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I've currently got my S2000 up for sale, had it the last 6 years. I'm looking to move into Subaru ownership, and like idea of a classic, bug eye or blob eye. Has anyone come from an S2000 to an impreza before?
Nice cars S2000. I'd go to a newage bugeye or blobeye think classic will be abit of a shock lack of comfort wise. Newage Impreza's are more refined. Better for a daily, if it's a weekend car classic is good option aswell.
I love the LHT Performance channel on YouTube.
S2000 specialist in Florida, amazing supercharging results....double power. Real honest decent guy, great fabrications etc. Really worth a watch.
You'll be quite shocked I think when you do. First impressions are a pretty cheap saloon, more Korean of a previous generation than VW, in terms of quality. The odd squeak and rattle. Overly firm suspension. Seats that take getting used to, and a thirst for petrol like a Range Rover. Generally puts you off on a first drive.
Then you get a chance to open the throttle and onto boost and it all changes...
O M F G.
That's probably what hooked most of us. The sheer thrust of the damn thing. It's a car you pull out first to overtake BEFORE mashing the throttle.
Remember how Han lambasted Luke about the need to do the calculations before jumping to Hyperspace...... it's similar. The Third-fourth gear on-off cross country performance is like nothing and far quicker point to point that most other cars if given their head.
Your licence? On a plus, the Impreza is very uncomfortable on roads where Police and Cameras like to be.
Go drive one. Properly. You'll get 'it' in no time at all.
Nice pre facelift car, looks to be really clean. One of my current cars is a 2005 one owner Moonrock which I've had for 3.5 years
I take it this is a weekend car not a daily?
I've driven many, many scoobs but my main long-term experience is with late classics...as said above the first thing you will notice is the torque, much easier to drive in traffic than an S2k, cabin is quite driver centric still but no where near the focus of the Honda. Steering is far more communicative than the horrid electric steering in the Honda, if standard it will understeer on the limit and feel pretty dull, thicker adjustable rear ARB and solid drop links will sort that out but its still no where near as sharp as an S2k. If you want to steer on the throttle the same way you can in the S2k you will need a DCCD equipped car which allows you to increase the split of power to the rear wheels.
Interior is plasticky but not much more than the Honda, and tbh if that's of significant importance to you better of looking at the German marques
Go drive some and see what you think, they are a fun car...particularly any classic sti or RA...if you have any questions happy to help as best I can
Last edited by trails; 24 January 2019 at 01:48 PM.
Yeah it's a weekend car and fancy interiors definitely aren't high up on my list of things I need. I'm hoping an Impreza will feel like a bigger version of my old starlet GT!
Went from a DC5 to a hawk STi PPP the difference was night and day. now on my third scoob, that said if I had the cash I would have kept the Honda as well.
I have a MY2000 S2000 GT & a MY2016 STI. How do they compare?
The S2000 is ultimately an utterly sublime chassis. It can be balanced on the throttle, provide masses of detail through the seat, wheel and controls and has possibly the best manual gearbox ever made. The brakes are absolutely brilliant and, so long as it's maintained religiously and you check oil levels with every fill-up, you're going to be able to literally do hundreds of thousands of miles with it.
9,000rpm, top down, on a warm summers evening is always going to be special.
The Subaru, conversely, is less delicate and more brute-force savagery. It is ultimately faster than the S2000 and easier to drive. It has impressive structural rigidity, better wet-weather agility and is ultimately a four-door rally car and the boot space is incredibly handy. It is a little easier to deal with on an every day basis and you don't need to watch it in the same way you'd watch an S2000.
In my case, the S2000 is probably the best car I own, if we're talking driving experience. There's a lot of theatre, a great deal of feel through the chassis and you can pick your line. It is an extremely satisfying car to string together through a good B road with weight transfer, gearshifts & engine noises.
The Subaru is still quite a beast and it'll chuck you up the road like 4 ultra-strong rugby players 6 beers in - it's a hoot to drive and is very well judged, it is a 'raw' saloon car.
They're two different tools for two different tasks. I'd choose the S over the Subaru if it came to it, but make no mistake, both are to be respected and both are enjoyable.
I never find myself saying 'I've brought the wrong car' in either car when I find the right road.
I don't think I have ever driven anything with a better engine than the S2000. Screaming mad revs in a well balanced car and RWD Fab car. Not sure how to advise coming to 4wd turbo land!
I had an S2000 (maybe 12 years ago) took it in px and was a car I’d never even looked at. After an initial horrible experience with the handling on the motorway (where it was feeling like killing me in the slow lane ruts) I found out about the geometry and tyre wear being very sensitive. Put some better tyres on and had the geo done and loved the car.
I will say though, 12 years later and I still have imprezas not an s2000.
My advice - go drive them or find people willing to take you out in thelrs. The classic is definitely the most raw of the three versions you mention and especially so in JDM versions. Each later version is a softer/woolier version of the previous.
I’ve had all of the Impreza versions over the years and the classic in a Sti form is In my opinion the best drivers car and now a great weekend toy which will only increase in value.
I run a bugeye WRX daily & hadn’t driven my classic sti for nearly two years. Forgot just how quick and fun it was after getting it out the other week.
18 January 2019 | 12:03 PM
Coming from an S2000
