Im looking for a bit of advice, im new to Subaru's and looking to buy my first one.
I've been offered a 57plate 2.5 WRX with 400 miles on the clock for £10,350.
The storey i've been told is that Norwich union who were the insurer have a policy of replacing cars under 1 year old instead of repairing them if it mare then a small job. I've been shown pictures of the damage before being repaired and it's had a new headlight, wing and two doors on the drivers side.
I've had a good look at the car and it doesnt apper that any works been done on the chassis legs. After driving the car for a couple of miles it seemed fine, it didnt pull when accelerating or breaking and there was no play in the steering. Their is a printout or a computerised 4 wheel alignment which apparently shows the tracking and suspension if perfect. Im not sure what i was looking at so i've asked for a copy and i'll put the readouts on here so someone in the know could kindly check for me. So my question is, is the car worth buying and at what price? I made a 300 mile trip to buy the car and only found out about the cat d via the hpi check on the way their, the seller said he was going to explain it when i got their and would reduce the car from £12,000 to £11,000. my first reaction was to walk away but after making the trip decided to check it out and got the price to £10,350. He know i was leaving at that point so i expect that he's not going to let it go for any less.

Thanks for taking the time to read this far,
Shane.
p.s A plan will insure it but want an extra £100 taking my policy to £650 and want an engineers report and MOT, reports no problem as i have a few mates who can do this and I'd insist the owner had the MOT done before i bought it

 

wait till the tax rules change you will be able to buy a non cat d one for that money

 

Would you really buy it after the guy tried to con you ?

 

I would say - walk away. It's a buyers market. You didn't go to buy a Cat D so why settle for one.
Find a nice unmolested example instead and save yourself any future heartache.

 

walk away,its a nighmare selling a cat C or D when there are so many good cars about,as above its a buyers market and will only get better when the new tax laws come fully into force.My V5 typeR had a bump but didnt go through the insurance so isnt even cat C or D and i couldnt sell even tho it was 3K less than any other one for sale at the time

 

Thanks for the replys,
I'll take the advice and leave it.
I've seen another one on an 07 plate with 3,700 miles for £12,000, acording to the advert it's a type UK special edition, and it doesnt have the WRX badge on the back, is this normal or will it have been taken of by the owner?
Sorry for the questions but this is all new to me and i'd rather look daft asking questions that may seem silly than jump in with both feet and buy a dud.

Cheers,
Shane.

P.Smods, if this is in the wrong place, appologies.

 

The 07 one sounds way too cheap as well, My advice is to stick around on here for a bit because some of the members know what they are talking about, It is a buyers market when it comes to car sales.

Simpsons

 

the 07 for 12k might be an euro import? i have seen some guys using type uk instead of saying uk spec.same car,just less money if it is.

 

Why not chance your arm and offer say £7/8k on the proviso that a proper engineers check shows the car has been repaired properly.Its a buyers market right now and second hand Subarus etc are going for buttons - if the cars been repaird properly you may get a bargain.
Most insurance companies will insure a listed repaired accident damage car but will not pay out the full market value if you make a claim.

 

well cat d is the lowest spec of the categories so it may well be minor damage i know zurich do exactly the same ie in 1st year of car you can specify a replacement not a repair! so story may be true? if he is only owner i would wonder why he withheld this as at 12k most people are gonna hpi it however if not only owner they may well not have been told it was registered i personally made a mistake with a mgzr (mistke on car choice too) the garage told me it had had paintwork done and was not recorded when i went to sell a buyer done a hpi and informed me it was cat d!! garage got off with it even after altering the document i signed need i say more typical unscrupulose car dealers!!!
imo all the same!!
but i agree when car tax hits home coupled with increasing fuel prices car values will fall greatly maybe worth the wait

 

The trader advert said license forces sale, but having got their it turns out he bought it as a cat d with the intention of putting it right and selling for a profit. he claimed to be making a loss at £10,350 which i doubt very much.

If the Type UK one at £12,000 is a euro import, what difference would that make?
Finaly.. people keep mentioning car tax, it's currently £400 for the year and supposidly £440 next year, is this changing to something i havent found out?

Thanks again for all the replies,
Shane.

 

The car would probably have been bought off an auction site like bluecycle or 4salvage for a fraction of what he is looking for if it was through an insurance company.It would concern me that he is not being entirely honest and changing his story.
A Euro car is worth less than a Type UK car because it cost less new - UK price new £20k euro price new £15K.Nothing wrong with them and will have warranty etc but not worth the same as a UK car.

 

i agree with the above

 

Thanks again to everyone who's helped with this, what would be a realistic price for the 07 wrx if it is a euro import? and if it's a uk car should i expect something to be wrong with it at £12K

Cheers,
Shane

 

They were £16k new for Euro import uk spec so £12k would be about right i'd say. Add no more than £1k for a Uk car as they are invariably the exact same specification (alarms factory fitted rather than fitted at the dockside).

Here's some nice one's

christopher Neil Sportscars : SUBARU Impreza 2.5 WRX

Subaru : impreza wrx

Subaru : Subaru Impreza 2.5 Turbo WRX

Sellers know it's a difficult market but they won't give them away , it's definately a good time to buy so long as you're prepared to haggle and get the car as cheap as you possibly can.

Good luck and come back and show us what you've got

 

Cheers and thanks for the links, I'll see if i can take a look tomorrow.

Shane.

 

Thanks again everyone, i've made an offer on the one in the second link so hopefully i'll have it this week

 

Have you looked at an STI - for £12k you will get a good one and its twice the car the WRX is.I had a UK300 WRX and now have a MY05 STI and there is no comparison the STI is in a different league.As already said its a buyers market and there are loads of really nice STIs on Pistonheads etc.

 

I cant get reasonable insurance on one, im 28 with 8 years ncd and looking at £550 for the wrx, most places wouldnt even quote me on it, even Arian flux who im currently with on a modded escort said no. I'm looking at over a £1k for an Sti which is more than my limited budget allows.