Hey there everyone! First time posting, long time Subaru driver.
I just came across and bought what I thought was just a standard Impreza Coupe, nothing special, but it’s apparently a 1997 Subaru Impreza Brighton 2.2L Automatic with 160k miles on it. My buddy who does Rally Racing got super excited about it and said I got a great deal on it ($800).
My question is, what makes this car and the Brighton trim and 2.2L engine special and desirable? And what would you think this car should have been valued at (KBB says no info available).
It’s not the prettiest but it runs and drives well enough. Needs some minor work like axles and some rust repair, but overall seems like it could be a daily driver. I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep it or fix and sell it. I just keep getting told “never sell it you’ll never find another.”
It's the lightest GC chassis they made because it's a barebone basic model. I'm pretty sure the doors don't even have the crash bars the regular cars do to save on money. The only options they had were dealer installed AC and AWD. It's surprising it's got an automatic. Mine didn't even have a tachometer.
2.2 go brrrrrr
The chassis itself is a much better candidate for a motor swap than a 1998-2001 Impreza 2.5rs due to it being a slick top. No sunroof, less flex. Not sure why people love to swap the GM/GC chassis of the Impreza 2.5rs. The GM/GC chassis of the base Impreza L is a much better candidate.
If you are not planning to do a swap, the 2.2L 4 cylinder engine is a very robust engine. More so than the 2.5L NA engines that precedes it.
Edit: I would love to have an Impreza L coupe of that era just so I can do the swap, people often over look this trim and favors the 2.5rs more. Again, no sunroof, less flex of the chassis. One of the inherent cons of the 1st generation is that the body is not very stiff. I heard every single creaks and moan the car makes everytime I go over a bump (my 1st car was a 1999 Impreza 2.5rs Coupe).
My 96 legacy Brighton was over 420,000 miles. It was also rhino lined under neath. I miss it every day
lightest gc chassis and has a basically unkillable 2.2L
You can put 2.2 heads on a 2.5 block and get a high compression motor. I think is something like 11.5-1.
Op DM me and I can tell you everything you need to know about this car and what your first steps in keeping it roadworthy should be
Why am I getting downvoted wanting the guy to dm me so I can tell him how to handle that rocker and rear wheel arch rust. That shit will destroy that car.
Reddit is a special place my friend.
Lmfao literally. God forbid someone tries to teach someone about their car 😂😂