Classic impreza running costs?

[ihatesissycars]

Hey guys,

I'm really getting the urge for an early impreza turbo, about 1995 ish.

Can you guys give any ideas on average running costs?

I've just gotten rid of a 944 which cost an absolute fortune to run despite being just an n/a 2.5 and was forever going wrong. I want something fast but reliable and I'm hoping the impreza could be the answer.

How far would the beast gon on say £10 of fuel?

Are they fairly robust or can I expect a rx7 stlye rebuild every 6 months?

I work in a vauxhall main dealers and do all my own maintenence so labour cost won't exist just purchasing parts. Are parts generally available and expensive?

Any other advice worth hearing?

Thankyou all in advance!

Gavin

[dnb]

Parts used to be expensive, but are less so now now there are plenty of pattern parts etc.

Fuel economy varies according to the model. My UK spec car (even when modded) returned 25 to 30 mpg. My type RA returns 23 to 27 mpg. If I thrash it, then I can get my RA to drink like my v8

If they're looked after, they are mostly bullet proof, although keep an eye on the MAF sensor on late classics - it can fail and allow lean conditions on boost which does tend to demolish engines. Obviously, the more modded, the less reliable. (I count an STi as modded with this statement)

[ihatesissycars]

Ah so thats pretty good news then!

What about buying an import, is that much of a problem? Theinsurance is about £50 different between a uk car and import for me which I'm not to fussed about its just the fuel thing, i guess I'd need to run it on tesco 99 all the time.

Could the difference be sorted via switching to a uk cars ecu or remap from a uk specialist?

[Scooby Beef]

I have a 1996 STI, i do roughly 20 miles a day to work and back and that costs
me 10 pounds.

[dnb]

You're supposed to run the UK cars on 97 RON too. I have to say that I didn't bother when my old UK car was standard.

As for swapping ECUs or remapping, the answer is that it depends on the year of the car. Some you can and some you can't. But it's a fair bet that you can get away with a good octane booster in most cars.

I now use 95 RON petrol with some NF octane booster, since SUL/V-power is impossible to get here. Not had a problem from this in many years, other than the spark plugs needing to be changed a bit more often than the service interval states.

[ihatesissycars]

Cheers guys, food for thought, I think I need to be getting one and see how it goes.

Id there much difference amongst all the old shape cars except for any special models?

[sniff petrol]

Scooby Beef said:

I have a 1996 STI, i do roughly 20 miles a day to work and back and that costs
me 10 pounds.

Assuming £1.10/litre that's 10mpg

Is your drive to work on a derestricted Autobahn?

[mark seeker]

Have a look at my profile, I've detailed all costs in the last year (including petrol!)

No complaints to be honest

[madwrx]

hmm im not sure that you,ll find an impreza any cheaper to run than your 944 mate.
you MAY get 25-27 out of an early car but more likely 21-22 if your pootling around.
trouble is you definately wont drive like that

[ApexJimi]

How much are you intending on spending?

[ihatesissycars]

I'm not now. I've looked at a few and I could only get imports or high milers so I'm going to wait for a while before spending so that I can save up some more money.

Thankyou for the info though guys!

[TAS1981]

I have recently bought an import impreza, had a thorough inspection done on it, got the garage to replace the water pump, cam belt and idlers before i bought it. Its great, but i'd say if you are worried about running costs but a micra!! Just kidding but seriously if you want a performance car you have to expect to pay for it as you will want to drive it fairly hard.

[ihatesissycars]

I know fast cars cost alot to run but all fast cars don't automatically cost £10k a year to run, they can vary so I wanted to know how much that would be or atleast get an idea. I've had a few before you know eg 944, 4.0 v8 capri as well as a whole host of motorbikes which can suck the wallet dry too.

Edited by ihatesissycars on Thursday 10th April 15:39

[Kuroblack350]

ihatesissycars said:

I know fast cars cost alot to run but all fast cars don't automatically cost £10k a year to run, they can vary so I wanted to know how much that would be or atleast get an idea. I've had a few before you know eg 944, 4.0 v8 capri as well as a whole host of motorbikes which can suck the wallet dry too.

Edited by ihatesissycars on Thursday 10th April 15:39

I ran a classic scooby for four years, and to be honest is wasn't that bad. Servicing costs were my main issue with the 6 monthly intervals. If you opt for a specialist rather than Subaru, you could save a few quid here.

Bear in mind tyres aren't cheap, and you really need to be replacing all four at once too, which is nice... (awd and all that)

Weirdly, the 350Z I ran for 3 years after the Scooby was way cheaper to run, cheaper insurance, better on fuel and servicing.

[craig-A]

An interesting topic as i'm thinking of getting a classic Impreza as a Track/weekend car, are there independent specialists who will inspect the car? any based in Scotland/ central belt?
What's the main thing to look for on imports, obviously history is hard to verify but anything else?
What about simple upgrades, exhaust, induction etc, are they worth it?
Any replies would be gretly appreciated
Craig

[kusee pee]

I've run two Imprezas in the past and found them both to be very reliable and great fun. They really did eat petrol though -probably the least economical cars I've run. And that's saying something!