Friday 10th February 2012

SOTW: Subaru Impreza Turbo

Winter-shedding gold has been struck, reckons Shed

---

A Subaru Impreza Wagon really ought to be SOTW gold. It's got decent pace and character courtesy of that burbly blown boxer motor, chuckable, grippy handling thanks to that four-wheel-drive hardware and plenty of space, due to - er - having plenty of space. And that's before we mention the appropriateness of all-wheel drive in wintry weather.

So: practical, fast, fun - the holy trinity of shedding. The trouble is that Imprezas that aren't dead, dying, or dubiously modified to within an inch of their lives are pretty thin on the ground within Shed's £1K territory.

Last time we brought you a Subaru Impreza as Shed of the Week, we freely admit that it was a bit of a ratty specimen, probably suffering from the infamous 'piston slap' of late 90s Subarus. But this particular Scooby seems a whole lot sweeter.

Yes, it's done a chunky 158,000 miles, but the engine was subject to a full rebuild by specialists API at 106k miles, according to the seller (who has all the receipts and service history, so it's something you can presumably confirm by riffling through the paperwork). The car sounds like it's been pretty well looked after in general in fact, having been treated to newish tyres, clutch, front and rear droplinks, rear dampers, discs and pads by its current owner.

That API rebuild sounds like it's the source of some sympathetic mods, too, with a lightened flywheel, ported headers and an uprated fuel pump, so we imagine it's giving a wee bit more than the 210hp-or-so that Fuji Heavy Industries originally intended.

So what's pushing this car down into Shed's grubby mitts? Tatty bodywork, from the sound of it. But hey, what's a bit of rust on a Shed? Then, we suppose, there's the spectre of some fairly heavy running costs, both in everyday/fuel terms, and the looming possibility of a pricy mechanical malady. But good Shedding is all about taking a bit of a punt, isn't it?

Advert is reproduced below

Subaru Impreza Turbo with API Engine rebuild - Perfect Winter Car! (1997)
158,400 miles £1,000

Subaru Impreza Turbo, 1997 R plate, 5-door Wagon, 158k with full API engine rebuild at 106k, Red, 5-door, comprehensive service history including all bills and old Mots, Mot Feb 2013, Tax end Feb, CD player, Cat 1 with r/c/l, e/w, e/m

Full engine rebuild by top Subaru builder API now on 50k including lightened flywheel, ported headers, uprated fuel pump at cost of over £3k, standard UK car except for engine and stainless backbox, recent front tyres, brake pads and calliper rebuild, always well maintained regardless of cost - including new clutch, front and rear droplinks, rear dampers, disks and pads in my ownership.

Only ever run on V-power and Motul 300V oil.

Bad points: Bodywork getting tatty in places - especially rear arches (but interior is excellent), due for a service

Ideal winter car! Any inspection or questions welcome. No test pilots, please bring proof of insurance if you wish to test drive.

 

 

 

[ALfooy]

Tidy looking shed, shame about the lack of cash =( and the running costs

[B'stard Child]

Blimey!!!!

I like the wagon shape better than the saloon

[soad]

That's quite tempting.

[Lord Flathead]

Cracking car for the dosh. Would rather buy an older cared for model where money has been spent where needed than a newer one with less history.

Always buy on condition

Who's going to snap it up then

[0a]

If it keeps running you won't lose money on that - a future classic, especially if jap 4wd cars come back into fashion.

[Camry_Man]

I had one like that - except green. Best car I've ever owned.

[johnpeat]

Only downside to the wagons is more exhaust/road noise which - if you put a mental exhaust and tyres on it - will become pretty wearing...

Otherwise what's not to like?

[BMWill]

wow! 4 am and this is up already!!

Never been sure if i prefer the wagon or the 4 door saloon. Not sure about that red though..

= )

[big_rob_sydney]

I prefer the 98+ models, only because I like the dash and console better. Still, for a few extra £££'s, whats not to love. I've had 4 imprezas, and I think they're great bang for buck.

[Jimmy No Hands]

So do I get credit for this as this exact car was in the 'what car have you been obsessing about?' thread a few days ago! Copy cats!

[Pints]

Oh, that is very tempting. Running costs would be ruinous for me though.

[Motorrad]

Great shed, the 5 doors are suprisingly practical cars. I ran one just like this for a few years and other than terminal understeer and relatively slow witted steering I can't think of much I disliked about it.
Obviously they're pretty nasty inside but for a grand we're at disposable car money- change the oil and run until it dies.

edit to add: re road noise- I put a miltek on my 'wagon' and it was unbearable at legal motorway speeds- the drone went away at 90ish though.

Edited by Motorrad on Friday 10th February 06:21

[KobayashiMaru]

Properly good shed

[exgtt]

Top shed!

Perfect winter lugger.

[FWDRacer]

Proper decent shed-probably not been purchased and chavved due to the unfashionable colour. It wouldn't bother me. Red cars are always faster

Needs mountain bikes on a bike rack on the back and your away...

[wackojacko]

Fancy a classic Impreza as a wee track car project next.

[rtz62]

I've got a 30k from new WR1, and a few years back had a W reg classic which had 18k and which I bought from its first owner who was 59 and retired.
I much prefer the purity and honesty if the 'classic' shape, and although they don't have as much power, and the perceived build quality isn't quite as good, buy a good un-modified lower miles one and you soon forget about the mpg.
And servicing isnt costly at specialists either!
Bargain

[MadDog1962]

Excellent find. Probably sold today.

Not pretty, but that's the only fault, and so what if it's tatty around the edges. Should be practical and fun to drive for 12 months.

[leon9191]

Motorrad said:

edit to add: re road noise- I put a miltek on my 'wagon' and it was unbearable at legal motorway speeds- the drone went away at 90ish though.

Edited by Motorrad on Friday 10th February 06:21

yeah mine was the same except at plus 90mph so did all the fuel! I worked out on a run from leeds to newcastle i got 9mpg mind i did do the 100miles in an hour

[SimonV8ster]

Why do people say ruinous running costs ? Are they really that expensive to run ? Why ? What goes wrong ?