1998 Subaru Impreza 2.0 gas

Summary:

Love the AWD wagon setup 5spd

Faults:

Wheel bearings, transmission bearings and suspension.

General Comments:

Love it! 30 MPG with a reliable boxer engine, and locked and loaded AWD. You can feel the pull through corners and snow. Drifting is a cinch, just tell it what you want and the car is predictable. No electronic nannies or part time AWD.

The wagon has plenty of utility, and I can lay the seats down or seat 4 comfortably.

Worst mileage was 15, best was 30.

Wish I could buy this exact car new today. Good scoops and robust roof rack make me smile. 5 speed is great, transmission is a tank, built for rallying and turbos, so it worked fine for me.

Subarus are simple to work on, so this is a good car for tinkerers.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th May, 2015

1998 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport Wagon 2.0 gas

Summary:

Do the normal, regular maintenance and you've got a faithful soldier

Faults:

I bought this car from a young gal who had done great maintenance with it - new front brakes, new clutch, timing belt, changed the oil regularly - so over the last 20,000 miles I have literally only had to put gas in it, and of course regular oil changes. It's been awesome that way! I do foresee, however, a timing belt change in my near future.

General Comments:

It's not a fast car, but it is faithful. It handles and shifts well. After a 180k miles, you'd think it would be a bit more shaky.

Can't tell if the AWD is functioning at 100%, but haven't had it checked out.

Cabin noise is a bit more than desirable.

Seats are aren't as plush as other car, but get the job done.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th August, 2010

1998 Subaru Impreza

Summary:

Frustration

Faults:

Blown radiator at $500. A month later it overheated, and a good thing I had my skateboard in my trunk cause I had to skate 5 miles home..

Plenty of fluids. Head gaskets not blown.. No idea whats wrong!

Check engine light comes on & off constantly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 9th December, 2008

1998 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport 2.2L SOHC

Summary:

Poorly made gas guzzler, one of the worst cars I've owned

Faults:

Front seal at 86,000 km

Clutch at 86,000 km (I have had two Hondas which went over 200,000 km on the original clutch!)

Speedometer at 60,000 km

Front struts at 53,000 km

Master cylinder at 115,000 km

Squealing brakes from day one - 4 trips to the Dealer couldn't fix, finally had to fix them myself!

Passenger door speaker died after 70,000 km (we don't listen to music loud at all!)

Power window switch broke at 50,000 km.

General Comments:

We bought this car because it had very good ratings. Nothing but problems and poor quality.

Very poor quality carpet - worn out at 90,000 km

Cheap plastic interior - very easily scratched.

Uncomfortable seats - you can feel the wire frames if you need to get anything out of the back seat.

LOTS of squeaks and rattles because they use push in plastic things to hold the cheap plastic interior rather than proper screws.

Very poor service from dealer - had to argue with them that there was a problem and they hadn't even seen the car yet!

Very poor warranty of only 60,000 km - obviously there was a reason for the short warranty period!

Poor performance: 137 hp is barely adequate for a vehicle this size.

Huge gearing hole between 4th and 5th - major loss in performance.

Out-dated cable adjusted clutch linkage - you have to adjust it every 10,000 km or less otherwise the clutch burns out. Any modern clutch is hydraulic - no adjustments.

Poor gas mileage.

The cup holder is directly over the radio, guess what gets covered if your drink spills!

On the plus side - excellent AWD and ABS - fantastic for winter driving.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th August, 2008

13th Sep 2008, 09:32

Well where do I start? First of all I would like to say that it is very apparent that you must have bought a lemon! Subaru makes some of the most durable, and fun to drive vehicles on the road.

The specific model Subaru Outback you owned did have excellent ratings, and the majority of people were very satisfied with their vehicle.

Now the cup holder is the only thing in your statement that I agree with. The cupholder is in a rather awkward location.

The dealership you had trouble with has nothing to do with the car you owned nor its durability.

I also noticed you said the clutch went bad.? Clutches very seldom have mechanical faults.

I have the same vehicle as you, and it is one of the best vehicles I have ever owned.

You also stated the brakes squeaked from the very beginning, and you took to the dealer several times and they couldn't fix them. But yet you managed to repair them? Could you please write another post and tell all of those ASA approved technicians how you managed to fix the squeak in the brakes that they couldn't! Actually, I have been a mechanic for 10 years and I can't wait to hear this answer. What did you do change the pads, turn the rotors, lube the slides, spray stop squeak on them?

Anyway, it is obvious that you didn't like the car. And as a customer of Subaru, will you please do us a favor. Never buy a Subaru product again, any make or model.

The interior in my car is excellent and feels just fine!

And the 137 horses at 5,400 rpms in my lil Subaru is adequate, and actually when they design these cars, hp and handling must be compatible and in unison. Too much hp and you sacrifice grip and curve hugging ability.

And may I ask did you test drive this vehicle before you bought it? Did you not check a lot of these potential problem areas before you purchased this vehicle?

I must also make comment on the gas guzzling post. My Subaru hustled 230 miles out of one half a tank of fuel. So close to thirty miles a gallon isn't bad at all.

Anyway, you may be satisfied with a vehicle someday. Best of luck!

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