Hi guys,

I have just got a new better paid job and I am thinking once I have completed my probationary period I may treat myself to an Impreza as I have always wanted one.

I had an octavia Vrs that cost me £1300 and in the year I owned it I spent around another £2k just keeping it on the the road. To be fair i was doing 60 miles a day in that I dont even do that in a week these days. So my thinking is I'm probably going to have to spend at least double that so around £3k and probably another grand or two in reserve in case anything goes wrong.

Or would i be better off putting the extra grand into buying the car?

I really dont fancy getting caught out again and spending thousands just to keep it running? Thoughts? Am I being over ambitious? I havent really read many bad things about Impreza reliability.

 

Car Year in mind?
With that budget avoid scoobs.
Full service will cost You 1k
It drinks fuel like alcoholic vodka, burn oil , is freaking loud in the cabin, handling on standard wrx or sti is terrible, wrx brakes are crap, takes rust like a bitch ( fat-thomas for example) cam-shot on face etc
And is overpriced at a minute, can not believe jdm are more expensive than rs4
80% have second parts fitted from famous scrap yards
Most good builds are sold by owners within a month when they realise it was not worth it.
Save for c63 and forget about scoobs

 

Really that bad huh? Or are you being sarcastic? I know they drink fuel but thats not going to be an issue for me really. 1k for a full service?

Was think around 52-53 plate on about 70-80k

 

Full service for £1k ?. Mine costs me £150 and that's for a oil change/filter/rear diff etc. mines got no rust on it and it's rare that I have seen any with any on because most people take care of them. I admit that your budget is a little low but you tend to find a lot of scoobs on here are in great nick. Go for it you won't regret it.

 

I just paid £4K for a 53 plate blobeye with 72k, which has full history but needed a cambelt change and a new inner track rod (£500). I don't expect it to cost me any more until the next service (oil change, 30 quid).

 

The servicing costs are not high, parts are cheap and they are reliable.
Having said that, front brake calipers seize on wrx's, shocks fail, rocker cover gaskets ooze oil onto the exhaust, radiators collapse and rad hoses can fail. Fuel pumps don't last for ever. Air idle control valves and boost solenoids get gummed up.
For that budget You are looking at a roughly 12-15 year old car so it may well need a bit more time and money spending on it than a more modern daily drive. At that age rust can be an issue (check sills/jacking points and area below radiator) and you may need to replace some tired bushes and sort out a few clunks and knocks.
Get the best service history and fewest mods you can find. Be prepared to wait and or travel. Good luck. Be warned, they can be habit forming. Despite being noisy, poorly equipped and thirsty they are a hoot to drive with, masses of grip and really old fashioned mechanical feel.

 

 

The car park car wash is back, this should get interesting.

 

So yeah, good to go?

The mistake I made with my Mk1 VRS is not something I'll be repeating again, didnt do my homework at all on that car and it came back to haunt me. Got blinded by the looks and speed etc and bought the first one I found...

 

£3k your asking for trouble im afraid, a Bugeye WRX is about what your budget will get you, and a high mileage one if that, most get broken for parts now and ive viewed some that are £5k when my brother was looking for one last year and they where complete dogs, he gave up looking for a Impreza and bought a Audi S3 instead!!!

Probably not what you wanted to hear but im sure a lot of members on here will tell you that £3k will get you a WRX that will need money chucking at it.

 

Agreed! £6 £7 £8k is a decent budget if you can push to that

 

Nah mate thats not what I wanted to hear, there are conflicting opinions on this thread. I guess its a case of luck, if I look at these cars properly and cant find a decent one after a few attempts I'll move on. I doubt I could get a decent S3 with my budget either.

 

Not sure if I can, Im running around in a 1.4 HDI Pug at the minute and Im only using it for short journeys, which is asking for trouble really. I did buy it as a stop gap.

 

As with any performance car you need to do your homework or it will end in tears.

Be patient ans look for someone's pride and joy who are looking to sell on but you will probably have to up your budget.

Get the PPP if you go for the WRX.

Take someone with you who knows about these cars for extra security, be prepared to walk away, make a list of requirements and stick as close as possible to it with a little compromise built in.

They are great cars to drive and are very versatile as both a family and performance car.

Good luck with your search

 

Thanks for the advice man, Im thinking of trying to get one of this forum or another Scooby forum. Would take an old one if it had been looked after and unmolested, although the bug eye ones are more in my price range as the others are getting near classic status.

 

I had my Mk1 VRs Octy for 3.5 years after my WRX was rear ended. It cost me £1500 at the time, Had done 70K miles. I got a full cambelt/waterpump and brakes service done on it for £500. Didn't need anything else after that....accept for coolant temp sensor-they all fail. Then it was just oil and filter service once a year. Loved that car. Once remapped it was quite swift...handled like a barge but could hustle and was quick enough.


Going from the Vrs into the Forester STi I have now took a long time to adjust. It's less comfortable, noisey, hard to drive, drinks fuel like you wouldn't believe-compared to the Vrs anyway...I expect you will find the same, but you will enjoy the better handling, the sound and grip.


Agree with everything said above. You really need a bigger budget, or else you'll buy a money pit.

 

So I'm looking at 6 grand for a decent one? Ouch!

 

As above, I paid £4500 ish all in for a decent one, and I think I could have paid less.

 

Hold out for a JDM Blob WRX, better spec and engine from the off.

 

Nice, I'll aim for a similar figure and look country wide for one with good history etc.

 

Old Subaru
25mpg
Super unleaded
High insurance unless your an old gift /good history
Recent costs on a 17 year old classic

Rust look at 800-£1000 to sort out rear arches And sills
Underneath 2 subframes and wishbones and new nuts and bolts budget for £1000-£2000 as rust creeps in
New pads discs 100-£250
Calipers refurbished £150-£250
New fuel pipe as they rust £100-£150
Handbrake mechanism £300-£400
Respray front end £500-£1000
Remove parking dents £50-£150
Refurbish alloys £150-£300
Tyres £100 a corner
That gives you an idea how much my 17 year old Greenwagon has cost on last couple of years

Worth it ?

For me yes
But for a newby on a budget
No

 

£3k would get you a nice Forester Turbo. Suffers less rust problems.. Practical... Fast and less of a target car to nick.

 

Would a 2.0 sport be a better bet then and hold of for a year or two till i save E can get a wrx? Or go for something like a Celica or Coupe or summat like that?

 

Wouldn't bother with a 2.0 sport.

 

Mine's for sale if you're interested, I'm open to sensible offers!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2224550185...84.m1555.l2649