Is a Subaru a good choice for a first ever car?

[Willie Trombone]

Seems more like for your first car you want it to be fast.

And your engine swapping idea is absolutely daft.

Nah, let him have his first car lol.
The only way for some people to learn is through their pockets. Auto “tuners” love these guys lol.

 

[qscwbt]

The 2 liter normal asperated engines are bullet proof. They last and can easily do a million km. They are not fast. Subaru’s do use more fuel because of the all wheel drive.

So if you want to mod you will be wasting your time on a normal asperated Subaru. You will gain very little. And trying to fit a turbo will cost more than the car. So you can not mod a normal asperated Subaru.

If you want to start to mod in 2 years then start with a turbo Subaru. The WRX is a good start. You can deffo look at the ols school GC8. They were called imprezza GT. They have the EJ205 engine 2 liter turbo. They quick and reliable.

They good and reliable in stock form and can become expensive if modded for high power like any other car.

 

[WaxLyrical]

Nah, let him have his first car lol.
The only way for some people to learn is through their pockets. Auto “tuners” love these guys lol.

His best bet is to look for an old STi, get an engine warranty and hope it lasts.

 

[N@t3]

Rather get a Tata Bolt.

 

[ubercal]

His best bet is to look for an old STi, get an engine warranty and hope it lasts.

Most ppl with older subarus (wrx and stis) have had there engines rebuilt.Personality both my wrx and sti are on there 2nd engines.

 

[WaxLyrical]

Most ppl with older subarus (wrx and stis) have had there engines rebuilt.Personality both my wrx and sti are on there 2nd engines.

And what did it cost you?

 

[piranha786]

My first new car was a hawk eye 2007- 2.0R. - I was also in my early 20's. It was a great car to have, but believe me, you setting the bar very high, for the subsequent cars. I did about 180 000 km, in 6 years, no major faults, besides 1 clutch replacement (mostly because I sat a lot in bumper to bumper traffic), and something broke in the gearbox.
Services is expensive, (R10k for a major service) but Fuel takes the cake!

If you like driving mountain passes / track days, it the best car for your buck. If you into robot- to robot fun, you can get better for cheaper. i.e. modified golf

When you mod .. please don't put that big wing on the 2.0R, unless you have the turbo (wrx or STi) You will give subaru a bad name

 

[ubercal]

And what did it cost you?

sti was around 80k but thats just the beginning.Overall mantaince and fixing things runs into a few hundred k.Its like a never ending project.Its never 100% fine.

 

[SauRoNZA]

OP call now and get a quotation for insurance.

Then come back and tell us if you still want to continue the conversation.

If you didn't plan to get insurance...well then I'm out of the conversation anyway.

 

[CT_Biker]

OP call now and get a quotation for insurance.

Then come back and tell us if you still want to continue the conversation.

If you didn't plan to get insurance...well then I'm out of the conversation anyway.

Generally anything over 2 liter displacement is going to cost a lot if the car is on the kids name.

Almost got bitten hard by this. I am getting hammered on my bike though.

 

[SlinkyMike]

As an adult I can offer a slightly different kind of feedback here.

Friend of mine rolled their Forester last year, car was totaled but I'm not exaggerating when I say that all four occupants of the car walked away literallly without a scratch.

Driver punched herself in the head at one point, that was the worst of the injuries.

Never been a fan of the 'scoobie' bollox but still, very good cars IMO.

Pretty certain OP couldn't give a toss about this though hehehe.

Also: maybe one of the experts here can isolate the year/model but Subaru did have some bad rep for head gaskets at one stage.

What is your opinion on buying the 07 Hawkeye Impreza 2.0R keep it stock for two years. With mild mods after the 2 year mark but not serious mods as I would sell the car after 8 or 9 years most likely.

Unless you are an expert with a name for doing this type of thing, once you mod it it's yours for life. Only a moron would buy a ten year old Subaru molested to schit, IMO.
You'd be much better off considering the car a 'keeper' and maybe see what it's worth to collectors once it passes the 25 year 'modern classic' mark. In which case you definitely need to keep it stock and not molest it at all over that period.

 

[Ghoster79]

I realize this does not help the OP's original question, but I just wanted to put this in here:
back to the topic at hand...................

 

[ahoudet]

2.0R could be decent but don’t mod it. When you’re ready, sell it and get a WRX.

I haven’t driven a NA Subaru but my brother had a bugeye WRX and I have a blob WRX. They’re heavy on fuel... I don’t daily drive it.

 

[ForceFate]

I don't know how deep your pockets are but at your age, insurance quote is going to make your heart skip a few beats.

 

[ubercal]

As an adult I can offer a slightly different kind of feedback here.

Friend of mine rolled their Forester last year, car was totaled but I'm not exaggerating when I say that all four occupants of the car walked away literallly without a scratch.

Driver punched herself in the head at one point, that was the worst of the injuries.

Never been a fan of the 'scoobie' bollox but still, very good cars IMO.

Pretty certain OP couldn't give a toss about this though hehehe.

Also: maybe one of the experts here can isolate the year/model but Subaru did have some bad rep for head gaskets at one stage.

Unless you are an expert with a name for doing this type of thing, once you mod it it's yours for life. Only a moron would buy a ten year old Subaru molested to schit, IMO.

You'd be much better off considering the car a 'keeper' and maybe see what it's worth to collectors once it passes the 25 year 'modern classic' mark. In which case you definitely need to keep it stock and not molest it at all over that period.

What crap are you talking ? Guaranteed a modified 10 year old subaru is better then any car you've ever driven.Stop being a jealous hater

 

[Brawler]

They're solid cars. A close friend had the bug eye one for like 200k km. Like others have said it was very heavy on petrol.

 

[qscwbt]

 

[WaxLyrical]

 

[WaxLyrical]

 

[pinball wizard]

In the far future I want to add more power: I would like to swap the engine and transmission with the 2.5l engine and six speed transmission. And adding a turbo. Essentially making it into " an STI " because the STI(s) are expensive and I won't be able to afford it right now, which is why I'm considering the 2.0R
But I see myself having the cash saved up for the engine and transmission swap in the future.
Is this a good idea for the future of the car? Will the car hold up to the swap? Are they any issues I should look out for when doing a swap?

Please educate and advise me from your past experiences or opinions.

Buy a faster car straight up instead of your stupid plan. There must be plenty of STI's and WRX's in your price range? Or a a Megane RS? Or a Focus ST? Or any number of better choices than what you are suggesting.