When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My daily drive for the past 5 years has been a Morgan 4/4 Sport, and as I live in the mountains I finally came to accept that a winter car was probably a good idea.
Requirements were:
Good handling in the winter & snow (obviously)
Able to carry skis (on the roof or inside)
Hugely quick
Relatively inexpensive to run/service/insure
Huge indecision about what to get - for quite some time a Lancia Delta Integrale Evo was right up there, but reliability & costs were a worry. A friend suggested an Impreza, and when I mentioned this to the long-haired General, the decision was made with her comment "Oooh. I like Subarus".
And so it came to pass:
29000 miles. In very good nick, and came with a (spare) set of original wheels, roll bars, suspension, and complete exhaust.
358 WHP on a rolling road in Switzerland. An absolute joy to drive.
Thanks Hedgecutter. Hope you have a good trip - I was reading a Canadian forum on Subarus and they rave about their handling in the snow.
Sublime with winter tyres. Where do you live ? We will be heading up the Maurienne Valley, and maybe through the Frejus to Montgenevre, after staying with friends between Lyon and Chambery. Nearly moved to France this year !!
Sublime with winter tyres. Where do you live ? We will be heading up the Maurienne Valley, and maybe through the Frejus to Montgenevre, after staying with friends between Lyon and Chambery. Nearly moved to France this year !!
Excellent - there's some great roads in that part of the world; some great restaurants in the hills as well. In the summer my two wheels friends love the Alps around Montgenevre.
I'm a bit further north - 25kms away from Geneva, but in France. La Vallèe Verte!
I must have been past on the way to Les Carroz a few years ago; We went to the Maurienne after finding places too busy in the mega resorts, so if you know any hidden gems to ski ?! We look for small and empty, with easily accessible off piste. Talking of 2 wheels, one of the best things to happen to me in France was on the auto route through Chambery a few years ago, in spring. All the sports bikes were out, and this guy came alongside, gesturing. I thought he was giving me the finger for some reason, and looked again... he pointed at his fuel tank ( Triumph), gave us a massive thumbs up, and roared off. It made my day, especially from a Frenchman !
I must have been past on the way to Les Carroz a few years ago; We went to the Maurienne after finding places too busy in the mega resorts, so if you know any hidden gems to ski ?! We look for small and empty, with easily accessible off piste. Talking of 2 wheels, one of the best things to happen to me in France was on the auto route through Chambery a few years ago, in spring. All the sports bikes were out, and this guy came alongside, gesturing. I thought he was giving me the finger for some reason, and looked again... he pointed at his fuel tank ( Triumph), gave us a massive thumbs up, and roared off. It made my day, especially from a Frenchman !
I'll have to check up with friends for decent off-piste. I'm a bit less adventurous and stick for the most part with some great local ski stations for on-piste. That said, if the snow's good the world's your oyster in any of the smaller places (not so much big swooping turns on virgin slopes, but plenty of good action in the trees).
Like the bike anecdote. I have a lot of time for the bikers in France - generally very good, sensible, drivers ) and fast.
If you ever see any at a breakers/scrap yard in france, I'm after a left hand drive drivers seat as I need the height adjustment base for my passenger seat in the uk as my wife hits her head because the seat is too high with a sunroof.
If you ever see any at a breakers/scrap yard in france, I'm after a left hand drive drivers seat as I need the height adjustment base for my passenger seat in the uk as my wife hits her head because the seat is too high with a sunroof.
Thanks,
I'll keep an eye out for a seat. I take it you are after a blue and black one?
Probably the best website in France for such an item is Le Bon Coin. Try the link below periodically - something might turn up:
thanks that link will be handy. I've actually got leather, but I'm hoping I can swap over the existing base material to the runner and mountings so not too important. I'm looking for the completely flat base (not with the coloured sections under your legs/bum.)
Nice impreza, welcome to the forum. You picked well with the impreza, i remember a few winters ago, me and a lorry driver were helping to push cars up a hill, when it was my turn went up in one go no wheel spin.
I've driven through France a few times and I didn't really see any other Subarus at all. The only one I remember seeing was a gendarme. They had a good look over mine in the car park before driving off.
Last edited by SirFozzalot; 03 October 2016 at 10:12 PM.
Reason: Pic added
I've only seen one other Impreza since I bought the car, and that was in Switzerland. Maybe it is something to do with the number of left-hand-drive cars they made
17 September 2016, 09:26 AM
New winter car - Hawkeye STI
They had a good look over mine in the car park before driving off. 
