Help! Thinking of buying my first impreza.
 

Hi , im looking at buying a impreza but im after a little bit of help. I have decided that I want a classic and first of all im trying to make sense of the wrx/sti and uk models from what I can understand the imports are more powerful but what other differences are there and whats the best road to go down?

The next question is what do I need to look for, I have noticed that rusting rear wheel arches are a problem?

The other question I have is and before I ask it I know what you are all going to say! What are they like on fuel, Im not expecting miracles as I have owned a intergrale in past, so i have an idea what it will be like! The reason I ask is from time to time I have to work 40miles ish from home and 35 miles of that is duel carriage way and motorway, so its a decant run and I get paid expenses all im interested in is weather they will cover the cost of running it, I have just done a 3 month stint there and I have been using a fiat coupe turbo which has been averaging 29mpg travaling at 75ish and my expenses have covered this no problem do you think a impreza will be somewhere near this?


Thanks for your help Alan

Hi Alan, and welcome to SN.

I had a 95 WRX (import that is) and fuel averaged about 24-25 if I remember rightly.
Mainly used on a 15-mile run to work, 1/3 of it dual c.
Oh - and driven as it er.... should (as quick as possible to 60-70 and then cruising along, and getting in front of potential obstacles like 'omg it's raining the road will be very slippery and I mustn't go more than 50% of the speed limit' drivers).

As for the mechanics of them others will be far better at what to look out for.
I'll just say get the cap off the expansion tank and watch for bubbling. It won't be an air lock but HG !

Hope you get a good one mate :thumb:

You will be lucky.

If you keep you foot off the pedal, never let it boost and short shift like f**k you might get somewhere close, but you will also die of boredom lol

My fuel consumption ranges from terrible to f*****g horrendous, but mine has few performance mods. I wouldn't consider using an old one for a daily. The UK models and imports that have done a few winters tend to be most vulnerable to rust.
My son has a new age UK WRX wagon as a daily, its quite civilised and practical. Its no slouch by any means and is still fun to drive. In unmodified form driven off boost its fuel economy is acceptable and as its a uk spec car he doesn't have to plan his journeys around Tesco and Shell garages either,

Hi thanks for help I have decided that I want one fcuk the fuel! It wont be to much differant to my Intergrale I had a few years ago.

im off at the weekend to look at a 97 wrx with a few mods a td05 turbo, walbro fuel pump and induction kit. What things do I need to look for? Rusty rear arches and head gasket issues im aware of all ready.

thanks

You passed the test ;) Good luck :)

Induction kits are noisy. So much so that I sold car and bought one with standard air box. If long journeys modded classics are noisy in general. Exhaust,induction etc.just my opinion.

With regards to the looking at modified car. Check out who did the mods and mapping and they are all supporting mods.

Also make sure it's got substantial service history they need a service every 6k obvs belt life as well that's every 6yrs /60k if i remember correctly.

Standard brake calipers are prone to pitting pistons. Rebuild kits are readily available.

All boils down to what you want out of it and budget really. And like any performance car TLC is a must. Do you want mods done or do you want a little project

STI have got more power
To get a wrx up to the same power level your better saving your cash getting an STI.

Flat four rumble is an addictive sound haven't used stereo for more than a few minutes in my ownership and every drive puts a smile on your face

I dont know what your budget is and why you want a classic but just think that you should test drive a bug/blob. You sound like you want a daily with some decent commuting involved, in my opinion the classics are best left for enthusiasts and as a second car .

classics are in fact now classic and the best buys are the standard ones in my opinion of course.

What is your budget? Makes a big difference.

Also, if it has been modified and mapped, find out what sort of map? Performance, economy, mixed, switchable?

I got 31 mpg in my nearly standard 05wrx on Wednesday. 250 mile round trip to Seawork show in Southampton.

These cars do cost lots of cash to fix when they go wrong so be mindful of that.

For everyday, I would definitely consider a newage Impreza as the classic Imprezas are quite raw.

I have a 2004 WRX, I drive 100 miles a day. 90% motorway. I do the M25 through dartford tunnel so it's quite often lots of stop and start. One way takes from 1hr to 3.5 hrs!!

I've got from around 24 to 34....the 34 was me trying to relieve the boredom of doing that journey every day by seeing how much I could get from it...but it was a boring game lol and I let loose a number of times :D

I toyed with the idea of a classic and a STI but I need a bit of comfort and economy for my journey.

My first impreza was a bugeye wrx and that was a lovely drive and I got it for peanuts too! My classic type r was something I always fancied but as said as a daily it can get a bit much. Thankfully I have a company car and only use mine for fun but when I jump in my mates 05 uk sti I can't believe how much more refined and quiet it is!

You really need a go in both . . They feel completely different . . Also a bogo uk wrx IMO is quite a disappointing car in terms of earth shattering performance.

If you want a classic I would say it has to be a v5-6 import sti (especially if it's a type r ;) ) if you were to go for a new age I would look at a uk sti blob . . (Based on a 5k budget). The pair would feel complete different on the roads though

My newage is the same as the above - so times don't change much, its only ever almost "ok" mpg if you drive at 50mph on the motorway in a straight line with no excessive steering, windows up (less drag), no radio or fan / heater on and with nothing but you in the car (no passengers or baggage).

If you are even slightly worried about mpg then its not really a car that will put your worrying mind at rest.

I had a similar experience too

I had always wanted one, and was glad I did - but was doing quite a lot of business miles

They were all expensed (I had a good mileage rate, plus car allowance)

But after a while of traveling on motorways at 68 mph - trying to get as near as 28 mpg as possible I simply could not take the 2 ltd TDI's from BMW/audi racing past doing 80/90 and getting 40mpg


I was losing at least £100 tax free cash a month

But lovely cars nonetheless, under different circumstances I would still have it

For an everyday car, buy a Newage STi (better engine, more comfortable, 6 speed box for cruising, better brakes)...

The newage is a fairly crude car by modern standards but wholly tolerable. Classics can be set up nicely for the road but getting 20mpg every day and having to have the tinny stereo right up just to hear it might get rather tiresome.

If you don't mind taking a risk have a look at the STI hatch - a number of them had engine problems but most didn't. I haven't a clue what your budget is but if had to get just one car, I'd have one of those with a forged engine - it makes for an entertaining performance car AND practical daily commuter.

I would say though, if fuel economy really is important to you, it would be better getting a cheap box for the daily commute and whatever the rest of your budget would allow for weekend fun.

thenewgalaxy talks sense, there is no way on this earth I would contemplate using a Scooby as an everyday car for miles like that.