Hi there,


I'm just posting for some advice on buying a second hand 5 door Subaru Impreza WRX. I've never owned an Impreza before, but have been lurking on these forums now for about 6 months so feel that it's the right car for me, though unfortunately, I have to have the 5 door as we have a dog...


I was looking at a car today and was hoping to get some opinions on what people think it sounds like - good deal, or walk away? I'm in two minds at the moment.


Here's the basic spec:

• Subaru Impreza 2.0 WRX Turbo
• 5 Door, World Rally Blue
• 2004, 54 Reg
• 20,000 miles
• Originally imported as new from Malta by Motorpoint, one previous owner from new
• No Cat 1 alarm, no locking wheel nuts
• Bodywork is good condition apart from a few stone chips, and a small scuff on one of the alloy wheels
• I'm no car expert, but have been on a long test drive and it seems fine to me with no obvious faults
• £11,500, the lowest they will accept

Personally I don't think this sounds too bad, except for the following - I was looking through the service book (from Malta) and it has only had one service since new - the 1,000 mile service, which it had after 6,500 miles, at a non-Subaru garage. After that, it has not had a single service or dealer stamp. As far as I know (and please correct me I'm wrong), this means that the 3 year Subaru warranty is void so the car would come with no warranty?


Besides the warranty, my main worry is that this car doesn't seem to have been well looked-after (due to the lack of services), even though it looks and drives fine. I'm worried about the effects of the car missing all these interim services? Has it missed anything major that I should worry about besides oil and filter changes? If I bought it, how much should I have to budget for to service it fully to it's current mileage/year?


Of course, I'd need to get the Cat 1 alarm too (I'm budgeting £500 for this?).


I'd appreciate any thoughts.


Thanks,


Ste

 

Hi and welcome.
You have obviously done some homework into buying an impreza,but first of all dont be on a bit of a downer about buying a wagon they are excellent cars,pratical and fast I have owned 2 along with 2 saloons.
The car in question sounds like a good bargain but thats because of the reasons you have stated.There is a lot of choice out there and if you are in any doubt walk away and move on.
There is one on Autotrader at the mo unless it's been sold on an 03 plate with ppp and 22k on the clock this is being sold by a dealer for 10950 so you should get even a better deal than the sticker price.
The first owner of this car was me so I can vouch that whilst I had it,it was totally pampered and i had the ppp put on after the 1000 mils service,I then sold this car back to a subaru dealer who then sold it to a titled owner Lord somethig or other if this guy looked after it the car should be mint,it should also show that its had a private plate on it.
Good luck with your search!

 

Hi i there i can say the wagon is great we bought one for the extra boot space for the little chaps buggy 10 months ago from local Subaru dealer now my little one has grown out of his buggy i want an STI so if you are interested i am selling my 03 wagon in black the following spec is as bought from dealer. with ppp, quick shift, 18" wheels and good Bridgestone tyres, momo gear **** & handbreak cover, privicy glass, Dog guard, Subaru load space protector, stainless rear bumper guard, fog light covers, cat 1 alarm,
24 hr tracker monitor. etc this is a lovely car with full history and 2 months warranty left you can view it on Autotrader web site. feel free to come and sample it for yourself it wont dissapoint if your interested make me an offer cheers.

 

Hi Zakster and thanks for the reply.

All I want is a 2003-2004 5 door WRX, in black or blue, with as low mileage as possible (I'm going to be driving a lot over the next few years so the lower the starting point for me the better) and a full service history (so I know the car has been looked after). A tracker and a dog guard would be a bonus too! There seem to be lot more bargains about for the 4 doors, but I'll keep looking and will search for the car you mentioned.

I'm still in two minds about the car I looked at above - the seller (who is a small trader who sources his cars from local main dealer part exchanges) was going to find out about the warranty situation and call me back, but I've not heard anything back from him today so will leave it until Tuesday before giving up completely on this particular car. I reckon that I asked too many questions about the warranty and lack of dealer stamps - something makes me think they're just going to take it to their local garage and get the service book stamped up to date for the next unsuspecting viewing!

I looked at another wagon today, a 2004 04 model, at a larger dealer (not main dealer). It was £13k but had a full service history, 13k miles and a 290bhp remap from Prosport. It was a nice car but again, was an import from Malta (but with a Cat 1 alarm). The dealer reckoned it had the full Subaru warranty until 2007, but I reckon this is probably void due to the 290bhp remap - would this be true? Having seen the above car for £11,500 (or £12,000 including the Cat 1 alarm), it seems a few hundred pound too expensive still, but I'm sure it's in much better condition.

Thanks,

Ste

 

Hi mate, thanks for pointing this out to me. Looks like a nice car, and a dog guard and tracker too! I've just PM'd you.

Thanks,

Ste

 

Ste,
The 20k with no service history is very risky to take on. The late first service plus no evidence of any other oil change as you say shows a lack of care.
The other car won't have a warranty - unless it goes into the dealer for warranty work with the mods taken off

Nick