nik52wrx

As above.
IMO it has. I think the era is approaching an end.......
Shoot me down at will but that's what i think.
Don't get me wrong i am a big fan and have spent many thousands on Impreza's over the last 3 years, around 28k.... omg!
With new model, fuel costs and road tax to mention a few i think my money is best spent elsewhere.
Am i the only ex owner with these thoughts?
Nik.

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

In regards to body shape I'd say the new model leaves a lot to be desired. Saw a new shape WRX yesterday in WR blue and sadly it just looked utterly hideous.

Unfortunately, I don't think Prodrive will be able to do with this what they did with the bug when it's shape was initially sneered at by classic owners - the car simply looks like a Mazda 3 / Ford Focus - boring and very very ugly.
I can't see anyone with sense buying one unless they're under the pretence that it's a "Q" car....

As far as the "end of an era" though I'm not letting Gordon and his cronies ruin one of the only remaining bits of fun I have left in this country - and will be attending any anti-fuel tax protest I can in the next few months!!

If you fancy joining in, sign up here or on the official website here

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Having driven the STI I agree, but in the main all performance cars are a dying breed. The curent crop of diesels have them licked for real world performance. We are facing up to the end of performance motoring for the common man, soon to be the toys of only the wealthy few.

I reckon five more years and we enthusiasts are done for.... Y - reg V8 Lexus for £200 road tax, suits me sir !

DunxC

subaruturbo_18

i will always have performance cars. well ill try to do so lol. i don't think they are a dying breed its just going to change alot in the next few years i think. diesels will be the next craze in performance. the new R8 diesel will set the bench mark.

T5NYW

iTrader: (4)

Although Subaru have designed a Performance Hybred boxer engine and that should be out after the Deisel

Tony

subaruturbo_18

thing is though, we will loose all the sounds of engines. and when it goes electric it wont be as fun!

Microstar

I have a tremendous respect for Subaru engineering, but the cars are costly to run (fuel, road tax, parts pricing etc). Marketing in the UK is poor and the cars do not have a very good image with the general public.
All of this is reflected in the very high depreciation of Imprezas, and I reckon the '08 models will drop in value even faster than the previous models.
IMHO a 'facelift' (or availability of the 'saloon' model sold in the US) and a Diesel engine option can't come soon enough. I bet this is what all the dealers are hoping for too...

megabreath

While I think the Impreza has had its day, the classics and newages will live on for a long time.

I think hot hatches cars like Golf GTI and Focus ST are more popular than ever - I see about 3 every day. Personally id have a hot focus, golf, meganne or Clio over the new WRX.

Subaru have dropped the ball big time IMO, shame really because I thought the hawk eye was the best design on the Newage.

richie001

iTrader: (3)

I'm sad to say i think so because of the reasons which have already been posted(Petrol price, tax, environment)and not helped by the new shape imo is a bigger mistake then the bug eye and when i bought my first Impreza Rallying was on main steam TV and had British rally drivers doing well ie Richard Burns and Colin McRae challenging for world titles due to the sad lost of both of them and the lack of wins over the past couple years means the Impreza has lost it appeal

DaveR

I think you're right - with the new shape hatch impreza, Subaru really have lost their way and have probably killed off the subaru rallying brand for ever. There really is nothing to distinguish the car from it's 'new' rivals - Golf, Focus, Megane, even Clio and Corsa.

Having said that - I'm now even happier that I've hung onto my 'old' Impreza this long. Yes it's a bugeye, but it looks pretty awesome IMO and now represents Subaru as it used to be - awesome 4WD saloon cars with attitude.

gt5500

TBH with you I have been sitting on the fence trying to decide if i should buy a WRX bugeye for a long time now. The looks don't bother me, I actually quite like it, the insurance however is pretty bad and then there's the fuel. The problem I am having is that while I could live with the fuel bills I can't help thinking there are cars out there that offer similar (note similar) performance but cost a lot less to run. It seems that if the scoob hasn't had its day there are certainly less reasons to buy one. For reference though the only reason I haven't just decided I shoudln't get one is beacuse of that charm and character that people often say scoobies have, it keeps drawing me in but the brain says no.

winker

iTrader: (1)

Subaru will live on i agree the cost is getting high but what other car can u get for the thrills at the price.I have a classic shape will not change but once the new impreza starts winning rallies people will get to like it.

silent running

It's over for not just Subaru but performance cars as we know them I think. Fuel economy of low 20's or even less is a disgrace in the 21st century and I'm not even thinking of green issues when I say that. Manufacturers have the technology to do better, but they up til now have had no incentive to use it, on the whole. Fuel is expensive, and I hate having to pay £65 to fill up my Scooby, but there comes a time when you have to take it on the chin and accept that this is the price of running a fast car. All these dreamers who rant about car tax, fuel tax, emissions, Gordon Brown, European legislation, emissions, blah blah blah need to step back and grow up. With fuel supplies dwindling and car drivers under attack from all sides, there are two options ahead of us -
1. Petrol will get cheaper, car tax will get cheaper, fuel tax will get cheaper.
2. Petrol will get more expensive, as will the overall cost of running any car, let alone a performance car that does more than just get you from A to B.

There is no third way. I suggest people use their loaf and realise that private car ownership is going to get more and more expensive and it's just a question of finding ways to minimise the cost. The market will decide. As more and more people buy or keep old cars to avoid emissions taxes, and performance cars with high fuel consumption and emissions can't be sold on except to the super rich, manufacturers WILL find a way that you can go fast and save petrol. Nothing is impossible, but at the moment, no-one's yet forcing the issue, because people like us still buy petrol at £1.10-£1.20 a litre, and even feel grateful that we can pay an extra 6-7p a litre to get V-Power. We happily go through a tank of petrol in 250 miles and think it's acceptable to do 25mpg in a good week.

My idea? Get a motorbike. Go fast, do 40mpg. I'm seriously thinking about going for a bike licence. Or stick to old cars that at the moment don't attract the heftiest car tax bills. When I was little very few people had new cars every couple of years. It was a real occasion if someone down our street had a brand new motor. Nowadays it seems a normal part of life for a lot of not-that-well-off people...buy a car on finance, chop it in after 3 years, carry on the payments, buy another one. No wonder manufacturers have started putting huge plastic shrouds over the engine. Sometimes you can't even find the dipstick on modern cars. People don't want to keep their cars a long time and don't expect them to last beyond the warranty period. Maybe all this problem with performance cars becoming unaffordable, far from being bad news, is actually good news for genuine enthusiasts and signals a return to people looking after their car, fixing it when it goes wrong and knowing it inside out?

DazW

iTrader: (1)

Well if it has, Im sure another 'small' obscure Japanese car manufacter with big WRC ambitions will fill the void ...especially if the rumours of a 1200kg 300bhp road going version are to be beleived

matt-c

iTrader: (5)

Drive a good one hard, down a challenging road - then consider the same question.
Surprised there is so much negative comment here, lets enjoy our cars while we can, there are still few cars on the road to touch it.

Oh and just noticed thread starter is an "ex owner" - nuff said

greylag

The latest impreza as I see it has no market,too soft,too slow,too expensive to run and fugly to the extreme.The focus st as it beat easily amongst others.The thing is my 2004 wrx costs lots too,last week fuel warning lightcame on Put a tenners worth of tesco 95 in to see how far it would go till the light came on again,result 36.5 miles!.car standard apart from a catback afterburner.18.25 mpg.So diesel variants of sporting subarus will emerge and take over i'm afraid.

markus_UK

I have to agree - I think it has had its day (for me anyway).

I still have a MY06 STI PPP which I like a lot - the wife drives this most of the time.

I now have an Audi A5 3.0 TDi - and perhaps I have got old and boring - but it just knocks the Sti into touch in everyway (even though I still like taking the Sti for a blast at the weekend).

In unmodified form I get 240 BHP / 370 Lb Ft - 50 MPG on a 70 MPH motorway run and 35-40 if I really blast it. Its clearly not as fast as the STi off the mark - but in real world road conditions its not that much different. And from about 50 MPH on the motor it would leave the Sti standing (thats with the Audi in 5th). Not to mention the build quality, B&O Hifi, etc etc. I even like the looks (although some do not).

As for the new MY08 Sti - I have tried to like it - we have even considered if we want to PE our current car for a new model. But it does not stack up - the NO list is just so big compared to the YES list.

Mark

finalzero

I agree but I think true performance cars, ones that had real character are gone or on their way out, just take a look at the current crop of cars, they are just too generic now, overloaded with safety features becuase we live in such a PC age.

We are seeing the start of a war between the "Have" and "Have Not's". The Have's are not complaining because any/all tax raises, bills etc don't affect them in such a drastic way as they do everyone else.

But that's just life, we are moving on into a different era and so is vehicle technology. There have been many classic car's that I would love to own but I know it's almost impossible either due to fuel costs or running costs (or both in many cases).

It's a shame that I would have give up my pride and joy due to fuel costs but if it comes down to it then I will sell up and get a 'generic' tin can motor until times get a little better, then maybe I might buy one of the new STi's when they are half the cost of what they were on the market.

silent running

Well yes one other way to look at it is that as cars get more expensive to fuel and run, the dedicated hardcore will be able to pick up nice weekend motors for buttons. I was just looking at newish cars the other day and once I'd found out what the emissions limits were and stuff that put me right off anything over 225g/km. But of course the loophole is, drive a classic and stuff whatever engine you want in it.

Another positive way to look at it is we should be glad we live in an age where you CAN still go and buy whatever car you want if you've got the money and run it around relatively cheaply. By the time my son is ready to drive, things will be very different, petrol cars will be a museum piece, and only the most noteworthy will survive and be maintained by enthusiasts in the same way classic cars are now.

PantsUK

iTrader: (1)

I've run multiple "performance" diesels lexus/saab/audi/bmw loads of other VAGs and no way from 50 have any of them had a chance of keeping up with my sti ppp hawk just not even close. Maths should tell you that (yes a bit more transition loss with 4wd) but 300 bhp with 340 Lb Ft versus diesels 240/370 and they are normally heavier. On top of that you have the handling and well I'm sure you A5 is nice and pretty with a lovely stereo but performance wise if there is a bend in the road it wouldn't keep up.

----
Do I think the Scoob/Performance market has gone/is going ... obviously not I've only had mine 3 months at the last scooby meet I went to 3-4 new guys all new to the scooby scene. Maybe it's just not the same people buying them as people will always move on to different things. I don't much like the look of the new car but plenty of people do and I'm sure subaru will face lift it to make it more acceptable to people with "eyes" and again it'll attract a new group of buyers.

Plenty of young lads grew up dreaming of owning a scooby some still not old enough to afford it but as they are they'll be another new group of owners. Is it bloody expensive to run hell yeah is it worth it helllll yeah

I think long term performance cars will be more fuel efficient they may even make diesels that sound nice and are thrilling to drive does that mean the current cars will be sitting on a slag heap rusting I don't think so, the classic car community is as big as it even was again it's just a different group of buyers to the people that bought them the first time around.

markus_UK

I run the same car as you - and the audi. Let me be a bit more specific - at 50 for a short stetch of road between two cars the Audi / STi - not much in it. In truth I think the way the audi delivers its punch in all one go makes it feel faster. Of course, let the cars run and run 50, 60, 70, 80 and of course the Sti will fly away into the distance - its a performance car. I guess what I am saying, after being able to drive them back to back, is that the difference for real world A/B is not as dramatic as I would have imagined. Of course, the audi has none of the noise or the drama - but it has enough omppphhh when needed and feels more rewarding over a 300-400 mile round trip......

However, I always go and fill the Sti with fuel on a Sunday afternoon for the wife. Run the car up to temp, and then give it a good lashing - it feels fantastic and I would not want to miss it. But if I had to give a car up it would be the Sti, and if I were buying again it would not be the Sti either.

MArk

lucky_strike

It's come into its own for me, back to the fold after 4 years away (well nearly, waiting from my new wheels to be delivered to the dealer).

The Impreza has always been a niche car and only as the classics and new age's have gotten cheaper/older has the appeal broadened. Actually they may be returning to more the exclusive club they once were where high running costs limited their appeal to many owners. Hence the diesel developments by Subaru to ensure they gain some market share back they've lost as petrol car in general, and also high performance low cost cars, are out of vogue.

Personally I always like to own something that's a little bit different and as long as the likes of Subaru and Mitsi make the rally-bred road cars in a price bracket I can run them in I'll continue to support them.

I think the Ashes to Ashes programme also help remind me how much I love road going rally cars, that Audi Quattro brought back my youth dreams of watching those cars fly through the forests.

I'm not sure how the WRX will find its feet, a bit lost beween hot hatches and high performing and highly efficient diesels, but the STI with 300 horses or so and offering 0-60 in a shade under 5 will always appeal to me

Lemster

I've been lucky over the years that I have owned some of the better hot hatches that have existed (as much as fnacial status allowed) including Golf GTi Mk2 and a Lancia Delta HF Turbo (god I miss that car so much!), and recently picked up a classic wagon. Finally owned a true rally breed AWD motor with heretige! And Im so glad I finally made that choice. I can swallow the fuel costs, and slight increase in road tax, but if road tax had increased massively then it would probably be a diffrent matter.

But to reply to the OP, I think the new breed will mark the end of the scooby breed. It can get whooped by Ford, VW, etc and at a lesser cost. Hopefully it will win rallies again, so the marque can return to its once holy status, as did the 6 times winning Lancia Delta, Ford Cosworth etc.

All the rally winners create a legacy, and us common people love it, and buy the raod going versions. So come on Subaru, lets get some wins in and keep the marque alive!!!! Please!!!!!

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

I think the new subaru has had its day untill the new Diesel STi come out with sensible 40+mpg

the old subarus ..welll the boyracers will write half of them off when the price drops to 3-4k for a bugeye and most jap imports will end up in the breakers yards
the classics that are left will and i think have allready ''cult status'' like the RS and cosworths and wll be garaged and renovated completely when the NBO 15-20 is being ran and im fat grey and probably balding and can not even remeber what my feet look like as i wont have seen them for years we will have a hardcore 200 of us who will be fetching classics and P1s on trailers and sending our children under the cars to polish the bits we cant reach

to me that is the future of subarus old classics for shows and new ones just will not sell for the high running costs

PantsUK

iTrader: (1)

Now that I get, the 3.0 audi when I drove it had a kick in the back sort of feel (didn't last long but good initial boost) in fact even better than that was the GT150 mkv Golf .....nothing/nothing/nothing/nothing/booooooooost/all gone.

It is horses for courses, I do loads of driving and a 300 miles round trip is exhilarating for all 300 of them where as my various diesels have just been about getting to the destination.... the RS4 on the otherhand ... and that's a good example of performance cars not being killed off the m3/rs4/rs6/amg etc have never been so popular are not much faster than a scoob and cost at least twice as much ??? fk loads comfier though the only thing I miss from my IS220 is the comfiest seats in the world.

WRX300MAN

I hate this thread . . . . .It's downright depressing . . . . .But close to the bone . . .Likely yes . . .The Impreza has had its day . .

wrx9181

iTrader: (2)

na only if you cant afford it and to be honest it will be good get the chavs off the rd imo i had a scoob when they were quite rare and it was better to be in a scoob

dpb

Id love to have one again for rallying type activies off road

tarmac terrorist

hi to all ,Not being funny but you dont buy a performance car just too cry about how much road tax is and fuel prices its all about the fun you can have in them and the sound , because diesels sound like a bag of bolts and stink too not nice . anyway i love my jap sti would not change it for nothing take care all and be safe

John Hughes

And yet another new model Subaru expert has his tuppence worth. So exactly what Impreza are we talking about? And what Ford and VW are we talking about? If you have £25K to spend get out of your darkened room and look at the STi – talk about whooping. Check some threads on this site before spouting the same rehashed rubbish (Oh my god! the WRX got terribly beaten by a golf). Do you really think the new STi owners all bought it without a test drive? And it really is an Impreza, honest. I even went and rechecked my badge for you.

Whooped – check those threads and see what Ford, Seat, Audi and VW’s were whooped in the same price bracket. Better still go for a test drive.