As per the title, I am curious as I have been weighing up a couple of cars from Subaru as a potential purchase next year. Among lots of other cars I have studied for future reference, I have been looking at the Impreza Wagon 2.0 GX (non asbo model ) and the Legacy saloon 2.0. I thought the saloon Legacy would take the edge off the older man image of the estate version

The VED is £123 on the Legacy for 6 months vs £159 for the Impreza (paying £99 for 6 months at the mo). A reputation for reliability is a strong point with Subaru and I only cover 70 miles per week commuting so low 30's mpg is fine.

So, if there are any owners on here, which did you have and what are your thoughts/experience?

Cheers LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Sorry not a Scooby, but might be of interest

I think you said previously you were selling up to get on the housing ladder

Not sure what your looking at spending but have a look at this, looks very well maintained and loved, though you might want to lose the strip
http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic131904.html Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Thanks for the link but the pink stripes ruined it for me plus by the time I am ready to buy, it will be sold I suspect. Good spec otherwise. I am indeed handing my present car back in April and bringing finance to an end. £2-£2.5k budget might be more realistic than my original estimate of £3k and if I lower my buying price, I can shell out on either winter tyres or some of those new Michelin Cross Climate tyres perhaps.

My dad had a Legacy estate many years ago and suffice to say that when the going got wintry, the Legacy got going with consummate ease. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

I had Impreza wagon. Great car, small boot with a cardboard base over a space saver I guess to save weight.
Mine was de badged so didn't have to much trouble with boys at the lights. Cost of servicing was high, I guess that's why they are reliable, they replaced seals etc on most services.
It was great but a bit on the reverse tardis side. Rear leg room was about an inch and the boot was too small for my dogs.
BIG FUN TO DRIVE, I did get fed up with filling up with fuel cos it was a bit on the thirsty side.

I do like the new Outback - test drove the auto and it was very good. My local dealer then proceeded to insult me with an offer to exchange so walked away. Notwithstanding, I may return to the marque in due course. MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings

We've had two Subarus over the years - a non-turbo old-shape Impreza and a Forester. Both good cars, but running costs weren't as low as you might think - we always seemed to come back from services wondering how it managed to come to that much! My brother has had half a dozen Subarus (mainly Outbacks, but a Forester and couple of Legacys too) - he loves them, but he too complains about the service costs.

Dealers can also be a problem - Subaru seem to have lost/dropped a number of dealers recently, leaving large areas without a dealer nearby, and some of the remaining dealers leave quite a bit to be desired.

Overall, good cars if you don't mind the running costs and dealers. And very good in snow/off-road, etc, as Subarus symmetric AWD system works well (but being full-time permanent AWD does affect the fuel consumption).

Thanks for the input. Due to only living 7 miles from work and I will stay in the vicinity when I buy a house, fuel economy is not a major concern. However, I don't want the mpg to be horrific. Low 30's is fine for example.

As for servicing, I would try to find an independent garage that specialises in Subaru's as opposed to a main dealer. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

I used to get just over 30 mpg from a 2-litre petrol (non-turbo) Forester. I can't remember what the Impreza did, but low 30s sounds about right (2-litre again).

Service costs are partly due to the cost of parts, and being relatively uncommon in this country there's not a lot of after-market stuff around.

Some pics of my siblings Scooby PRO R tuned from new which works in conjuction with the factory warranty 380bhp averaging around 28-30 mpg. Think this is the 7th STI he's had and they are quality machines with the rally breed DNA.

The grip is phenomenal, 2.5L,0-62 4.8 seconds, top speed is 164 mph with the limiter removed

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

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Back in the 1990s I had a 1600 saloon from Subaru - only two-wheel drive, pillarless design so when the windows were down it was open all down the side. I just love that flat four engine. Low-down torque, sounds lovely and keeps the weight low. It was a really nice car to drive and was surprisingly good in snow and ice. One of my favourite "ordinary" cars. Servicing was on the dear side because of its specialist nature and the exhaust system cost a fortune to replace because none of the fast-fit service guys did such a complicated shape! I'd have another. Ours - 2008 Stornoway Grey HSE Auto
Tricia's - 2006 Royal Blue Beetle Cabriolet Auto
Mine - 2014 Vespa GTS 300 Super Sport Matt Black
Ours - 2007 White Bailey Pageant Champagne

That certainly is a beast of an Impreza  LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

I've had 2 Subarus with contrasting experiences.

First was a '97 Legacy Outback 2.5 petrol, with 100K already on the clock. Great car, bulletproof, spacious, reasonable on petrol.

Second was a '09 Legacy Outback Diesel, with 109K on the clock. Perfect car other than the engine destroying itself (snapped crankshaft). Eventually had no choice but to scrap it for £1000. Lost £6500 on the deal.

Wouldn't hesitate to get a petrol again, wouldn't touch a diesel ever again.

After the Diesel "experience" went to the Freelander, which has been faultless (literally). Even the slipping clutch cured itself.

Must admit like the look of the new Forester , it may be one I will look at when my FL2 is 3 yrs old in 2017 , had a new WRX in 2002 (bit thirsty) and one of my sons is on his 3rd WRX and has never had a prob over the 13 yrs he has had them .

The new Forester is doubtless a good car but not, I think, as good as the Freelander. Subaru are going the same way as LR in making their cars less 4x4s and more townie-oriented estate cars. Gone are low boxes and height-adjustable suspensions, and in are CVT transmissions (even in top-of-the-range Outbacks) and electronic gimmickry. Pity - the low box was one of the best things about the Forester I had, and I used it far more than one might expect. Engines too - the Outback used to have a 3-litre flat-6 appropriate for its price and position in the range, but top engine now (in this country) is a 2.5 litre flat 4. And I've driven a couple of 1.6 litre Impreza courtesy cars which felt really gutless unless the engines were screaming near the red line!

The old Forester Sti was nice


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