Ok, i'm 21, looking at getting a Subaru WRX or 2000 AWD, something like that as long as it is a turbo obviously...

Any suggestions guys/girls? My budget is £5,000 (from a dealer) don't really want a heavily modified, prefer if it is a UK for insurance but not essential...

There are so many to chooose from!

Appreciate any help,

thank you!

Adam

 

I hope you have another 5,000 to spend on insurance being only 21. Buy a WRX slightly cheaper on insurance, do you like the classic or newage?

 

You are proberly better off getting a wrx bugeye if you want any chance of getting insurance and would use tecso for the lube as they are doing a 2 for 1 on ky jelly mate. At your age it's going to be expensive

 

id stay clear of imports at your age mate, best would be a uk bug or blob wrx standard, 2001- but be expected to pay over 2k for insurance

 

It's pretty much a buyer's market and your budget will allow you plenty of scope to find a decent car. Try not to get blinkered by the excitement of the purchase and if in any doubt about a vehicle, keep looking until you find something that ticks all your boxes with as little compromise as possible. When parting with that amount of cash you'd do well to put yourself out a little and get someone who knows the cars to help you make an informed choice as problems can be costly. Plenty of service history by way of documented evidence that the car has been looked after right is a good place to start.
There is a wealth of knowledge and experience on this site, if you see a car that appeals, ask about it here and I'm pretty sure you'll get more detailed advice in respect of your prospective purchase. Good luck.

Tim

 

Good luck with it but don't give up hope!

I recently bought a Hawkeye wrx and insured for 1600.

I'm 22 with 3 points and a not at fault crash. The way I see it, 3 years ago I was paying that to insure a 1.2 clio. So why not pay that for an impreza?

Give Keith Michaels a shout for insurance. They've been great for me!

 

My insurance isn't too bad, the quote i've had for a 2001 (51) WRX AWD was £1400, which in my opinion is worth it for a scooby. I've always wanted one but it used to be 2k+ but my car history helps, past 4 cars have been 2.0l sports... so I guess i'm looking for a bugeye 2001-2003 WRX then...they are in my price range. What do you guys think of this one? http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...40jn?logcode=p

 

it is totally do-able, i brought my 2003 blob eye WRX-SA a month ago now, i'm 21 and pay £1300 come renewal time. its totally standard for the time been and a UK car with full history and a folder full or recipts and old MOT's etc.

in the past year i went from a Focus RS to the Civic Type R which i sold for the scoob and my insurance is with £100 or so of each other every time i moved which is why i had the WRX in SA spec.

 

The car looks clean, personally I wouldn't be focusing too much on the exterior beyond making sure it is acceptable in respect of looking as though it doesn't require too much expense to get how you want it. The wheels look immaculate and draw the eye, if the engine runs as sweet as the wheels look, and if the suspension and steering joints/brakes look equally well maintained it could be a decent buy. I appreciate that buying off a dealer allows a degree of recourse should anything go awry, but there will be at least £1000 profit in the car. Perhaps it might be worth aiming a little higher and exploring a few private sales, providing you can get someone who knows about the cars to help you find a gem.

 

I just renewed @ £1100 fully comp with exhaust declared on a blob eye WRX. Im only 23 with 3 years NCB

 

That's the problem, the one person I know who will know about Subaru's wouldn't be able to tell me if it was mechanically sound. Hense me wanting one from a dealer with at least a 1 yr warranty.

 

Just don't expect the premium to go down. My premium has risen by 110% since buying the car nearly three years ago, and that is with 15 years no claims!

 

I wouldn't take too much comfort in a one year warranty. They tend to cover everything apart from the bit that breaks or find some way of wriggling out of paying for the work. A lot of dealers give a three month warranty off their own backs, which often means they scrutinise a vehicle more deeply before they take on the responsibility of selling it. A lot of the longer warranties are done through third party companies which the dealer pays a premium to, they wriggle writhe and generally blame everything bar the car for a failure. It's a daunting task for sure buying a car and spending significant amounts of your hard earned. You'll know pretty soon after buying a car if it has issues. Perhaps when you find something you like, ask the seller if they are open to it being scrutinised by a professional and see how they react. Also, if you could post about your short list of cars here as someone might know the vehicle in question. When I've bought used cars with limited warranties in the past, I've made sure I do a couple of long journeys and generally rag the engine a bit before the warranty expires. Just be a little careful with a scoob, as there have been instances mentioned here of new owners having engines fail due to driving them in a manner which they are not used to lol.

 

and whatever you get be sure to put the best fuel money can buy in there, ie Shell V-POwer or tesco 99.

 

Cool thanks for the advice! Yea I would definately put super unleaded in. I need to buy from a garage too because I need to pay monthly!

 

try carplanet in warrington, they do deal with imports but take a look.
www.carplanetltd.co.uk

 

Nothing as yet, but I will keep an eye out! Thanks for the recommendation.

God I can't wait to get one!!!

Does anyone know if I bought a WRX as standard so about 215bhp right? What, if any, power increase I could expect to get by putting a straight through exhaust in?

 

yes a standard bugeye would be abt 215 bhp, you will gain a bit with a straight through system but not sure how much. keep lookin theres plenty of good ones out there.

 

Cool, some of the projects on here are sooo cool, will have to take some of there ideas or tips!

 

The only problem with car planet is they do not seem to get too many imprezas in, when i was getting mine I spoke to the guy and he said yeah we get a few but we deal more with the legacy. With the straight through pipe and a remap you'll get 20bhp - 30bhp (MAX), but for the cost of the remap you mite aswell stick a few more items onto your car like a fuel pump, injectors, panel filter to get a few more horses.

 

A subaru dealer (or any dealer tbh) wont be selling a 7-9 year old car with a 1 year warranty, thats if they are selling any 7-9 year old cars to start with, the most you will get is 90 days warranty.
I would just look for a good example 2003 onwards car (223bhp/225ps) version.

Tony

 

Also have no idea where your based?
So go look at this one if its fairly close (i would travel to see cars btw) http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2236712.htm
Its a 2005 model (interior is facelifted, hard to see on this but just below the steering wheel you can see the curvature of the ashtray which shows its a facelift, the 2005 cars had the facelift interior which looks nicer, its 500 quid above your budget, I would go for this one, your probably not going to get that price lower and it may be due a cambelt change, so take that into consideration (the price is better than some of the overpriced 03/04 models).

Tony

 

carplanet you get 6 months on any car, but hes doin 12 months as an offer at the mo.

 

do it pal

 

There is some great advice here I'd be wary of warranties and insurance. With regards to the warranty they will try and wriggle out of things and they tend to cover total failure over wear and tear. That seems fine but wear and tear can lead to total failure and they'll argue it was wear and tear that lead to total failure and therefore you're not covered, confused yet? Many are......... Some dealers will also try and hide behind the warranty, for example you submit a claim and it's denied, the dealer might well have a legal remit to assist you but they'll shy away using the warranty as a front so that's worth being ready for.

Insurance I've found to be a pain. I was unlucky and had a claim outstanding when buying the Scoob meaning 0 no claims. It's now settled in my favour but I had to pay 1100 and I'm 31 now in an excellent postcode with secure facilities. It's not too bad but many companies rape you for paying monthly so be sure to find all that all.

All that nonsense aside it's the best car I've had (Bug STi) It's more surefooted than another 4wd car I had due to the permanent 4wd, and is certainly more neutral. Performance straight out of the box is pretty awesome and leaves most cars in the shade, plus you have the scope to tune. If you can find the right car and work past the caveats of ownership I'd say go for it

 

I would love to see the small print anyone stupid enough to give a full parts coverage (which they wont) on a 10+ year old car is already out of pocket, so it will be we cover x, not y or z, part x if it fails, not if it goes bang due to misuse, or in other words, a pretty useless warranty (points to warranty direct )

Tony