NotoriousREV

If I read one more whinge about how because older Impreza's are now cheap it's destroying the image, I'll have to remove someone's head [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Face it, the Impreza has always had a boy racer image, it's never been exclusive, people admire them because they are quick and handle well. Get over it or buy a BMW.

STi go fast

"Face it, the Impreza has always had a boy racer image"

and now the boy racers are buying them.

NotoriousREV

"and now the boy racers are buying them."

They always did

DavidRB

We were just old boy racers to begin with.

bros2

The boy racers buying them now are the ones at the bottom of the market. The slightly more mature/older punter is being put off, cos they don't want to be thought of as a doughnutting, neon-lit, backwards-cap-wearing, dump-valve-blatting twerp.

Which means that the market will fall apart in a few years, cos the only reason the boy racers have their cars cheap is because someone bought them new in the first place. People are being seriously put off Imprezas by the image, the poor interior, and the fact that as a company car they're hard to justify on CO2.

Shades of the Escort Cosworth, I'm afraid.

bros

JayCole

who gives a sh*t?

If so called 'boy racers' can afford them then fair enough - At the end of the day you always get 'boy racers' in these sort of cars - some are old, some are young - Nothing anyone can do bout it - End of.

I'm young and I have a P1 - does that make me a boy racer? - I don't think I am but other people prob will but who cares.

NotoriousREV

"People are being seriously put off Imprezas by the image, the poor interior"

But these problems have always been around, it's just that people spending £20k think they're not as bad as the Nova drivers. Guess what, those Nova drivers will be the next generation of new performance car buyers. It's already been proven that a lot of SN'ers have driven some godawful peices of crap in their time (mine was a particularly ugly 1430cc Mini that went like stink).

Put it this way, when I told my sister I wanted an Evo VII she told me to grow up and buy a decent car, this from someone who drives a Fiesta Diesel. Just because you think your car has a particular image, doesn't mean the rest of the world sees it that way. Ask any non-car-loving punter in the street what kind of person drives an Impreza (classic or new-age) and I bet they'd lump us in with the Nova brigade in a flash (and would have done before Imprezas were below £15k too)

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Ah but when the cheapest imprezas were 15K the man in the street would say 'whats an impreza?' as did a vast majority of 'low end boy racers' to put it politely. Nowadays this doesn't happen.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Well the way i see it is that the boy racers can afford them, but due to the fact they cant afford the servicing etc they will be left without any car when the engine goes bang so it actually keeps them off the road

Tony

NotoriousREV

Sorry Jay, I don't agree. Me and my mates knew what a Legacy quad-cam turbo was capable of before the Impreza ever came out, I think you're looking back through rose-tinted spectacles if you really beleive that Impreza's were this quiet little Q-car.

marty_t3

I've bought a bottom of the market 94 WRX because of it's reputation and because they are finally affordable. I can't afford a brand new bugeye. If i had the 20 odd grand to buy one i'd buy something better from the used market. I have never been a boy racer (never even owned a baseball cap).... I have owned several fast cars since i was 18. I'm now a "older/mature" IT analyst with a family.

I think you'll find a lot of older 'classic' scoob owners are in a pretty similar boat and couldn't care less about the boy racer image this car is getting.

I get accused of being a boy racer myself (despite being nearly 30 and having a baby seat in the passenger seat).. who cares.

I just like good cars!!!!

JoeyDeacon

Another reason for the Impreza falling out of fashion is the fact that it really isn't that quick anymore. For £12,995 you can buy a Renault Clio Cup, for £15,995 you can buy a Civic Type R and for £16,995 you can buy a Seat Leon Cupra R. All 3 of these cars are going to be as quick as an Impreza WRX in real world driving with much cheaper running costs.

JayCole

QUOTE >>>Put it this way, when I told my sister I wanted an Evo VII she told me to grow up and buy a decent car, this from someone who drives a Fiesta Diesel. Just because you think your car has a particular image, doesn't mean the rest of the world sees it that way. Ask any non-car-loving punter in the street what kind of person drives an Impreza (classic or new-age) and I bet they'd lump us in with the Nova brigade in a flash (and would have done before Imprezas were below £15k too) <<<


NotoriousREV,

That's spot on mate. When I told people at work what I was getting they immediatly said why don't you get a BM or something rather than that boy racer thing. It's a wide boy's car. All scooby owners (no, most) think they have a non boy racer image type of car but from what people of said to me it's put in the same class as saxo's, nova's, mitusbishi's etc - Oviously not the performance but the look etc is.

Anyway, I don't care what people think I love my car so I'm happy

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

But I was thinking in terms of a 'non loving car punter in the street', not the petrol head car freak that I am. Oh and I wear rose tinted contact lenses thankyou very much

Edit so it reads like wot I meant it to

[Edited by Jay m A - 10/16/2002 11:31:07 AM]

uxg

I think the Fast and the Furious is to blame which bought about a wider interest in the japanese car scene. Previous to this film, grey imports were avaible but not widely known about. Then all of a sudden everyone wants a japanese road weapon so you suddenly get all these import dealers bringing in a flood of grey imports.

It was the grey import scene that moved me over from german marques to japanese. The UK Subaru turbo didn't really do it for me at the time. I don't want to put down any UK turbo owners but £15K-20K for 215bhp didn't seem like such a performance bargain to me but when grey import STi's started to become readily available, 276bhp out the box for not a lot of money definstely won out the in bang for bucks stakes.

Most people interested in these kinds of cars are after the quickest\best handling car they can get for their money so it's not surprising that the Impreza is becoming so popular. I spent a lot of time investigating various jap cars but for my budget and the type of car I wanted the Impreza won hands down.

davyboy

LMAO

I think its the old supply and demand thing. There are now so many Impreza's for sale, prices have dropped, a lot! Cos the car costs less, younger dudes can afford them.

Fantom

why do people give such a crap about what other people think of their car????
If everyone thought that Ferrari drivers were absolute tossers, it wouldn't stop me from driving one!!

co55ie

Why do you all care ? Why do you give a stuff what other people think? Enjoy your cars? Subaru's , cossies , evo's etc are enthusiast's cars not crap mass produced over priced under engineered bavarian taxis.
Give some of these kids some repect some of em are seriously clever little engineers don't laugh at there Nova's give em some credit some of em are amazing little machines alot of hard work may have gone into it so they deserve some respect certainly more so than the man who goes and buys an of the shelf M3 and thinks its something special which its not. Surely its a good thing that these cars still attract enthusiasts both young and old.
I was allways under the impression than a BMW 3 series in its variants was also seen as a boy racer/***** car and usually driven by some stupid wannabe who in reality couldn't even afford the boy racers A reg Nova if his/her company didn't provide them with one.
We all know that Armani jeans in reality are no better than asda ones.


[Edited by co55ie - 10/16/2002 1:51:00 PM]

[Edited by co55ie - 10/16/2002 2:16:12 PM]

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Computer/console and arcade games really brought the Impreza to the public's attention. The people who played those games are now car owners. Guess what sort of car they aspire to?
No, no prizes.
Like many others on here, I'm sure, I too had a shed that went well/handled well/looked awful, and aspired to the best at that time, When the price fell, I did buy aan Escort RS2000!!! And I'm talking Mk2 here! "Professionals" ruled OK!
Unless we arrange for Imprezas to self destruct at 5 years old, (noooooooooo, mine has only 9 months to live, sob!), this so-called problem will not go away.
Who cares what image your car has? Do you think Beemer drivers care? Or Porker drivers? Or any other cult car?
I for one don't. If you do, easy, sell your Scoob, and buy something more obscure....perhaps a Westfield, or a Caterham? They're rare enough for you?
Cheers guys, just off out to LOOK at my car again. Even that gives me pleasure, I always look back at it as I park it.......................sad aren't I?
Alcazar :