** PLEASE READ / EXPLAIN **

All,

Simple question....why are subaru sales / prices so low when selling?

I have just this week sold mine and the girlfriends beloved Terzo. We bought it from a subaru garage 12 months ago for £11,995 - plus we added a tracker for another grand plus including subscription. Then paid out £1200 for insurance.....now 12 months on..

...we sold the car for £7500, the insurance people wanted between 1500-1800 this year, even though we're older (both over 25 with no claims) and havent made a claim and most worrying of all we couldn't sell the car back to subaru.

We went to subaru in Pangbourne and they said they would have bought the car, had they not been closing down. The other subaru garages in the South all either declined the offer to buy the car full stop or offered around 6k for the car! How on earth are people supposed to buy/own/sell subaru's if this is the depreciation on them? There's around 3 Terzo's on Autotrader for about £10.5k (Trade), so how come these same garages were offering upto 4k below this price? Also for us, we found it annoying that the Terzo is supposed to be 20% above normal Impreza book price, yet the number of garages that tried to offer us less than 6k saying it was a normal Impreza Turbo. Mind you to be fair to them, trying to find prices / information on the Terzo is incredibly hard to find. Glass's and Parkers don't even list the Terzo (or the McRae or the Cataluyna)....also if anyone has been on the Subaru site, they'll know what I mean about it being hard to try and find useful information (this includes new models!!).

I had always wanted a subaru because of their rallying success and being at the rallies for the past 10 years. We only got the chance financially last year to purchase one, which at the time was a dream come true. Yet 12 months later, I have to say I doubt I'll ever buy an Impreza again (maybe?).

Apart from the insurance companies seemingly making figures up and charging what they like, I now know why most Impreza drivers, drive on the motorway and roads at very low speeds...simple: Fuel!! We are originally from the North (Preston Area) but relocated at the beginning of the year down to Reading, and the return journey of 210 miles each way cost us around £100 each time we went back!

Add to that the normal upkeep of the car, being fairly high-maintenance and the depreictaion and I'm surprised at how many people still own them. Don't get me wrong I know all cars depreciate and there is upkeep and insurance to pay on any car but for me, with the extra upkeep and the extra fuel and the extra insurance and the increased depreciation...Is it worth driving a Subaru?

I am of course targeting the Impreza Turbo/P1/22B/RB5 etc etc with the above. I personally still think the car is fantastic - looks/performance and of course will continue to support it at the rallies, even more so from next year when a brit returns to the car - but I have to say for me, the car of my dreams has for now left a fairly bitter taste in my mouth financially.

Anyway, enough for now....just thought I'd let you know my limited view of owning an Impreza.

Hope all goes well for other buyers/sellers.
Marcus.

 

Par for the course I'm afraid !
Its not limited to Scoobs.
Most dealers will offer you less than bottom book if your just selling and not buying.
You should have stuck it in Auto Trader and held out for more brass, but I suppose it depends on your circumstances at the time.

Chris

 

You have to grin and bare it really - nothing in life is free, somethings are less free than others but do you get the same kicks?? I have had a Terzo, RB5WR and 2 P1's all from new and yes its a shock when bills come in and sales cheques, but so is the acceleration, handling and general enjoyment.

Gutted for you you lost so much cash, but did you enjoy it??

 

I bought an MY97 for £14,500, part exchanged it 3.5 years later for £5,500, although the MY00 I bought was £12,995, 3.5 years ago it would have been about £16,000 so at least dealer prices have dropped as well.

 

If you want to know abour losing cash, ask anyone who bought a bugeye from a dealer and paid £20+K for it, then bought a scoobysport exhaust for another £1k - and what are they worth now - peanuts.

Bah!

 

Could have been worse, you could have bought an Alfa 50% depreciation in 12months from new!!!

Good news for September though, Glass's doesnt report a drop in price. Usually around £200 - £350 a month is normal

 

should have got a real sub - a jap one
people want the sti`s as they know they wipe the floor with the conservative uk models.
If your paying the money for a rally car you want one right? the sti

 

Frightening what some of you guys are able to spend on your cars..but fair play...

Hixton...that's the point I was trying to make..Although the subaru is brilliant value for money for a sub 5/6 sec car and with it's rally pedigree..most people don't / aren't able to drive them as they'd like.

We always wondered why we saw scoobies sat at 60/70mph on the motorway - and the reason for most people having spoken to people both via scoobynet and meets is the fuel.

You mention Jap imports...but you're having a laugh aren't you. I had 4 years no claims, was 26 at the time and got a quote for a Jap import of £8k per year !!!! The cheapest quote I got was about 2.5k - that's why in the end we opted for a Uk car.

 

Re quote from P1_Dave...

Yeah I enjoyed the driving immensly...who wouldn't!!

and I am completely jealous of those who can buy their P1's and STi's new from subaru and maintain / run them without having to count the pennies too much.

...and yes if my lotto numbers come in on saturday I would be straight down to subaru for an STi.

Just bl**dy expensive in the real world unforunately!

 

marcus, I lost a shed load on two bugeyes and said never again. The best thing to avoid depreciation is to keep a scoob but the terrible SUL costs, shredded tyres (esp inner edges), insurance, melted brakes, essential mods etc mean you can't win.
BUT I'm now choosing a company car(has to be a diesel really as i do so many miles) and tried all sorts beemers etc and i feel like i'm dying at the wheel.
Scoobies are so individual to drive but it's a love/hate relationship.
My bank account has never looked so healthy but the more i save the more i want to blow the lot on a spec C!

 

As per my previous post - I have been offered 17K for my 6 month old STI8 c/with 18" Prodrive wheels. Thats £9k in 6months or £50 per day depreciation. Whats it going to be worth in another 6 months.

In 3 years I will have to pay the scrappie to take it away!

Thanks for nothing Subaru!

 

I spend about £5k a year on 4-5 weeks of holidays, the depreciation is massive(about 100%), the memories very poor coz i get so w@nkered, and all in all the scooby is far more enjoyable and cheaper. Think more positively and look and some of the **** i'm sure you spend your wages on and you'll soon justify owning the scooby.

 

Marcus,

You obviously didn't shop around very much because I was confronted with the same insurance prices to begin with. I have just paid out £1600 on a Jap WRX, fully comp and I'm 24 with 3 years no claims, an STI would only be a couple hundred more tops. You could have got insured on a Jap for £1500 if you tried hard enough.

 

ive got insured on a STI 5 TYPE R 4 2 grand and im only 22

 

I realised a long time ago that cars in general, are a big money pit. They're costly to buy, costly to run, & you'll rarely make any money on them (alright, Enzo excepted). Performance cars are worse. But, if you compare the performance an Impreza can deliver to a "proper" sports car, that's where you can see value for money. Read this month's Evo magazine featuring the new Impreza Spec C, Porsche 911 & M3 CSL for an example. I researched the Impreza before I bought it, so I knew about the sh1tty economy, depreciation, etc. As for trade-in value, I don't care. I made a point of buying the car that I want, & vowing to keep it. I've had other cars that were nice enough, & very reliable & competent, but always without fail, after 6 months I'd be looking for "the next one". The Impreza is the first car that has broken the habit.
It helps that the wife has got an AX Diesel though!
If you want a car with the performance of an Impreza, but the bills of a Fiesta, you're asking too much, such a car doesn't exist, & I don't think an Impreza compares badly costs-wise when compared to other cars of similar performance.