Not had an Impreza for nearly 2 years now (been enjoying M Power) but thought i'd have a look what a used STi hatch can be had for. Looking quickly through the trader the cheaper end of the market was around the £19k mark, which generally would give you a 2 year old model with average miles. So it's almost 70% of its orginal value (which obviously includes VAT when new). This i didn't expect, lots of very nice hawkeye STis tho for almost £6k less. Was i not looking in the right places or do they hold their value this well, my last Impreza i bought brand new (hawkeye) and when i got rid after two years i could have cried at the amount of money i lost

Also while i'm here, any news on when the shape will have a major facelift... if at all?

Tony.

 

Sales are so low that the few that are out there are likely to keep a reasonable residual value.... I found a bog spec hatch at £6K, but decided to avoid a project because of the state of the economy.

IMHO

dunx

 

Well you couldn't pay me enough to take one off your hands

TX.

 

Since they were launched i have to say i have only seen 3 (i've seen more R35 GTRs) so guess sales have been pretty dire compared to past years. But would that keep the used value up, i would have thought no buyers for the car new so not much interest in used ones either (especially at these prices) so values would drop for sales??

Guess its good news for buyers that purchased new but no way i'm paying nearly £20k for 2 year old japanese box, £15k would tickle the fancy tho

 

IMO they are a much better car and the chavs can't afford them so normal people are more likely to buy one. I hated them when they were released. If I could afford one, I'd have one.

 

Supply and demand, most 2nd hand ones are in dealers with inflated prices. I haven't seen many on the road so I guess 2nd hand private ones a few and far between. I was looking out for a good price 2nd hand one but bit the bullet in the end and went newish!, got a deal on an ex demonstrator with very low miles.....haggle with the dealer and trade one against another....doesn't have to be near you most deliver! wrxs is good value at just over 20k new, wrx at 18k even better if you can live with the understated (boring!) looks!

 

Prices have remained high, since lots of half-blind old fogeys have been buying them, thinking they are getting newer Rover 25's

 

Prices are high because there is a demand for a relatively new model. P/X'd my old Rover 25 for latest STI. I can get the guide dog in the back (no problem) and it's really nippy when i drive to the post office for my pension.

Great car and the best Subaru i have had.

 

because they only sold 10 of them?

 

Correct Vince
Haggling with a dealer and playing one against the other provided me with the WRXS for £19.1k. They wouldn't go any lower because they showed me paperwork intimating that £19.1k was what the car had cost them. I have recently seen ex demonstrator STi's with 1k miles or less advertised on the web for £21,995.

 

Agreed ^^^^^

Lee

 

You have only owned the one Subaru then

 

i enjoy my diesel impreza-totally different to previous scoobs and not all bad lol
martin

 

No i have owned Impreza's for the past seven years Had a classic and a Blob and they were both great cars. The Hatch however is better.

Simple as

 

How many of the mal-educated, narrow minded, window licking, nay sayers on this forum who write off the hatch have actually either driven or lived with one? My hatch is my 3rd Impreza, it is the best. I still have my Hawkeye WRX, so unlike many on this forum, this is an informed opinion.

Remember, imprezas are not just for trackdays, they are for life.

If you wish to denigrate a car you have no experience of outside reading magazines, then you should probably go back to where you belong, somewhere where cousins marry perhaps.

 

I think the look put a lot of people off them and you don't have to have owned or even driven one to know if you like the look of them.

I think it was a brave move to go to the hatch after the success of the saloon and i have to say when first released i was one of the anti hatch brigade i thought it looked disgraceful and when put along the evo x which looked much more agressive i thought subaru had shot themselves in the foot.

However i can now say i have changed my opinion the more i see them the more i like them, if i had the coin i would buy one, after driving it of course.

 

Had my hatch STi for about 2 months and it's easily the best standard Subaru I have driven.

Previous to this I've had two classic wagons, an RB5 and still own a 22B as well. I've also driven most newages and they just don't compare to the hatch.

Sure, the looks aren't to everyone's taste but I like the appeal of anonymous speed - mine will only be slight changed (mostly for handling) as I like the stealth aspect of the car.

 

As stated earlier I to have seen more new GT-R's than hatch STI's, sadly I can't justify the huge first year depreciation on a new car, ( Yorkshireman syndrome... ). So I was going to do a 400 bhp hatch project till Gormless Brooon screwed the economy.....

dunx

P.S. I drove one, but after a modified (400-ish) car it seemed tame, but really what wouldn't ?

 

LOL I knew I would get a bite.

In YOUR opinion.

I drove one and thought it was ugly, bland, soft, heavy, ponderous and frankly rather overpriced.

In MY opinion it's pretty awful, but that is just my opinion and each to their own.

 

Absolutely, each to their own, and I will definately stick with mine.

Your contribution appears to explaining why the hatch is not holding its value. But if you look at the start of the thread he seems to be looking for reasons why they are holding their value.

Thanks for your in depth review on why you dislike them though.

 

Thanks for confirming you are a credible poster.

 

Thanks for confirming you have a chip on your shoulder about purchasing an overpriced bland hatchback Too much protestation from so called satisfied owners of these wonderful cars on therse sort of threads

At least I have actually driven one not that that matters a jot as no doubt you know best

Anyway enjoy it - someone has to

 

As said they are holding their value as there are virtually no secondhand ones on the market as so few have been sold in the first place. Just look at the sales figures for the Subaru Impreza in the UK since they introduced the hatchback. Way way down even after adjusting for the recession. Now I wonder why that might be.

 

Hey I see you're in LADS. I was just talking with one of the guys who runs LADS via PM and he was suggesting I come to a meet. Maybe we can continue this 'discussion' there. Always up for some reasoned debate on the merits of overrated motors

 

I've had three new Impreza turbos since 1997. The first was the Classic, the second was a 2004 Blobeye WRX and the third was a WRXS hatch bought earlier this year. They have been the best value for money cars that I have ever owned in terms of reliability and performance. In fact, not one thing has ever gone wrong with any of the cars and the only items that have needed replacing are those designated at each service interval. Therefore, when the time came to replace my Blobeye this year I was adamant that I was having another Impreza. I have had one or two bad experiences in the past buying second hand cars, it really is a minefield when you don't known the car's true history, so it had to be a new one. In this case, I had no choice, it had to be a hatch and I must admit when I first saw the standard WRX I was a bit dubious. Fortunately, the STi and WRXS came on the scene and totally transformed the appearance. For me, the latest car is the best car of the lot in every department and prices are holding up at the moment because there are not many about.
I've only seen two STi's and one WRXS hatch in six months and they were all within 35 minutes of each other.

 

What is there to discuss my hatchback hating friend. I have no interest in trying to convert your opinion and you have absolutely no chance of changing mine.

Look forward to seeing you and your motor though. Please do come along and say hello at a meet or event, i am nearly always there

 

I have a GB270 wagon (like the geeky look of 'em) and the look of the new Impreza appeals to me (sti though)

I guess in answer to the OP is that they are priced strong as there are so few and those selling are generally dealers hoping to preserve the value; i guess hoping that someday they will become loved. While there will be a few people like current owners and me who actually like the look, they will continue to sell in short numbers imho. I think eventually the prices will dive unless they currently start getting rave reviews. I think the prices of original scoobies including newage bombed when used due to the fact there were so many sold due to the cult following.

what scares me off buying one is the thought of losing all that money at the start.

In summary; i think the relatively strong used values are not really representative of the market long term and they will fall hard. New FWD hatches like the RS and R26.R ( owned one of those) are just too close to the Subaru in performance and handling and the Sub cannot break away and offer a strong alternative like they once did.

Subaru need to have a rethink if they want to sell large numbers is guess

Just my thoughts and dont wish to argue with or offend anyone

 

You just can’t win on this forum. The same old trash from the “hatch haters” is rolled out on a regular basis. F1 - do you really think all hatch owners are lying about being satisfied?

I used to post regularly on Scoobynet, now I hardly ever comment because of this garbage talk.

 

To anyone with more than half a brain my post was obviously a light hearted retaliation to a comment aimed at me, it's called banter and is a staple of forums across the Internet. If you are too sensitive to deal with comments like this then it's a good thing you stay away. Now go and play in your lardy hatchback, there's a good chap

 

No worries, will do and you can take a pop at my old shed