There may be plenty of cars around at that sort of money, but they are not low mileage, full history, mint and relatively unmolested.

Yes you can get an STI for £4.5K but it will not be in as good a condition as this car.

Hang on to it until the right buyer turns up. They will be getting a great car.

car is way over priced.

I'll offer you a comparison.

I just got a classic 00 Navy blue with gold wheels for £3750.

The car was very clean, bodywork had minor rust on one rear arch, alloys were immaculate. Interior was in very good condition, and the engine bay was nice and clean without the use of the shiny plastic spray.

The only issue was the small rust and the usual pin head dents (2 but you had to get up close to see it).

The car drove well, gearbox was firm and tight - no crunch as you went into reverse.

The only modification it had was the cat back afterburner/Ninja II system.

It had full service history and plenty MOTs and came in at 64,300 miles. It took me two a bit months to find a suitable car, not that long when you consider the amount of rubbish that gets put up on Autotrader.

For over 4k I'd be expecting a mint condition vehicle with low mileage and few if any modifications. It would have full service history and plenty receipts for work carried out.

Er Mr Hat's car is all that and has no rust which is not going to be cheap to sort properly by the way.

So 4.5K seems a good price compared to yours.

No gold wheels either which is always a good thing ;)

You can keep an eye out for minor rust - its not a deal breaker. You also have to take into account the location and the current economic climate.

I expect the colour is one of the first things that people are discouraged by, red isnt what most people have in mind when they are thinking of getting an impreza. Also is the car in based in an afluent area?

£750 is quite a lot of money though. Asking top money for a car like an impreza means your going to have to wait a while. £4250 might get some interest.

ok, so you paid £3750 for a car with rust and higher mileage. can i just emphasise that my car is pristine, as is nearly showroom condition, one of the first thing i checked were the rear arches, there wasnt even a bit of grit or loose dirt in the lip on the rear arches, a testament to how well the car had been looked after, like me the previous owner cherished this car. he kept every receipt even down to purchases for oil and windscreen wipers ,everything. everywhere i take this car people are blown away by its condition, there isnt a single ding on the body, its never been parked anywhere near another car in car parks etc because im scared it gets dinged. the car drives like its new, its perfect. i have had 3 classic imprezas, including a grade 4 imported version 3 sti which was imported for me personally, none of them have been close to this car, and the sti wasnt as quick either. anyway, i took a call yesterday, from a interested party from of all places kent, as i told him i have no worries about him flying up to see the car, as he wont need a return ticket, as the first serious person to come and see it will buy it because it is that good, so will shall see what happens.

Good luck mate. Hope it sells.

Its over priced, simple as that - I'd rather have a average sti over a mint uk model any day of the week! Maybe if it was a different colour you might get £3500 for it tops

thanks for your constructive input, £3500 you say. thanks, i better change my ad right away, you clearly know your stuff.

But you've not ahad a single veiwer mate - surly that tells the story?? Oh hang on, maybe if you put the price up a bit???????????

unfortunately mate, its a buyers market. we are in a recession. they are not the cheapest to run. i wont reiterate what others have said, but i will say you need to look at the price ruthlessly if you want to sell. having said that i would rather SORN it and put it into storage than give it away. it will sell eventually but i think you will need to be flexible of the price.

i am flexible on the price, obviously. iv amended my ad to £4250, a 98 standard uk classic just sold within 2 days on pistonheads at the same price, in green. looked a really nice car as well, so i shall see what happens, but all low mileage minters seem to go for around this price having been watching the market for the last 6 months or more as i was looking for my car.

Its a nice car, stick with it. Its a bad time of year to sell...everyone is starting to think about christmas etc. The only thing that will entice is the thought of AWD in the snow or a silly low price.

You are bit disadvantaged because the 30-something "boys" all want WR blue import with stick on bits attached. Personally I love micra red - its a rare colour and makes it unmistakably a UK car, but on the same pretence it does narrow down the market of buyers to the enthustiasts with more mature tastes.

I dare say if it didn't have any mods, you'd get some 50-somethings asking about it (not a dig BTW, they tend to like standard cars, but want a sporty one to look more virile :D ).

Whilst your editing adverts; sorting the punctuation would do no harm (capital letters at the start of sentences etc.), it just makes the description more readable.

Personally, I would treat the car as part of your investment portfolio and SORN it and store it.

If it increases in value over the next 5 years you will receive a handsome return.

If it falls in value then you have lost a few £100 .... realistically I think it will sell now at £3750 and in 5 years it will certainly sell at £3750.

SORN it and treat it as an investment is my advice.

Good luck whatever you do.

Sorry but its the price mate.

You can pick up 99 STi's for cheaper than that now.

If its worth that much to you and theres nothing wrong with it, just keep it.

Not in that condition you can't.

Having read this thread though it seems the only factor in 99% of purchases is price. Condition and anything else seems to matter little as long as it's cheap. Sums up the UK really.

what people advertise for and what people eventually sell for, are often two very different figures


imo all private cars on PH are slighlty overpriced because it is free - so quite a few people stick cars up at a high price for a "punt".

No, its just over priced - why should someone pay well over the odds for a car that the owner thinks is worth it? It isn't worth the asking price. Yes, its in great condition, but there's still a limit on what its worth!

Eddscott, that's exactly what I'm talking about - most people don't want to eat their dinner off the lip inside the arches, they want value for money, and that is right on it!

Four reasons for me -

1. Location. Only the keenest buyer will travel more than a hundred miles to view a car.

2. Colour is definitely a 'Marmite' one.

3. Modifications. A lot of 'mature' buyers still prefer a standard car. I'm in my 40's and am on my 3rd Scoob. I only ever looked at standard ones when buying.

4. Price. Looking at the STI above I think you're £200/£300 overpriced.

However, it is a lovely car and if I were you I'd mothball it.

As I said above seems price is king these days. Earlier on this thread someone paid 3750 for a car with rust and more miles. £500 cheaper than this though so must be a better buy :thumb:

That is nice. The classics seem to be getting more attractive as the new cars get uglier and odder.

Must be the colour then..

As outlined earlier in this thread, most the 30 something buyers out there want a mint STI, they cannot afford one so either look for mint UK turbos that can boy'd up as an STI or non mint STIs that need work.
The Mica Red is a UK turbo colour so can never be an STI clone...

Shame cause I quite like the colour...

well, i have a prospective buyer flying up from gatwick on sunday, comes from kent, have had a few conversations on the phone, and i wont be budging on the price. and i have no doubt that once he sees the car he will be blown away by it, as i was. is a mature buyer, like myself. he has already owned a mica red sport, and loves the colour. so we will see.

Great news, keep us posted .... I think he'll buy it. Good luck :thumb:

cheers. i know he will buy it. some people do want the very best, not some jap import with zero history. will be sad to see it drive away, maybe ill be back for scooby number 4, will be a 3dr next time though.

Good luck with the sale Mr Hat, I'm sure he'll snap your hand off.

Looks like you have a buyer then, congrats. Defiantly a buyers market at the moment, I struggled to sell my RB5 a couple of months back.
Looked a great car from the photos.

yes, im picking him up from the airport at 8.30am on sunday, he will be getting a great car, i had it mot'd today it flew through was perfect, will be a sad day but thats life. its just a car after all.