Looking to get a Subaru Impreza Wagon. Seeking Advice.

Hi All,

I am looking to get a Subaru Impreza Wagon, probably 2002-2004 range, depending on price.

What I would like to hear opinions on is how is the Manual 5-speed on these models?

Currently I have an Acura Integra '96, manual as well, thus I would like to know whether the shifter is as good as the Acura one, and how does the engine perform on the road with a manual transmission compared to an automatic one?

The only Impreza wagon's I've driven, or been driven in, were automatic, so I'd like to hear some opinions on how it differs.

Thanks All in advance.

Chris.

Reply to
Chris
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Chris wrote in news:MPG.1dd41b88e0b19d4e989850 @news.videotron.ca:

I have an '03 Imreza TS Wagon with a 5-speed and the tranny is pretty smooth. I haven't drive the Acura so I cannot compare it. It's certainly the best manual transmission of any vehicle I have driven. Much better than the one in my wife's Corolla. I would assume it's better than the auto but again I haven't had the opportunity to compare them.

Reply to
Fuzzy Logic

I imagine it is nearly identical to the WRX sedan... since the car is 99% the same. That tranny was alright.... The kartboy short shifter and bushings made it way way better. Can't say that there are to many WRX owners out there bitching about their tranny....

Reply to
Mike Lloyd

Thanks to all who replied. Good to know the tranny is a good one on the Subaru. Now i just gotta find a well kept Impreza in my region with a manual transmission and not too much km's on it..

Chris.

Reply to
Chris

I drove an '89 Integra 5-speed for 11 years. It finally got to expensive to maintain. I bought a 2003 WRX Wagon.

Subaru transmissions are not Honda transmissions. Subaru's aren't bad, but they're not Honda's.

There's a little more 'wiggle' to me shifter than there was in my Integra. It's hard to translate what this feels like into words well... So I hope this translates. It feels a little less 'precise' than my Integra did.

Don't get me wrong. I love my WRX. And to have the engine power and the wagon carrying capacity is what sold me on the car. Because Honda/Acura had noticably scaled down the Integra's from the early models, like the one I had. I could put my full size tack trunk in the back of my '89 Integra AND close the hatch. That wouldn't have been possible in the mid-90's and later models.

I would recommend the short throw shiter though. You probably won't be happy with the standard one.

Mollie

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"Are all Librarians this much trouble?" Rick O'Connell The Mummy Returns

Reply to
M. Brumbaugh

again, that slop is due to soft rubber bushing in the shifter lever under the car... a simple $30 fix from kartboy will make it a much more solid and firm feel. regardless of whether or not you go short or not.

Reply to
Mike Lloyd

I have to agree with Brumbaugh. I used to drive a manual Honda Civic before my 02 Impreza, and I've had an accord and a toyota corolla too. If you are used to the (very excellent) maunal transmissions in small engine japanese cars, then you will notice the difference in the subaru. In my opinion, it does not shift as cleanly, and will take some getting used to - there is more clutch shudder, and you'll feel that its a bit jerky. This could be due to AWD vs FWD, and might be normal. I have only driven one subaru, so my frame of reference is not large. But the standard is definatly not as smooth as a honda.

That being said, its still pretty solid (compared to other american cars), and fun to drive, once you get the hang of it. It will take some adjustment. When you find one and drive it, you'll see what i mean.

When I bought my Impreza, I test drove an automatic, and was suprised by how powerful the auto felt. Normally japanese cars feel so gutless in automatic mode, but the Impreza felt pretty nice. When I eventually get a new Subaru (because now that i've owned one i will never go back), I'll consider an automatic.

Happy hunt> Hi All,

Reply to
Beefcake

Thanks for the info! Will have to test drive the manual to try it. Hopefully it won't be too much different than Acura's, but I suppose I've been spoiled by their well designed trannies. I've got some time to do research and perfrom some test drives, as I am planning this purchase for early next year.

Chris.

Reply to
Chris Jankowski

Chris,

I have a 2002 WRX wagon. I had the 5 speed for about 2 years but I broke it at the starting line while at the dragstip. The 5 speed does have a bad reputation, but I broke mine most likely due to the man-handling I put upon it. Oh, and that was on a stock clutch....that I was slipping quite a lot.

As far as smoothness, it does take some getting used to. What has essentially become my method for overcoming judder and the like is that I use the accelerator to assist it going in gear. The forward gears are obviously syncro'd, but my belief is that the driveline responds well to rev-matching.

I can't compare it to an Acura, as I've never driven a manual and the one we had we sold almost 10 years ago. I can say that I pretty distinctly recall the Accord we had, though. If I were to compare the Impreza to the Accord, I recall the Honda as being nothing but smooth. Of course I never beat on it, though, like I do my WRX and 2.5 RS sedan.

Reply to
gpatmac

Thanks for the info.

So, basically, give it more gas than necessary and it will shift smoothly? How about breaking assist by using the engine compression? What would you recommend as RPM's for REV matching of different gears. Downshift acceleration on mountain roads will be needed.

I don't indend to race with the car, planning to get a base model wagon, probably a 2003-2004 model, depending on price. Looking to get one sometime early next year. Gonna be a replacement car for my Integra, as my needs have changed and i need the extra people hauling room, as well as a bit of cargo room, depending whether the seats will be down or not.

Also, i can probably find the info somewhere on the net, but would you recommend going with a subaru hitch or some after-market one? How much LBS can it tow?

Chris.

Reply to
Chris Jankowski

Chris,

Yeah. That's my opinion, though it may take some practice. Further, I 'engine brake' probably 80% of the time. Sometimes I probably overdo it, when I am fantasizing that I'm a racercar driver; by gunning it up to about

4k rpms and then putting it into 2nd gear while coming up to a big 90deg turn or something.....but I'm not that smart.

I'm afraid I can't address trailer hitches on a Subaru, as we have Ford Explorer that we use for our trailer.

I think, though, that much of the more technical information you can find on

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It's written by someone who's much more of an all-things-Subaru enthusiast than I am.

Lastly, whether you're on the fence or already convinced that you're going to make this purchase, you can't go wrong. The reliability, safety, and value-retention that a Subaru promises is definitely impressive.

Reply to
gpatmac

Yeah, I am pretty much convinced I'll be getting one.

Other choices were either the PT Cruiser or the Prius. And well, PT Cruiser is cheaply made, and the Prius, although promising, is just too expensive. So the Subaru falls right into the middle. I got used to the Acura performance and reliability so hopefully going with the Impreza Wagon won't dissapoint me.

I'm aiming to do a test drive on a manual one by next week, just so i get the feel for it. Will report what i discover.

The website you pointed out does indeed hold a LOT of info, visited it before, but I guess I will have to dig into it again to find the towing specs.

Thanks,

Chris.

Reply to
Chris

I'm curious to see what your impression will be.

Pat

Reply to
gpatmac

I don't agree with engine braking unless you are going down a long steep hill and want to avoid overheating the brakes. Brake pads are placed so they are cheap to replace. They cost much less than clutches. Brakes are for braking. Clutches are for shifting gears.

Reply to
Tom Reingold

When driving a manual car, there is a time for exclusive use of brakes, and also a time to use the engine braking. Both serve well when using them appropriately.

I live in Montreal, so when it is wet or when snow/ice is on the ground it is MUCH safer to use engine braking to slow down gradually without affecting traction, rather than risking a skid with the use of regular brakes.

Also, in emergency stop situations it is wise to utilize both systems to shorten ones braking time and distance.

But I do agree with your point that it is much cheaper to replace brake pads rather than the clutch.

Chris.

Reply to
Chris

Engine braking shouldn't wear the clutch significantly; after all, you are truly just shifting gears.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

Agreed. Any damn fool that holds the car on a hill by slipping the clutch deserves what he gets. OTOH, it doesn't take much practice to match rpms when downshifting, causing negligible wear to the clutch.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

How do you figure? I've seen people avoid their brakes as much as possible and do nearly all their braking by declutching, letting the engine spin down, and then clutching slowly, to maximize braking. Some of that energy has to go to wear.

You say it shouldn't wear significantly, but neither should any one stop wear the brakes significantly. The wear comes from the aggregation of all the many stops.

Reply to
Tom Reingold

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Huh. I largely avoid using my brakes, but I engine brake by throttling a bit to rev-match as I downshift, then while the engine is fully engaged in the lower gear (clutch pedal not pressed) I slow down by reducing the throttle I'd used to rev-match for the downshift. When there's so little throttle that the rpm is low enough I rev-match and downshift again. Rinse and repeat. No need to use the clutch any more than you would for upshifting and accelerating; it's just the same process reversed. I consider what I do to be engine braking, but there's no slow clutching involved: that sounds like a dreadful idea!

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark T.B. Carroll

I admit I sacrifice my brakes to save clutch components. I DO see how some types of racing/high performance driving might demand rev-matched downshifting. I also understand about mountain downslopes. And there are occasions in everyday driving where I DO downshift to - say - 3rd or second in preparation for an 'urgent' maneuver. But 90% of the time I am either in neutral slowing to a stop with the brakes, or less often, clutch pedal down/hand on shifter ready for next gear if required. I think it's more a 'style' thing than a 'right/wrong' thing.

I dunno

Carl

1 Lucky Texan
Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

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