Used 2008 Subaru Impreza Sedan Consumer Reviews
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3rd Subie
nsky, 11/29/2010
2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
24 of 24 people found this review helpful
Bought a used 2008 with high miles to replace an aging Mazda B truck. I also compared a few 2006-2007 models, but no WRX's in the same price range. The 06-07's were much more fun to drive- more connected to the road. The 08 is much quieter and smoother like a "grown-up" car as my wife put it ( she drives an Outback, which we LOVE) I'm a sporty driver with a heavy foot, and the gas mileage is OK- about 23 for urban- suburban commuting, quite often in bumper to bumper. If you want a gas sipper, look elsewhere. If you want AWD security, your're in the right place. 35 MPG is useless if you can't get out of the driveway.
Not a WRX, but still love it
AJ, 04/10/2018
2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
19 of 21 people found this review helpful
This car has never given me any major problems in the short time that I’ve owned it. Already have some good memories with it. I’m 19 years old now, and was in the market for a used Subaru in the spring of 2017 as I have always admired subies. Couldn’t afford a newer Subaru, let alone an older WRX so I settled for the 08 impreza which was the best deal I found in the area at the time. Exterior is nothing amazing, but better looking than any American sedan of that year. Basic interior as it is a base model, but that doesn’t matter to me (cuz it has aux w/ good speakers!) as it seems cars w/ lots of technology are always breaking (my moms new 2018 Legacy limited had several interior electrical issues in the first couple months of ownership). None of the dreaded head gasket issues that seemed to plague Subaru for many years had affected my car, I think they solved that problem years ago. Boxer engine has a nice little growl to it which I plan to make louder and throatier with some mods. Although it is nowhere near fast, it has decent acceleration and can be pretty quick in sport mode. The winter is a breeze to drive in deep snow w/ subaru’s AWD as I live in Chicago area. Deep snow arrived last winter, first couple hours I saw 5+ cars stuck in the several inches of snow in my neighborhood. this car goes right thru the snow like a champ. Very fun to play with in the snow, will never get stuck. Planning to keep this car for awhile, already began to modify it a little bit. Only thing I had to do so far was replace brake pads, rotors, calipers, brake line flush, etc. because the brakes began to feel very soft and squishy. it was a bit costly (full brake service over $900) but that was the very first time any of those had been replaced on this car. Other than that, cost of maintenance has been minimal, w/ $30 oil changes and such. MPG could be better (average of about 21 city miles isn’t that good for a 4 banger) but gets better on the highway of course. Also, the front left tire keeps losing air, I’ll fill it up and then the TPMS light will come back on within 1-2 weeks which shouldn’t happen. Hasn’t been a major issue, im just gonna swap the boring stock rims for black aftermarkets w/ new tires once i have more money, and voilà. Change oil every 3,000 miles and inspect the engine bay and undercarriage a few times a month and this car will not let you down. Overall, a very reliable car that is fun and easy to drive, especially in heavy snow, and I would highly recommend over any American sedans of around the same age.
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10 Years of Ownership
Alf Anning, 12/28/2017
updated 07/02/2018
2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
I hit a deer today, ending my 10 years and 1 month of ownership of my metallic gray 2.5i Subaru Impreza, and I am very sad. It was a basic vehicle, but I really liked it that way as nothing really broke. I upgraded my stereo on my own this last year so I could have bluetooth connectivity, but other than that, I liked the manual heating selectors and lights as I feel like the electronic gadgets tend to break very easily. I replaced the clutch around 100k and had a weird issue with the ignition coils that resurfaced later, but was likely due to a bad patch-job by the first mechanic. Outside of that, it got me through more than 155k miles, countless rain and snowstorms, and some very long drives between New England and the Southeastern US. This car was safe and reliable, and I'll miss it especially for that. The AWD was extremely reliable: I never, ever worried when it rained. I drove my wife through a heavy snowstorm when we had just started dating, something she still brings up as a wonderful memory to this day. I didn't love the two interactions I had with the dealership, but if I had to do this again, I absolutely would.
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Pleasant car to drive
Tom, 11/04/2010
2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 4dr Sedan AWD w/Sat Radio, Nav, VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
This car is very quiet, nothing like the rattle box my wife's Focus is. Engine is very quiet, that my wife can't hear it well, and try to restart it twice. I don't like the abs at times as it kick in prematurely, but most time it is quiet. The interesting "safety" feature about the car is that if you forget to tighten your gas cap well, or if any glitches occur in the engine or drive train - the Cruise control light flashes, check engine light goes on, and the traction control light goes on. This scared the jeepers out of me at first - but it is an important safety feature to protect the engine. You can buy a code reader for $20 or take to action auto for the code to be read.
Slow Love Affair
Chicabags, 11/06/2009
2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 4dr Sedan AWD w/Sat Radio, Nav, VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
This is my first brand new car and Subaru. My first driving an AWD as well. At first I didn't like it much. It took me a year to appreciate it. In time I experienced how safe it kept in challenging weather, bumping terrain sudden braking. I love how safe it keeps me on the road. This is important to me since I drive quite a bit on a daily basis, street and highway. However, there are a lot of things I would like changed. Appreciate anti-theft features standard with the model.
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