To some (although if we're being fair it's probably most) the mere thought of daily driving a '90s Subaru Impreza would at best raise an eyebrow, and at worst get you laughed out the room. But is that fair? If I were to propose the notion of a 90s Japanese-built, all-wheel-drive family saloon as a daily driver, leaving the name of the car out of the equation, I suspect that the scales would shift ever-so-slightly.

But what's in a name, anyway?

I believe that, with a handful of exceptions, most cars, if well looked-after, would make a fine daily driver. So, is a Classic Impreza one of the exceptions, or is it a perfectly good daily driver?

The answer, as with so many things in life, lies somewhere in the middle.

First, dear reader, I don't know who you are or where you live. Daily-driving to you most probably isn't the same as daily-driving to me. All I can do is answer the question based on the circumstances I find myself in, the lens through which I see life on our roads. I live in the UK. Our roads, for the most part, are twisty, curvy, narrow pothole-riddled strips of crumbling tarmac that frequently flood in the rain and crack in the heat of summer.

Roads like these put strains on cars. They're "hard mode" roads. Not the worst, not by a long shot, but try finding someone who'd willingly call them good. I'll wait. Just kidding, I won't. I don't have time for this, I have a story to write.

Why would you?

Let's start with the obvious question:

Why would you even attempt to daily-drive a classic Impreza?

Maybe you've seen one online at a great price. Maybe you've got some money going spare and you're on the precipice of deciding whether or not to pursue that early-adolescent dream of owning a rally car for the road. Honestly, it doesn't matter why, we get one shot at this life - let's have a bit of fun and rephrase that silly question.

Why wouldn't you?

That's more like it. I like you. I like the way you think. I can tell you're going places. I also think you have amazing taste in cars. I see that you're not afraid of a challenge, either. Because let me tell you, it can be a challenge. In fact, let me tell you why I think that a classic Subaru Impreza can be an incredible daily car, but also, a car that challenges you

A coin with two sides

Although the previous questions served as a bit of comedic preamble, they weren't without due cause. There's no escaping reality: A classic Subaru Impreza is rapidly approaching it's 30th birthday by this point, and it will share all the same common issues of any 30-year-old car: Shit wears out. Not only does shit wear out, but shit can be hard and/or expensive to replace.

If owning and regularly driving the Impreza is just a casual thing to you, unless you have deep pockets and a lot of patience, I'd just stop there. Let it continue to be a dream until your situation catches up to the work you'll have to do. No one, and I mean no one, that I know that owns one of these beautiful cars has had a trouble-free experience.

Does that scare you? Does the thought of something going pop, and the car being off the road for a few weeks frighten you? Does the thought of having to deal with rust and welding and fabrication put you off? Does a new "strange sound" or feeling through the steering wheel fill you with dread as you imagine what could have just broken?

If you haven't muttered "fuck this" under your breath and closed the tab, you might just have what it takes.

Everything I said above is true, and it's just a part of classic car ownership, not just Subaru ownership (which in most cases is way overblown from what you read online) - but here's the thing: It won't come up often. Despite what you hear online, these cars are actually quite reliable and they can take quite a lot of punishment. It takes a lot to kill an Impreza, they're not easily finished-off. They have an incredible fighting spirit, an eagerness to consume the miles of empty road ahead, and when you turn the key and hear that iconic boxer engine come alive, you might even believe they have soul.

For all the downsides, there are some incredible upsides that, in my opinion, make the whole thing worth it.

Everything you're about to read is based on my own experience owning a 1998 Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000. It isn't conjecture or re-hashed stories from forums. I've daily-driven one of these for nearly two years. I've had the highs, I've had the lows. I haven't had the middles, this isn't a middles car, after all. Go buy a Prius if you want the middles.

A really good (second) daily driver

I feel like I'm giving the plot away a bit prematurely, but my honest recommendation is that the Impreza is a really good daily driver, but you're going to need a backup.

To use sports as an analogy: A classic Impreza is the aging superstar on your team. The fans want to see him, so he gets a starting position. He still draws the crowds, and he still gets the cheers. He's still capable, he's still good (great, even) putting up more-than respectable numbers, but there's no getting away from the fact that he's getting older. He needs to be time-managed. He needs a bit more support from the physios and support staff. When he's injured, he takes a little longer to recover, but those occasional flashes of brilliance make the price worth paying.

I drive my Impreza a lot. It's my go-to come rain or shine for all but the longest trips. When I travel for work, once a week on the motorway for a couple of hours each way, I take my other car. The Impreza wasn't, isn't, and never will be a motorway cruiser. It just wasn't made for that, it'd be like playing your aging superstar in the wrong position - you're setting yourself up for failure.

It gets more love than my other car. It gets more frequent fluid changes, it gets more maintenance. It isn't always needed, but it makes me feel safer knowing it's well looked-after.

I wouldn't recommend running one as your only car unless you don't really need a car. When something breaks on a classic Impreza, it can often take a few weeks to get the parts you need. I have yet to find an instance where I couldn't find a part at all - in fact we're quite lucky in the UK that there are still some brilliant suppliers of Subaru first- and third-party parts.

When it works, which, to be clear, is the vast majority of the time - it's brilliant. It's a proper drivers car. If you enjoy driving, the Impreza will make you enjoy it even more. It's an experience that (2 years later) hasn't once dulled. Every time you turn the key, you'll be impressed with the sound. Every time you enter the boost range of the turbocharger, you'll smile. You'll get a lot of nods, waves and smiles from strangers as you drive past. You can fit 5 reasonably-sized adults in it. It will handle pretty much any road you throw at it. It's light, so you can fly down open stretches of road. It's compact, so you can park comfortably in any UK parking space.

It isn't a perfect car. The headlights leave a lot to be desired. There isn't any air conditioning (at least in mine). It's loud. It's thirsty. It requires a bit more TLC than a new car. Repairs can be expensive, even if they're infrequent, they can sting.

But you know what?

None of that matters. Just drive one. You'll see.