00-01 Impreza 2.5RS... lots of questions.. need as much info as possible...
06-30-2004, 05:06 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
00-01 Impreza 2.5RS... lots of questions.. need as much info as possible...
I'm selling my Maxima and looking for something different...
the 00-01 RS is in my price range but i'm curious of the following criteria which is very important to me...
Reliability
Any common issues or problems to look out for?
any gripes or bad things that Subaru screwed up on?
Cost of ownership..
how expensive are they to fix?
how good are they on gas?
what grade of gas do they take?
how expensive is insurance?
Resale value..
is there a market for these cars?
i will likely want to keep it a year or two then move on to something else, i'm thinking towards the future so i don't have a problem unloading the car...
moddability.. stock performance..
i heard they are mid to low 15 second cars stock? how much will it cost to get it into the 14s?
i know these are all cliche' / standard questions.. i'm on many car forums and i get annoyed by the same old stuff being asked by newbies too.. but help a man out...
the 00-01 RS is in my price range but i'm curious of the following criteria which is very important to me...
Reliability
Any common issues or problems to look out for?
any gripes or bad things that Subaru screwed up on?
Cost of ownership..
how expensive are they to fix?
how good are they on gas?
what grade of gas do they take?
how expensive is insurance?
Resale value..
is there a market for these cars?
i will likely want to keep it a year or two then move on to something else, i'm thinking towards the future so i don't have a problem unloading the car...
moddability.. stock performance..
i heard they are mid to low 15 second cars stock? how much will it cost to get it into the 14s?
i know these are all cliche' / standard questions.. i'm on many car forums and i get annoyed by the same old stuff being asked by newbies too.. but help a man out...
07-06-2004, 01:54 PM
#2
Registered User
iTrader: (12)
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 18,369
Car Info: 1993/2000/2001 GF4 mostly red
I can answer these for you. I'm the original owner of my '01 RS, had it for 45 months and 68,000 miles. Here's my answers to your questions drawing directly from my ownership experience:
Reliability: Nothing has gone wrong with my car that I didn't cause. I'd still be covered by the powertrain warranty if I hadn't driven out of it. The only common issue is clutch shudder, but by now they should mostly be fixed.
They are not cheap to fix, but I wouldn't say they are expensive either. Keep in mind that Imprezas break less than almost any car in its class, hondas and Toyotas included. Check out the Consumer Reports index.
Gas mileage in an RS isn't very good compared to other 4 cylinder cars. Big motor, low gears, high compression work against that. I get 20-22 most of the time, with around 26-28 on long trips if I keep my speed consistent. They only require 87 octane.
Insurance is pretty reasonable. They have higher values than any other 4 year old car that sold for under $20k, but there are few enough of them that they aren't stolen very often. They also have a good safety rating, so you probably won't pay more for your RS than you did for your Maxima depending on how old that was.
Resale: The RS holds its value better than anything this side of a BMW. The limited number of them made (less than 15,000 over 4 years) combined with high demand keeps it high. If you only want it for a year or two, you're right in the right place. Probably won't depreciate more than $1,000-1,500 plus mileage while you own it, which is less than what your payments will add to your equity.
As far as "performance" goes, it's about the best import platform you can get for autocross/track usage and modding. But for drag racing, it puts you at a handicap. Bone stock they run high 15s with a good driver. You can probably get into 14s with about $1200-1500 worth of mods, but honestly, if drag racing is something you do a lot of, get something else. I've taken my RS to the track twice and come away with a best time of 15.2 with the basic mods. I have a GanzFlow intake, borla header, and a custom Magnaflow catback, plus an Exedy clutch and flywheel. I think there might be a 14.9 in the car as it sits, but it's hard to tell. I could put the cams I have in and definitely get down to 14s, but like I said, drag racing isn't a priority in Imprezas.
Reliability: Nothing has gone wrong with my car that I didn't cause. I'd still be covered by the powertrain warranty if I hadn't driven out of it. The only common issue is clutch shudder, but by now they should mostly be fixed.
They are not cheap to fix, but I wouldn't say they are expensive either. Keep in mind that Imprezas break less than almost any car in its class, hondas and Toyotas included. Check out the Consumer Reports index.
Gas mileage in an RS isn't very good compared to other 4 cylinder cars. Big motor, low gears, high compression work against that. I get 20-22 most of the time, with around 26-28 on long trips if I keep my speed consistent. They only require 87 octane.
Insurance is pretty reasonable. They have higher values than any other 4 year old car that sold for under $20k, but there are few enough of them that they aren't stolen very often. They also have a good safety rating, so you probably won't pay more for your RS than you did for your Maxima depending on how old that was.
Resale: The RS holds its value better than anything this side of a BMW. The limited number of them made (less than 15,000 over 4 years) combined with high demand keeps it high. If you only want it for a year or two, you're right in the right place. Probably won't depreciate more than $1,000-1,500 plus mileage while you own it, which is less than what your payments will add to your equity.
As far as "performance" goes, it's about the best import platform you can get for autocross/track usage and modding. But for drag racing, it puts you at a handicap. Bone stock they run high 15s with a good driver. You can probably get into 14s with about $1200-1500 worth of mods, but honestly, if drag racing is something you do a lot of, get something else. I've taken my RS to the track twice and come away with a best time of 15.2 with the basic mods. I have a GanzFlow intake, borla header, and a custom Magnaflow catback, plus an Exedy clutch and flywheel. I think there might be a 14.9 in the car as it sits, but it's hard to tell. I could put the cams I have in and definitely get down to 14s, but like I said, drag racing isn't a priority in Imprezas.
07-12-2004, 05:29 PM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
I bought mine new in January of 2000. I love the car! I will have a hard time getting rid of it. It is 100% stock. I have had a couple of problems.
1) Cam chain tension, replaced under warranty. Car made knocking noise on cold start up
2) window rub
3) Cracked exhaust
4) Now the car has a bad vibration (and noise) when at highway speeds. Have tried new tires new wheels, rotors pads. Still have the problem.
I see them selling for a lot less the I would want for mine. It has been a good car but I think I will buy something with better customer satisfaction in mind. Subaru dealers in my area don't seem to be well supported by SOA. They know less about the cars than I do.
1) Cam chain tension, replaced under warranty. Car made knocking noise on cold start up
2) window rub
3) Cracked exhaust
4) Now the car has a bad vibration (and noise) when at highway speeds. Have tried new tires new wheels, rotors pads. Still have the problem.
I see them selling for a lot less the I would want for mine. It has been a good car but I think I will buy something with better customer satisfaction in mind. Subaru dealers in my area don't seem to be well supported by SOA. They know less about the cars than I do.
07-14-2004, 11:32 AM
#4
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 113
Car Info: 2002 Impreza WRX
I bought a 2000 RS at years end 2000. I had it 3 1/2 years. No problems. I only put 34,000 kms on it though. Uh yeah, thats 21,250 miles. Here's what I had to have done:
1) Windows scratched within first year - replaced bushings and windows under warranty
2) Rear Left bearings went at around 20,500 miles - replaced under warranty
3) Replaced clutch at 20,000 miles for cold clutch shudder - I didn't like what this did to the car to be honest it was never the same after that. If it had been like that when I bought it, it wouldn't have bothered me at all, I was just used to the quicker engaging clutch.
Thats it.. I loved that car, it was fun. Traded it for a 2002 WRX, which is more fun.
1) Windows scratched within first year - replaced bushings and windows under warranty
2) Rear Left bearings went at around 20,500 miles - replaced under warranty
3) Replaced clutch at 20,000 miles for cold clutch shudder - I didn't like what this did to the car to be honest it was never the same after that. If it had been like that when I bought it, it wouldn't have bothered me at all, I was just used to the quicker engaging clutch.
Thats it.. I loved that car, it was fun. Traded it for a 2002 WRX, which is more fun.
07-29-2004, 10:36 AM
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
I have got my 01 rs with 2 miles on it and did a 60 mile test drive... I only had one problem that needed to be taken care of by dealer..forgot what it was but didn't hurt the driving of the car..the only other things that I had problems with I caused by adding a turbo kit and a few other goodies..(so much fun.) the engine still runs strong after being turbo now stock again..always starts good car.
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