Used 2005 Subaru Impreza Sedan Consumer Reviews
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Great car with a few short comings
I've had my car for almost 3 years now and have done a few modifications. It has a rear sway bar (Subaru), short shifter (Subaru), K&N filter, front strut tower, and Whiteline anti-lift kit. My goal was to keep it in warranty but have fun in the corners. I've gotten rid of the excess body roll but need a little more power (like 15 hp). In the snow and rain it performs like a dream. I would recommend all of my upgrades to anybody that wanted a more sporty feel in handling.
Next time I'll go Manual
We're getting ready to trade in old Scooby due to punishing fuel consumption and need for more room for older-folks stuff like groceries, boxes of toys, gallon jugs of milk, etc. The car's been utterly reliable; nothing's fallen off; nothing creaks or buzzes, even after 3 1/2 years. The interior's pretty dull to the point of being jail cell-like. The base engine / auto box combination is far from ideal -- pretty sluggish actually, but really, I can't complain. It handles superbly and corners like it's on rails, you run out of courage before the car runs out of grip. It's hardly depreciated, always started, and would make a brilliant student car. Well done.
- 2.5 RS WagonMSRP: $11,800196 mi away
- WRXMSRP: $17,995210 mi away
- Outback Sport WagonMSRP: $5,499238 mi away
Fun to drive
This car is awesome to drive. It is fun, and provides good handling and feel for the road. Not recommended for driving over bumpy roads, unless you want a sore behind. A bit rough, definitely not a luxury car. The interior is cheap; for my car, the seat material was wrinkling up (got it fixed through warranty), drivers visor mirror fell off, stock armrest extension not secured well to the car (quite fragile), and several other issues. This car was definitely meant to be modded (modified).
WOW
I'm recently out of a 2002 Civic Ex and into an Impreza RS 2.5 auto. I was shocked to see how much my Subaru rode and handled like a VW. The Subaru is rock solid, has excellent handling and sticks to the road like glue. Made my old Civic EX feel like I was driving a wheelbarrow. Fit and finish are on par with the rest of Japan. This vehicle comes highly recommended
Great car, poor lumbar support
If you're looking for a fun-to-drive car that's inexpensive, yet fast "out of the box" -- look no further. Yes, an Evo is faster, but you can get a dealership down to $23/24K with research and careful choice of options. Also, I wonder if Mitsu Co. will be around in a decade. For anyone who has a long commute, I would heartily recommend buying lumbar support. Otherwise, after the 1K break-in period, this all-wheel drive turbo fun machine will have you grinning at every driving opportunity. That is, if you can drive a manual transmission. I'm 6 foot with a 32 inch inseam, and have no problem fitting into the driver's seat. The pedals are set for heel-toe driving, so get tapered shoes.
Truck replacement
I was looking for a car to replace my truck so I got the Subaru and a utility trailer. The Subaru with AWD is much better than my truck in 4WD in the snow. The Subaru gets 24-27MPH the truck got 17-18. They are equal speed. I can tow up to 1500 pounds including the weight of the trailer which is all that I need for house hold chores and toy (ATV/Dirtbike) hauling. The mechanics of this car are solid. I am not easy on it and nothing has failed me. I even went 80,000 before replacing the brakes and 50,000 before the tires. This car handles so well in the snow that it is not even fun.
Good For The Money
This is an excellent small sedan that, while not a WRX, is still plenty of fun. The reliability and build quality have proven to be top notch so far. The interior is well-designed and sporty-feeling, and I personally LOVE the exterior design of the Impreza. Acceleration is very good from any speed, handling is very predictable, and the motor has a nice deep rumble to it. The ride quality is very good, though to compensate, there is quite a bit of body roll during aggressive cornering. Fuel economy is good for a 3000-pound car with all-wheel-drive; I've been getting around 25 mpg with hard driving, both city and highway. All in all, a great choice if you just can't afford a WRX.
Lots-a-fun
This is my 7th Subaru. All except the '98 RS coupe got to 200k miles. VERY tossable. Now we have 30k on it and only a few mods. Silencer removal, Prodrive 17's with M3's, K&N, front and rear braces. Future mods on order include braided lines, Hawk HPS pads, front & rear skid-plates from Primitive Racing, and full synthetic Redline conversion. Went playing in 12" of unplowed wet snow for 1.5 hours. Took 4 hrs to get the snow off it. Worth the work! Buy it -Have fun.
Great "Middle of the Road" Sports Sedan.
I used to drive a 2003 Nissan SER SpecV and the WRX is better in every aspect. Fantastic car to modify. The possibilities are endless. Love the aftermarket/car club atmosphere surrounding this car. Not a better deal for $23k....shoulda bought an STi.
Made the Right Choice
Got it over a week ago and I can't take my hand off the wheels. I was aiming for the turbo model but decided to go for the RS mainly because of fuel economy, theft avoidance and it's my daily driver. It's a thrill to drive especially on twisty corners. Gears and suspension are outstanding. The engine growls like a beast. Overall, I'm very satisfied with my RS's performance and handling. Can't wait to drive it snow.