Phil@Cruisecheshire

I am new to the board, but I am hoping to buy my first Scooby soon. I am looking at an early model. My budget is only 8k however - it may not be much but it took a lot of hard work! I was just owndering what everyone thinks to this? Is buying an early model going to be nothing but trouble? Is it likely to cost me a fortune to keep on the road? I am only 19, so the insurance is going to keep my bank balance busy as it is. Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers
PHIL

mega_stream

Have you had any insurance quotes yet

Ownership is expensive (is on mine anyway ) and mines under 2 years old, drink petrol, eats tyres, servicing eats wallet money, insurance for me (30 with 8 years NCB, garaged 5k limited miles) is getting on £900

Do I regret buying it?


NOPE!

Worth every pound

Good luck finding one

Nigel Bowles

u have mail

Phil@Cruisecheshire

Thanks for the prompt reply. I have had insurance quotes on a Pulsar GTi-R - £1800 TPFT. I have now decided however that the Scooby is a much more refined choice and is two insurance groups lower. Hoping to pay around £2.5k fully comp but I'll just have to phone around. Do you know anyone of a similar age on a similar age car? Also, am I going to be better trying to raise a little more cash before I buy? Would I get a much better car if I was to save up a little more?

Cheers
PHIL

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

I bought my first scooby 2 weeks ago and after having wanted one for 4 years i finally got one.

It drinks fuel even more than i thought possible but the smile on my face before and after a drive speaks volumes.

With regard to insurance, 96 or earlier models are rated two groups lower than later models. I'm 29 (full no claims) and pay about £600 fully comp.

Good luck
DP.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

The unfortunate fact is that scoobs are an expensive car to run they require servicing twice yearly or at 7500 miles whichever comes first, dealer servicing can cost from 100 to 550 quid depending on service, tyres are relitively cheap depending on wheel size (15's on pre 98's 16's to 00 and 17's on 01 and 02's)
Insurance is the killer (im 33, full ncb and paying nearly 1200 quid a year also live in a high risk area so that doesnt help ) its also a car that attracts attention, mostly unwanted attention so if it doesnt have good security its going to cost you
Fuel.... yup it drinks it, you can see the gauge go down on the ealier models as they only have a 50ltr tank.
Brakes are rather pathetic so look at upgrading atleast pads and discs, also full subaru service history is a must, i wouldnt buy one without it, dont forget to get it hpi'd too, lots of stolen cars out there so make sure you do!!
The ownership is great but running costs and insurance can and do cripple you, dont even think about having mods and not telling your insurance, they just wont pay out on you

Tony

MAFFA

I've got a UK MY95 & it's blindin. I'm 25 with 4yrs nc & full comp it's £750.00. I don't find it that expensive to run but then I only have to drive 7 miles to work. I get between 210 & 250 miles to the tank (50ltr) depending on how I drive. That's non-motorway driving. Servicing is £140.00 every 7,500 miles & £400.00 for the big 30,000 mile jobbie so I don't think it's really that bad.

MAFFA

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

MAFFA,
Remember that servicing is 7.5k OR 6 months, which ever is first and my last service (1yr) cost me 310quid (including body check).
But for a car that only does 280miles a month to work and back its only just over a tank of fuel now clocking up over 1k a month which is average is a little more expensive (5 tanks of fuel at 40quid = 200 quid a month).
It does build up in the end and running costs can be high, especially if anything goes wrong

Tony

Disco

Definately get a quote first , I paid £800 insurance on a GTI-R now paying £1700 on the Scoob!!!

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

And insurance is going up due to spates of thefts of scoobs so come renewal time im looking at more not less

Tony

(ps, 1189 was the cheapest as some of the quotes i was getting were nearly at 4k )

mattski2

Try giving Tesco Insurance a bell, a prerequisite is a tracker (not a bad thing anyway) but they where the cheapest for me.

WRT getting an 'old' scooby and it being nothing but trouble I think you'll be fine. My first scooby was a 94 WRX (check out http://secret.lab6.com ) and it was great, no trouble at all. The only thing I had to do was replace the clutch which was expensive ( ~ £750 ) but that was a 'proper' job with new pressure plate etc.

I sold my WRX thinking I could live without it, how wrong I was ! So, I get my RB5 tomorrow... point being you will love it but it is an expensive game... security alone will cost you a fair bit and running it is, erm, 'interesting' (went through a tank of fuel in about 3 hours once!)

M

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Insurance is a tricky business Age is a big factor along with your postcode, also no one got near direct line with me, tescos were nearly 400 quid more but like i say, it depends on age and postcode (think its the postcode with me and the accidents, non fault also!!!)
Best thing to do is ring around but dont be put off when they laugh at you, even me at 32 (at that time renewal came around) had insurance co's taking the p155!!

Tony

Phil@Cruisecheshire

Thank you very much for all the replies. Is there anywhere on the net where I can learn more about a 94 WRX? I need to know EVERYTHING about them to make sure I don't end up buying a poor example.

I am going to be doing the big insurance ring around on Friday, so all wish me luck!

Cheers
PHIL

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Hmm, jap imports will cost you more in insurance (approx 50% more) some insurance companies dont touch them, they can only be run on super unleaded fuel (preferably with octane booster) and have 240bhp as standard (with 100 ron fuel, as we only have 97-98.6 its going to be less).
Servicing is the same, 7.5k or 6months, you dont normally know what your getting (ie a stolen one as most dont come with service history ) Parts are harder to come across (but still available thru speciallist dealers) but they do come with a higher spec than a uk car.
Check out more info at WWW.SIDC.CO.UK but your better with a uk car to start with as most uk cars at that age are a match for a wrx (have the same turbo/engine and with sul will give you around 230bhp anyway).

Tony

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Is it this one your after Phil??

84 L Impreza WRX Turbo
Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo in deepest Subaru red. One UK owner with history, six spoke alloys, Magnex sports exhaust system, performance brake discs, cat1 , stereo, a very clean example inside and out.

Price: £6,995.00

Probably a better buy if it is, looks ok but if you want me to pop up and have a look with you i will but they are normally pretty good there

Tony

Phil@Cruisecheshire

The above seems like a very good deal. However, what you mention above is quite off putting, particularly from an insurance perspective, as I am expecting to pay nearly 3k as it is unfortunately. Is a UK spec car likely to cost me more?

Also, where abouts are you located Tony?

Cheers
PHIL

Adam M

I diagree that dull subaru service history is a must. I woudl trust a dealer as far as I could throw them (quite far ins ome cases).

I would much rather see receipts for regular oil changes and parts. I would be more pleased to see services carried out by steve lawson who has full dealer training but I know for a fact he is competant, which is more than i can say for some dealers.

The best people for servicing are thos ewho take the time and effort to think about what they are doing, I still believe dealers are always concious of the clock.

Dont be put off by an older car. It hasnt evolved that much that older is worse. Infact the new cars have gone back to employinh some of the bits that older cars use.

Before you decide on a uk car. Have a look at insurance costs on a jap. At that age they may not be so different, but you will get some nice creature comforts thrown in that you may not be used to.

Scotsman

iTrader: (3)

Insurance really comes down to area - I've got 3 years NCB - fully comp - NCB protected - aged 32 and mine is £720 per year with Privilige.

You're taking the right approach asking for help on this board. I only found it after I bought my MY99 UK turbo - thankfully the guy I bought it from knew his stuff and really looked after the car. I was lucky though as I didn't have a clue what to look out for.

Richard.

JoeyDeacon

Hold on let me get this straight you are willing to pay up to £3000 to insure a car that cost £8000??

That works out at £250 a month for insurance alone! I know you are all excited about getting the Impreza but how many months will it take for the novelty to wear off and you regret buying one?

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Hiya Phil,
Lets just say im near stockport, easier that way as scoobs are a bit of a target round here
As for a uk car costing less to insure, definately as most insurance co's dont like imports (even my euro import got refused by some insurance companies, ie NU!!!)
Adam,
i know what your getting at, and yes, some dealers are pretty cr@p but if it goes wrong soon after it comes out of the dealers after a service you can take it back and give em hell!!! something that you cant really do with an independant a dealer can loose his/her francise if IM have complaints about them, thus the reason i prefer using them also customer satisfation in not getting told to bog off and use someone else

Phil, be sure to list any modifications that are on the car, ie wheels, brakes, exhaust etc as these will cost more, failure to do so does invalidate your insurance and they can do you for driving without it

Tony

Group Captain Smudger

Eight grand should net you a dealer supplied 94M standard UK model saloon or wagon with average mileage (68K). I think these early models only came in green, silver or red.

Phil@Cruisecheshire

Joey - I am willing to pay the insurance figures as this is a car that I want very much and have worked very hard to afford. In addition, at my age any car is expensive to insure unfortunatly.

Tony - I will be sure to declare all mods to the insurance company. What sort of premium increases can I expect? On my current car, a Corsa GSi, I pay an extra £50 for wheels, a small amout for exhaust and induction kit, but nothing for bodykit etc. That is with Tesco. I am however planning to keep the Scooby standard, as this is one of the main reasons why I am buying, because it is such a great car in standard form.

Cheers
PHIL

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Phil,
i pay 78 quid extra for my alloys, 111 quid extra for the performance pack (exhaust, back box and chip) and nothing for the brakes

Tony

PS, they may want you to fit a tracking device to your car, esp if you go back to tesco!!

creamyegg

Hello Phil,

I am in exactly the same situation as you and i have sent you an e-mail.

Hope to hear from you soon

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Phil, I guarentee you will mod the car - once you've recovered from the initial shock of funding the insurance

Justin