Discussion
Hi all,
what's everyones take on the non-turbo subaru's? anyone own one?
i'm after my first proper car ( posted on the japanese cars thread ealier this month), and these are one of the cheapest cars to insure.
i've always had a thing for subaru's, my stepdad owns a 2006 sti so i kinda got my love of them from him.
now a WRX or STI would cost me upwards of £10,000 insurance at my age so those are out of the question, however the 1.5 would only set me back £800 insurance with the 2.0R costing around £1500 to insure.
is it worth getting one? or are they a totally different car without the turbo on them?
thanks
Craig
what's everyones take on the non-turbo subaru's? anyone own one?
i'm after my first proper car ( posted on the japanese cars thread ealier this month), and these are one of the cheapest cars to insure.
i've always had a thing for subaru's, my stepdad owns a 2006 sti so i kinda got my love of them from him.
now a WRX or STI would cost me upwards of £10,000 insurance at my age so those are out of the question, however the 1.5 would only set me back £800 insurance with the 2.0R costing around £1500 to insure.
is it worth getting one? or are they a totally different car without the turbo on them?
thanks
Craig
I have driven a couple of N/A subarus, a classic 2.0 wagon and a 2007 2.5 forester. Both felt good to drive but there was clearly something missing having stepped out of a turbo into an N/A car. The expected kick in the kidneys just never arrives and is a bit of a let down, however that only stands when you are used to driving the turbo car. The N/A car isnt a bad car at all and quite cheap to buy. The hawkeye N/A Impreza has about 175hp from what i can recall so as cars go it still has some punch and of course you still have AWD and a good looking car. Grab a WRX bonnet from a scrapy and they are difficult to tell apart from the turbo car. All in all, not a bad shout if you want to get into an Impreza.
All the above said, there are probably better performing cars within your insurance budget but they may not be as rare or tick the right boxes for you.
All the above said, there are probably better performing cars within your insurance budget but they may not be as rare or tick the right boxes for you.
I had a na bugeye Impreza wagon for 6 months while looking for my current classic turbo. It was a very good car. 125bhp won't set your pants on fire, but the grip and handling makes carrying the speed you have through corners most rewarding. It had all the Subaru plusses- boxer burble, awd, reliability, and they're easy to work on. Na cars also have hi/lo gearbox and hill hold on the clutch pedal. They're different from the run of the mill cars you can get for the same money. Highly recommended.
Thanks for the input gents
yeah the main reason i'm looking at getting one is that its the most powerful car i can afford to insure, everything else i like is gonna cost upwards of £4000 insurance!
I'm also hoping to do a bit a fiddling with it, had issues with my back for the last few years and i'm sick of being stuck in the house, driving is the one thing i can comfortably do,so i'm hoping to mess with it and get down to some track days with it!
i'm assuming as with most subaru's that all the parts from other models fit? for example STI brake setups?
thanks again!
yeah the main reason i'm looking at getting one is that its the most powerful car i can afford to insure, everything else i like is gonna cost upwards of £4000 insurance!
I'm also hoping to do a bit a fiddling with it, had issues with my back for the last few years and i'm sick of being stuck in the house, driving is the one thing i can comfortably do,so i'm hoping to mess with it and get down to some track days with it!
i'm assuming as with most subaru's that all the parts from other models fit? for example STI brake setups?
thanks again!
CraigiousIV said:
Thanks for the input gents
yeah the main reason i'm looking at getting one is that its the most powerful car i can afford to insure, everything else i like is gonna cost upwards of £4000 insurance!
I'm also hoping to do a bit a fiddling with it, had issues with my back for the last few years and i'm sick of being stuck in the house, driving is the one thing i can comfortably do,so i'm hoping to mess with it and get down to some track days with it!
i'm assuming as with most subaru's that all the parts from other models fit? for example STI brake setups?
thanks again!
Probably not easily (different PCD)... Personally, I would not sink cash into it and just enjoy it for what it is. Also, start modifying and insurance will be a pain, as some of the specialists probably won't touch you until your older.yeah the main reason i'm looking at getting one is that its the most powerful car i can afford to insure, everything else i like is gonna cost upwards of £4000 insurance!
I'm also hoping to do a bit a fiddling with it, had issues with my back for the last few years and i'm sick of being stuck in the house, driving is the one thing i can comfortably do,so i'm hoping to mess with it and get down to some track days with it!
i'm assuming as with most subaru's that all the parts from other models fit? for example STI brake setups?
thanks again!
Wait and get an STi in a few years
OP, I bought a 2.0 n/a for £1400 with only 44,000 miles on the clock as a winter run around. Kept it for 18mths and had a ball with it. Tough as nails and very simple to maintain. Don't be tempted in trying to turn it into a WRX/Sti. Save your money and enjoy the car for what it is, a straight forward reliable car. Get a Wagon for the extra space. Buy carefully and you'll find a good one, they are out there.
Having had a WRX Impreza some years ago I can relate to some of the people saying that the N/A 's are not fast enough. My WRX was my dream car at the time and it lived up to my expectations in in every area including performance and reliability.
Ever since I sold my WRX as I needed something that did a fair few more MPG I have wanted another Subaru and six months ago I bought an Impreza R hatch and whilst the turbo rush isn't there I am very pleased with it. It still makes a fairly decent sound , is sure footed , handles well with decent feedback and the low range gearbox helps the acceleration and sound too.
The insurance is low and reliability should be as good as you can get these days. Its also worth mentioning that it is easy to work on if you want to get your own hands dirty ( Oils , Coolant , Filters, etc). I have also found that good deals can be had as many people do not seem to want them, I think because of their fairly poor mpg ( which seems to be the only thing of any importance to people )
Good luck if you do go for one , I am sure you will be quite pleased - they just seem to be a bit different ( in a good way )from some of the obvious choices.
Ever since I sold my WRX as I needed something that did a fair few more MPG I have wanted another Subaru and six months ago I bought an Impreza R hatch and whilst the turbo rush isn't there I am very pleased with it. It still makes a fairly decent sound , is sure footed , handles well with decent feedback and the low range gearbox helps the acceleration and sound too.
The insurance is low and reliability should be as good as you can get these days. Its also worth mentioning that it is easy to work on if you want to get your own hands dirty ( Oils , Coolant , Filters, etc). I have also found that good deals can be had as many people do not seem to want them, I think because of their fairly poor mpg ( which seems to be the only thing of any importance to people )
Good luck if you do go for one , I am sure you will be quite pleased - they just seem to be a bit different ( in a good way )from some of the obvious choices.
I had 2 Foresters in a row for 3 years each. A 00 X plate non-turbo followed by a 03 03 turbo. Sure, there isn't the nutty power delivery of the turbo, but it is STILL a 2.0 petrol car that revs up over 6,000 rpm. Has the handling to match. If you want to hear that boxer thrum, then how about changing the exhaust backbox for something a bit fruitier?
Mr Taxpayer said:
but it is STILL a 2.0 petrol car that revs up over 6,000 rpm. Has the handling to match.
It saddens me the way 6000rpm is seen as high revs these days, my 1990 2.0NA Legacy (150bhp 4cam Jap import) used to happily wind out to the rev-limiter at 7750! Mind you it didn't have much below 5000, so you kinda had to. 
Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 19th November 11:08
GravelBen said:
Mr Taxpayer said:
but it is STILL a 2.0 petrol car that revs up over 6,000 rpm. Has the handling to match.
It saddens me the way 6000rpm is seen as high revs these days, my 1990 2.0NA Legacy (150bhp 4cam Jap import) used to happily wind out to the rev-limiter at 7750! Mind you it didn't have much below 5000, so you kinda had to. Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 19th November 11:08
I have a '03 Blobeye Impreza GX Sport as my everyday car to my Mini.
Got a Hayward and Scott Backbox coupled with a Cobra center pipe to bring out the flat four grumble.
It also has WRX wheels on it, because the standard GX wheels look to small, IMO.
Impreza GX Sport by Hrímfaxi, on Flickr
Got a Hayward and Scott Backbox coupled with a Cobra center pipe to bring out the flat four grumble.
It also has WRX wheels on it, because the standard GX wheels look to small, IMO.
Impreza GX Sport by Hrímfaxi, on FlickrHrimfaxi said:
I have a '03 Blobeye Impreza GX Sport as my everyday car to my Mini.
Got a Hayward and Scott Backbox coupled with a Cobra center pipe to bring out the flat four grumble.
It also has WRX wheels on it, because the standard GX wheels look to small, IMO.
Impreza GX Sport by Hrímfaxi, on Flickr
Looks good! Got a Hayward and Scott Backbox coupled with a Cobra center pipe to bring out the flat four grumble.
It also has WRX wheels on it, because the standard GX wheels look to small, IMO.
Impreza GX Sport by Hrímfaxi, on FlickrGassing Station | Subaru | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff