Pitfalls of impreza wrx sti ownership?
Discussion
I bought a classic Impreza a couple of years ago that was covered in decals, had massive clown wheels on it, horrible chinese stereo, filthy interior, dump valve, chav aftermarket spoiler, ridiculous exhaust etc. It was really cheap as a result.
After a few hour's work removing the stickers, replacing the stereo with the original that was in the boot, cleaning it, replacing dump valve with used stock item, and replacing wheels with a good used set I got for £100, I had £500 or so in my pocket from replacing the aftermarket bits with stock ones, and a "good original condition" Impreza that was worth about £500 more than I had paid for it (If I still had it now it would probably be worth £2000 more, but never mind).
TL;DR - look past stick on tat and you can save/make money on a Japanese turbo car purchase. The nasty (IMO) spoiler on the cheaper one can fetch decent money as it's a proper Prodrive item, and people love big scoops and daft high level spoilers in this market, which makes the original bits plentiful and cheap.
Of course if you aren't interested in doing work as per the above then you pays your money etc.
After a few hour's work removing the stickers, replacing the stereo with the original that was in the boot, cleaning it, replacing dump valve with used stock item, and replacing wheels with a good used set I got for £100, I had £500 or so in my pocket from replacing the aftermarket bits with stock ones, and a "good original condition" Impreza that was worth about £500 more than I had paid for it (If I still had it now it would probably be worth £2000 more, but never mind).
TL;DR - look past stick on tat and you can save/make money on a Japanese turbo car purchase. The nasty (IMO) spoiler on the cheaper one can fetch decent money as it's a proper Prodrive item, and people love big scoops and daft high level spoilers in this market, which makes the original bits plentiful and cheap.
Of course if you aren't interested in doing work as per the above then you pays your money etc.
lilwashu said:
I bought a classic Impreza a couple of years ago that was covered in decals, had massive clown wheels on it, horrible chinese stereo, filthy interior, dump valve, chav aftermarket spoiler, ridiculous exhaust etc. It was really cheap as a result.
After a few hour's work removing the stickers, replacing the stereo with the original that was in the boot, cleaning it, replacing dump valve with used stock item, and replacing wheels with a good used set I got for £100, I had £500 or so in my pocket from replacing the aftermarket bits with stock ones, and a "good original condition" Impreza that was worth about £500 more than I had paid for it (If I still had it now it would probably be worth £2000 more, but never mind).
TL;DR - look past stick on tat and you can save/make money on a Japanese turbo car purchase. The nasty (IMO) spoiler on the cheaper one can fetch decent money as it's a proper Prodrive item, and people love big scoops and daft high level spoilers in this market, which makes the original bits plentiful and cheap.
Of course if you aren't interested in doing work as per the above then you pays your money etc.
The one with so decals sold. It really did need about a grand spending on it. Minimum.After a few hour's work removing the stickers, replacing the stereo with the original that was in the boot, cleaning it, replacing dump valve with used stock item, and replacing wheels with a good used set I got for £100, I had £500 or so in my pocket from replacing the aftermarket bits with stock ones, and a "good original condition" Impreza that was worth about £500 more than I had paid for it (If I still had it now it would probably be worth £2000 more, but never mind).
TL;DR - look past stick on tat and you can save/make money on a Japanese turbo car purchase. The nasty (IMO) spoiler on the cheaper one can fetch decent money as it's a proper Prodrive item, and people love big scoops and daft high level spoilers in this market, which makes the original bits plentiful and cheap.
Of course if you aren't interested in doing work as per the above then you pays your money etc.
The other one I've been looking at, the expensive one is been sold by a dealer with a decent reputation.
He's gone down in price to 6100 and is going to replace the belt. I'm going for a proper test drive today. If i like it i might just shake his hand.
It really is a great example but I'm sick of losing money on cars. I'm losing a few grand on the Audi, then soon as i buy the Subaru it will be worth minimum a grand maybe one and half less should i sell it private.
I will see what today brings.
I will reiterate that I think you'd be mad to buy a 10+ year old WRX from a dealer. All you are paying for is the Sale of Goods act, which doesn't warrant a £2k surcharge IMHO. Who wants the hassle of returning or rejecting a car with a dealer? They aren't Scooby Specialists or Wheeler Dealers; they are picking up private sales, doing the minimum amount of work for an MoT (if required) giving it a wash and slapping a couple of grand on the asking price.
Mileage? With a car over 10years old, what difference does it make? What happens when it's covered 100k - do things magically fail? Would you rather have a 70k car that has spent it's life in stop-start town traffic, potholes, speed-bumps etc or one with 120k that has spent most of it's life doing a motorway commute?
As for service history, how much value do you put on bits of paper stating work done by garages you don't know? I'd work on the basis that any car will need the following work done by you (or a garage you trust) to the standard you want and using quality parts:
4 tyres
4 wheel alignment
Brake Pads
Brake Discs
Brake Fluid change
Clutch fluid
Rear Diff fluid
Gearbox fluid
Engine fluid
Coolant
Air filter
Oil filter
Fuel filter
Cabin filter
Cam belt
Battery
Spark Plugs
ARB bushes
Drop-Links
Shock Absorbers
Unless you can be confident that all the above has been recently done and to a satisfactory standard, then you should include those costs in your budget. I'd rather pay £4k for a car knowing that I needed to do all of the above, than £6k for one with receipts for the above. Only way you can know what has been done and with what parts is to do it yourself...
As for PPP, a WRX needs PPP at a minimum for the performance to come alive IMHO. However, the parts are only a few hundred quid so I wouldn't get hung up on only looking at PPP cars. Just factor it into the price. And wagons are better value.
Mileage? With a car over 10years old, what difference does it make? What happens when it's covered 100k - do things magically fail? Would you rather have a 70k car that has spent it's life in stop-start town traffic, potholes, speed-bumps etc or one with 120k that has spent most of it's life doing a motorway commute?
As for service history, how much value do you put on bits of paper stating work done by garages you don't know? I'd work on the basis that any car will need the following work done by you (or a garage you trust) to the standard you want and using quality parts:
4 tyres
4 wheel alignment
Brake Pads
Brake Discs
Brake Fluid change
Clutch fluid
Rear Diff fluid
Gearbox fluid
Engine fluid
Coolant
Air filter
Oil filter
Fuel filter
Cabin filter
Cam belt
Battery
Spark Plugs
ARB bushes
Drop-Links
Shock Absorbers
Unless you can be confident that all the above has been recently done and to a satisfactory standard, then you should include those costs in your budget. I'd rather pay £4k for a car knowing that I needed to do all of the above, than £6k for one with receipts for the above. Only way you can know what has been done and with what parts is to do it yourself...
As for PPP, a WRX needs PPP at a minimum for the performance to come alive IMHO. However, the parts are only a few hundred quid so I wouldn't get hung up on only looking at PPP cars. Just factor it into the price. And wagons are better value.
Been and had another look. Car seems to drive fairly well and i think the girlfriend has been converted.
Obviously this car is priced for top money, reflective of the condition and 1 owner, but there was a few things making me hesitant to put deposit down without taking time to think about it.
I noticed the steering wheel was way out of line, probably just needs a 4 wheel alignment, but who knows if there's another reason for it.
Secondly the biting point on the clutch was very very high, it's done 90k on original clutch i believe, so it's gonna need a clutch.
He's gonna do the cam belt water pump and pulleys etc...
Is it worth the top money they are asking? I'm not sure.
Very nice people tho. Very accommodating and knowledgeable.
Obviously this car is priced for top money, reflective of the condition and 1 owner, but there was a few things making me hesitant to put deposit down without taking time to think about it.
I noticed the steering wheel was way out of line, probably just needs a 4 wheel alignment, but who knows if there's another reason for it.
Secondly the biting point on the clutch was very very high, it's done 90k on original clutch i believe, so it's gonna need a clutch.
He's gonna do the cam belt water pump and pulleys etc...
Is it worth the top money they are asking? I'm not sure.
Very nice people tho. Very accommodating and knowledgeable.
TEKNOPUG said:
I will reiterate that I think you'd be mad to buy a 10+ year old WRX from a dealer. All you are paying for is the Sale of Goods act, which doesn't warrant a £2k surcharge IMHO. Who wants the hassle of returning or rejecting a car with a dealer? They aren't Scooby Specialists or Wheeler Dealers; they are picking up private sales, doing the minimum amount of work for an MoT (if required) giving it a wash and slapping a couple of grand on the asking price.
Mileage? With a car over 10years old, what difference does it make? What happens when it's covered 100k - do things magically fail? Would you rather have a 70k car that has spent it's life in stop-start town traffic, potholes, speed-bumps etc or one with 120k that has spent most of it's life doing a motorway commute?
As for service history, how much value do you put on bits of paper stating work done by garages you don't know? I'd work on the basis that any car will need the following work done by you (or a garage you trust) to the standard you want and using quality parts:
4 tyres
4 wheel alignment
Brake Pads
Brake Discs
Brake Fluid change
Clutch fluid
Rear Diff fluid
Gearbox fluid
Engine fluid
Coolant
Air filter
Oil filter
Fuel filter
Cabin filter
Cam belt
Battery
Spark Plugs
ARB bushes
Drop-Links
Shock Absorbers
Unless you can be confident that all the above has been recently done and to a satisfactory standard, then you should include those costs in your budget. I'd rather pay £4k for a car knowing that I needed to do all of the above, than £6k for one with receipts for the above. Only way you can know what has been done and with what parts is to do it yourself...
As for PPP, a WRX needs PPP at a minimum for the performance to come alive IMHO. However, the parts are only a few hundred quid so I wouldn't get hung up on only looking at PPP cars. Just factor it into the price. And wagons are better value.
With any of my older 2nd hand cars, Subaru's included, a full service plus belts was always done within the first week so I knew where the servicing was up to, its definately piece of mind Mileage? With a car over 10years old, what difference does it make? What happens when it's covered 100k - do things magically fail? Would you rather have a 70k car that has spent it's life in stop-start town traffic, potholes, speed-bumps etc or one with 120k that has spent most of it's life doing a motorway commute?
As for service history, how much value do you put on bits of paper stating work done by garages you don't know? I'd work on the basis that any car will need the following work done by you (or a garage you trust) to the standard you want and using quality parts:
4 tyres
4 wheel alignment
Brake Pads
Brake Discs
Brake Fluid change
Clutch fluid
Rear Diff fluid
Gearbox fluid
Engine fluid
Coolant
Air filter
Oil filter
Fuel filter
Cabin filter
Cam belt
Battery
Spark Plugs
ARB bushes
Drop-Links
Shock Absorbers
Unless you can be confident that all the above has been recently done and to a satisfactory standard, then you should include those costs in your budget. I'd rather pay £4k for a car knowing that I needed to do all of the above, than £6k for one with receipts for the above. Only way you can know what has been done and with what parts is to do it yourself...
As for PPP, a WRX needs PPP at a minimum for the performance to come alive IMHO. However, the parts are only a few hundred quid so I wouldn't get hung up on only looking at PPP cars. Just factor it into the price. And wagons are better value.
PPP wise, Subaru UK did an offer on the 05 WRX's, free PPP or 3 years free servicing, so its not worth paying over the odds for it but it will make the car more desirable to buy.
Wow - surprised to see how expensive newage WRX's are now!! I had noticed that Sti's had firmed up a bit, so maybe the WRX's have been dragged up with them?
I had a 2004 Blobeye WRX wagon a few years ago, sold it in the summer of 2013 for 75k for £3500 - and took a while to sell with people telling me I was a little bit overpriced!!
I recently took a fancy to another, but the price of a late blob or jdm hawkeye has increased a fair bit since I last looked!!
I'd echo what others have said, and look to buy one from privately from an enthusiast - you will get more for your money.
When I bought mine I tested one from a dealer, one owner from new, fssh, 45k miles - but I walked away a little disappointed, coming from a Clio 182 it didn't feel that quick. It also felt like a death trap, the brakes were shockingly bad!!
I eventually bought one privately that had had a remap and Prodrive exhaust - it was night & day, felt more like how I expected an Impreza to feel!
My one was totally reliable in my ownership, just needed an O2 sensor and consumables. Insurance was high, and economy was not great - but not horrendous, from memory a mapped WRX is a bit better on fuel than a standard one.
Good luck with your search OP
I had a 2004 Blobeye WRX wagon a few years ago, sold it in the summer of 2013 for 75k for £3500 - and took a while to sell with people telling me I was a little bit overpriced!!
I recently took a fancy to another, but the price of a late blob or jdm hawkeye has increased a fair bit since I last looked!!
I'd echo what others have said, and look to buy one from privately from an enthusiast - you will get more for your money.
When I bought mine I tested one from a dealer, one owner from new, fssh, 45k miles - but I walked away a little disappointed, coming from a Clio 182 it didn't feel that quick. It also felt like a death trap, the brakes were shockingly bad!!
I eventually bought one privately that had had a remap and Prodrive exhaust - it was night & day, felt more like how I expected an Impreza to feel!
My one was totally reliable in my ownership, just needed an O2 sensor and consumables. Insurance was high, and economy was not great - but not horrendous, from memory a mapped WRX is a bit better on fuel than a standard one.
Good luck with your search OP
Hallsy01 said:
Wow - surprised to see how expensive newage WRX's are now!! I had noticed that Sti's had firmed up a bit, so maybe the WRX's have been dragged up with them?
I had a 2004 Blobeye WRX wagon a few years ago, sold it in the summer of 2013 for 75k for £3500 - and took a while to sell with people telling me I was a little bit overpriced!!
I recently took a fancy to another, but the price of a late blob or jdm hawkeye has increased a fair bit since I last looked!!
I'd echo what others have said, and look to buy one from privately from an enthusiast - you will get more for your money.
When I bought mine I tested one from a dealer, one owner from new, fssh, 45k miles - but I walked away a little disappointed, coming from a Clio 182 it didn't feel that quick. It also felt like a death trap, the brakes were shockingly bad!!
I eventually bought one privately that had had a remap and Prodrive exhaust - it was night & day, felt more like how I expected an Impreza to feel!
My one was totally reliable in my ownership, just needed an O2 sensor and consumables. Insurance was high, and economy was not great - but not horrendous, from memory a mapped WRX is a bit better on fuel than a standard one.
Good luck with your search OP
I kind of feel your pain. I traded in an 05 WRX Wagon PPP SL with 60k miles for £6k in 2011. I didn't really realise what a holy grail estate car that was at the time and the damned thing would still be worth £5k, even if I'd added 50k miles to it in the mean-time.I had a 2004 Blobeye WRX wagon a few years ago, sold it in the summer of 2013 for 75k for £3500 - and took a while to sell with people telling me I was a little bit overpriced!!
I recently took a fancy to another, but the price of a late blob or jdm hawkeye has increased a fair bit since I last looked!!
I'd echo what others have said, and look to buy one from privately from an enthusiast - you will get more for your money.
When I bought mine I tested one from a dealer, one owner from new, fssh, 45k miles - but I walked away a little disappointed, coming from a Clio 182 it didn't feel that quick. It also felt like a death trap, the brakes were shockingly bad!!
I eventually bought one privately that had had a remap and Prodrive exhaust - it was night & day, felt more like how I expected an Impreza to feel!
My one was totally reliable in my ownership, just needed an O2 sensor and consumables. Insurance was high, and economy was not great - but not horrendous, from memory a mapped WRX is a bit better on fuel than a standard one.
Good luck with your search OP
Don't even want to think about the depreciation I've lost on the cars I've had since!
I think I'm going for the one owner PPP example with 90k on it.
Dealer says they have done a full service and a cambelt water pump kit on it. That's best part of a grands worth of work if I went to a mechanic myself.
The car is also in good original condition. And he's agreed to sell it me for 6100. I'm going to try getting the original low level spoiler thrown in if he still got it. Just in case I want a more discreet look. Oh and it just passed its MOT no advisories.
Insurance wise I've got to start a new policy, setting me back 4 or 5 months towards my 5th year no claim bonus, but actual policy price I'm paying same for the Scooby as I have paid for a 160bhp Audi a3!
I keep looking for all these enthusiast owned cars but they are just not out there right now.
5 to 6k seems to be the going rate for a good standard WRX, I'm fairly happy I'm getting a good enough deal from a reputable if expensive dealer.
I also did my research on the dealer, he's been selling scoobies for over 20 years, he also sponsors local Scooby groups, a lot of them use him for maintenance and parts. Defo worse dealers around.
The car is going for a health check at a local Subaru independent mechanic with good reputation at some point in the next month.
Longer term plans I'm going to buy some genuine gold prodrive g1 alloys, fit them with the best premium tyres I can get at a fair price. The original alloys will get winter tyres fitted.
Running costs, aka fuel was a worry, until I realised that I hardly do any mileage. I can live with 20mpg, I'm getting about 27 in the Audi!
Dealer says they have done a full service and a cambelt water pump kit on it. That's best part of a grands worth of work if I went to a mechanic myself.
The car is also in good original condition. And he's agreed to sell it me for 6100. I'm going to try getting the original low level spoiler thrown in if he still got it. Just in case I want a more discreet look. Oh and it just passed its MOT no advisories.
Insurance wise I've got to start a new policy, setting me back 4 or 5 months towards my 5th year no claim bonus, but actual policy price I'm paying same for the Scooby as I have paid for a 160bhp Audi a3!
I keep looking for all these enthusiast owned cars but they are just not out there right now.
5 to 6k seems to be the going rate for a good standard WRX, I'm fairly happy I'm getting a good enough deal from a reputable if expensive dealer.
I also did my research on the dealer, he's been selling scoobies for over 20 years, he also sponsors local Scooby groups, a lot of them use him for maintenance and parts. Defo worse dealers around.
The car is going for a health check at a local Subaru independent mechanic with good reputation at some point in the next month.
Longer term plans I'm going to buy some genuine gold prodrive g1 alloys, fit them with the best premium tyres I can get at a fair price. The original alloys will get winter tyres fitted.
Running costs, aka fuel was a worry, until I realised that I hardly do any mileage. I can live with 20mpg, I'm getting about 27 in the Audi!
I missed out on the one I was going to go for, my own fault for not committing quickly enough.
Funny thing tho... The private sale sub I linked to early in this thread, I spoke to the dealer Jct about it, he tried to put me off it, few weeks later it's now for sale on his forecourt lol. He's bought it and cleaned it up, adding 2k onto what he paid.
Who ever said don't buy from dealers was spot on. I'm not going to give a dealer a penny unless it's for the perfect motor.
Now on look out for a private purchase.
Funny thing tho... The private sale sub I linked to early in this thread, I spoke to the dealer Jct about it, he tried to put me off it, few weeks later it's now for sale on his forecourt lol. He's bought it and cleaned it up, adding 2k onto what he paid.
Who ever said don't buy from dealers was spot on. I'm not going to give a dealer a penny unless it's for the perfect motor.
Now on look out for a private purchase.
benjijames28 said:
I missed out on the one I was going to go for, my own fault for not committing quickly enough.
Funny thing tho... The private sale sub I linked to early in this thread, I spoke to the dealer Jct about it, he tried to put me off it, few weeks later it's now for sale on his forecourt lol. He's bought it and cleaned it up, adding 2k onto what he paid.
Who ever said don't buy from dealers was spot on. I'm not going to give a dealer a penny unless it's for the perfect motor.
Now on look out for a private purchase.
Funny thing tho... The private sale sub I linked to early in this thread, I spoke to the dealer Jct about it, he tried to put me off it, few weeks later it's now for sale on his forecourt lol. He's bought it and cleaned it up, adding 2k onto what he paid.
Who ever said don't buy from dealers was spot on. I'm not going to give a dealer a penny unless it's for the perfect motor.
Now on look out for a private purchase.
TEKNOPUG said:
You're quoting a dealer
How much do you think that they are buying them in for from private sellers in order to give them a healthy profit margin?
They only offered you £3.6k for you £6k car....think about it....
... they are picking up private sales, doing the minimum amount of work for an MoT (if required) giving it a wash and slapping a couple of grand on the asking price.
How much do you think that they are buying them in for from private sellers in order to give them a healthy profit margin?
They only offered you £3.6k for you £6k car....think about it....
... they are picking up private sales, doing the minimum amount of work for an MoT (if required) giving it a wash and slapping a couple of grand on the asking price.
Not only are they a riot to drive, these things are just so practical too....
Towed with it properly for the first time this weekend, twin axle Brian James transporter with rally car on board presented no problems, no doubt the extra bit of torque from the PPP helps a bit. That was then changed over for an 8' x 4' trailer loaded to the brim as I swapped stuff from one store to another as well as 10' ladders on the roof. Most carried out around a muddy farm so the poor thing looked like a tractor when I'd finished. This was before we'd got going!
An end of weekend wash and brush up had things back to normal but the more I drive it, the more I'm impressed.
Hope the OP finds one soon, he's missing out on all the fun!
Towed with it properly for the first time this weekend, twin axle Brian James transporter with rally car on board presented no problems, no doubt the extra bit of torque from the PPP helps a bit. That was then changed over for an 8' x 4' trailer loaded to the brim as I swapped stuff from one store to another as well as 10' ladders on the roof. Most carried out around a muddy farm so the poor thing looked like a tractor when I'd finished. This was before we'd got going!
An end of weekend wash and brush up had things back to normal but the more I drive it, the more I'm impressed.
Hope the OP finds one soon, he's missing out on all the fun!
LFB531 said:
Not only are they a riot to drive, these things are just so practical too....
Towed with it properly for the first time this weekend, twin axle Brian James transporter with rally car on board presented no problems, no doubt the extra bit of torque from the PPP helps a bit. That was then changed over for an 8' x 4' trailer loaded to the brim as I swapped stuff from one store to another as well as 10' ladders on the roof. Most carried out around a muddy farm so the poor thing looked like a tractor when I'd finished. This was before we'd got going!
An end of weekend wash and brush up had things back to normal but the more I drive it, the more I'm impressed.
Hope the OP finds one soon, he's missing out on all the fun!
Hope your rally car is light. About 1200kg tow limit for an Impreza. Twin trailer must be 4-500kg Towed with it properly for the first time this weekend, twin axle Brian James transporter with rally car on board presented no problems, no doubt the extra bit of torque from the PPP helps a bit. That was then changed over for an 8' x 4' trailer loaded to the brim as I swapped stuff from one store to another as well as 10' ladders on the roof. Most carried out around a muddy farm so the poor thing looked like a tractor when I'd finished. This was before we'd got going!
An end of weekend wash and brush up had things back to normal but the more I drive it, the more I'm impressed.
Hope the OP finds one soon, he's missing out on all the fun!
Six owners in 12 years isn't too bad. It may have been an import or dealer car which was flipped in the first few months, so it wouldn't worry me. Good service history would be a must.
At that age buy with your eyes and instinct. You've looked at a few now so you're a better bank of knowledge to draw on.
Must admit I'm bemused that they're of value and sought after at that age, but then again it was one of those cars I *had* to have.
At that age buy with your eyes and instinct. You've looked at a few now so you're a better bank of knowledge to draw on.
Must admit I'm bemused that they're of value and sought after at that age, but then again it was one of those cars I *had* to have.
TEKNOPUG said:
benjijames28 said:
Is there any negatives to buying an important?
This one is a UK 300 WRX imported from Cyprus.
So it's a UK car that's been exported then imported back again? So a UK car.This one is a UK 300 WRX imported from Cyprus.
Some people sell up and buy a cheap s
t box which they sell on at the end of thier tour. I here go to the expense of exporting and importing back to the uk if it's a nice car. 12TS said:
Must admit I'm bemused that they're of value and sought after at that age, but then again it was one of those cars I *had* to have.
There are not many cars at that price range offering that sort of performance which are reliable and practical too. It really is a lot of car for the money.Gassing Station | Subaru | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff