The Subaru Impreza's Q-car image
 

Has it finally hit rock bottom yet?

just my personal feelings,but I find myself apologising humbly lately when asked what car I drive:(

Hopefully its just a result of a fast approaching mid-life crisis.

Any thoughts?...and please feel free to slaughter me:D

don't think its much of a q car anymore due to everyone knowing what they are. the early cars where quite under stated with exception to the scoop(pre97 cars) unlike the cossies which where all wings and spoilers

mike:)

Its been superceded now, sadly.

Subaru destroyed the car when the Bug-Eye came out ..... only the hideous Ford Scorpio stopped it from being hailed as the most ugly car of all time!

It still has an air amongst the young lads - but, until it starts winning the rallies again, its not going to feature in the 'dream car' section again.

Its still the best 'overall' car I have owned .... not the best looking, not the most 'fun' - but certainly the fastest

Pete

I can appreciate the mid-life crisis bit but at the end of the day who cares what other people think. Your option is to sell it and drive something else.

I accept your point Jonsey,but for me and after 3 Imprezas,as much as I luv 'em.....they are the modern day XR3i or not:confused:

Elmer,

I have been thinking the same, wondering wheter I should have kept the RB5 as it was less noticible than the STI 03MY. All my neighbours think I am a boy racer with the Big spoiler and gold Wheels. I used to drive the car on the lake district roads (with the Cumbrian Scoobs and Faster Mike!) and now I live 12 miles from central London and wonder if it is worth having the scoob at all as there are cameras everywhere and too much king traffic.

I have owned a scoob for over ten years now so it is difficult to give it up.

Cheers

Dave

I think the Q car image vanished years ago. And yes, the Impreza does have a much poorer image than it used to - I think the XR3 analogy is spot on. If I do get another (it would be my fourth) it would have to be something like a black 5 door - something that looks a little more discrete. And much as I would like to have a car that peerforms like an STI - I'm sorry, I REALLY don't want something that shouts OI, LOOK AT ME they way they do!

Now, Spec B Legacies.... ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...i/DSCN1549.jpg

:D

more and more articles on other cars mention the comparison the the scoob and comment with things like "but at least it doesnt have the image problem..."

...are not as good as the Turbo Legacy B4s from Japan. :P

Hmm that was my plan. ;)

Sedate - discrete

http://www.scoobycity.co.uk/albums/a...dium.sized.jpg

But Subaru ownership is a bit like a bite from a rabid dog.

At first it doesn't seem so bad.

Then you deteriorate rapidly.

And then all sense of reason is overtaken by strange urges that you have no control over.

http://www.scoobycity.co.uk/albums/a...dium.sized.jpg

Mark

Certainly looks loads better with the PFF-7's :cool:

IMHO


Tony

Petter Solberg - 2003 world rally champion?

Sorry but my Car Rocks :D:D

http://www.sidtech.co.uk/iu/T5NYW002485473200.jpg

i agree T5NYW, it does rock, i too have a bug eye a UK300, and i think its great,

Discretion at its best, all go, no show. (well, only a big fat exhaust).

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...4439_0092c.jpg

I am 54 years old and have no guilt whatsoever about driving this car, looks like an ordinary estate car, but when the loud pedal is pressed it then becomes a Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon, the master stealth machine!.
You don't need big splitters or big spoilers unless you do a lot of high speed driving, your money should be spent on unseen mods if you don't want to be noticed.
Forget about midlife crisis and stuff what others think, they are probably just jealous.

I love my car and I really don't care about it's image. I still get nods from the guys and smiles from the laydees ;) It's very overt and I like that.
Hell, sometimes I don white trainers, jeans and a baseball cap and go fo a spin :D
Most of the time i'm in a suit and enjoying every single mile :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/09...k/bff6f5c4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/09...Wheels_002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/09..._camping_2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/09..._camping_1.jpg

i like discreet..... for now........

http://www.japanvehicles.com/newcars...WRX/specC1.JPG

Too many cars are subtle, discreet or understated these days IMHO. When was the last time you saw kids in the back of another car turn round and give the thumbs up to an M3 or RS4?

I like my STI the way it looks. You want understated? Go buy a debadged BMW 330D.

http://www.cawte.nildram.co.uk/STI/2D2E9042.jpg

image problem , not where ilive !! and i totally agree with the above quote

..and I like it too:)

I see no silly stickers or flamer kit,no Lexus lights and presumably it doesn't go phaaatooooopiiiishhhhhbollox everytime you change gear;)

Each to their own and all that,but for me the poor old Imprezas' image as an everyday road car has had it:(

Jon:D

you cant see flamer kits until there is a huge flame thrown at ya. ;)

They may have an image problem amongst the ignorant, but I bet the people who mock them have never been in one. That's the turning point - it's the way they drive that appeals.

When I first bought mine, a few eyebrows were raised amongst some of my mates, but now they've been in it a few times they love it!

I do fancy a change every now and again for something less attention grabbing, but then I go out for a drive in it..............

:)

(editted to mention it's a standard P1 by the way;))

I've never had anything but positive comments about my scoobs apart from one person .....

Who is my younger brother who drives a Rover 75 fer chrissakes!!!

But he still asks me for a drive now and again :)

The last time the Scoob had the Q car image was in about 1999/2000 if not earlier...






...Now Scoobs are just a Chav motor, especially the classic Scoob. The same has happened to the Scoob as happened to the saphire Cosworth in the early 90's, every chav and his mate on sink estates has one.

pslewis

totally agree

the Ford Scorpio, now there was the worst looking car EVER!!!!!!

:D :D

I adore the look of mine (03 STi). Sure it's not understated but I think it's perfectly proportioned. I must admit, in the short time I have had it I can't help noticing people staring at the scoop.

You can see what's going through their minds. "My god does that have to be so big" and " there must be a better way of advertising STi than putting it under the bonnet and creating a big peep-hole for it"

I love it; awesome drive, awesome sound.
Enough said for me.

Keith

This conversation has been had numerous times before, the general feeling was that the Impreza has had it's fair share of time at the top and now with so many other 200bhp + cars on the road and the Impreza having a chav image people are shying away from buying a Subaru.
Instead they buy something equally as powerfull, more discreet, cheaper to insure, less likely to get nicked and most importantly something that doesn't halve in value in the first 2yrs :eek:

Although having said all that, I really do fancy a Lancer when I can finally get my finances sorted :)
Loads of power, not as "in your face" as the Impreza and much rarer.

We had a meet last weekend in Stoke, 15 of us parked up, obviously all parked the same way and people were still driving passed slowly having a gawp!

Some people even came over to take pictures and talk to some of us. They may be chavmobiles but you still have to go a long way to get a more menacing group of cars together that prompt so much attention.......supercars come to mind and that's about it.

I love my wagon and now that it's debadged I still get proper chavs asking what it is.....of course I tell em it's a T5......or an ambulance, yes it's white.

Think what ya like......but I know what i like;)

Sk.

They're certainly not Q-cars anymore; the cat was let out of the bag long ago regarding their performance!! They are, however, generally fondly regarded, I just popped out in mine to drop someone off at the local station (4 mile round trip) and in that time I spotted 4 people crane their necks around for a 2nd look and heard one person comment very positively about the flat four rumble.

I maintain that these cars are still Icons and -even if every Chav in the world ends up with one, which they won't cause of the prohibitive insurance, I haven't even seen anyone under 25 driving one around my way- it can't detract from their contribution to performance motoring. I don't think the xr3 analogy is at all appropriate, Cosworth Escort, maybe!

At the end of the day though, i couldn't give a rats ar*e about the image: I drive what I like, end of story! (apologies for being blunt) :)