2009 Impreza: Educate Me

[Katya4me]

My mom is going to look at an '09 Impreza wagon, 2.5i. It's a manual and has a little over 9K miles on it. Any issues to look for, quirks to be aware of, etc? TIA

[Sabre]

No quirks per say... but do the usual. The engine should be quiet, ask for maintenance records, look for any leaking oil/other fluids. Ask why the low mileage on a 09. Garage kept? Is if from the area? Kick the tires

[Katya4me]

LOL, it's at a dealership, and I'm definitely going to ask for a Carfax report and any information on the maintenance.

[Sabre]

Call Matt (Thermobox) and see if you can buy it through him through a dealer trade

[chicken n waffles]

take the carfax report with a grain of salt. they're pretty useless.

sometimes, even accidents that have been reported to insurance won't show up on your vehicle's carfax.

[thermatico]

Definitely take it to a third party repair shop for a full inspection. Walk away quickly if the seller balks at this request.

[Cereb Daithi]

The engine should be quiet

On a 2.5L NA Boxer?

Other than that there's not really a whole lot that was wrong with the 09s. Just the usual used car stchick

[Katya4me]

She bought it. $13500, and she got 84 months of extended warranty.

[thermatico]

She bought it. $13500, and she got 84 months of extended warranty.

84 Months? Is that through Subaru?

[Katya4me]

She bought it. $13500, and she got 84 months of extended warranty.

84 Months? Is that through Subaru?

Yes

[Sabre]

Tell her congrats from all of us

[Katya4me]

Will do. She seems pretty happy with it. Looks like they haven't taken the ad down quite yet.
http://www.stohlmansubaru.com/used/Suba ... 7aacd0.htm

[thermobox]

Call Matt (Thermobox) and see if you can buy it through him through a dealer trade

Thanks Bro! Though we can't really do dealer trades on PreOwned cars. We usually don't have Manual Trans cars on the lot for more than a few days. So good on ya Katy's Mom!! Congrats!!

[Katya4me]

Call Matt (Thermobox) and see if you can buy it through him through a dealer trade

Thanks Bro! Though we can't really do dealer trades on PreOwned cars. We usually don't have Manual Trans cars on the lot for more than a few days. So good on ya Katy's Mom!! Congrats!!

Thanks and next time we buy a new Subaru, we'll come to you first. She was looking at new Versas, but I think she made the right decision.

[Mr Kleen]

unless she's an uber Heroes fanatic, she did.

[Sabre]

Suzie had a Versas for a rental (she actually did pick it b/c of the Hero's thing). She said it was one of the worst cars she has ever driven!

[Katya4me]

Suzie had a Versas for a rental (she actually did pick it b/c of the Hero's thing). She said it was one of the worst cars she has ever driven!

Hmm, she's not a fan of Heroes and did like the Versa hatch, but said it was not $17K worth of niceness. A big sticking point with the Versa was the $1200 "power package" in order to get the keyless remote, which was a must for her.

[complacent]

$1200?!? That's pretty bonkers.

Glad to hear there's another Suby with a good home.

[Mr Kleen]

I hate it when they force you to buy expensive packages just to get one option. I understand grouping things for a small discount to encourage purchasing more options than you might ordinarily, but to require a $1400 package as the only way to get keyless entry? that's how you drive away a customer. (no pun)

[Katya4me]

I hate it when they force you to buy expensive packages just to get one option. I understand grouping things for a small discount to encourage purchasing more options than you might ordinarily, but to require a $1400 package as the only way to get keyless entry? that's how you drive away a customer. (no pun)

That's part of the reason I wanted her to stay in a Subaru. The base Versa doesn't include power windows or locks. This is what you get with the power plus package:

• Cruise control with steering-wheel-mounted controls
  Remote keyless entry
  Power door locks with auto-locking feature
  Power windows with driver one-touch auto-up/down
  Door armrest pad
  Rear door map pockets

The 2.5i included all of these, external temperature display and an extra power port/cigarette lighter in the center console. Oh, and 50 more hp and AWD. How do you argue with that?

[Sabre]

How do you argue with that?

You don't

[drwrx]

The only selling point of the Versa over the Impreza is the gas milage.
The Impreza averages 20mpg city 27mpg highway.
The Versa (1.8 liter) averages 24mpg city 32mpg highway.

That being said, averages tend to vary and Subarus tend to get better than their averages while many others tend to get lower. I usually get around 22-25 mpg on my WRX despite the excessive mods.