if the car is 100K plus miles and your doing the head gaskets it would probably be a good idea to throw a clutch in it as well.
i have a 96 L sedan with the 2.2 & 140K. miles and it purs like a kitten & dosent burn any oil. the only thing to look for is the rear 1/4 where the bumper bolts to the fender… its the first place to rot out. on the old imprezas.