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Comments
my biggest concerns are safety (we have small children) and fitting in our garage. mileage is a distant third. will impreza fit the bill? will the constant hill and city and city/hill driving harsh our mellow?
finally: i've always driven a manual, but gotta go with the CVT 'cause of mileage.
thanks for any insights. most folks here live in places with harsher weather, but a safe, small car is still what we want here in SF.
i don't carry much with me toolwise: just a small socket set and leatherman for emergencies but maybe all i really need is the latter. i'd like to hide my first aid kit in there too (mine is pretty small).
anyway, i guess i'll have to wait and see...
My wife has been very careful to do the full waiting with key "ON" routine, putting on her seat belt after turning the key and waiting for gauges to flop around. A bit of a hassle, but she got into the routine. Then it happened again even with that and it wasn't THAT cold of a day. Hopefully this AWD car can run in something other than Florida or South CA summer weather.
Someone on another Impreza forum claims they "fixed" it by running "Sea Foam" gas cleaner (and a tankful of high octane, which might be optional) through the system. He claims that fixed ALL the hard starting problem (implied no more waiting required) and actually picked up a couple MPG, even a couple tankfuls later.
Theory is some gunk or residue from the fabrication process got into the tank or fuel system and needs to be cleaned out.
My only hesitation in trying this very easy and cheap possible fix is I thought I remember seeing somewhere in Owners Manual NOT to put any fuel system cleaners in the tank.(and no explanation of why not). But I can't find that reference when I tried to find it again. Its certainly buried if its there.
Might be worth the gamble. And even in my dim memory it was vague about what was "improper".
Just don't come after me if you try it and the fuel system welds itself into an unwarranted molten mess or something..... :P
This works well for me. On winding downhills I move to manual mode and rarely use the brakes.
Limited Hatchback CVT
The car parks well in the city, though I'm getting used to judging things without a trunk, but it turns tightly which is key. I can also fit it easily in my small 1940s garage. There's probably 4" on each side of the mirror entering the garage.
Now the hills - I have a feeling that you could do better on MPG taking on hills. I never realized how hilly my commute to work is until I started watching the RPMs in my CVT. The car likes to ensure you have reserve power, so it's not eager to stay in virtual-top-gear going up a hill. You can also hear the engine & CVT get loud up hills. Noise notwithstanding, you'll never drive up a hill and mutter "i think i can i think i can" under your breath.
If it were me, not living where there's snow, I might go with the Focus on the MPG alone, except that the Impreza's back seat felt marginally bigger, which is nice with kids, especially getting them in and out of their car seats.
Took it to the dealer and they said "no codes, no problem", and insisted we were the only people in the world to have this problem.
My wife INSISTED they log the problem, which they strongly resisted. Of course there are no other reports of the problem if no one logs the problem.
People need to be reporting and insisting they log this problem if Subaru is EVER going to address it, since its been apparently an issue for years now.
so i got some great news from my dealer. it appears that our Limited 5DR is coming in "early." it's ETA is April 6 which is basically 4 weeks from the day we placed the order. the dealer said that this sometimes happens when your vehicle matches what is available (maybe 1 in 10 orders).
anyway, getting greedy, i'm trying to figure out what the updated status means. it's supposed to have an estimated arrival (presumably at the dealer) of April 6, but it's Scheduled date is March 29. is the latter some sort of "in port date" and then it takes a week or so to get to the dealer after everything is said and done?
thanks for any experiences. i'm getting excited!
I just got a message from the dealer, my order is coming in early.
Originally I thought I would be waiting until May, they said it's coming in 4/5.
If you are in the SF area, I think the prices are good.
I got another email from Stevens Creek Subaru saying that they would knock off another $250 from their last quote. So I think they are still being aggressive with prices.
The $100 off invoice price I'm getting is still a better deal...
maybe production is ramping up to meet demand...
I thought you said you got it for $1000 below invoice?
1 thousand off invoice is what I'm getting.
I think Stevens Creek Subaru's new offer probably would have amounted to $700 off invoice.
Wow! very good. I chat with internet representative yesterday that I'm looking for something similar to your order( price and option ). She said that internet sale manager will contact me the same day, but until now haven't heard from them.
Could you tell me how did you start your dealing with them from beginning? thank you so much.
Eric
I asked for quote through edmunds.com and carsdirect.com.
Capital subaru works with both of those sites.
The internet director (Jamie Cassady) of sales there contacted me by email.
Keep in mind, you only get better pricing for ordering instead of car off the lot.
I'm not sure why that's case, but all of the dealers told me that.
I had an almost peaceful, low-pressure experience. Didn't have to negotiate, the price was what I wanted to pay (would have gone elsewhere to shop around if had been higher), so I gladly focused then on fine-tuning the options. Stevens Creek is good, too, especially about being knowledgeable about the cars, but they were setting the price higher once they sensed I had decided on the Subaru Impreza.
Have ordered an Impreza Premium Hatchback w/ Auto, Nav, Moonroof (option code 29), alloy wheel package plus upgraded speakers, fog lamp, remote starter and a couple of smaller options. Satin white pearl, ivory cloth trim.
~$23800 + fees etc. which is ~800 below invoice if am correct.
Will add an aftermarket rear backup sensor array (ultrasonic) when it comes in. Good luck all, you cannot go wrong with the Impreza, I think.
Thank you for fast reply. This is very good information. I appreciated.
Eric
The MSRP was increased $300 when I received confirmation which was from Subarunet.com a
site the dealer has access. It gave me a VON number and the MSRP of $24,571. I believe the extra $300 is that the car will be a PZEV. The dealer has not indicated they are passing this on to me.
In conclusion, the best price I could find in KC market was $350 over +$200 adm. Additionally I was the person who was the aggressor in calling the dealers. neither initially responded from the Costco, AAA, or Consumer Reports referrals and once contacting them I did not here back for a week and had to call the sales person. They claimed they had been busy.
Is the aftermatket backup camera that uses the existing LCD display?
Funny thing is, I usually don't like white!
When I started negotiations, I told the salesman what I wanted and that I wanted to pay $100 below invoice. It took him less than 5 minutes to offer me a price at $200 below invoice (apparently, everyone gets "employee" pricing for February and March).
Go figure. They aren't losing money, that's for sure.
John
I really like the interior color too, very good combo for hot weather climates.
John
I'm about ready to buy, but haven't had a chance to drive a sport model. I know I don't want a base hatch, because without the gunmetal rims it looks to staid to me, so that leaves me choosing between a premium sedan or sport premium hatch. I'm a young guy and really like the style of the sport model, but I do a great deal of highway driving and find tire noise to be rather irksome. Any insight?
The Impreza's pearl looks great. :shades:
I haven't had a chance to test drive it, but I'm very interested in the 2012 Impreza Hatchback. I currently own a 2007 Forester which I love, but I would like to get better gas mileage. I play a large stand up bass and need to be able to fit it in the car. My dealer will not have any in until next week. So, I'm wondering how the space compares to the Forester and if a standard will get better gas mileage than an automatic. Thanks!
A.K.
NEVER thought I would ever like a white car, but this thing is one handsome looking car!
As far as I know, this combination is very rare. Where are you located? Maybe you saw mine??
61" total length from behind rear seats to hatch.
95" total length from front console to hatch.
30" height.
42" wide at rear wheel wells.
At least with the EPA ratings the automatic gets better gas mileage. I think this has been a theme for Subaru for a while.
I can confirm the dimensions in a day or two....patiently waiting for the arrival.
The ultrasonic backup warning, based on an array of four sensors on the rear bumper, is $450 - $650 installed, based on three quotes, two from dealers and one from a Pleasanton garage shop. Have not yet determined the brand, capability etc. - my Odyssey's backup warning system (cost $650) works great, hence want the same capability in the Impreza.
I did not look for a backup camera, believe the ultrasonic with auditory warning is sufficient for safety, and maybe safer than looking at a screen within the console.
Tires are at least as good as the Generals we've had on earlier Subarus, and way better than the Potenzas Subi used to supply. Nothing brilliant, but nothing hair-raising. We will probably change to Hankook Optimos when they wear down.
The ride and roominess is outstanding for any size car.
Marine Blue is a pretty sharp color on the Sport Premium, too.
I don't think there is much, if any, value in the protection plans, which are likely dealer-based as opposed to the extended warranty (which is backed by Subaru).
Details on Subie Impreza ordering can be found here: http://www.subaruofkeene.com/2012-subaru-impreza.htm
What did you get yours for?
seen many deals several hundred off invoice......
Is it meant to be this sensitive or is there a weight threshold when it should go off? This is going to be a problem if you can't have anything in the front seat. I can put the seat belt on, but really I want the air bag to be off if no one is sitting there. No sense in it deploying in case of accident if there is no one in the seat. Can I install a kill switch (without voiding warranty)?
Thanks
On the '08, I drove it a few thousand miles with my son (three+ at the time) in the seat, plus his car seat. The light never switched from "off." My guess that he weighed about 35#, plus another ? for the seat.
Your owner manual should say for sure.