How bad is the 2.0 n/a for daily use really? Downgrading ..

[Goldmember1]

Hello .. I posted this a while back in GG but thought I'd post this here amoungst us fellow Subaru enthusiasts 'cos I want to know specifically how usable is the 2.0 n/a engine in the Impreza and Forester as a runabout.
Ok. Current situation is this.
Over the past 10 years I have always had WRXs of some sort and enjoyed them. I
I currently have an '06 Subaru Hawkeye WRX Wagon. When I bought it 10 months ago I spent money on it to get it the way I want it.. the usual best tyres , upgraded ARBs , different exhaust etc.
My car:

I currently only use it maybe only twice a week , and haven't even put 3k miles on it. Now I do like it , but the trouble is, I think I'm getting old ( well I'm 40 but I dont feel it yet ) and sensible ..
- The state of the roads these days is pretty bad , and I'm feeling every damnable bump/pothole/ridge
Altho' it is only 20 mins or so to my work it is tiring and is grating on me. The car is on standard 17s so there isn't anything I can do about that.
- When I do use it I don't/cant use it's performance , really use it for going to work ( motorway and 30mph roads ) and the odd trip at the weekend. I don't do hooning any more either .. I just don't see the appeal any more due to stricter speed-limit enforcing , other idiot drivers , the roads , and the cost of petrol ( Ok .. I'll hand my PH membership card on the way out! )

So really I feel the car is wasted on me . If I lived out in the sticks where there's great roads to appreciate the handling then it'd be different.

The other factor in this is yearly costs. Now I knew what I'd be paying out in a year, but I'm wondering now is it REALLY worth paying the following out on a lovely performance car when I don't use the performance :
- Insurance renewal in 2 months time circa £700
- RFL due in 2 months .. £455
- Always having to use Momentum99 @ £1.46 a litre really @ 24mpg means £20-£30 every time I use it makes me not want to use it!
- Always in the back of my mind impending HGF or Ringland failure in the 2.5

So, I really dont know what to do . Stick with it or change. I don't have any money to put into the pot either .
My thoughts .. I don't want to leave the Subaru brand for 2 reasons .. 1 is that I like Subarus and I know them well , and 2 - if I go elsewhere the price I get offered for my car is comical .. usually CAP (or less from a Skoda dealer!).

So I did a rough comparison and worked out I could change to an Impreza RX n/a 2.0 Wagon or a Forester of same age circa 2007 ( Legacy 2.0 is too big really and lethargic for a car that size) for the same money.

Example of said RX :

or Forester:


The Pros:
- Running on 16s so more sidewall to absorb the bumps .. even more so on the Forester
- RX is a year younger and same miles / Forester about the same albeit more miles
- Forester has leather and comfier seats than Impreza, cruise etc
- Insurance much cheaper.. £270 a year!
- RFL £270 a year
- Dont have to use Momentum99
- Slightly better mpg .. anythings better than at best 24!

Cons:
- The RX and Forester don't have that "presence" or noise that the WRX does .. but then again , I just want a nice car to go from A to B
- I'd probably regret it after
- I'd miss that "shove" that I CAN use if I want to.

Lastly there is also another Forester for the same money but with the Auto gearbox . Of all the 11 or so Subarus I've had I haven't had 1 of these .. and am thinking maybe stay away .. I know it's a 4 speed , but would be handy to hear other peoples opinions on it.

So.. Has anyone else "down-graded"? Anyone else run a 2.0 RX/GX if a Bloboeye or a 2.0 Forester? A 2.0 XT would be a good shout but they're quite rare and holding their value too well.

Apologies for the ramble .. I'm just so torn and undecided what to


All opinions and advice appreciated.

Steve

[Goldmember1]

Thanks everyone so far for ur replies.

Captain Slow .. This is the reason I'm asking about the 2.0 n/a and how usuable and enjoyable they are in a day to day environment as there's more of them about and less to go wrong .. I'd LOVE an XT . If there was a 2.0 XT available even with highish miles I'd take it but there's hardly any in Scotland .. all seem average 90-100k! The torque in these is good enough for me, and insurance is only about £20 more . It's a no to mods tho'. When mods get added to it it becomes expensive like my car justnow! .. even an exhaust adds average £70 onto these policies which is kind've defeating the purpose .
Same reason re the 2.5XT .. I love the performance of the 2.5 in my WRX , but again I don't need that performance, the £455 a year RFL or the 24mpg .. got to get the costs down.

Edited to add, I love this 1 available from a dealer in Belfast :



Really suits the 2 tone, tho think £4795 is a bit

Thanks again people.

Edited by Goldmember1 on Thursday 11th April 14:47

Edited by Goldmember1 on Thursday 11th April 14:48

[Goldmember1]

Cheers Ved .
Unfortunately I have to use mine as trade-in material to aquire such a vehicle. I'm currently in talks with my local dealer to see what he can offer and see if he has any XTs in the pipeline (he has those 2 cars I posted earlier but I think an XT is a good comprimise). At least it's good to know they can stand the tests of time I was concerned that an '03 might be getting on a bit . If nothing comes up I'll get in touch with that dealer in Belfast.
Unfortunately just had a look at the service book and noticed a service is now due , 60k/6yr So thats £500 odd down the pan! Only had it 10 months and didn't think of checking!

[Goldmember1]

Thanks Ocotoposse, that's good to know ,thanks.

Bungleaio , you're right about "the amount of fuel you need to put in for the performance return doesn't seem to stack up" . LPGing isn't a possibility, the costs and how little I use the car makes it a no , plus doesn't help my situation justnow

Interestingly I test-drove the 2 cars above last weekend .
1st was the '07 2.0 n/a Forester manual with all the toys ... Didn't like the driving position, felt so blobby , detached from the road , and really slow ( tho' it just might've been that 1 I drove) .. the bottom line is it just left me cold. Strange thing is my mum has the previous Forester and it feels so much better than the 1 I drove , and her's is a lot older, but feels so much more solid and better put together! Even her 126bhp feels quicker than this 156bhp example .. Ahm oot!

2nd was the 2.0 n/a Impreza . Yep nice car, drove well ( much more responsive than the Forester) , was quiet , no rattles etc and definately softer and less road noise than my car. Tbh it wasn't anything special , but I suppose I could live with it .. well apart from the smell of used car air-freshener

So .. that's it .. or so I thought . The dealer I spoke to doesn't really want to do a swap. Whether it's because my car is hard to sell , or 'cos the values are similar it's not gaining him much , I don't know.
Plus , in my heart I'm still unsure if it's what I want .. being honest , I don't think it is Maybe I should leave the Subaru brand for good. Maybe the right car will appear , be it a Volvo V50, a Skoda Octavia , or a Saab 9-3.
Suppose I'll just have to wait and see what crops up.
Thanks for reading.

[Goldmember1]

The thing is Paul , as said in my original post , I dont use or even get the chance to use the performance any more , therefore I don't think it makes sense financially to keep a performance car that just gets used for mundane journeys like 15 mins town driving to work etc . Plus it's things like the insurance thats making it too dear to keep a WRX , especially if it's modified/remapped etc. I'm 40 now , and paying £700 a year for car insurance at my age is madness imo .. time to get the costs down.
I have stuck with the Subaru brand for all these years 'cos I think they all have that "something" , be it even a moddest 2.0 n/a . Yes I kno I dont need AWD but you get used to that handling and the feel of these cars. I am willing to leave the brand ( I have before be it Volvo V40s ) but have always come back. Looked at a Fabia VRS y'day .. just felt too small really , and the Octavia is dearer and bigger than I need.

I'll still keep looking .. maybe I'll find a dealer willing to take my car that isn't going to offer me less than CAP
Are these cars REALLY that hard to sell?!?
Thanks everyone so far for your input.

[Goldmember1]

Fozziebear said:

If you just want to get around, have the ability to mount any kerb you need to and not to worry when it snows again I'd go for it.

This. Thank you Fozzie for your post .. I really am just after something nice to runaround in , that isn't so dear to run/insure/maintain as a turbo , while (possibly) still keeping with the Subaru brand

[Goldmember1]

CaptainSlow said:

the difference in cost between a turbo and n/a are negligible.

Sorry CaptainSlow but I don't agree.
Maybe the costs of the car itself , and maybe the servicing is the same , but yearly costs ( to me anyway ) are huge.
The whole idea is to cut costs :
Insurance : £700 ( current WRX with PPP ) vs £230 - £250 ( depending on model )
RFL: £455 vs £270 .
The £650 a year less outgoings and not actually using the performance are the main reasons of my original post.

[Goldmember1]

Ah .. Yeh I see what u mean, I was refering to an Impreza, apologies.
Ur right , insurance on a Forester turbo is only £20 more than a n/a one.
A 2.0 turbo seems to be the answer. On the same subject, is the 2.5 as reliable as the 2.0 as there seems to be more of them about? I kno' on the Impreza there has been failures, albeit sure it was only Sti model, but it's always a worry as I'm sure I have read about WRX HG failures . Plus there are 2 versions of the 2.5, with slight power differences ( the later 1 is the same as my WRX ) Was wondering if the older model ( ie the mk2 shape ) was more reliable than the newer 1. As I've said before, power really isn't an issue any more .. that itch has been well and trully scratched and I really dont care any more.