1998 Subaru Impreza Reviews, Pricing & Specs

This car is great. Drove it for 7 years before the transmission and engine both needed work. Instead of fixing it, I had everything from a 2004 STI swapped into my car. Engine, trans, brakes, suspension, even the gas tank. It drives like a bat-out-of-hell and doesn't care if its raining or snowing. The car will rip off low 12 second quarter miles but its easy to drive and doesn't beat you up as a DD. Best mod besides the Brembos was adding in a bunch of sound insulation. Sep 30, 2014

I bought the Subaru as a second car, to carry our kayaks out to the lake or to the river. This is my second Subaru for that purpose-the first one made it to 20 years and 205,000 MI. This one's at 150,000 with nothing more than routine maintenance. Rugged and reliable. The AWD makes for gas mileage on the low side of the scale. Fortunately, we don't drive it a lot of miles. At 15 years and 150K, there's more rust than steel anymore, and the windows take forever to roll up. Still, they always DO roll up. I've owned this car for over three years and 30000 miles, with nothing more than oil changes. The previous owner took care of everything else up to that point, and it will probably rust out completely before it needs another timing belt, new brakes, or another tune up.Oct 27, 2013

I had the Impreza Sport Wagon in red. It was bone stock. I had plans to do some mods to it but never did. I liked the look of the RS coupe and wanted to give this wagon the same look (more like a rally car). It was fun to drive. Acceleration was good, braking was nice, handling was a blast. GO ALL WHEEL DRIVE! Many nights taking it through the windy west hills of Portland. Overall appearance of the stock model, so so. The Outback models were nicer. Interior had something to be desired. Maintence was inexpensive, and gas milage was really pretty good. Fun car to drive.Sep 10, 2010

my blue 1998 subaru sti gt555 edition it about 285bhp it has a quick take off. just after up grading the brakes to brembos so it can stops real good to. for handling it verry good with AWD turns are no bother. the car has a very nice appearance blue in couler with 17" aloys and the brembos brakes is also a nice sight. the cost off maintenance is high with subaru's parts so dear but the nice noise of a subaru flying past is worth itAug 31, 2010

this car is great handling great looking great traction in winter gas millage is ok this is a smaller model than the outback legacy i get compliments on this car people asking me if i would recommend it my car has almost 300,000km on it and it still is quiet no rattles or squeaks when i go to purchase a car i look under the hood ask this question can i see the spark plugs is the distributor or coil pack easy to get at then i purchase the car if the answer is yes. always use platinum plugs or betterMay 10, 2010

Stouter stock brakes (these feel softer than most) and more power from the engine desired. Turbo next time! There is a new rattle to knock down every thousand miles or so. The engine seeps oil like it was designed to do it, but rarely actually drips; I have to fix a new leak every year, but the car is easy to work on. The NA engine only gets 21-24 mpg, but the car drives well on snow and ice (if you slow down a bit). Still, this is a neat, trim car in and out (very pretty), still kind of zippy, and always fun to drive. Jan 19, 2010

Performance: Mediocre out of the box but virtually any Subaru motor will bolt right into the engine bay Quality: I have 150,000 miles and I have replaced the valve cover gaskets and a maf sensor nothing else other than aftermarket mods. Appearance: I wasnt a fan of the two tone. I painted mine Aspen White from a 2004 WRX and threw on some white SSP Type C rims with a JDM front end and other add-ons Cost: I avg 25-30mpg per tank. Maintenance is very cheap Fun Factor: I love this car, I have it setup for AutoX and the fact that its a wagon is even better.Jul 15, 2009

fun to drive, didnt care about stone chips or anything realy, just pedal to the metal always, reliable car thas for sure! wont break down or malfunction on ur ass. however its under powered not fast enough, handles good tho, takes the bends nice but still interior is wack dnt feel special in it wat so eva, i used it as a daily work heavy load car to do my cash n carry runs for the biz it kept me entertained lol.Apr 10, 2009

Burble Burble Burble...... Performance - Ok so its not a hypercar, but it is rapid, Stops on a sixpence and Corners like its on Rails. Build Quality - Ok its not German but its not broken yet! Appearance - It looks like it wants to eat you. Cost of Ownership - Don't buy if your on a tight budget! Fun Factor - Permanent Grin! Oh yeah, the noise is one of the most distinctive, Burble Burble Burble...... Mar 12, 2009

Not the best on accelerating, But the AWD compensates for that. No repairs other than general maintenance. Painted the trim to match the paint, Flawless paint with minor dings. Gets about 30 mpg highway and 28ish city. VERY fun to drive on a winding backroad. The Whole Subaru community is a great one to be involved with as they DON'T look down on your car even if it IS a lower trim. its a very accepting group to be involved in.Sep 08, 2008

Overall, I really like this car. I love the look, the power is good enough for me and I love the gas milage for an AWD wagon! I bought mine with 107000 miles on it and in need of repairs (I knew this going in). I like the look of the body for a wagon. It reminds me a bit of a 4 door hatch back; it doesn't seem quite like a woagon to me. It's great for camping and for getting to trails off of the dirt/rock/mud state gameland roads here in PA. It also gets me to work and back 60 miles round trip on the highway. I would recommend it to someone who needs some space for hauling things but also decent MPG.Jul 30, 2008

Daily Driven STS Autocrosser w/over 200K miles. 1998 2.5RS Black -(Artist formerly known as) Goldmember- Custom RalliSpec intake/PRM filter Borla cat-back exhaust Custom-valved LEDA coil-over suspension w/weather boots. Hyperco Springs w/tenders Cusco camber plates STi front lower suspension arm bushings 20mm FHI rear sway bar 2006 WRX wheels (black) on Bridgestone Potenzas Schroth 4-point harness STi short-shift Kartboy shift bushings Twos R Us knob Kenwood MP3 Deck Prestige AlarmJul 20, 2008

1998 impreza trubo2000awd... uk spec... 2 previous owners... 33,000 on the clock when brought.. never been off this island which has a 40 mph limit so it aint been thrashed... Completely original.- No boyracer Mods or wings thankyou! If it aint broke... dont fix it... paid 6 grand for it... perfect condition/no rust anywhere... Fun factor... Put it this way... not a lot gets away from it!Jul 18, 2008

"Darling, you're not driving very safely today," warns my missus as she experiences the superb lateral support offered up by the Subaru's bucket seats. "I bloody well am, sweetheart" I lie as this Impreza's recent power boost from 208 to 215bhp turns me into a hairy-handed maniac. The thrust available is just unbelievable. Turbo lag is all but absent, sequences of gearchanges morphing into one bounce against the rev limiter followed by another. Many twice-as-powerful cars can't match the Impreza's instantly-available surge in real-world driving conditions - an experience only heightened by this revised car's tweaks. So be warned that this much excitement on demand has extreme personality-twisting effects. "You know it's the driver who drives the car, not the car that drives the driver!" Plod warned me three years ago when I picked up my only ever points for speeding - in an Impreza Turbo, spookily enough. Ever since, I've tried my best to calm down. Until the Impreza came bursting violently back into my life, that is. I blame my huge confidence on its permanent four-wheel-drive system and on the superb (though not unbreakable) grip promised by its sticky 205/50 no-profile tyres on 16-inch wheels. This feeling that I can out-drive anything is affirmed by a gearchange that's quick and snappy, by steering that's light and easy to twirl. And the ABS-equipped brakes - now with ventilated discs all round and hard-biting four-pot callipers at the front - convince that they could handle the trickiest of situations. Even the Impreza's bargain price means it's free of the wallet-stressing pressure inflicted by looking after other similarly quick but vastly more expensive cars. Of course, the only reason I would advise anyone to yearn for an Impreza Turbo is if they could live with a car that actively encourages such extreme misbehaviour. I wouldn't try to convince them that it's a great beauty - fab 'up yours' rear spoiler aside. Or that the interior is anything other than deeply naff. Or, indeed, that a little bushy-tailed guardian of road safety won't be sitting on their shoulder and trying to persuade them to go slower each time they take their Impreza out for a naughty blast Peter Grunert Jan 13, 2008