Used 2023 Subaru Impreza

I'm the original owner of a 2019 Impreza hatchback (base model). I originally leased it and bought out the lease at the end of the term. I've put about 63,500 miles on it at this point. Overall, it's been a great little car. It is phenomenal in snow and on wet roads thanks to a great AWD system. It is comfortable and has been very reliable. I average around 27mpg on my commute, which is mostly city driving in pretty heavy traffic– not bad at all. My only major repair has been with the rear suspension, where I needed to replace the shocks at around 50,000 miles. I suspect this was my own fault due to hauling too much weight during a cross-country move. I've also had repeated issues with losing hubcaps (almost every base impreza I see is missing one or more hubcaps!). After replacing 2 hubcaps (almost $100 each!), I eventually gave up and installed some Sparco alloy wheels when I replaced my tires at 60k. These are (relatively) minor issues. All of the major components have been super reliable so far. I also appreciate Subaru's simplicity– it's pretty easy to do basic preventative maintenance yourself and save a bit of money.

After friends had good luck with Subaru, I decided to get one since we get just enough inclement weather that having an all-wheel drive car would be quite useful. I ordered the 5-speed wagon since they didn't have any on the lot. Since I got exactly what I wanted, I was pleased with the car for a little while. First thing I noticed was recall after recall on this thing for stupid stuff. Is the radio firmware really that bad that it can drain the battery? Is the ignition software really that bad that it can destroy the coils? So far, the recalls on this car: Radio firmware. Ignition firmware. Fuel pump - this one required a lawsuit before Subaru recalled it. (not done) Ignition firmware - this time to replace the coils as well. (not done) Headlamps - how do you make these wrong? Just one of them, by the way. (not done) (And no, I'm not going to bother with the remaining recalls. If it dies, the title is in it. I've already spent enough time at the dealer with this thing.) The radio firmware update is still problematic. It fixed a few things, but the head unit still has a lot of issues. Sometimes, it just turns itself on. You still can't adjust the volume down while it shows the nanny screen, so if you have it up loud, shut the car off, and re-start - be prepared to get deaf. It didn't do anything for the fact that the device doesn't have the processing power of a wind-up watch and is the slowest computing device I've ever owned. Want to connect your phone? It may work. It may not. It may keep the settings you gave it last time. It may not. I end up doing a factory reset on mine about every two months to keep it working marginally. The fuel pump is especially bad. Mine is covered under two recalls and a lawsuit. The car has always barely been able to get out of it's own way, and I noticed one hot summer that trying to accelerate would just almost stall the car, and trying to pull away from a traffic light would almost stall as well. Turns out the impeller for the pump is bad and they didn't want to recall it until they got sued. Nice, right? Here's the best thing. I had an extended warranty on it, to 70000 miles. Literally, as the odometer kicked over to 70001, a friend in the car goes "You have a gear whine in the back." Ok, that wasn't there a week ago...it's been getting louder and noisier and yeah. Both rear wheel bearings are bad. At least, I assume it's the bearings and not the diff... Now? The rear brakes are already grinding as well. There's several hundred dollars, assuming I can do it myself and assuming the drivetrain isn't bad. There are other issues - I don't trust the local dealer to do the fuel pump recall, I know they've mangled others. Do I recommend this car? After driving a 2007 Focus for 17 years before it suffered it's first major failure - No. DO NOT BUY. This is my first and last Subaru. Now if Subaru, who knows their wheel bearing design is ****, would fix it because it had to have started under warranty, then I'd be a little happier. But a company that charges $400 for a battery that Auto Zone sells (same Johnson Controls battery!) for $250 with a longer warranty isn't going to want to spend their time fixing what they know is a piece of junk that's already worn out before most cars even get broken in.

I bought this car new because it is just like one that had just been totaled by a large truck while I was sitting in it at a stoplight. I say the car is sturdy because I was not hurt or sore afterwards. It has leather seats which are stain-resistant, look great, & are easy to keep clean. This is important because I often eat in my car. It has five doors including the hatchback. I find it easy to load groceries or luggage through the hatchback. The driver's seat reclines so that it is almost horizontal. This feature makes it easy to take a nap at rest stops. The rearview mirror has a compass that I rely on in places where the street signs are hard to read. The exterior of my Impreza is white but it never looks dirty unless it is wintertime & our streets are full of slush & salt. When that happens, I pull in the $2.00 do-it-yourself neighborhood carwashd & rinse it off. The backseat is comfortable for adults. I am a loyal Subaru Impreza fan.