PEN

Just curious what it was that made you say to yourself 'That's it - that's the car for me?'

With me it was about six years ago and we were driving through France on one of the motorways and we both heard this noise coming up fast behind us.... then woooosh... as this streak of white lightening drove past the car... My comment was 'what the f*** was that'... when we caught the car up at the Peage ... we realised it was an Impreza...

Right I said I'm 'aving one of those... two weeks later my first Impreza Turbo was on order....

P

JoeyDeacon

I had been interested in them for years and by chance my girlfriend had borrowed a Saab company car that needed to go in for a service. As we were borrowing the car for a few months we agreed to take the car to the dealer for its servce. The dealer just happened to also be a Subaru dealer so I asked my girlfriend if we could test drive and Impreza for something to do while we were waiting. After all even if they thought I was wasting there time they are hardly going to refuse if we turn up in the Saab.

Well everything was going OK, the dealer had just been driving it normally for a few miles and I didn't really see what all the fuss was about. Suddenly the dealer dropped it down to second, floored it and I got that funny feeling in your stomach you get when a car is accelerating hard. That was it I had to buy one and ordered it that day.

Obviously me buying one then triggered the values to go into freefall and the car is so expensive to run that it is a joke. It is a similar experience to just setting fire to a £20 note before I drive the 5 miles to work in the morning.


[Edited by JoeyDeacon - 1/18/2002 12:36:03 PM]

alistair

Liked them for a while, drove a UK demonstrator but was put off by the 6 months+ waiting list (this was early 1998).

I then read several magazine articles in quick succession that were STi4 vs Evo 5. THe basic message was that the STi was better in every way than the UK car and the delivery time was shorter. OK they were more money but I ordered one the same day and I've never looked back.

davyboy

The Noise!!

Thanks Soobysport

Shakur'n'Salt

When I looked at a rather sad and old 92' sapphire cossie next to my scoob in the show room! lol

RB170

I used to own an old Subaru GLF which was attacked by a Nissan Blue Bird whilst being parked, I had to take it to the Subaru garage in Cuffley (now selling Volvo's)to have it repaired. Whilst there a sales man asked me if I'd like to test drve the new Impreza Turbo OK I said, got in it, started it up and OH MY F***ING GOD

That was it and it took me 5 years or so to get one.

Mike



[Edited by RB170 - 1/18/2002 6:24:54 PM]

BarryK

Proper non-jeep like 4WD car.

ZIPPY

Everybody looks at them and instantly thinks nice car ohh and there F**king fast.Fist time i drove one couldnt believe the acceleration from it (MY97)it didnt even look that good especially the interior but boy did she go.Since that car i've had an RB5 Prodrive,and i'm now on an MY01, once bitten forever hooked.

Zippy

LeighJ

Wanted one before I even drove one, drove one bought it. The looks, speed, handling all of the above. Had a new BM before the scooby, was glad to see the back it, BORING.

Sadman

The first time I drove one!

Had been looking for a replacement for for a Rover Coupe Turbo and had heard a lot about the Scoob from a friend who's a police driver in Surrey. They had one christened the 'Pocket Rocket'! I just wasn't that enamoured by the looks.

So off I go to a Toyota dealer to test drive the new Celica. Fantastic looking car & was quite impressed by the feel of the car but was just missing that turbo edge that I had got used to with the Rover.

So off to the Subaru dealer to see what all the fuss was about. Took a five door out for a test drive. Pootled through the traffic out of town thinking OK so far then found a bit of open road. Wow! Hadn't had so much fun since my motorbike days.

So that was it - sold! 40000 miles and 2 years on and I've still got the smile on my face!

Bitten Hero

Was looking at getting a sporty car, couple of years old. Test drove an MGF, Audi A3 TSport, TVR Chimaera 4.0, Lexus IS200... just to get a feel for the different options. Was following the TSport route until I thought it would be worth trying out the Series McRae that Welch's dealership had.



This was a car like no other! I still vividly remember the first time I floored it in 2nd from about 20mph out of a junction... the acceleration was so violent (compared to my old Rover 214SEi ) that when I went to change up at about 6000rpm I found my hand had fallen off the gearstick and I had to sink the clutch, breathe deeply, and pop her in 5th to recover Unbelievable...

That was it then, I had to have one. Couldn't really justify the £22000 that they wanted for the McRae, or a new one really - then discovered the import option. One MY00 ordered from Holland a month later, picked up 5 months later, three days before it was unveiled at the Motor Show in the UK

No looking back!

Richard

fast bloke

Nearly bought one in 1994 without knowing about them - based simply on performance figures. Checked out scary insurance and forgot about them. 1997 I was in my mates Corrado VR6 boot down in 3rd when this blue flash went thundering past. Thought - 'Ferk what was that' Went for a test drive to see if they all went like that and bought it on the spot.

Nigel H

I'd always wanted one, but never had the cash. I suppose I wanted one 'cos they were very fast, understated and supposedly reliable.

Always thought that they cost a bit too much, but then one day I was passing the Canary Wharf motor show and they had a new (2001) WRX on display. Went and sat in it and had a good look around (nobody bothered me), and thought this is the business. It was all down hill from there.

Went to a dealer for a test drive, which just confirmed that I was hooked. But 22k still seemed steep, then I discovered imports and I've now got a 2001MY which is great.

I like it 'cos it's a bit different (i.e. not a BM or an Audi), it's fast, good to drive and my wife can drive it too. (Had a Corrado VR6 a few years, but she found that too heavy to drive). It's also a good family car - I can easily get all the 3yr old's clobber in.

Are you taking all of this in IM?!

Scrappy2

Followed one 'quickly' then mouth dropped when it went round a roundabout at warp 10 as if on rails. Found out what it was - did some reading - Toss up between a Golf VR6 and the Scooby, went for the test drives, bought the scoob on the day

mrbenbod2

I drew up a list of cars that fitted my requirements:

I was looking at spending upto £12500
Wanted a car that was a maximum of 5 years old
4 doors
Room for at least 3 sets of golf clubs in the boot
Fast
Good acceleration
Good handling
Obviously looked good

After looking at a Saab 900 Turbo, BMW 325/328(not the coupe),
Audi A4 quattro and the Scoob I was in no doubt about which car I wanted. The only one that came close was the Beamer but they were more expensive for the same age of car.
I think I made the right choice.
Absolutely Love it.

broom5

been interested in them for a while and decided to have a test drive one day. took my old man with me to see what he thought of them and we took 2 cars out for a run.
the salesman just took it canny at first to warm it up and then onto some ideal impreza roads in the dales. my old man nearly **** his pants when i asked the salesman what it can do, he floored it hugging the road and taking bends i would of previously thought impossible at that speed,
me in the front
dad in the back
awesome, he knew how to drive to and that sold me the scoob

dave.

Mungo

What clinched it?
When the wife had floored it in second during the test-drive and said "we have just got to have this car!!"

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

I'd always wanted a turbo 4wd ever since the Audi Quattro Turbo was around. Grip & power & more grip Nearly bought one of them, a Mazda 323 & even considered a Saph Cossie 4wd. When the Impreza first showed up, wanted one but time & finances against me However, when Ez arrived & wife wanted a bigger car with air-con & I showed her the residuals were (then) good & payments cheap, less than 2 weeks after she said yes (took me 3 days) I was picking up PTMW! from the showroom Never even test drove it.

Been happy as a pig in poo ever since

scud8

iTrader: (1)

I'd been looking for a 4WD saloon car for a while, and, since this was 1996, hardly anyone did them. I'd been looking for a second hand Cavalier GSI-2000 with no success, so did a skim through the tables in the back of Car magazine looking for 4WD saloons and came across the Impreza.

Not quite clear exactly when I was hooked. Whether it was the test drive, or when first saw one, but I have a suspicion I was committed as soon as I saw the 0-60 figures. Took me a while to persuade the wife we could afford a Turbo, but never looked back.

tiggers

Sometime in early 1995 I was driving quite hastily down a wet country lane when up ahead a weird looking estate vehicle with huge foglights appeared at the junction of a side road. I thought he was going to stop and let me go before pulling out behind me, but no, he just went for it and with a perfect balance of power and grip was safely in front of me. Having gone round the next few bends he just disappeared in to the distance leaving with just one tought - I want one!

Regards,

tiggers.

Des O'Corner

I just love the way they go round bends

kevin stanton

took it out for a test drive and went to over take a car. It was the feeling of being pushed back into the seat the first time you really floored it. the power and the noise from the turbo.

rapiddescent

you are never going to believe this; but, one of my first cars in the playstation game was a 5dr scoob turbo. I had never really seen one before, so, I went for a real test drive and bought my first 5dr SPORT within a week (I run a mountain bike co and need the space) - totally on the basis of it being good in the game.

since then, I have got a wrx wagon purely because of all the turbo discussions in IWOC - a mailling list I subscribed to after buying the Sport impreza. I am one of the few people who thinks that the wrx wagon is light years ahead of the old shape sport wagon.

funny how that happened.
rd

dsmith

RAC Rally of '94 - I was in my Nova SR in a convoy of about 5 Warm/Hot hatches, going at a reasonable pace along the roman road near Kielder (back from grizedale I think). Narrow road, lots of snow either side.Impreza came up behind the convoy and did the lot of us in one go. "Hmmmmm", I thought, "I'd like one of those......"

Deano

Brendan Hughes

Had 20k and decided I wanted a 4-seater car that did ANYTHING I wanted it to do - I'd loved my old Dutton which would do a sharp left-hander slightly after the last minute. Read up, decided it was a toss-up btwn Scoob and 1989 Pork 911.

Test drove the 911 in the morning, all at 40mph. Boring as hell, and non-power steering meant I had to wrench it round roundabouts, rather than flick it. I think the salesman didn't believe I would buy it. He certainly seemed nervous even driving it himself.

Had the scoob in the afternoon, salesman next to me said I could do what I liked. So I cracked it down a dual carriageway, and felt the back step out slightly as I went over a bump round a bend. Wondered what all the "grip" fuss was about, until I glanced at the speedo. Slightly surprised. Puzzled, I asked the salesman if it was in mph or kph as I eased off. He told me mph. OMG, I was doing THAT on an A road round a curve?

Sold.

BJH

Squizz

Had the option of around £20K for a sporty car. Was considering a TVR Chimaera, as an upgrade from my TR7V8.

I was contract working at the time, so wanted a reliable car, that I could safely drive to work in all weathers - No work, no money, no safety net!!!

Drove a friends, in the wet, and was stunned by the grip. Not that much quicker than my TR I figured, until the weather was slightly iffy then it would have been bye bye!

Test drove one, decided it needed firmer suspension...Noisier exhaust, A/C, Quickshift, blah, blah

Still had to wait 11 months and 2 weeks!

Was worth it.

Would I do it again, now??

No...

I'd spend £4K on a decent old style legacy turbo, another grand or so on bits and laugh at how much money I'd saved...!

Adam B

I remeber it vividly.....

Back in Sept 98 I had a fiesta XR2i and had always been interested in cars but always thought of them as too expensive (at least for anything 'interesting'), anyway, my father was looking to chage his prelude VTEC. I mentioned the Impreza as all the magazines had gone wild over them. He drove one at a dealers and immediately put down a deposit (huge 13+ month waiting list). He then happend to be talking to a friend who started on about these imports. He bought a copy of Motoring News and phoned a dealer ... took a test drive and bought the car. It turned out the dealer was near me so he suggested I go for a tesat drive with the importer before he (my father) picked up the car.

On a dark wet September evening I turn up and chat with this guy. I'm looking at this rather ordinary silver 4dr with a scoop on the bonnet. We get in the car and he starts it <shudder> (4" pipe). He starts telling me all about boxer engines, turbos and the need to fully warm up the engines .... we drive off slowly. Road opens up OMG !!!!!!!!!!!! It was a defining moment, the pace, traction, acceleration and handling ... I'd just never been in anything like it ! We pulled over into a layby and he says I should have a go .... amazing, absolutely incredible.

I went home knowing that I'd have to have one !
After a few months of researching and number crunching I bought my first in Jan99 a MY94 UK turbo. Now on my second and have never looked back !! ... now a total petrolhead

Blackscooby

I remember my first Scoob encounter well. I was on a Cross channel ferry with my parents back in 1994. Pulled out Autocar and read the first road test of the Silver UK94 (currently for sale I beleive )

Drove my Dad nuts with reading bits out of the article !!!

Finished uni, and bought an UR quattro (wide bodied turbo circa 1984) which was fantastic. Loved it to bits, but it was getting a little long in the tooth by 1998 so sold it. Advertised in the trader on a Thursday. Sold by tea time Those were the days !!!!

What do you replace an Audi quattro Turbo with ? Answer an Impreza Turbo

Fell in love with a black mica metallic Subaru which was fully clothed in a McRea interior, 16" Speedline Safari alloys. Fantastic car. Fitted it with all sorts of mod during its 3 year stay with me including APEXI boost management, Cosworth pistons, fully SS de-cat exhaust..blah ...blah ...blah.

Sold it a week before Christmas, and bought a 328 Coupe of all things DOH !

Markus

Interesting thread.

What was 'the moment'? hmmm.

well, back in 96 I had a saxo vts for a year and had read and re-read a review in TopGear about the impreza turbo, specifically the wagon, then I stumbled, somehow, can't remeber how, onto a certain well frequented BBS . I found that the boxy little jap car I'd read about was a wolf in sheeps clothing, hmm, interesting I thought. The idea of getting one had been sowed in my brain. I did something odd, in that in june 99, I purchased a mondeo ST24, don't ask, it was a good car, but after many posts on here about what should I go for, insurances costs, you know, all the usual questions, I realised that the ST24 had to go and I had to have a scooby.

However, the real 'moment' was in march 2000, when, as prompted by James Bushell, (thanks James! if I'd not gone to GDA I'd be a lot richer, well in monetary terms ) I got my *** down to GDA sports cars and test drove a WRX saloon. Oh boy, did I have a big ol grin on my face during and after the test drive. That was it, I wanted, nay, *needed* a scooby. And that was that, I phoned an import company, recomended to my by Mike Rainbird, and got them to get me a car, which is my beloved blackbeast.

So there you have it.

I do have a similar sotry type thing on my website if anyone really wants to bore themselves to death!

[edited because I forgot to put dates in]


[Edited by Markus - 1/18/2002 4:50:13 PM]

Scooby Doo Sue

I sort of got talked into it by a very persuasive salesman and a mate who couldn't afford one thought he was going to drive mine
(how wrong can a man be)

I was never a very confident driver prior to owning one and it was suggested I try a more powerful car. So Sue goes from the sublime to the ridiculous in one swoop (I used to own a mini).

But my driving ability and driving confidence have improved tenfold since having the scoob.

Still don't recommend anyone getinng too close.

Sue