Hi, I'm going to look at an 07 Impreza 2.5 WRX Hawkeye tomorrow, which is a Euro import, originally brought in from Cyprus.

What (if any) are the differences over a UK car and is there anything I need to check or lookout for?

Also, does this affect it's price/value and if so by how much?


TIA

 

Ok.

Euro will have different front seats, nicer in my opinion but prob will not have airbags built in
No std alarm but will have std immobilisor, should have aftermarket CAT2 alarm fitted, you can tell as the std ultra sonics are the same colour as the a piller and monuted half way up on uk cars
No std locking wheel nuts, again prob has now
No type uk sticker in the rear windows
It will be undersealed
It will have a warranty by IM if it has not run out, most are prob older than 3 years now though and as warranty starts from when it entered the uk, not when it was registed is prob over

Value, it should really be cheaper than a UK model as the purchase price was less originally but when I sold my 06 WRX I got a really good price if not more than UK, I was lucky though!

If truth be told things like the alarm may be better being an after market rather than std.

Tracker is also not std on a Euro car but these were not std on uk WRX's either just the STI.

Think that is it.

Oh, if you can get an early 06 then you will be in the lower tax bracket also.

Good luck
Arron

 

Wot he said, although I believe seats depended on who specced them. Airbagged seats are marked as such.

 

excellent advice, just what I was after, thanks!

 

Insurance may be an issue with an import, check with your provider first!

 

my 07 wrx from cyprus did have airbags in the seats,had no alarm but had a standard immobiliser.warranty won't be a problem as long as its registered with IM

 

will do

 

ah right, will check the seats in this one then

this one has warranty and had the 1k mile running in service, or so I am told, but will check this later when I go to see it

 

It will be classified as a parallel import therefore it should not cause any insurance issues.

 

well I drove it this afternoon, it wasn't that quick, as I'm used to more power & less weight, but it wasn't slow by any means and they are easy enough to tune it would seem from having a quick search

nice torquey engine though, very little lag, gearbox was smooth, steering feel was good, however the brakes were nothing special

also surprised at how quiet and 'non Impreza' like it sounded, can this be easily remedied?


based on the advice above, seats were non-airbag, it didn't have locking wheelnuts and it would seem it had no alarm either!

nice clean example though, standard & unmolested, only 1 small ding on the rear n/s door and a couple of stone chips on the front, other than that it was immaculate

 

These cars are quiet without the flat 4 sound, even a cat back replacment gives little improvement, down pipe may help but a remap is required according to the sites that sell the downpipes. Did you have it in s# mode as this makes a lot of difference. i mode really dumbs it down but is good for fuel comsumption!

 

you may need a tracker depending on your insurance company, definately an alarm accepted by your insurance company.

 

err...

I have no idea what this is, can you explain please!?

 

sorry, thought you were talking aboput a new sti, WRX will have 225bhp ish, try an STI is you want quicker! CAT back may be the way forward to improve the noise, all cars standard are pretty quiet these days, doubt you will feel a difference in performance. Down pipe may help?

 

no, this is an 05-07 saloon model

 

Hi Rich,

If you're after more power when not just go for the STI instead of the tuning route? I've no idea of the price difference but if you're looking at an import you've got to get a tracker/alarm and the spec is different. Then you've got the outlay on the modified parts. It possibly will be harder to sell an import when the time comes and insurance companies may not like it, especially if your considering modifying it. Just a thought...not looking to pee on your bonfire!

Vince

 

noise, easy fix, second hand prodrive back box and deresonated center pipe, prob less than 200 all in and will get the burble back.

Alarm, prob does have one, had a piggy back cat 2 on mine and used the std key buttons to arm and disarm so no need for sepearate remote.

Wheel nuts, wo quid.

Insurance, will be absolutley fine for std example, and bettter value to go to somewhere like a plan rather than getting a tracker fitted and subscription.

More power, for relativley a small outlay you can get upto around 300 bhp.

Brakes, sti brembos can be had for the other side of 500 all round.

Cheers
Arron

 

I had thought about this, but looking into it, the STI is more expensive to buy, more expensive to insure and more expensive to run, althought that option is still on the table, I am not writing an STI off just yet

This particular WRX is very well priced and for the same money I'd not get another WRX let alone an STI, unless it was older and/or higher mileage car, which is why I was tempted in the first place, it's someone I know

Mods can also be bought in stages, as & when finances allow, I have owned several modded cars over the years and I'd probably end up modding an STI if I got one anyway, it's too addictive, LOL

Need to weigh up the pros & cons

 

Thanks for the advice, mods seem cheap & easy

Locking nuts aren't an issue, they are cheap to buy, so I would just get a set

However the alarm is questionable, no ultrasonics in the car, no alarm LED, no record or certificate of one being fitted and we tried to set it off, with no joy, so came to the conclusion that it might not actually have one! Cost of fitting one needs to be considered, any ideas how much?

Brakes wise, it could just be the pads that need changing, they worked and the pedal was firm, but they felt wooden and needed pressing harder than I would have expected

 

What alarm do you want fitting rich?
A clifford concept 650 mk 2 for instance will be around 400 quid, but its pretty good
Have a chat to Tim at Trilogy in duckinfield.

Tony

 

Alarms can start from about £200 for a piggy back, and are Cat 2.

 

afternoon Tony

not bothered really, any alarm that meets insurance requirements is fine with me, an aftermarket one will probably be better than the factory one anyway

and I actually know Tim, from my RC car racing days, so can have a chat with him if I get this car

 

cheap enough then, good to know

 

I think you will find that the STi is not more expensive to run or insure. I checked before buying my car. It is a popular misconception. It is of course more expensive to buy, but that is because it has a much better spec (not just power) that will cost you a small fortune to get a WRX to.

The WRX is a good sporty saloon but the STi is set up as a performance car. If you are talking about tuning it then you really need an STi unless you have a lot of funds to invest in the brakes, gearbox, engine etc etc.

On the import thing, it doesn't cost much to get a Euro import up to UK spec as has been mentioned above. They were brought in to the country for a lot less than a UK model though, so their resale value should reflect that regardless of whether things have been added to get it to a UK spec level. Doesn't make sense but that's the way the motor trade tends to work.

 

having just done a quote on an STI to compare, it was (as I expected) more expensive for the STI than the WRX (the 2.5 Hawkeye models), about 30% more in fact

they are worse on fuel, maybe not massively, but they are worse and with the cost of fuel set to rise further this year, every little helps

plus as you say they are more expensive to buy, but they are a better car and I realise this

the only things that are the same are road tax, servicing, etc

 

I've been offered an MY99 Classic in px with one of my other cars and I am considering that now

slight change of plan, LOL