A Subaru Impreza Lease: Everything You Need To Know

in Car Buying Tips
Subaru steering wheel

Source: Pixabay

If you like Subaru’s and like compact vehicles, you might be considering a Subaru Impreza lease. The Impreza is a beautiful, if somewhat understated sedan, and it’s a popular model and a good option for a lot of people who are looking for a good deal and a reliable vehicle. 

Getting a Subaru Impreza lease is a reasonable option for a lot of people, but it’s important to know what the pros and cons of leasing are and to consider whether buying an Impreza is a better option. 

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re considering a Subaru Impreza lease, the good and bad, and how to decide whether leasing or buying is a better option for you.  

Let’s dive in. 

Why Consider A Subaru Impreza Lease

If you’re looking at a Subaru Impreza lease, there are a lot of advantages to getting a lease, but it’s important to be informed, to begin with. 

One advantage of leasing that’s unique to the Impreza is that the Impreza is known for having relatively high maintenance costs. If you’re leasing a new Impreza, you can dodge a lot of the costs of maintenance since you’ll only be on the hook for routine maintenance in those first few years. 

Imprezas also tend to hold value well, like all Subaru vehicles, which means that they often have much lower lease rates and can be a little more affordable than some other choices. 

Getting a lease also means you have the option of upgrading at the end of your lease to a newer vehicle, a better trim level, or any other kind of upgrade. If a new model of Impreza comes out, you’ll know that you can upgrade whenever you’re ready to upgrade; if you see a different sedan you’re interested in, you’ll only have a couple of years with your current vehicle before you can get a new one. 

Leasing is also just a good option if you’re not sure whether a vehicle is the right option in the long term. Since you’re only committed for a few years at a time, it’s a lot easier to change vehicles if you realize that your Impreza isn’t the right option for you. 

Now that we’ve considered the advantages of a Subaru Impreza lease let’s compare leasing with buying an Impreza. 


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Leasing Vs. Buying: Which Option Is Better For Subaru Impreza

With most Subarus, it’s a toss-up whether buying or leasing is a better option, and it’s usually down to individual preferences and needs which choice is better. 

However, with the Impreza, there are a few other things to consider that mean that leasing might be a slightly better option for more users. That’s the maintenance costs of the Impreza, which are slightly higher than average. 

Subaru’s tend to have lower maintenance costs than most vehicles unless you get a model that has issues with the head gasket. However, since leasing means you only own the vehicle for a few years at a time, and you probably won’t have a high mileage vehicle with higher maintenance costs, you may be better off with a lease instead of buying. 

That said, you also need to consider the cost of the lease itself. A favorable lease agreement is usually a good option for people with Subaru Impreza’s, but if you aren’t offered a good deal, you might be better off buying the Impreza and planning to sell later if the maintenance costs get too high. 

The average cost of a Subaru Impreza lease is between $250 and $350 per month. That’s in addition to the $2k down payment you’ll need to put on the vehicle at the start of the lease that helps cover the depreciation in value from your lease over time. 

Compared with the MSRP of just over $17k, that’s a pretty great deal on leasing. However, like all vehicle leases, an Impreza lease is usually only worth it if you’re looking to own the vehicle for a few years before trading up to something newer or better. 


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How To Decide Which Option Is Best For You

If you’re considering buying or leasing a Subaru Impreza, you should consider a few things about your lifestyle and car use to help you decide which option is right for you. 

Are you a high mileage driver: Since car leases have mileage limits, it’s important to consider how many miles you’re likely to put on the vehicle? Leases are designed for low to average use consumers, not high use consumers. That’s important because if you go over your mileage limits, you can have large end-of-lease fees for all those extra miles. 

Are you okay with paying a little more in maintenance costs: in the long-term, buying your vehicle is usually a little more affordable than leasing but costs more in maintenance than leasing. This is about figuring out what you’re willing to put money into. If you’re looking for a vehicle you can pay a monthly payment on, and that’s about all you need to put into it other than gas, leasing an Impreza might be a good option for you. 

Do you want to customize your vehicle: vehicle customization is one of the big perks of owning your own vehicle; you have a lot fewer options when you’re leasing. That’s because you don’t own the vehicle and need to be able to return it in the same condition you leased it in. Even simple things like upgrading the radio might not be allowed in terms of your lease, so if you like customization, buying might be better for you. 


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Final Thoughts

Choosing between leasing and buying a Subaru Impreza might be a little less complicated than some other Subaru models, but it’s still important to think about what you need and want from a vehicle and look carefully at the terms of your lease. No one option is going to be perfect for everyone, and it’s a good idea to rate shop and see what options you have in your area. Some dealerships might have better lease deals than others, and it’s important to check in and make sure you’re getting the best rate.



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