Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon (Only 120k km)

There was a time when a Subaru Impreza WRX was simply a seriously quick, immensely capable everyday car. Before huge exhausts, coilovers, boost controllers and questionable modifications became almost compulsory, this was what a WRX looked like. And finding one like this today is becoming incredibly difficult. Our 1995 WRX Sports Wagon has covered just under 120,000km and, most importantly, it has survived remarkably untouched. Standard suspension, standard exhaust, standard engine specification and no evidence of the usual modifications these cars have endured over the last 30 years. It is exactly the sort of Impreza we love. The only change we have made is fitting a genuine set of OEM Subaru STI gold alloy wheels, which have been fitted with four brand-new tyres. Otherwise, we’ve deliberately left it alone. Mechanically it is equally impressive. The car has been fully serviced by ourselves and has recently received a new standard-specification turbo. It drives superbly – properly quick, tight through the suspension, with no knocks or bangs and that unmistakable turbocharged flat-four character that made these cars legendary in the first place. The underside deserves particular mention. It is exceptionally clean, with no heavy underseal hiding anything underneath. For a Japanese performance car approaching 31 years old, it is genuinely impressive. Inside might actually be our favourite part. The wonderfully period blue/grey patterned cloth interior is immaculate, right down to the original Impreza overmats. It retains its factory Kenwood stereo, Nardi steering wheel and Nardi gear knob. The gear knob shows a little wear, but we’d much rather see that than replace it – it’s part of the originality and character of the car. Even the air conditioning blows ice cold. The WRX wagon was always something of a cult hero. It offered virtually all of the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive performance and character of the saloon, wrapped up in an enormously practical estate body. It was the ultimate 1990s Q-car – fast enough to embarrass plenty of serious machinery, yet capable of carrying the family and luggage home afterwards. Today, the difficult thing isn’t finding an Impreza WRX. It’s finding one that hasn’t been messed with. No giant exhaust. No lowered suspension. No modified engine. No questionable bodykit. Just an exceptionally clean, low-mileage, wonderfully original WRX wagon that feels remarkably close to the car Subaru intended it to be. And that’s precisely why we like it so much.