A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine was selling his 1997 Subaru Impreza L Coupe 2.2L AWD 5 speed. Of course, I decided to be totally original and buy it. It had 190,700ish miles on the motor at the time. Before you scoff at the mileage, the MAF sensor on my 93 came off a 2.2 with 297K miles, my spare MAF came off one with 311K miles, the 2.2 is one of Subarus most reliable motors. Aside from some damage to the rear quarter on the drivers side and the normal GC rear fenderwell rust it's pretty clean. The frame is a lot more solid than my 93 (Even though the 93 isn't bad) and the rust on the rear quarters is mostly just on the surface. Paid $1400 which is more than I normally would have paid for a car like this one but it was from a friend of mine and it has a lot of potential. It needs a driver side axle replaced and has some wheel bearing noise coming from the right rear. No big deal, already have the parts and the bearing needing changed will give me a reason to use the 20 ton press we just got.
It was taken care of really well though, and he swapped in seats from an 03 Outback Sport which are actually pretty awesome, they put the STis seat to shame. He also changed all the struts/mounts a few years back and gave me his receipts (lifetime warranty ftw). It had Firestone Winterforce tires on it which I was reluctant to take off but the 15" wheels won't clear the brakes it's getting.
So far I've changed the battery, changed the oil/filter, changed the fuel filter, changed the plugs and wires, changed the PCV valve, switched my CAI over, switched my HI/LO HIDs over (haters come at me), and switched the WRX wheels over from the 93. I vacuumed the inside really well although the seats still need to be scrubbed. The windows need cleaned and paint is pretty scratched up. Total investment right now is about $1900 including all the parts I've bought.
I also have but have yet to install a new timing belt/water pump/thermostat, new front o2 senor, new clutch, new flywheel, new rear drums, shoes, cylinders and hardware, new rear wheel bearings/seals, a new axle, and I'm switching the WRX front brakes over from the 93. I'm also switching over the STi catback although the header has to stay on the 93 because the exhaust ports are different, but the 93 will get the 97's OE catback (which seems to have been replaced because its surprisingly clean).
Unfortunately, this new Impreza means the 93 Impreza has to go. I already have it sold to a friend of mine, he's already given me a $1000 deposit and will give me the rest when I finish taking the parts off the car that I'm keeping. I haven't decided if I'm going to do the bodywork, paint this car and keep it yet, or if I want to flip it like I've done (unintentionally) with the 93 and sell it sometime soon to buy a 2.5RS like I really want to.
Anyhow, here it is the night I brought it home:
And of course a picture of both the 93 and the 97:
Brought the STi out to meet its older brothers:
Here's a shot of what some of my friends/coworkers are calling "The Armada":
And last for now, the picture from which the car's namesake comes, it is my pleasure to formally introduce you all to "The Candy Cane":
Originally Posted by kyle99gtp
