, college freshman.  But.....she has inherited my driving (non) skills and has had a couple of encounters with immovable objects (one a lamppost, one a concrete median).  She's crunched my Prius up quite a bit, and she is nervous that the Forester is too big for her.  (And I *really* don't want her crunching up the Forester).  I figured this would be a great car for her to get seasoned with.  Her daily commute to college is about 10 miles on surface streets in So Cal.  I like the size, the handling, the AWD, Subie's rep, the 2.2's rep, and the great visibility of this particular model.

 

But....there are some naysayers and worriers (non-Subie owners) who are worried that this car is just too old, and may not have the safety features that may make a difference between life, death, dismemberment.  OTOH, Subie drivers have often raved about how well this car has served them in unfortunate situations.

 

Any thoughts, experiences and wisdom appreciated.  I could alternately let her have my Prius and take this car.....I seem to have outgrown my dingbat driving for the most part.

 

 

 

 

I have 332K on my 98 OBS.  I'd drive it anywhere.

Cars are only as safe as the operator

- Seat belts on

- Defensive driving

 

Take a walk through a junk yard, you will see Subaru's that are totally smashed in the front and the doors still open and close fine.

We gave the '98 Legacy we bought 2 years ago to our son as a graduation present (he is a senior in high school). Hopefully with good driving it should last him through college. I do love the EJ22 engine