classic impreza buying guide

[disco!!!!]

Hi everybody

I'm looking at buying a classic impreza for my next car does anyone know of a buying guide about.
Any common faults. I'm looking at cars between the 98 to 2000 ages

I've seen a couple I fancy one is a low milage 2000 turbo but it has some rust on the passenger A pillar randomly and the other is a catalunya with higher mileage but looks pretty good.
is the catalunya anything special or just a badge exercise?

What are they like to live with I know the fuel consumption isn't great but you don't buy one of these with that in mind

[Baz Tench]

As far as I'm aware, the Catalunya was indeed a badge exercise. Can't conmment on them on the whole anymore though. It's been years since I had mine.

Not that quick in standard form (by today's standards), but huge fun to drive. Just watch out for poorly executed mods.

Scoobynet may be the best place to ask for advice really.

[2stis]

disco!!!! said:

What are they like to live with I know the fuel consumption isn't great but you don't buy one of these with that in mind

Catalunya is mainly the cachet of having a limited edition model, although apparently it does have improved torque over the 'normal' UK turbos delivered that year.

Great to live with. I don't find the fuel economy too bad - 30 mpg possible on a run isn't bad for the performance on offer, but it does drop a lot lower if you use it to its fullest! Would also say that performance is still decent even by modern standards. That said I have never driven a Turbo 2000, so not sure how differently they would drive with a fair drop in power over the import WRXs/STIs, but they are pretty light for 4wd so should still be decent. Have you test-driven any?

[Poopipe]

I miss mine I had a (deep breath) ..... v2 wrx sti type ra v limited until it was stolen off my drive in February

Uk cars are likely to be rustier than imports of the same age so unless you have a very good reason for wanting a uk car then id start looking at imports.
Insurance is a non argument - go to a specialist and youll pay the same for either.

Even the NA models are st on fuel so dont expect a slow one to be cheaper to run than a fast one

For me the best thing to do is buy the most recently imported sti you can. You wont find standard so try to find one with mild modifications (up to about 300bhp) done by a reputed specialist - itll cost you the same as a slow one to run and will be almost fast enough to warrant the amount you spend on fuel.


The only specials that are actually special are....

Type-ra : 4 doors, less comfort/weight/safety, short ratio gearbox, better diffs in some cases and the vital roof flap . These come in wrx and sti variants

Type-r : 3 doors, similar to ra but less uncomfortable.

S20* models : which are very special and expensive

There's also the p1 if you dont mind paying over the odds for a diluted type-r.

There are a million "limited" variants featuring anything from a special colour to fancy diffs - either grow a massive beard or ignore them.

Gearboxes can be horrifically expensive, rust is a killer, consumables are cheap, engines are cheap, labour on repairs is cheap because they're largely very easy to work on.

[Terzo123]

My old one had rust on the A-pillar. It's fairly common and was easy enough to sort.

Rust on the rear arches, where the back bumper meets the arch is also a common spot for rust, but is harder to fix. To do it properly needs new metal putting in.

Engines are reliable. Ensure the cam belt has been done on time. The MAF sensor can be a weak spot. I had to replace mine with a second hand unit.

Standard brakes on the MY97 and older are poor. Calipers are improved on the MY98 and newer.

At this age door rubbers will be starting to perish, so with the side windows being frameless, moisture will be an issue especially during winter.

Other than that, if standard and well maintained, they are super reliable

[disco!!!!]

Thanks for the info guys, I'll have a look at scoobynet later

I've set myself a 2 grand budget with the option of going a wee bit higher for the right car, a lot of Uk turbo 2000s fall into that price range and as daft as it sounds I prefer the smaller turbo 2000 rear spoiler over the WRXs one also the WRXs I have seen advertised were either rough barried or both. Oh and a final thing I live in the north of Scotland so there isn't much in the way of choice

I have driven a WRX before but that was a few years ago and it wasn't for very long so couldn't form a proper opinion on it.

I'm away at work for the next 2 1/2 weeks so I won't be viewing any until I get back

[rossub]

The age these are at now, if you plan on driving it in winters you will kill it with rust very quickly.

Rear arches rust from the inside out. They can look ok at first sight, but be utterly rotten on close inspection.

In my opinion, the UK models are really dull compared to the imports. Those that are new to Imprezas usually seem to be blinkered to this and will not entertain anything other than a UK model. Their loss.

[disco!!!!]

rossub said:

The age these are at now, if you plan on driving it in winters you will kill it with rust very quickly.

Rear arches rust from the inside out. They can look ok at first sight, but be utterly rotten on close inspection.

In my opinion, the UK models are really dull compared to the imports. Those that are new to Imprezas usually seem to be blinkered to this and will not entertain anything other than a UK model. Their loss.

So the arches rust the same as bmws do.
Is there any reason that they are more dull? As said the UK models are in my price range at the moment

[Poopipe]

They dont salt roads in japan so they dont rust protect with the same fastidiousness as european manufacturers -as a result even the official imports rust like buggery. A clean 90s jap shell is like rocking horse st these days.

At 2k though youre looking at disposable motoring so as long as its got a lengthy ticket and you're going to get some enjoyment out of it then you could do a lot worse.

[disco!!!!]

Thanks for the information

Our of curiosity would it be worth spending the extra and getting a blob eye?

[garycat]

disco!!!! said:

Thanks for the information

Our of curiosity would it be worth spending the extra and getting a blob eye?

Yes, they are a bit heavier but much better built. The body panels on classics are like Kit-kat wrappers.

Check the SIDC for more info as well as scoobynet
http://www.sidc.co.uk/

[TroubledSoul]

You'd get a very nice Bugeye for that money. I'd take one over a classic personally, although the classic is a lighter car that will feel a touch more raw if that's what you want.

[anarki]

Sorry to hijack the thread a little but I'm hopefully going to be viewing a 1998 impreza wagon today.

It's the 2.0 non turbo, is there anything other than what's been mentioned previously to look out for particularly on the wagons?

[HonestIago]

anarki said:

Sorry to hijack the thread a little but I'm hopefully going to be viewing a 1998 impreza wagon today.

It's the 2.0 non turbo, is there anything other than what's been mentioned previously to look out for particularly on the wagons?

Wagons are mechanically identical to the saloons. They do have slightly more weight (c.35kg) and different weight distribution which dials out a bit of the understeer.

A non-turbo if it has been serviced should be especially reliable.

[s m]

Baz Tench said:

As far as I'm aware, the Catalunya was indeed a badge exercise. Can't conmment on them on the whole anymore though. It's been years since I had mine.

Not that quick in standard form (by today's standards), but huge fun to drive. Just watch out for poorly executed mods.

Scoobynet may be the best place to ask for advice really.

We've reached the stage where 5.5 to 60 is not that quick as standard

[HonestIago]

s m said:

Baz Tench said:

As far as I'm aware, the Catalunya was indeed a badge exercise. Can't conmment on them on the whole anymore though. It's been years since I had mine.

Not that quick in standard form (by today's standards), but huge fun to drive. Just watch out for poorly executed mods.

Scoobynet may be the best place to ask for advice really.

We've reached the stage where 5.5 to 60 is not that quick as standard

In fairness, they are flattered by their 0-60 times. I've found that once rolling my Turbo 2000 PPP is no quicker than the likes of an Astra VXR. Hence why I've had a TD05 18G turbo fitted and am getting it remapped...

[nottyash]

HonestIago said:

In fairness, they are flattered by their 0-60 times. I've found that once rolling my Turbo 2000 PPP is no quicker than the likes of an Astra VXR. Hence why I've had a TD05 18G turbo fitted and am getting it remapped...

There comes a point where you still won't leave something like an a VXR in the dust without spending a huge amount of money.
There will always be someone who spends just as much on a VXR.
I got caught out by one once when I had an M3. I couldnt get near it.
I had no trouble with an Evo 8 prior, so I've no idea what he had done there.

[Catatafish]

My 99 turbo had a few troubles starting (coking up) with too many short journeys, so make sure you give it a good few miles extra.

[Fruitcake]

If you want a classic, get a classic. Don't entertain a bugeye as the difference is night and day.
I'd suggest a WRX, much better standard than a turbo 2000. Most have been barried, but they are easy to un-barry lol. Low or mid level spoilers go for peanuts on Ebay. As has been said check the rear arches for even the slightest bubbling, and if the buyer will let you pull back the boot to look down over the arch. Listen for a knock (bottom end shells) at 2-3k revs. These tend to be modified without the thought of remapping, so have det'd their tits off for years.

[Baz Tench]

HonestIago said:

s m said:

Baz Tench said:

As far as I'm aware, the Catalunya was indeed a badge exercise. Can't conmment on them on the whole anymore though. It's been years since I had mine.

Not that quick in standard form (by today's standards), but huge fun to drive. Just watch out for poorly executed mods.

Scoobynet may be the best place to ask for advice really.

We've reached the stage where 5.5 to 60 is not that quick as standard

In fairness, they are flattered by their 0-60 times. I've found that once rolling my Turbo 2000 PPP is no quicker than the likes of an Astra VXR. Hence why I've had a TD05 18G turbo fitted and am getting it remapped...

Yeah, I should have been clearer.

Off the line, my UK turbo (standard, even the exhaust, yes really!) was pretty impressive. Once rolling though, it lacked oomph. I remember quietly giving up against a Rover Tomcat one night. I don't know what had been done to the Rover, but it was an early bath for me.