I don't let the image of a few sticker ***** and yobs in old WRXs influence my decision to drive a Subaru.

It's like saying I won't drive an M5 or AMG Merc because there are a few chavs in old ones knocking round the local council estate.

 

No there aren't

 

 

There is round my way! Older ones admittidly.

 

C46's and peanut-eyed C32's are falling into the wrong hands, as are first and second generation E55's.

Seen some CL600s going for really really low prices recently, tempting but it's telephone numbers on the cheque if something goes wrong!

 

It's £10k you've got to be prepared to walk away from if something major goes wrong, advice I should have taken when my Type R shat itself the first time.

 

difference is though how many old mercs and beemers drive around covered with stickers and lexarse lights "racing" everyone.

 

Plus they are all rust buckets by now.

 

For what it's worth, I think any person who is a real petrol head should own an Impreza or (dare I say it for risk of flaming) an Evo at some point.

Yes the Impreza does/did have an image problem back in the ’00 ies, and yes you still see a few wallyed up ones going round now, but in general they will start to be seen as a classic; especially those that haven’t been modded and decaled (badly) to the hilt. There aren’t that many unmolested ones left that have been looked after.

I’ve been waiting for some time to get my hands on one but I wanted the market to drop to the bottom, then make the right purchase and have a useable and potentially collectable car. I’ve also wanted to have my own piece of 4wd turbo action for quite a while having always had rear wheel drive 2 seaters.

Where I live the main cars of choose for your discerning wally driver:

Focus ST MrkII (I imagine chipped to the hilt)
BMW’s 330, 325’s mainly, all M Sport obviously
Seat (any of the R series)
Mini Cooper S
Audi S3
Civic Type R EP3

They are all cheap (2nd hand market has dopped hugely), in plentiful stock and easy to do work to to beef them up. Younger drivers can also get insured on them easier than an Impreza.

When I had my S2000, these were without fail the cars that would want to drive up your backside/cut you up etc. So what? as you get older don’t worry about it.

In my eyes, what none of them have on the Impreza (maybe apart from the Civic Type R) is the heritage or effective 4wd system.

To bring this back to the 535d…..in a straight line when you are rolling, why bother? It’s got a massive lump with a twin turbo on which spools up much lower than a Subaru…..as with most modern diesel cars, oodles of torque in the mid-range. Put it on a twisty road/track against the Impreza and the tables would turn.

Buy/own/modify a car for the smile it puts on your face and those other road users who appreciate that motor, there’s nowt better than getting a thumbs up from another driver as they appreciate your steed. Equally, don’t give a toss what others think if they only judge cars on stereotype. As for racing everyone, when I was a bit younger I bought a Porsche as I got fed up of idiots trying to race me in the S2000 and wanted something that would blow them away…..it was nice, one of the best handling cars I’ve owned and we had fun in it BUT it was just another Porsche on a road system with an ever increasing number of them on and I ended up missing the S2000 more as it just felt a bit more special. I’ve gone for an Impreza to have that feeling of something a bit more special again.

My tuppence worth.

 

Cough, CL600's are made of aluminium!

Anyway I was only having a laugh with the AMG comment ... although if I ever do see an SL55 on a chav estate I shall weep!

 

I'm not sure if Asian chaps are considered chav, but AMG's, Mercs and BM's are mostly driven by Asian's where I'm from.

 

because Asian families/farthers are rich and have cash money and the kids are on policy as named drivers

 

Most Asians I know work all the hours god (or whoever) sends so good luck to 'em.