Hello I was just curious, I'm thinking of buying a used RS in the near future and I was just wondering why you bought yours. I also wanted to know if any of you had run into any unexpected mechanical problems with your scoobies.
i bought mine because the winters here in ND Suck ass, and my Turbo Z just doesn't cut it on the ice and snow. and not to mention i'm from NC and i'm stationed here in the frozen tundra, therefor, AWD is king. plus i haven't owned anything newer than an 87 nissan Z-car, so i thought i'd step up a little with something alot newer. i've always liked the looks of the 98-01 RS's and i finally can afford to own one.
I bought my car beacuse I liked the power it had, the AWD, the handling, and the looks. It was right there, performance wise, with the other cars I was looking at (Integra GS, Celica GT, ect...), but it has AWD, while the other cars in it's class are all FWD, and I wanted something different that would match up better with my personality and driving style than my 91 Camaro RS (305 V8) did. Plus, it rains a bit here in Oregon, and the AWD is perfect for our weather. I also did a lot of research, and Subaru has a great track record for both crash safety and reliabilty, and the resale values of the RS are great, too, not that I'd ever sell it.
I was in the market for something with decent gas mileage to replace my gas-hog Dodge Dakota, I drove through the Subaru dealer (I wanted to see a WRX but they weren't out yet) I saw my 01 RS, popped wood, went inside, got a test drive, came back the next day and put 3 grand down cash and drove it home.
How's that for love at first site?
It's also the only vehicle I've ever bought that I haven't had one single second of buyer's remorse over, I love it more now than the first time I saw it.
I was a big fan of the WRC and I needed a new car since the dealership couldn't fix my OBS. I saw the RS, feel in love with it, tried to talk myself out of it (I didn't think I could aford a new car), the girl I was with told me I was stupid if I didn't get it. Next day I gave the dealer the down payment and the rest is history.
I started looking b/c my old GTI was going to break me with maintenance issues. I set $30k as my price cap and narrowed the search to the A4, SVT Contour, then new GTI/Jetta, and the RS. The Contour had the power but was a little too pricey, the A4 is a pig off boost and I had to buy used to afford any real power out of it, the GTI/Jetta only had leather in the VR6 (which I didn't want) and were also a little pricey. The scooby was always top on the list pre-test drive and once I drove it I put down $100 to have the dealer hold it (June 99, MY99 RS, very hard to find!).
The question would be WHY WOULDN'T YOU BUY A RS, it's just looks so cool, at least until the 2001 before the new body style came out. Its really neat to get stares from people when you debadge your car and it's NOT another CIVIC or INTEGRA...everyones got one of those for crying out load. PLUS can we say ALL WHEEL DRIVE? I currently own 3 other cars on top of the Suby which I got about 3 months ago and since then all the money is going into this little bugger. My other rides are :
I wanted an AWD car here in NH. I was about to get a KIA Sportage an on the testdrive a 98 RS flew by me and I ended up talking to the KIA dealer about Subarus.
i haven't gotten one yet..but i've always like the my99-01 imprezas...i really got hooked to it after playin Gran Turismo...i like it's tration and fast off the line pick ups...
When i was looking in late 99 my choice for performance and price was between the celica gts, GTI VR6, Civic Si, and the RS. RS was light, torquey, and the most individualist and different then all the rest. For a long time people thought I was driving a WRX imported, and one chode muffin said it was an EVO VI. May he never be allowed to speak of cars again. Glad I made the choice I did, high retail, very rare, and the performance potential is higher than any other 4 banger I can think of that comes N/A from the factory. Got myself a MY00 Silverthorn metallic and I still get looks to this day.
I got into watching the WRC back in '99, thought the Impreza was a helluva car, went for a test drive and was hooked. If I only wanted to have fun on clean, dry, paved roads, I would've bought a motorcycle.
tasteycow
When i was looking in late 99 my choice for performance and price was between the celica gts, GTI VR6, Civic Si, and the RS. RS was light, torquey, and the most individualist and different then all the rest. For a long time people thought I was driving a WRX imported, and one chode muffin said it was an EVO VI. May he never be allowed to speak of cars again. Glad I made the choice I did, high retail, very rare, and the performance potential is higher than any other 4 banger I can think of that comes N/A from the factory. Got myself a MY00 Silverthorn metallic and I still get looks to this day.
Idiots at my school thought I had an STI. Said they saw an STI badge and a shortshifter decal on my trunk. Had to show them my standard RS badge and "Shorline"(dealership... why the hell would anyone want a 'shortshifter' badge anyways?) badge .
Sheesh.
Definately an eye catcher around here though. I love how noone knows what it is.
Idiots at my school thought I had an STI. Said they saw an STI badge and a shortshifter decal on my trunk. Had to show them my standard RS badge and "Shorline"(dealership... why the hell would anyone want a 'shortshifter' badge anyways?) badge .
if you think being told you have a turbo is bad, try having the Subaru dealership service guys tell you that you have a 98 WRX. cracks me up everytime i go in.
mostly dude to money. i wanted something that would give me the kick but nice monthly payment, gas, and insurance... 25RS came up on my list. (no domestic)
My 98 Legacy GT was starting to develop tranny problems but I was nursing it along waiting for the WRX. I took one look at the official photos of the 2002 WRX and marched right down to the dealership and bought a 2001 while I could still buy an Impreza that didn't look like ass...
i wish that was the case for me. but by the time I switch from 4eat to mt, there was no more MY01RS.
Retsyn said:
My 98 Legacy GT was starting to develop tranny problems but I was nursing it along waiting for the WRX. I took one look at the official photos of the 2002 WRX and marched right down to the dealership and bought a 2001 while I could still buy an Impreza that didn't look like ass...
Reason:
-Honda accord with no air or stereo.
-I nearly messed my panted on the first test drive and I don't mean with urine or feces.
-I fell in love with the scoop and bumper.
-my girl said I wouldn't reget it.
-good shocks :devil:
-only 2000 Aspen White Sedan in KY I think.
I think it really came down to AWD. At the time i bought it, set it apart from everything else in its price class. And for such a sporty car, its still more utiliarian than most of the other sport compacts i was looking at. And it was different
Ed
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