Hi all - my first post on ScoobyNet!

... and for good reason. It seems I may well be in a position very soon to buy myself a 2nd hand one of these beasts and need a bit of input from the community.

I'll have around 10k to spend so I guess I be going for one of the models before the bug-eyed version (sorry bug-eye owners - not my cup of tea that model!).

What I wanted to know is which model would you recommend? Are there any add-ons I should look out for that are really worthwhile? (PPP?) What faults should I look out for to spot a dodgy Scoob?

Basically I'd like you guys who have gone through Scooby buying, selling, upgrading etc to give me the advice you'd have given yourself the first time round

Thanks in advance,

JB

 

Buy one with FSH, records of all oil changes at at least recommended intervals (7500 miles) or better.
Less number of owners the better IMO.
Things like decent tyres (ie expensive ones) give me a clue as to whether it's looked after no expense spared.
Starts first time, no smoke, idles at around 800 rpm, even after heavy driving.
When owner takes it on test drive, see if he always warnms and warms down properly - i.e. taking good care of turbo.
Is it always run on Optimax?

 

Great - thats the kind of advice I was looking for. Thanks Sulli.

Anyone else care to share?

 

Check bodywork too to see if its been pranged and repaired, also check usual things like quality of seats and steering wheel to see if mileage matches condition. You might want to steer clear of steam cleaned engines too.

 

Oh and HPI it.
And go on instinct about the seller.

 

Thanks again. Any advice about which Model Year to opt for etc? (considering my £10k limit)

 

MY99 had the better 4 pots.
MY98 on had better interior.
Get one with a warranty for that money - as new as you can.
The from new warranty is 3 yrs I think, extendable at the end for a further 2 - worth getting one that has been extended.

 

sorry for being a complete newb but what are '4 pots' ?

 

4 pot brakes - they are the ones with Subaru lettering down the side of the calipers.
Up to MY 98 had two pots. (not as good, and smaller discs).

 

Thakns for clearing that up

Any other tips people?

 

my97 has two pots, one thing i havent yet up graded.they are cr4p.my advice, dont buy the first you see, go to a garage and drive a couple.try to buy one with all or some of the add on you want.ie rear front spoiler,lights,air filter,gauges,interior etc.this will save you a lot of money, try looking on for sale thread some nice moters.

 

Think of it is buying any other car but three times as particular!!!

seriously though...there are lots of things to look out for and the guy's above's advice is a must. Am currently an owner of 1 and on the lookout for another for my cousin who's on a budget of about 6-8k.

been to see 4 in the last week and no luck yet.. have a look at the faq on the sidc website which will give you alot of usefull info with regds to different models. Fuelling is a major issue with imports so make sure you go for one thats been on o.max and possibly a booster.

all the internal paintwork such as under the bonnet along the two wings and under the bootlid should be a "matt" finish in a similar colour to the outside, if it is, there is a lesser poss that the cars had any paintwork.

the chassis plate on the near the right side shock tower will give you all the info on the car with regds to colour/model/2-4-5 door etc, the faq on sidc has a de-coding sect on this. Make sure you don't end up with STI clone by checking this.

If you end up with one thats been cherished by the prev owner then your quids in... more chance of findin one on here than on some of the well known places (A.tdr etc) but don't hold your breath!!

good luck m8!

from a fellow scoobysearcher..........

 

Cheers Daz.

So its pretty much definitely a MY99 or MY00 then. Is a WRX too risky?

 

Nice one ScoobNov. Appreciate your help & good luck with your search too.

 

i am no expert m8, i was lucky with mine,no probs. The money ive spent on mine was cause i wanted to not cause i had to.Hope it turns out like that for you.Happy hunting.Same goes for the other lad.

 

Hi...

Reckon if you're spending £10k, you should be reasonably safe, I would suggest you get one from a main dealer, doesnt have to be a Scooby dealer, I got mine from a Main Citroen dealer. That way you should get at least 12 months parts & labour warranty with the option to extend for another 12 months. I paid £10k and got MY99, 1 owner, FSSH, 28,500 miles, aircon etc etc

Oh, and one other thing, get another username

J

 

jay.. see your from london.. give me a shout or check out the southern forum for the meets we have.. good all round experience for a future owner or even when you get your havds on one!!

we have some great blasts!

 

you can get some very good bargains on here and 9 times out of 10 you know its been looked after by an enthusiast(think thats how you spell it)there are quite a lot of very good my00 examples going now

 

Jay_bee lol Saw a post by a Jamie_B as well. Oh well - must be lots of us. At least we're a good example of having both quantity AND quality eh

ScoobNov - I don't think I'll turn up to the Scoob Meet in my current car. I'd probably be laughed off As soon as I get my hands on one too right I'll be there posing

 

Mark - yeah I saw a nice MY00 posted by a guy called eclipse. Didnt originally want to go for a Dark Blue colour but I'm coming round to the idea after seeing that...

 

Hmmm... dunno about that m8, reckon theres only one of me

When dya think you'll be getting one?

J

 

Fingers crossed within a month. Got a cash buyer for my current motor already - just waiting for my redundancy pay-off to come in ( don't worry I've already found a new job )

 

Excellent! You have to let us know how you get on, pictures as well. What you selling?
(and if you get made redundant again, let me know coz I own a recruitment agency )

J

 

Try & stop me showing off my pictures when I get it lol.

Selling an X-reg Fiesta Zetec Sport (1600). Its been a good little motor actually - selling for £5k with only 14k on the clock.

Hopefully I won't be moving on again too soon but cheers for the offer anyway

[Edited by jay_b - 1/20/2004 12:00:39 AM]

 

Blimey, bit of a jump, Fiesta to Scooby...
...bl***y good jump tho

 

Jay_b
As an aside ensure you dont blow your budget only to find you cant get insurance.
good luck with the search

 

i'd spend 7-8 on one and save the rest for mods! but.......... have u had an insurance qoute yet, they can be pritty scarey if you haven't. or even get a very cheap one for 4.5 and rebuild how u want. u could get 400bhp with the money left over!!!!!!!

 

I bought my first scooby just before christmas, & its one of the best things ive ever done!

I had been on the lookout for a while but when a mate offered me his MY00 PPP for 10k I could'nt resist! Especially since i know he paid nearly 15k for it a year ago!

Try & get one with most of the accessories you want, such as the spoiler, wheels etc, as these will set you back a fair bit. Also try & get one that has just been serviced as this will save you laying out for a service as soon as you get it.

Other thing is think about the mileage, mine was quite high at 68k, but it didnt bother me too much as I wont b doing a lot of miles in it & it has FSSH. If you going to be doing a lot of miles i would suggest you go for as low mileage as poss.

Good luck with the search, you wont regret it!!

Heres a pic of my wee beasty!

 

Jay, The advise on here is good so far, what I would add to this from my experience (K-reg WRX for 3 years, then STI type RA '555' 1 year, both brought private) is that if you can get one with a warrenty then that would be best, but saying that these cars are pretty bullet proof, the most expensive thing to go wrong on my WRX was the powersteering pump started to leak through a grommet that had perished with age (cost me £65 for a second hand one) and on my present STi Type RA, all that its needed is a rear shock rebuilt at £120 (these are Ohlins adjustable shocks and bloody good) plus just before Christmas an heavy duty Subaru clutch fitted (just under £600). So to be honest I think these cars are well reliable. Its all about checking them over good. I looked at my latest one three times whilst looking at three others and still couldn't find another one better because I was "can't buy the first you see" well I atually did and don't regret it, its one of the quickest models you can buy in its pretty standard form, because its uprated engine and light weight (only 1202 kg).

As im now selling my STi, v-ltd, type RA, '555' (£9,500) and have been watching the market a bit I would recommend for £10 grand a type RA, don't bother with a UK turbo or WRX, And trying not to be biased, STi's in standard form are a bit slow, compared to a standard type RA V-ltd like mine was. As I've rattled on enough I'd say try a few out then drive mine. Email me if your interested or even if you want some more advice but not my car.

DJMrED@Hotmail.com

Trev.



Here's a link to some more info.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/hektic/

[Edited by tizard99 - 1/20/2004 1:08:44 PM]

[Edited by tizard99 - 1/20/2004 2:17:00 PM]

 

P.s. try A-plan for insurance quotes, don't pay over £1000.