Hope you can help me make a decision & answer a few questions, I have been thinking about buying a scoob for a while and have an oppurtunity to buy the following.



2000 W standard turbo UK spec with aftermarket thatchem 2 alarm / imobiliser & air con,imported new by the current owner 67k with full suburu service history. sonic blue.

The guy selling is part exing it & wants a few quid more than he's being offered, he's checking out a few deals and the likly price he wants is between £7.5k to 8k.

people have been putting me off because its imported saying i will have trouble insuring it and selling it on. My own insurance company added £70 onto the quote i got compared to a uk supplied car, which doesnt seem unreasonable.When trying to get a quote with the online companies the registration is not being recognised,

With all the different models & the age range of the classic shape I am finding it difficult to compare valuations, the closest comparison is same spec UK car with slightly more miles but silver in a local dealer for £9k (but I prefer the blue).



Any advice to get me in the gang.



ps hope this is posted in the right place & sorry if these questions have been asked 37871 times before, tried a search on faq but didnt get far still learning how to use the site ( bit of a pleb on the computer)

 

Hi and welcome,

There are plently of knowledgable people on here, the majority of whom will help you out with advice.

I'll start by recommending you have a look here http://www.sidc.co.uk/faq.htm and have a good read, especially if you're new to Scoobys.

Try and find out exactly what you've been offered. If it's been imported then it's not UK spec, this means you'll have difficulty getting it serviced or sourcing parts at Subaru main dealers. Though there are plenty of independant specialists who will do as good a job or better.

As far as i know, only the P1 comes in Sonic blue and i'm guessing it's not one of those. If you look under the bonnet at the drivers side suspension mount there should be 1 or 2 metal plates with a load of numbers stamped on them. Write these down, one is the model code and should start GC8 or similar. There will also be a short code for the colour, you should be able to match these numbers up to an exact model in the SIDC FAQ. If not, ask on here again.

If it's an alarm and immobiliser fitted then it'll probably be Thatcham 1, as Thatcham 2 is for immobilisers only. Try and find out exactly what make/model it is - your insurance company will most likely ask for proof of what's fitted. Don't just take the sellers word for it.

Price wise, it sounds in the right ballpark for a Scooby of that age. I'd definately be looking to find out where it was imported from, what model it is exactly, verify the service history (call the garages who serviced it), how long since it was imported, how many miles had it done when it was imported etc etc.

Um, can't think of anything else for now. Anyone else?

 

Thanks for the reply


havent got much further, phoned to check on servicing and found out it hasent been serviced since last november on 52k. was told by the dealer that the 60k service is important as it involves a cam belt change which is a bit pricey, how much does this effect its value. I think he's trading it in for an alfa of some kind & being offered £6.8k, is it worth an offer just above that?

I think that 15k without a service on a performance car is a bit dodgy especially the way he encouraged to test drive it and by the road angel.

Any one know of any thing worth considering for this kind of money?


Sorry to the original twohats, cant believe some one thinks the same as me. I have used this name on another forum, if I'm going to stick around I;ll have to suss out how to change my name.

 

To be honest mate i'd personally be having second thoughts about this one. They're supposed to be serviced every 6 months OR 7500 miles, whichever comes first. I don't think i'd buy one from someone whos gone almost a year and 15k miles without getting it serviced! Maybe if it had warranty but probably not.

If it's still on the original cam belt then it's probably on borrowed time. My old Scoob was a 1999 and was serviced every 6 months without fail. The cam belt was done at 31000 miles (a bit keen) and it had its 60000 miler when it was only on 45000 miles. If i remember right, the 60000 service is around £400 from a main dealer, not including discs, pads etc if it needs them. A cam belt is about £80 plus about the same to fit it (main dealer).

If you went for it (though I don't think i would) i'd be looking to knock at least £550 off the asking price, plus more if the brakes are shot. But i'd be asking myself if the owner hasn't looked after the servicing, then what sort of owner was he/she? If it had any warranty still running it'd be transferrable, but would probably be void with that sort of gap in the servicing.

At lot of scoob owners are real enthusiasts and treat their cars like a spoilt child, the car gets what the car needs. Thats the sort of thing you want to look out for.

As an idea I sold my 1999 Turbo 2000 AWD about a month ago (p/x for a P1) for £8000, it was FSSH every 6 months, had every sales/service receipt since day 1, had every MOT issued, transferrable Subaru warranty, had done 51000 miles and had been serviced 2 weeks before i sold it. I'd have got £8500 - £9000 for it privately if i'd been prepared to wait for the right person, but i couldn't afford to wait.

I'd pass on this one personally unless you get a very good deal. There are plenty of good ones out there at great prices, if you're prepared to look around and wait for a while.

 

I'd second Iwan's comments. Proper servicing of these cars is essential! 15,000 miles between services is DOUBLE that recommended by the manufacturer. Walk away and find one that has been diligently looked after! There are lots around; you can afford to be picky!

Best.

 

If you just keep your eyes open on here for a week or two something really nice will pop up. It usually happens to me when i've just bought a car, then see something way better for less money a day or 2 later!

There was a P1 up for sale recently, the first owner of which was Richard Burns. There was also a Prodrive built RB5 lookalike sold recently that was also owned by Richard Burns.

Just keep your eyes peeled, something nice and within you budget will surface.