Been looking to change from an MY01 WRX to an 03STI PPP of late. Drove a few cars at a Subaru dealership over the weekend which included a demonstrator MY04 STI PPP with 3000 miles on. Although it's a fraction over the budget it is a possibility. Given that one would have to accept that it would not neccesarily have been properly run in over the first 1000 miles and that it is unlikely to have been properly warmed up and cooled down and has most likely been 'dogged' by many potential purchasers, do you think it represents a bad purchase. Spec as follows:

MY04 STI, 3000 MILES, PPP, PRIVACY GLASS (ALTHOUGH NOT TOO STRONG A TINT) WR BLUE, 18" PRODRIVE FF7 WHEELS.

Anyone like to have a punt at putting a value on it also??

As an aside, also drove an MY05 STI which I liked, and an EVO 8 MR260 which just didn't do it for me for some reason!

 

The Evo didn't do much for me either...

How would you compare the '04 STI to the '05?

 

Dealerships do seem to vary in how they let people drive the demo cars when they're in the first 1000 miles of their lives. Some let you rag it and therefore i wouldn't consider buying a car from them whilst others make you stick to the normal running in proceedures, which should make their cars worth considering.

 

Hi Marcos

I bought my STI7 (02) from a dealership and it was their demo car.. I know they dont allow people to rag their demo cars on test drives as i know the owner quite well.. some other dealers though will let u take their cars out and dont really care what you do to them - well as long as you dont bring them back 3 inches shorter that is.. one dealer i delt with a few years back - not subaru now - infact it was a TVR dealer in london let me take his own car out for a spin white he completed the paperwork on the car i purchased from him.. his own car... a ferrari 360.... now if i was him i would not let others drive my pride and joy espeiclaly if it was a 100k ferrari..

J

 

Subaru are now doing 24 hour test drives on all models, contact your nearest dealer. Ads are all over the papers.

"Hello, I'd like to sample a WR1 please... Fill it up and allow me to rag it rotten!!!"

 

both my subarus were demonstators,it depends on how they were run in-the most famous demo car would probably be the wr1 plus from crossroads garage,run in at the ring!
an 04 demo you should get for £24,000 at most due to 05 sti and you should get lots of extras thrown in-eg gauge pack,side sills,door mouldings etc
martin

 

05 STI nicer finish inside. DCCD is obviously a big bonus too. However this one had only 9 miles on it so didn't feel it was in order to drive it hard! Wasn't PPP'd either and therefore while it was pretty quick, the PPP'd 04 was much sharper. The 'MY'05 car was silver too - at the risk of offending fellow scoobynetters with silver cars, it just wasn't a good colour!!

 

Thanks Martin, you're pretty close at £24k to what they're after. Good suggestion on the sweeteners too. Do the door mouldings help to protect the doors from those maddening dings easily picked up at airports, Tescos etc?? Can you get a guage pack which is Subaru approved?
Marcus

 

I went for a test drive in a 54 reg STI at an MK dealership (umm.. not many of them!), the car had 150 miles on the clock. The bloke drove it off the forecourt, down to the bottom of the A5 roundabout - about 1.5 miles and then floored it down the A5 up the hill to brickhill.

No way on the face of this planet would I buy an ex demo car - not after that experience.

T.

 

T,

Interesting you posted this I was supposed to go and have a look at a potential purchase of an ex-demo car from above MK Dealership on Saturday.

Due to other commitments I couldn't get there before they closed - don't think I'll be bothering with that one now

Which one was it btw?

Andy

 

Bought two demos previously, no issue with them at all. Many people suggest an engine should be fully used from the off, and all this running in bollox is not needed.

The brand new cars at Honda in Swindon are taken round a test track and parked up after they leave the production line. Every car is bounced off the limiter in every gear (from cold), this includes your bog standard cars up to the Type R's. Some of them have been binned over the grass bank on the first corner

 

Andy,

The one I drove was a 54 plate in blue. I cant remember the whole reg sorry.

MattW - sorry I dont go along with this for scoobs. Yes they may loosen up quicker but wont last as long. But then again if you are only going to keep it 1 year or so what the hell.

T.

 

Mine was an ex demo purchase,sti ppp(my03)no problems at all,she has done over average milage(31000)but got it for £16500,well chuffed with it!

mark

 

my old p1 was an ex demo, did 750 miles before its first service then became a demo, it was the owners car as well, i bought it a week later with 950 miles on it, had tried a evo 6 gsr which was registered as a demo for me on the saturday, i drove it and ragged it on the monday with 300 miles on it, didnt want that one
mark