l have a toyota yaris at the moment and its a great little car but l need something with a little more guts, l would like a 4 door car with a slightly bigger engine for when l am on the highway etc. and l really like the subaru impreza. l live in australia if that makes a difference... l have been told that they are pricey to upkeep/maintain because its hard to get parts for them in australia so the parts are more expensive - is this something l should be concerned about??? or is it bullsh-t??? do you have any good or bad stories about your suby?

well l can tell u that N/A (non turbo) suby will seem like a V8 super car compared to ur yaris haha so u will love the extra power.

subaru is r not very costlyto maintain. who ever told yuo was kinda bullsh!ting you. they r VERY VERY VERY reliable cars just that when comething goes wrong the parts r expensive but major issues rarely come up. if yuo do go through & get a subaru ido NOT get the dealership to service u car (unless it voids ur warrenty if u dont use them) or work on ur car at all. try to avoid buying accesories from them after u get the car because they r overly expensive (a blind for my gen 2 liberty wagon is $400!!!!!)

back on to the reliability though. very reliable dont miss a beat. my dad owns a GT forrester (beast :P) & we've driven it to victoria & back 5 times been all through K.I. on it driven the yorke peninsula meany times & only ever had one problem once when the radiator core got blocked up on the way to melb once. thats it.

hope this helps youi in ur search:) sorry for the essay haha.

Get a turbocharged impreza. Super reliable and decent performance. a WRX will feel like a rocketship compared to your yaris

Subarus r generally reliable. I've had 3 Imprezas, including a WRX, & an Outback. The only trouble I've ever had, & this was serious, was a broken connecting rod on the WRX that required a full engine replacement under warranty. Otherwise, in about 100,000 miles of driving there have been no issues whatsoever. l think ur best bet is to skip the turbo & go for a 2.5. Will seem very quick compared to ur Yaris, & has been improved (at least the US version) to provide better response throughout the power band. At 170-180 hp, depending on which rating system is used, it is reasonably powerful for a 3,000 lb car.

The turbo in the WRX does not contribute to power gain until about 3,000 rpm, so it is sluggish below that. Also requires higher octane fuel for peak performance, but will function with no threat of damage on 87 octane. It is biggest advantage is that it is packaged with a limited slip rear differential, improving traction even more, With the right tires, u can climb icy trees with that. If it were available, I'd get a 2.5 non-WRX wagon with the limited-slip rear & save about $5,000 US.

One thing u will appreciate is the performance of the AWD system in foul weather. l am not talking about snow, though it handles that quite well, but even on a wet road l find it confidence-inspiring.

l am surprised that someone would tell u that parts r difficult to find. Australia is a pretty big Subaru market, but aftermarket parts r readily available worldwide. I've had no trouble tracking down bits & pieces that I've needed for minor repairs or improvements & the cost has always been reasonable.

In any case, l recommend the wagons. 3 of my 4 have been wagons & they r very practical vehicles. Currently, they r also more rigid than the sedans, which is why the company chose to build the new ST l only in the wagon version.