Why Subaru not top 10 car in SG and some other qns.

[Mobilio]

In the subaruclubsg, some owners of auto rex owners regretted buying it after they realised the potential of the forester XT and blamed the SE for not recommended a test drive for the SUV. Do your test drive with your wife and find out more about what you can do with the car in the long run as the car now is not worth changing within the first few years.

[Gkbt]

hi,

 

yup.. looking for auto.. wife doesnt drive now.. but will think she will drive the car next time.. mmm..we trying to minimise the car investment.. so will not do mods.. went for test drive for both.. impreza feel better.. but looks wise mazda better.. another consideration is resale value say in 3 to 5 yrs time.. any advice..

 

btw, if i book now.. my coe is around 5-7k.. not guarantee.. low enough

[Slayer]

Dear all,

I have a couple question to ask regarding Subaru cars :

 

1) Recently (last weekend I think) there's an article in Today Weekend that showed the top 10 cars in Singapore last year. Surprisingly Subaru is not in the top 10 and cars like Suzuki and Korean cars are in(not to say Korean cars are bad). I thought since it's a Japan car it should at least be in the top 10? Any thoughts?

 

Subaru is not known for fuel efficient and low maintenance.

 

2) My sis and her husband are expecting their first child soon and are very interested in buying Subaru Impreza(Manual) because her husband like it's handling and relatively cheap price. Is this a good first car to have especially since it's primarily for family usage and not hobby?

for family , u need compartments to keep things, if they are ok with the limitted compartments, the impreza is as good as other 1.6L jap cars.

 

3) A lot of people mentioned that the rear cabin is among the smallest for a 1.6l car, is it true?

should look at this way, is the impreza rear cabin sufficient for your context? impreza rear cabin is small.

 

4) Is the AT version better or worse?

AT is only for those who prefer not to drive manual. it drink more petrol.

 

5) For a first time car buyer who intends to use it as a family car what would be the ideal car?

first time buyer does not have much experience in driving? who does not understand much about different type for cars and the expected performance?

if that is the case, a problem-free car is good for u.

i'd get one with AWD. normal 1.6L dont come with traction control feature. the AWD sort of cover this in handling the traction. machanically.

 

Thanks!

[Jrage]

Actually will recomm mazda3 if you getting auto lor. I heard impreza auto FC sucks big time. Also hor the rebate level from MI is lower :P. Me kena makan by the low COE. Only can blame myself. Also mazda more family-friendly. Driving a impreza, you will tend to drift :P can be very loud lor :P during the pickup.

[Slayer]

What resale value?

 

well, look at the car prices now.. and the car population. look at the direction it is going... clearly buying a car is getting more and more affordable...

 

mazda and subaru don't think they will be too far off in terms of resale value.

 

what u should be concerned with how much u will owe the bank :)

[Hilander4650]

pickup may lose but also must see whose balls bigger..haha sorry u girl

[Gkbt]

thks all for the feedback.. looks like getting a mazda later then.. actually i prefer manual.. but my wife... haha..

[Slayer]

made up your mind. good for u!

[Russ]

Subaru is a bit of a specialist/niche make and not meant for the mass market so will never sell like a mass market car.

 

This is true worldwide.

[Icy2fire]

the worst subaru radio advert to me is the stupid

"ho ho ho...I am santa koh, do u need salesman"

 

"aiya CNY also like that, what is so *tu tu* to drive the S204"

 

I mean what kind of freaking advertisement firm wrote the script for them.

 

i am driving an impreza 1.6 now

thinking of changing to wrx last mth

 

whenever i heard the stupid advert, make my blood boil

as though subaru beng image is not bad enuff

 

stupid advert...

[Unic]

Never come across this advert. just curious, the advert is on TV or radio?

[Slayer]

haha... MI don't have the killer whale sticker package? :)

 

buy the s204 u can run faster than ah seng throw the killer whale at u. :)

 

just hillarious. hahah...

 

hey, its a dilema, I would like imprezas to be a niche group on the road. something uniq. but if unique , then I can't afford it. :)

 

well..

 

Think the advert can do better. Class abit lah. like those on TV lah.. the radio ones are just... attention seeking. I wonder what would Ah Seng do next. :)

[Vtfoo]

just bought a impreza 1.6i :)

 

Reason for our choice.

1) price is relative cheap now

2) LOW INSURANCE compared to fit/jazz, swift , vio.. abt 500-700 difference.

3) space. We planing to have children soon. swift and fit is relatively too small for us.

4) FC is not a concern. We are getting a wkend a.k.a. OPC. So fc will be relatively low, and the lower insurance premium would have compersated the different.

5) Look of the impreza. Not too bad.

6) Improve pickup. Pickup is better now then TS.

7) Love to drive. Driver wants a manual car.

 

Don't see how fit/jazz, swift, vios command a higher insurance than the impreza,

the fit/jazz is classified under station wagon while the impreza under saloon, furthermore fit/jazz only 1.3L while impreza 1.6L.

[Poper]

becos u are slow period..

 

you must be one of them i spotted

[Ronaldo]

Hello Sis,

 

From your nick I think you are also from SCS.

 

I cant agree with you more on having a different ride from the rest. Actually I kind of like more people choosing Toyota, Honda or other Korean makes. This makes Subaru unique and stands out from the rest. Sometimes the lesser the better.

 

To be frank, I think most Singaporeans will choose an Altis or Vios over an Impreza anyday. The space, the luxury and of cos the FC. But with the increasing number of such makes on the road (no offence to the owners), these models are getting more common than taxis. Reminds me of Bangok with those colourful Vios.

 

But I dont blame the choice of make for the majority as most people might have the thinking "If not good, surely no people will buy right? So since so many of such makes, we cant go wrong with the choice."

 

Maybe I am biased since I am driving an Impreza TS, but I feel its an age group thing. I dont think someone who is in his mid 20s would choose to drive an Altis. I think it will be more suited with an Impreza. Altis is more of a family car I feel.

 

Just for some laugh or flame, I read somewhere in the forum, You can never overtake an Altis (Matrix, Vios, Getz..) as there is always another one in front. And I can almost confirm its the same colour. Hahaha..

[Solar]

hello bro,

 

i upgraded from a manual ts.. here's my exp:

Dear all,

I have a couple question to ask regarding Subaru cars :

 

1) Recently (last weekend I think) there's an article in Today Weekend that showed the top 10 cars in Singapore last year. Surprisingly Subaru is not in the top 10 and cars like Suzuki and Korean cars are in(not to say Korean cars are bad). I thought since it's a Japan car it should at least be in the top 10? Any thoughts?

--> i think in sg, most are still very practical, in a sense like FC.. my previous ts was clocking about 10+km/l on 16", no engine mod..

 

2) My sis and her husband are expecting their first child soon and are very interested in buying Subaru Impreza(Manual) because her husband like it's handling and relatively cheap price. Is this a good first car to have especially since it's primarily for family usage and not hobby?

--> handling is good. no doubt, travelled at nshw at 150kmh, stable without much float float feeling; power need to overcome the initial inertia and it rocks..

 

as for boot space (important for family-type usage) i had problem squeezing the baby seat (with pram already folded in, 1 crate which i keep my car wash stuff and a pail) whenever i needed to ferry my kah kia or in-laws.. eventually it goes in, but with some sweat

first kid buying diapers? if they are like me buy in bulk when there's discount, then got to put your groceries in the cabin leow..

 

3) A lot of people mentioned that the rear cabin is among the smallest for a 1.6l car, is it true?

--> to a certain extent, but will depend on your driving style too, whether the front seat is pushed back far far or not. i personally find that in order to ferry more ppl, i have to push the seat front, and that was a bit uncomfortable for me, esp i got long legs..

heard latio has huge rear room.. u may wanna try and compare it

 

4) Is the AT version better or worse?

--> only test drive it, response is quite slow.. and understand that its poor in fc too. if my manual has done only 10+, then auto u can guess lah..

 

5) For a first time car buyer who intends to use it as a family car what would be the ideal car?

--> take note of the comments u heard here, then test drive the impreza and other makes and then make the decision.. u also got to note down what's your real reason for a car in terms of importance to you, drive feel, safety, fc, power, rear/boot space, reliability, maintenance, etc..

 

Thanks!

Edited March 5, 2007 by Solar

[Vesfreq]

u have to test drive a subaru (except the FF r1 and r2). Tight cornering especially and wet weather. The wet weather handling is unparalleled.

 

Of course, if you are just out for pt A to B sort of transport, any car also can.

[Keithpapa]

I think its the exterior looks of the car. The WRX esp the STi is a fast car, but its not the type of car which attracts people looking for social image, a family looking car. Years ago I was also looking at Subaru as a propective buy. Spoke to a few friends, one of whom had a subaru, for their views. The guy who owns a subaru told me likes to drive the car hard, but his wife doesnt like it so he actually has another family car, an audi A6. My wife and my son told me 3 things which dissuaded me from buying a subaru....the air scoop, high tail spoiler and gold-rims. In fact when I was at motor image back then, my wife didnt even want to go into the showroom .

 

The other thing I personally feel has something abt subaru's marketing approach. I think they should stop that Ah Seng Aquarium n his killer whale stuff advert on radio. It gives the car a very ah seng image. Mitsubishi, for which teh EVO is its main competitor, doesnt hv that kind of marketing.

 

I personally think that the Killer Whale advertisement is a SUPER TURN OFF. MotorImage is telling people that their target customers are majority Ah Beng......... ha ha

 

Used to love WRX as drove that in Australia when studying, but now see liao Turn Off like a FAT Chick lying on the bed waiting to be root by you!! super turn off