Hi chaps, here's the deal;

- I want a new (brand new) scooby WRX (Standard)
- Managed to get the cash
- Convinced the wife

You guys are putting me off!

I want the standard 2.0 turbo WRX new car, no big wings, no mods, no fancy badges, no decals. Just like the car, love the motor (driven my mates MY00)

You talk a lot about two things;

+ High cost of ownership
+ Filthy fecking thieves

Ownership - Understand insurance is ridiculous, and I'm not going to get the MPG I get on my current car (secret shame). What else am I forking out for? Are services really bad?

Thieves - Don't you fecking hate 'em. I always thought the classic shape was the one they wanted (or any shape STI). Do you think a new Scoob (standard WRX) is really going to get their juices running? (I already sleep with a baseball bat under me bed, but that's just me!!)

Appreciate your help, please be honest.

 

You don't say what part of the country you live in. Down my way car theft is quite small. Up North appears on here to be far worse.

Like most things you take the right precautions and your car should be as safe as the next.
If you buy before the end of Sept (IIRC) servicing is free. Try the WRX SL that way you get leather interior, heated seats and electric sunroof.

 

Surrey, just inside the M25. Nice little village. Yeah I know about the 3ys servicing, gotta be quick.... but the more I read, I just can't convince myself 100% and I think I'm gonna live to regret it

 

Nah, sack the poncy leather, get the PPP. I guarantee you will want it after you've driven either a demo or someone elses with it.

As for thieves, as Supercue says it very much depends where you are. I'm in Leeds which has a high car crime rate and have heard a a few (only a few) being taken. I keep mine on a drive hidden behind 6' gates and a ram post with a disklok and some other stuff and no-one has bothered me yet. Insurance companies may want Trackers, I'd recommend Blackjax as you might be able to get your car back yourself within a few minutes and not even bother the police, keeping it of the S&R register.

 

I agree with Supercue, take the right precautions. If you have a garage use it, make sure you have a good quality car alarm, disklok, drive post, etc., etc.

I don't actually find the Scoob that much more expensive than any of the other cars I've run, but it's far more fun

It's not just Scoobs that have this problem, if you visit some of the other car communities then you'll get the same picture there. Sadly it's just the way things are now, you should almost expect to have you're car stolen or vandalised at some point.

 

1 thing thats put me off is the depriciation, was looking for a scooby for ages and knowing what I could get for my money and when the right 1 came up I thought I had a bargain saving at least a grand on what the average car of that spec was going for and thought ohh well if I sell in a years time I'll at least get my money back... fat chance, seems to have lost on it already after just 3MONTHS!!!!!!!

cost of ownership, well lets see.

£1k average insurance
£40 petrol per week minimum (presuming u dont do much travelling)
£160 high tax bracket
and yes VERY expensive servicing, plus the cost of parts if anything goes wrong... but you'd have warrenty on a new car anyhow

 

Hi JPL,

If i were you i would find the car that you want and speak to the dealer about servicing costs. This will put your mind at rest.

Secondly, as with any other perfomance cars it can get stolen or damaged. There are millions of Scoobs owners out there, who have never had any hassle.

Go for it.

Cheers Red.

 

I would read the Thread by 6 Pot who bought a new Subaru for some of the problems you can experence!

Also i have been put off buying one as i dont want the constant worry about Car Jacking or having the house broken into for the keys. Had Gti's in the earlier 90's and was paying over £1000 then for insurance and had alarms and all the worries then but didn't think that i or family was going to get hurt for the car and now days the Police just seem to have given up on burglary and car jacking. you know that if they kick you door down and you defend yourself you are going to prison and if you don't defend yourself you going to hospital if you are lucky. the chances of the Police getting there in under an hour are non existant. look at the two people in shoot after reporting an intruder took the police 7 hours to respond and in Great Yarmouth the guy defends him self as the police said they wouldnt get there in under 30 mins (He is in a big town!) and he gets arrested.

 

Never understood leather seats in a Scoob. First frisky set of twisties with the window down and you'll be out!!!

 

aii but they wipe clean easy

 

LOL believe me with the PPP and other accessories I have, passengers can slide around a little bit

 

Servicing:

My MY03 WRX has cost me - 10,000 miles service £120 approx.
20,000 miles service (including changing brake fluid) £145.
1st year body service about £100

MODIFICATIONS = THOOOOOOSANDS!!!!

The same, pretty much as my wife's Yaris costs (aside from the mods)

Insurance is more expensive, slightly increased theft risk (but not that much) and a bit less economical but it will do 30 MPG every day if you drive it properly.

Oh yeah - and - IT'S FECKIN GREAT!!! Especially when you do a few things to it (Prodrive spring kit, drop links, exhaust etc etc).

Expect it to be less economical than a 1.2 Corsa but not any worse than any other non performance car I have had. And it is driven hard often BUT not always and that is the difference. The pads need done now, which are a bit pricey but get good ones (not the Subaru ones) and get great brakes for the same cost. Tyres are still good after track events and 17,000 miles - the fronts will see 20,000 and the backs 30,000.

I may add, before I am accused of driving like Miss Daisy,the car does get "driven" but I am also capable of reigning in my right foot and driving with mechanical sympathy and economically.

Go ahead and buy it - you will enjoy it - just don't read too much into opinionsm, especially about car jacking etc or NO ONE would own an Impreza - new shape cars are cheaper to run, I believe, than classics.

Brian

 

NEVER!!!!! how the **** u getting that sort of mileage outta the tyres on these cars

 

JPL,
I am, like yourself new to scoobynet and a little depressed by some of the threads and unfair replies. I owned a scoob a few years ago, selling it due to divorce, but after listening to the wonderful flat fours burbling past our house I had to have another, I am more than happy with my new car and my dealer up here in yorkshire. Yes I do worry when parking in town or at the supermarket but if I had spent 20 grand plus on anything then I would feel just the same.
If you want to thoroughly enjoy making a journey then there is nothing better for the money (other than a fast bike), just do it, remember that there are a lot more scoobs out there who's happy owners are'nt on scoobynet and also that a lot of the doubters on here are not actually owners.
all a matter of opinion ..........Sumo

 

Not cornering hard hard hard on every roundabout, getting my wheel balancing and geometry checked regularly etc etc.

Also I suppose if I had rotated my tyres I would probably get 20,000 + from all four.

It is possible. I may add, other FWD cars of similar size I have had would be lucky to get to the 15,000 miles mark on front tyres.
Brian

 

Well said Sumo,

Particularly agree with the last bit. The dealer would all be out of business if scaremongering and tales got hold of every one.

Enjoy the car if you buy it and use it, try not to worry about it - it's a car and it's insured. Supermarkets etc are a worry - more for the hassle of it getting dented but if I had a car worth £2000 then I would still not want it damaged.

Brian

 

Brian, thanks, THIS is what I wanted to hear. Doesn't sound too bad at all?? I guess in forums you get the best and worst of everything and you just have to make your mind up - I'm going down the middle. As I said before, I don't want mods or anything, I'm pretty sure the standard WRX will be enough to scare the ****e out of me

Off to Cheam Motors tomorrow, just lookin... just lookin

John

 

Glad that may have helped John,

The standard car certainly scared the ****e out of me, my family and friends too. You need to spend some time learning to drive it realistically or you will want to sell it after a few months to protect your life (and others) and your licence.

It is a great road car in standard form, which can be made better by mods, but many can and do leave them standard as they are good cars. The one mod I would recommend for the car, over everything else though, is an exhaust, next being the Subaru Prodrive spring kit - get them to fit the springs when you buy the car as they really make the new shape WRX so much better.

Keep us informed of how you get on and get a test drive - the sound of the turbo and the rush when you stick the boot down in first and second is amazing. Feels like it will never stop, then it hits the rev limiter

Brian

 

Go for it mate

Just take a lot of what you read on the BBS with a pinch of salt

Not referring to this thread, BTW.

You might think it will scare the ****e out of you now, but 6 months in and you'll think its a bit slow...LOL

Welcome aboard

D

 

True,

You get VERY used to it. You should drive an old wreck as a daily car or try other cars to REALLY appreciate how good it is.

Bear in mind though, it is a car and will still crash, skid off the road and even cause serious harm but it is a good one, better than many cars £ for £ all round perfromance

Or go on holiday for 3 weeks.

Or just see what your other sad mates are driving to get a handle on how GOOD the Impreza is.

Brian

 

JPL,

when I was looking for a Scooby several months ago I read through hundreds of adverts and had conversations with lots of sellers. Besides them all selling their car most of them had one other thing in common - they were absolutely gutted to be selling the car. Babies on the way, money required for a house move, been made redundant . . . not one of them was selling the car because they disliked it.

When I bought my scooby (MY00) the owner couldn't bear to watch me drive off in it. He apologised with a tear in his eye and asked if I'd mind him staying in the house and not waving me off! Having driven the car for a few months I can understand why, to me this perfectly sums up owning a Scooby. They are so damn good to drive and put such a smile on my face I cannot imagine driving anything else.

And I absolutely will not let any tosser intimidate me into compromising what I enjoy most for fear of it being stolen/carjacked. There are always risks associated with owning any high performance car but I'm not letting the *******s grind me down about it.

Bad news is disproportionate - you will always hear the horror stories and not the stories from the many thousands of Scooby owners who have had no problems with car theft/vandalism and absolutely love their car. If everybody posted their positive stories the bad news would be few and far between, you'd hardly get to see it!

I don't think the servicing costs are that high, no higher than BMW, Audi et. al. Insurance is a major hassle but these problems seem relatively restricted to the under 30s (of which I am one).

The other huge bonus is the community of Subaru owners, since buying the car I've met so many nice people and made some great friends at local meets. I was beginning to think the world was being over-run with dishonest, obnoxious and ignorant people, but in a way meeting these Scooby owners have restored my faith in humanity.

Just buy your Scooby and don't look back.

 

JPL,

Until you buy it, you don't know how true that actually is. It is usually car or driving enthusiasts who buy these cars, not arseholes (although there will be some).

Meeting other owners also restores your faith in your car when you are a bit down about it, hating having to pay for it, etc etc. But you rarely dislike it. 11 months in mine and loving it!!!

Brian

 

Ha, like when I drove my mates, he's got a dump valve fitted, thought I'd broken the thing when I changed gear and heard the noise

Yep, gotta love the mods, but gotta love my wife too! One must obey her at all times Std WRX more than enough for me thanks.

So, after all that, downside is insurance (best quote = circa £550 so far), other downsides... erm... erm.... bland interior?

I've been hanging this out for too long.

J

 

Interior is OK - change the stereo - it is SH*T. Not any worse than VW type cars for looks etc.

£550 for insurance is not really that bad for a £20,000 insurance group 19 performance car.

People love the classics and the interior on some of them is dreadful but they still love and keep them.

JUST BUY IT NOW - and stop faffing around

Brian

 

That's your downside, £550 insurance? PMSL! I'd consider kissing my boss for an insurance quote that cheap! I figure from the money saved I'd be able to buy a de-cat downpipe and pay for 6 months of counselling to get over the experience.

 

TRUE oh how TRUE

 

Well I am 36 , and I did spend a looooong time on the net getting to that figure. It's more than double what I pay now.

 

But for what car and is it group 19, performance car worth £20,000?

Brian

 

It was worth £20,000 when it was new, but it's nowhere near being termed a "performance" car, (Ha!) It's a thing I get in and steer - terribly boring, hence wanting a Scoob. Funny, half my friends tell me to go for it, the other half tell me to stear well clear, I get nothing inbetween. So bollox, I'm going for it.

Do I have to spend every weekend washing it?

 

Don't forget a proper geometry set up! (Have fitted a Backbox, Prodrive Springs, and geometry set-up, and it is a different car).

Also, for an idea of my running costs:

200 - 260 miles to a tank (£40 of Optimax)
10,000 mile service £170
20,000 mile service £200
New pads every 10,000 miles (£depends if fitting, and if upgrading)
New Tyres every 10,000 to 15,000 miles. (approx £400 for 4).

It does cost me a lot.... but it still puts a smile on my face!