CHRI5

Subaru newbie here, im looking to get my hands on a nice turbo 2000, got up to 4k to spend.

Any general advice is welcome, but more specifically being an older model things like clutch, turbo, cambelt, etc. What should I be looking for as i dont want to get one which will then need all of that like within 6 months of having it!
Also, many seem to have engine rebuilds around the 90k mile mark, is this a good thing? or a sign that its been thrashed all its life? Im looking for as low miles as i can afford and obviously some documented history.

But the thing is, ive looked at a few so far and of the last two i looked at, one had 120k miles, no history but sounded sweet as a nut, i only went and looked cause it was just round the corner from me, its a bit too many miles for what i want.
The other was 67k miles, fsh, but sounded like a bag of nails, horrible tapping noise on the engine and a rattling exhaust. So this has confused me a bit! Help...

siannie

Hello there I have a uk 2000 which I was lucky enough to buy off another member here few months back - just had full service and 6 months tax and 12 months MOT.
It all depends on how well the car has been looked after i.e. if the owner has been bothered to service it on time and maintain it properly. Mine is about to hit 90k and has no problems, and I also have FSH, most receipts like for tyres/oil. Paid £3k for a immaculate 97 facelift.
However if I had your £4k instead of £3k... I would go for a better model, unless you are restricted by insurance (like I was).
I'm no expert as this is my first scooby but I am very happy with what I have got

trogg

You should get a good one for your budget.

I got mine earlier this year with full dealer history with a new MoT for less than £3.5k

Have a look at a few/lots and judge the good from the bad yourself.

Avoid any that sound "like a bag of nails" or any that don't 'look right' and get as much history with it as you can.

trogg

You should get a good one for your budget.

I got mine earlier this year with full dealer history with a new MoT for less than £3.5k

Have a look at a few/lots and judge the good from the bad yourself.

Avoid any that sound "like a bag of nails" or any that don't 'look right' and get as much history with it as you can.

evobad

if you got 4k mate ul get a very good impreza are you after strd or one with some goodies.

CHRI5

Thanks for the comments guys. Im no mechanic, so just been using common sense so far, lower miles, dealer history, etc. I havent seen one yet thats really turned my head. After a pretty standard example, but wouldnt mind a few basic mods.

Any info about engine rebuilds?

4scoobydoo

If your budget is £4k for a classic you should not be in a position to worry about engine rebuilds. Unless you look to make some big power, in which case buy an old ***t box and spend your money on the engine

scooblee

Ive just bought a uk turbo, 99 model in blue mica, £3200, full dealer history, 80k miles, cream leather and aircon, totally factory standard, every mot and bill, just had a full engine and gearbox rebuild at subaru which cost ££££ alot.
This was a bonus for me as i should have nothing to worry about seeing as the head gaskets and cambelt also clutch was done at the same time, found this at a dealer on ebay.

Great cars and goodluck.

scooblee

Oh, dont go for one that is too modified as it will have been well used and cost you on insurance, also anything that has gay clear rear lights and stick on tat as this will be a piece if ****e and cost you a fortune.
Look for accident damage and rust on the rear arches as most will have this now, if in doubt get an rac check done for piece of mind.
Also a full history is a must, not the stamped book as anyone can reproduce this, you want to see bills and old mot's to back up the mileage.

bluescoobydont

Hi, Dont know if any interest to you but i am selling mine as growing family means i need a 7 seater..


http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2042905.htm


Vicky

scooblee

Nice car and a nice price that, good luck with the sale

Toomanycars

iTrader: (1)

Having just looked at his pics and spec list i would say try and stretch your budget and see if you can have a deal with mr hat on his which he's considering selling.

As always,it's worth buying the absolute best you can afford,especially if it's on one that needs nothing spending on it rather than buying a cheaper car and being stung for bills to get it fit and healthy again.............even things like tyres,servicing,cambelts etc quickly add up and then there's the mods which you will almost certainly end up doing!!

CHRI5

scooblee - what you got is pretty much the ideal thing that i'm looking for

bluescoobydont - very nice looking car but a bit too many miles for me

toomanycars - yip, i def want one thats ready to go and i dont need to worry about spending cash on it straight away. I have just found one that looks pretty nice for 3500, its a bit of a trek away from me but think im gonna go have a look...

cheers for the comments everyone.

Toomanycars

iTrader: (1)

Always worth a journey for the right car...........as long as the seller is honest!!

I live in Somerset and had to go to Essex for my current one,but have been as far as Edinburgh for the right car.

siannie

Hope you had enough petrol money to get back...

I was lucky enough to find mine in Plymouth!!!!

Toomanycars

iTrader: (1)

,i had to go steady because the guy i bought it from had loads of spares for it so the car was loaded...........haven't had an Impreza for about 3 years so i actually thought it was economical on the way home,of course,that's all changed since!!

Proby521

iTrader: (1)

Could be tempted to sell mine, but would want 4k and no less. It's just clocked 53k genuine miles, mica blue, '99 Turbo 2000 with full black leather, aircon, prodrive 17" ST2 wheels, prodrive quick shift kit & prodrive suspension. All factory fitted. See my garage pics for pictures! Don't want to sell it, but I think I'm going to need something more economical for the mrs on the school run. :•(

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

I just picked one up from a guy on here, had to drive a long way, but its a beast .. 305bhp AND fsh..

£3.5k .. 94k on clock which is higher than I wanted, but to be honest if the services have been done, these things go on and on !

AlanPPP

iTrader: (2)

How's it running mate?

stu turbo 98

iTrader: (6)

i bought a stunning blue uk turbo on a 99,fsh every mot every receipt,i checked every thing thoroughly,this car has been looked after analy,i paid 3500 and two weeks after buying it the big end bearings have gone,it turns out the car had the head gaskets done recently and the vendor was told then that the bearings were on there way,now i have i lovely looking car that isnt worth a w'@k and cant afford to fix,i looked at shed loads of others that had problems of one kind or another and turned them down,im gutted,especially as its the second time its happened to me.good luck bud

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

I wouldn't know its been in the garage since I bought it getting extra ..

CHRI5

stuturbo98, you must be gutted, thats the kind of thing im a bit afraid of. what kind of money are you looking at to have it put right?

stu turbo 98

iTrader: (6)

[QUOTE=CHRI5;9589742]stuturbo98, you must be gutted, thats the kind of thing im a bit afraid of. what kind of money are you looking at to have it put right?[
about 2500 if i buy forged parts etc and do it myself,and ive been quoted 4000 for a standard rebuild at power engineering,i rebuilt my last one for a shade over a grand but it lasted 3 months.

CHRI5

bloody hell man, that is scary. 4k sounds a heck of a lot of money, could you not get a replacement engine in for less...

mr hat

iTrader: (2)

consider other costs before you buy, ie has the cambelt been changed recently? serviced? tyres? brakes? maf sensor? then how much you will spend on modding it, because trust me you will. remap £600, exhausts, fuel pumps, headers, suspension, etc etc etc.

CHRI5

i have been looking for cars that have had recent cambelts, service, brakes, etc, the normal things you expect to do to keep a car running. and i have budgeted for doing this in other cases. but the more i read about major unexpected failures, as just said here, the more it starts to put me off. can it really just 'happen' to a well looked after car?

if i do end up getting one, should i budget for immediately having full service, sensors & pumps done, and whatever else, just for peace of mind before i even start using the car?

stu turbo 98

iTrader: (6)

[QUOTE=CHRI5;9589843]i have been looking for cars that have had recent cambelts, service, brakes, etc, the normal things you expect to do to keep a car running. and i have budgeted for doing this in other cases. but the more i read about major unexpected failures, as just said here, the more it starts to put me off. can it really just 'happen' to a well looked after car?

if i do end up getting one, should i budget for immediately having full service, sensors & pumps done, and whatever else, just for peace of mind before i even start using the car?[/QUO

all the care in the world wont save you from unexepected failure,if you buy one with everything done ,dont spend any money on it till you have too,mine has had a perfect history all done by subaru and that still doesnt guarantee that that things wont go wrong.as far as a second hand engine goes,i cant check its history and i would be expecting the worst,my plan now is to buy the best possible parts,such as closed deck block,upprated oil pump,sump baffle,forged pistons and rods ,race bearings,oil cooler and cross drilled crank etc and build it myself,i will then have an engine designed to be driven hard and can take 500+bhp and drive it like miss daisy with standard power.

stu turbo 98

iTrader: (6)

dont let my experience put you off chris there are scoobys out there that have done a lot more miles and had a real hard life that are still going strong,my other scooby did 130,000 before end bearings failed and i didnt have half the servicing or care that my new one had.

Bearo

My 98' uk turbo is on 136k, my mechanics is on over 240k although he had a new bottom end at around 120k i think. Keep it standard mate, mine and his are standard apart from decat center and backbox (you gotta have the burble!)

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

4k will get you something decent, 3k will get you something decent.

Now im not saying all these are decent, just what are in your price range, keep to fsh if possible, forget crashed and ragged ones etc, the more cash you have left over, the better it is for you to get anything thats wrong with said car sorted

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1828299.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1844573.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2040950.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1807023.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1966736.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2028830.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2049057.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2018705.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2052315.htm

Tony

PS, oil pumps on higher mileage cars are a good thing to replace, especially to the modified ones like RCM sell