The seller of today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Subaru RS ends his ad with the plea to please not waste his time. I don’t think we’ll bother him at all deciding if his price for this Subie is RS-ting.
There was an odd atmosphere hanging over the discussion of yesterday’s manual-optioned 1999 BMW 528i Touring. On one hand it was a well-kitted longroof from a venerated marque that arguably was the literal melding of sport and utility, all seemingly well presented, warts and all. On the other hand, it was a new enough Bimmer to be appreciably complicated, and yet one that was old enough for those complications to very likely have, well, complications.
That all added up to a lack of certainty around its disposition, and in the end a frustratingly narrow 53 percent Nice Price win.
Still a win is a win, and in a similar apothegm it should be pointed out that a Subaru is a Subaru. It’s not every car maker that carves out so unique a niche as has that particular Japanese car maker, and then had ongoing success maintaining its carvery.
That’s been the case with Subaru, whose AWD and boxer engines have defined the marque for decades. Beloved by both flannel-wearers and rally wannbes alike, their cars have also gained a rep for their parts interchangeability, which leads us to today’s candidate, a heavily modded 1999 Impreza RS.
As a prime example of that plug and playability, this car started life as an RS Coupe with a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four. That wasn’t all that bad a car straight out of the barn. Now it’s… well, it’s had things done to it. Perhaps the most notable of those is the 1996 EJ20G turbo motor now calling the car home. Those originally ran in the WRX where they made somewhere around 200-bhp depending on year and specific edition. The seller says the engine in the car has 90K on the clock.
There’s twice that amount on the body, however that same body has had it’s own share of upgrades, updates, body shapes, scoops and grates, all of which are on display for you to contemplate. I’m not going to delve into the details—hell, the seller won’t even do that, instead including the long list as a couple of iPhone screen shots from what are likely a previous seller’s ad.
What we will discuss is the paint, which is appreciably new, but apparently not great. We should also address the aftermarket (ABW in front, VIS in back) fender flares wrapped around a set of gold Rotas. Those, along with various scoops and wings makes the car appreciably badass in its appearance.
We don’t get any shots of the interior, but the seller notes that it shows signs of the 199,000 miles that it has travelled. There’s a CEL on the dash, which the seller says is related to some cold starting issues he’s not interested in addressing. It also exhibits an airbag light as the quick release steering wheel lacks an airbag. The stock wheel with its airbag comes along with the car though. In fact, there are enough extra parts offered up with this Subie that the seller recommends binging another car just to haul them all home. No making two trips for you, buddy!
Other negative nancys include a trunk that doubles as a fish tank when it rains, a clutch master cylinder that hates its life, oil leaks (hey, it’s a Subaru), and coilovers that are—yep—so over.
Yeah, it’s a mad monster party of a car, but damn if it doesn’t look pretty sweet from 10-feet. Now imagine that sitting in your driveway, how much would you pay for that view? The asking price for the car, the parts and the problems is $8,000. Would you pay that much to get RS-ted?
You decide!
Boston MA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Sam Bonacci for the hookup!
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