Hi,

I am new to the site, having always loved the scoob since being a kid, anyway my circumstances have changed meaning i not longer commute miles to work every day, hence i am on the lookout for an impreza

As above i have found one local to me, the trouble is it has no service history from what i can gather, is this a big no-no for these cars?

Obviously i will check all the obvious signs when viewing (oil filler cap, header tank, no blue smoke on startup / under load etc) but what specific things should i be looking for on a car of this age (15yr old )

Thanks

 

Is the car a fresh import or has it been previously owned over here.

I bought my 93wrx with no service history (admittedly i bought it off a garage that were always good to me) and apart from 1 major fault (cambelt rollers fecking up) never had any trouble with it.

 

Dependant on how long its been in the country the more s/h should be with it. Even if the owner has serviced themselves they'll still have the invoices for the parts they've used.

Theres hundreds and hundreds of early wrx imports for sale out there at the moment, just take your time until you find a good one.

 

its not a fresh import but not sure how long exactly it has been in the uk

 

if it looks and sounds ok after you done all the checks and he cant prove service history give him a price to reflect the fact then get a major service on it cambelt ect...

 

Check the rocker cover gaskets for leaks as there a pain in the *** to change i've had 2 go. Also had 2 camshaft oil seals go as well.

Look in the for sale section on here, theres some nice examples in here. What are you looking at spending?

 

thanks for the replies,

the car is on 89k and up for £1800 - does that sound about right?

Whats the cost (roughly) on a cambelt/tensioner ?

Thanks

 

Cambelt is about £40-£50 but getting the kit is around £180 on ebay.

 

Might be worth taking someone who knows a little about them with you, if you fill in ur location etc you might find someone local who will pop along with you for a beer.

 

£1800 plus a cambelt change ain't that cheap for a 94 wrx with no history. Does it have any bills at all? Is it standard? Good nick? 89k? you can't bet on that, service history often gets lost when a car's been clocked. Could have done 189k.

 

very few jdms have service history though!!!
should have some stickers around it from japan but there are 1000's out there to choose from so unless its the right car etc look around

 

It's a big no-no Pete. You cannot verify the mileage, you cannot in fact verify anything about the car. Are there previous MOT's available? No history is 100% factual evidence that the car has not been looked after/maintained. What about crash-repaired? Youll need to check things like that with a fine toothed comb. It's not about 'not having trouble' with buying a car without history, it's about how well do you feel about driving a high perfomance machine with absolutely no record of any kind of service or repairs it has had done its life?

I

 

The auction appraisal sheet will verify the mileage and the vehicles condition.

 

I am viewing it today so will soon know all the details :-)

Auction appraisal sheet - is this relating to when the vehicle was imported?

 

No: its from the auction house in Japan.

 

Something tells me if your still going to look at it with the above remarks your going to buy it regardless.

I hope its ok either way.

 

No not at all, I just need all the info I can get before viewing.

Tbh right now I am of the mindset that I won’t buy it because it’s too much of a gamble, however I still want to view in order to get an idea about these cars (will only be the second one I have viewed)

 

It may say 89000 on the clock but it may be a mixture of miles and Km (don't rely on it being just Km's). With no history it will be difficult to see. Also its a 15 year old car - parts will be wearing out (mines a 1995 - loads of parts have been changed). It would be good to have some receipts for any new parts that have been fitted. There are loads of scoobs out there, it's worth looking at a few and get one that you are happy with and feels right. Its worth paying a few hundred quid more for the right one, as a wrong'un can cost a fortune to put right. Good luck

 

cheers for all the advice fellas, you are a friendly bunch!

 

Hello mate. There are many people on here with negative views regarding Imports - some justified, most not.

If it is a fresh import, walk away if it has a full service history - this WILL be false. As GC8 states, the Auction sheet will give you the condition of the vehicle and the correct Mileage (in KMS) when it was auctioned. You can do various searches on here or the internet in general to find out about the way Japanese cars are run and serviced out there - there are more stringent rules regarding car ownership out there, and you are FAR more likely to get a decent car from Japan, than a good one from over here. Having said that, there are sheds around - often bought at bottom dollar by dealers over here, and than sold on for top money. You need to know what to look for to make sure you do not get one of these - anyone with experience of S/H cars can spot these though. There are of course many good dealers over here, but they tend to deal in the higher end of the market.

If it has been in this country for a year or more, you should see bills / reciepts for services as a minimum - again if this is not the case, walk away.

Good luck mate - very good cars to own and run, if a little expensive on the running costs.

Mart.

 

I bought mine 4 1/2 years ago as a grade 4 from Japan 92000 Km on the clock. Obviously no service history but the Japs are good at servicing their cars. Now got 148000 (rest are miles) on the clock but the engine and gearbox are still original. Top pipe on the rad burst last night but I'm picking a new one up on my way home!!

 

For the first time in years I typed quite a tome on this the other day: I'll see if I can find it.

 

https://www.scoobynet.com/scoobynet-...ml#post8487595

 

Hello,
Looking at the link above you posted, bang on mate, but you obviously know far more about it than me. I imported my sccob about 6 years ago through a company based in Japan, English speaking as well, which made it easier. Of course there are pitfalls - the most worrying is paying all the dosh up front while the car is on the boat still in dock, but you know the risk and take the gamble I suppose. This market is really set up for the dealers, not the privateers, but the good old internet has opened up many avenues for normal ordinary people.

Of course doing your homework and then some more always helps, and you get to find out some pretty interesting facts about the Japanese people in general and their take on the law over there. For instance, I believe it is still rare to find a fresh import with an alarm. I was told be my importers, that if a car theif went to Japan, he would think he had died and gone to heaven.

Keep up the helpful info on here mate,
Regards,
Mart.

 

wow looks like my thread has hit on a interesting point on SH - thanks for the info guys

Well went to see the car earlier, was a really nice original example (bar the lexus lights ) the guy selling it didnt have one reciept for it, nothing at all, just a V5 and current MOT. The clocks where also in mph so had been changed at some point so mileage verification was impossible, the owner didnt seem very knowlegeable on the car either, couldnt tell me what oil he had put in! - didnt even start her up just had to do the sensible thing and walk away

The hunt continues