Am I satisfied with my Subaru? Yes. Could they have done a better job by paying attention to the little details? Yes.

I have owned my Impreza 2.5RS (auto, 4dr) for a little over 4 years, and in that time, I have been very impressed with the consistent handling of the car. Steering is tight and crisp with an average turn radius, and no understeer. The engine is responsive to say the least. Brakes are fine and provide quick controlled stops. The 4 whl disk ABS system is fine, albeit a little bit rougher than other cars I've driven. However, you'll get used to it quickly, and never notice again. I needed to have new brake pads and rotors (front and back) installed after 75 000 km, and this was quite expensive. The interior ergonomics are good, with a nice speedo/tach package that is easily readable by the driver. The climate controls are intuitive and easily reached. The one touch down driver side window is a nice feature that is very handy when you are trying to lower the window and get toll money at the same time. Windshield defrosting (and general heating) in the winter is average, and air conditioning in the summer is fine. The 4 speed automatic shifts smoothly and at sensible RPM's, with only a little lag in moving from 3rd to 4th. I have a set of Potenza all season sport radials, and I honestly have been a tad bit disappointed with the handling of the vehicle during winter (I'm in Canada - and I've driven in lots of wet and snowy conditions). However, all in all, you get a good, sporty car, that delivers on all performance expectations.

My only real complaints for the car stem from the little details that get very annoying after prolonged usage. The biggest of these is that I had to have the dealer repaint my front bumper (which is plastic) because the paint/clearcoat peeled off after only 13 months. And I just recently noticed the same problem in the area of the hood scoop at the 26 month point. (Update - Sept 03 - More large clearcoat/paint spots starting to peel off of hood. This is certainly an ongoing annoyance with this car.) This doesn't appear to be caused by rock chips or normal wear and tear. This is literally a crappy paint process from the manufacturer. It seems obvious to me that the paint job was less than well done, and I would beware of this when buying this car. Check the paint job.

Other than that, this car is a bit pricey, and you expect they would deliver on things like a light in the trunk...I can't believe how much of an inconvenience it is to try to pick groceries (that have been strewn all about due to tourqey engine) out of a dark trunk late at night! Also, the cup holder scheme is not very good. The sunroof buttons are mounted on the ceiling of the car - it looks like they saved money by not wiring the extra eight feet necessary to bring these controls down onto the middle console (between the front seats) to the right of the driver where I believe they belong.

Other bits: No variable timer on the intermittent wiper (surprisingly annoying)...foot room on passenger side is limited, even for average size people...The CD upgrade package price was ridiculous - I went to a stereo shop to get a Pioneer audio sound system for a way better price...No split fold down rear seats - hard to believe in this day and age.

Is it a good car? Absolutely. The rally sport pedigree shines through in the performance of the major components. But it does have some minor problems right out of the gate, and these are the types of things that Subaru should have been able to prevent/fix if they wanted to.

Sep 03 - Update - Well, the car now has 105 000 kms, and it is still working pretty well. I had to get an "L bushing" replaced in my gear shift box. I was hearing and feeling a terrible "grind" everytime I put the car in gear...but the part did not cost much. Still a pain in the butt, as it took two service centers before someone properly identified the problem, and any transmission problems are a scary thing.

I've had the car for a little over 3.5 years, and I'm starting to see a noticeable amount of rust starting on the typical spots...a little disappointing given this companies reputation for making rust resistant cars. The main trouble spots are all the weld and fold seams, like along the trunk and doors.

Fuel efficiency was horrible between 75 000 - 96 000, and this was partially fixed by a service recall that fixed a problem in the fuel injectors. Still, the efficiency is down (about 600-650 km highway driving).

Overall, the car is holding up okay, and I am still happy with it. If you are looking at buying a used Impreza, I would recommend checking some of the problem areas I've mentioned - and if you feel you can live with them, then I'd go ahead and buy it because the car is fairly solid.

Jul 04 - Update - The car is holding up well, but the plastic moulding arm rest - on the driver's side door - had a broken retention clip. Kind of scary because when I toggled my window switch, half of the arm rest "lifted" up with the switch. The replacement part was $15 bucks Canadian, and I was able to do the repair myself (all you need is a screwdriver and some gumption) - saving labour charges. The color of the replacement part doesn't quite match perfectly, which is a bit annoying...but I'm probably the only one who notices.

As for the paint job (particularly the clear coat), it is getting worse. I'm not sure what the problem is, but the paint on the hood is peeling like a sunburn in a few areas. Very annoying/frustrating as this car design still draws peoples looks...but this is bad if they're up close and can see the blistering.

Other bits: have new Michelin all season radials - they are much better than the old Potenza tires that came with the care. Grip and traction in the winter were markedly improved.

Car now has 116 000km's on it and I've had to have some more brake work done. Second time in last two years, so a bit of a concern there...not sure if the first brake job was shoddy or if the parts were to blame or what...definitely something to be wary of.

Had to replace a couple of struts as the car was not riding smoothly over pot-holes.
Amount Paid (US$): 18000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: Impreza 2.5RS 4dr auto