Subaru Market Values
 

I'm surprised how little they seem to be worth right now.

Trying to sell mine, i'm struggling to get an offer of over £6k at the moment.

To me that doesn't seem right! A few months ago i was seeing cars selling for £8K plus. Whats happened? Is this another Brexit thing?! lol

How are other people finding the market buying/selling and what do you think i can do to get the best price?

What model is it? The classic JDM cars are on the up from what I can see, you couldn't import a good type r now for less than £12k on the road.

I'm definitely seeing prices ''softening'' a little... from stark raving bonkers previously to just stupidly overpriced now, so things are slowly going in the right direction.

You'd still need to have more money than sense to buy into the current bubble though.

Its a 2006/56 Impreza STI SPEC D. I bought it in October for £10K plus a bmw 330ci. I know it was over priced but it was a good strong car and i know Mark at Thwaites and he's had care of her for the last 5 years.

I have her up at £9K which i think is a decent price but i am very open to sensbile offers. Just don't think 5/6k is sensible really.

I've added it for sale on here now. See if it generates any interest.

You've been saying this for so long now that eventually you'll be right, just like a broken clock tells the right time twice a day.

Go and do a bit of reading up about economic policy and the creation of asset price bubbles... then feel free to come back and chat about impreza ''values''

No need, as we have you to constantly remind us. And am quite happy to be one of those mugs buying cars and enjoying them while you twiddle your thumbs waiting for the market to crash.

Unfortunately the Spec D is a bit unloved so you'll need to be patient if you want to realise a good price for it. The right buyer will come along if you're prepared to wait.

It's the higher tax bracket that puts some people off... and I don't blame them... I'm looking at Audi TT's at the minute and not overjoyed by the £305 a year tax... anymore would be a deal breaker as the cars I'm looking at are up to £2.5k.

Still think yours is worth what you're asking, the Spec D is a slightly harder sell.. not too sure why as it has nicer seats and an understated look that I quite like... think they cost more than a UK STI when new too.

To be fair mine does look less SPEC D and more TYPE UK now. But it still has all the leather etc. Its just external now that looks more hardcore and that was all done prior to my purchsae - but i like it - if you have an STI you should know its an STI. I still think its subtle though in that colour etc. Not as in your face as the blue (though i still love the blue!)

Fair play to you, at least you recognise the fact that you're an idiot with more money than sense... I couldn't care less what the market does, I've had my fun in Imprezas when they could be bought for sensible money.

I've yet to see older imprezas fall in price over the last few years so I don't really know what you are talking about Mike...its simple, certain sought after models will continue to rise in price, classic shape in particular as they are at that age now where nostalgia plays a big part, are very expensive to import now and people want something that has a bit of old skool character in a world of boring vag diesels. old stuff becomes more valuable

Don't think anyone here is an idiot, just a differing side of opinion.

Many people pay over the odds for items not due to their intrinsic economic value but due to a heart over head appeal. A car is a great example of that.

In addition, as people have pointed out, a vehicle is dam fine investment opportunity these days.

Take for example the Ferrari Dino - in 2005 a model could be bought for what is now considered a reasonable price of £140-160K. In 2014 this was up to nearer £700K (300+% increase) and in recent years despite economic global crises it has remained solid at a £460K mark. In terms of return on investment, a house, a bank account etc. Would not offer that amount of growth from an initial investment.

Taking Subaru as a brand and models such as the 22b. At goodwood in march a 22b model sold for £115,000. In 2016 a similar model was sold for £73,000. That is an increase of give or take 58%. Again, a massive investment opportunity.

And the P1 is increasing in value similarly in scale. As will similar rarer models as time goes on.

So to say that people are crazy for buying high, maybe they are paying over the odds, but for rarer cars there is a dam fine chance that if they keep hold of them they'll be making a profit in very little time at all.

Prices for Imprezas aren't crazy at all compared to other stuff that's risen. I'm ignoring the 22B and P1 (really don't get that one).

I've noticed they are really sensitive to fuel prices though. As long as the oil price stays low, the prices will hold steady.

Think the Spec D is a 2.5? Always less desirable.

Agree that the 2.5 engine is somewhat less desirable due to horror stories, but if you drive one, the torque is just never ending!

Plus i had a full forged rebuild so no nightmares :D

Cheers fella. I'm off now in my overpriced Impreza to go find a £11 burger and fries.

I've been looking at the market as the wife has now decided she wants one. From what i've seen by watching cars on ebay over the last 2 months, the price people are expecting to get vs what theyre bid up to is vastly different.

I've watched a few blob sti's and hawk sti's go through on ebay and expecting a last minute flurry of bids that never came. People seem to want to pay 5-6k for an early uk blob STI and 6-7k for a hawk sti. As people have mentioned, the running costs of a hawk seem to put most off, including my missus. We went to look at a Spec D in May for her, advertised locally for £7250. Despite her being impressed with it and it being a good example she decided against it due to the tax/running costs and now wants either a bugeye STI Prodrive or a 2 door classic.

Good luck with your sale, the Spec D is definitely a car for those in the know so may well sell on here rather than elsewhere. Best value for money available imo

Ignoring anything else, the new road tax rules do favour new STIs. I got rinsed for the first year but mine will be £140 from next year. I'd like to think that would make a 2017 worth a bit more than a 2016 on the open market.

Most of you wont like this. BUT...... im sorry if the concern of value, purchase price and selling price, taxing and insurance is a overly massive concern, then im afraid certain cars arent for you.

When you get wrapped up in passion and throughly desire something, then all of the above should hardly impact your decision.

Yes im well aware everyone's circumstance are different, im not here to offend.

Its kind of like knowing, you know your arse cant swim, but you still go for the deepend and struggle.

Its an Impreza! its expensive to run, drinks fuel, oil and your patience lol. They will breakdown and parts can be annoyance to source.

Why do we own these cars? We love them! So lets forget the negatives and enjoy the positives.

H

I like it and could'nt agree more.........

Go buy something else if a subaru feels to expensive to buy/run now, I for one will stay where i am and watch & smile as i see the deprecation flying out the windows of the currant cr*p that drives passed be me, and enjoy every mile I do. :) . lives to short......and i am biased......:D

My 2p on the import market.

Since the peak of the 'Grey Import' period we had in the UK around the mid-2000's there are less clean examples available on the local Japanese market now. Japan doesnt have some tree that churns out mint condition Classic STi's or R33 GTR's etc. We, as do the Japanese, Canadians, Austrailians and more recently the Americans have a dying lust for these 90's JDM cars.

As the demand increases we soon begin to realise the quest for MINT non-rusty original, low mile cars becomes increasingly difficult to source hence the huge price increases all over.

For example, I was looking at a V6 STI Type R Limited on GooNet (Private Japanese Car market). Mint condition, 60k miles, standard car, Japanese service history etc. Once you factor in import and registration costs your going to add around 2-3k (depending on who's importing obviously) onto the original car's price of £12.5k in Japan. So lets call it around 15k.

You may find something cheaper at an auction but your more or less buying blind and you will never know its true condition underneath until it arrives into your hands in the UK and even then for the sake of arguement lets call it 8k to buy the same above car at auction and imported all in around 10k. The days are gone of getting a Type R for 4-5k now unless it has an underlying issue.

The Yen is at its strongest its every been in years so that also complicates things. The prices are only going to increase as each year goes by and less and less become available. Lets not forget about the golden import rule for America and Canada. Canada can import anything that is 15 year old or more. USA is a 25 year import rule so every year another model of car is importable, especially into the US who are currently going mad for the JDM car market. So take heed, In just 4 years the US will be able to import the first V3 Type R's! Did any of you pay attention to the prices of R32 GTR's after they became available to import in America? They are absolutely crazy now - supply and demand at its finest.

I think when people speak about bubbles, we in the UK were all living in a huge 'grey import' bubble for years, being able to effectively get the best pick of the bunch for so long at brilliant prices, unfortunately the game has since changed. The UK selection of Impreza's will command good money so as long as they are a limited edition - ala P1. Run of the mill UK STi's whilst still brilliant cars, just wont cut it in this buyers market in terms of price considering the whole Japanese car culture is based around the JDM car always being the 'one to have' as opposed to its multinational domestic market counterpart.

The first WRXs are 25 years old in November, so it'll be interesting to see if any of the early cars start to go to the US. I doubt it though, as they're still very cheap in Japan when they come up.

Mine is 25 next July - any Americans want to offer £10k for it? :lol1:

I don't really see why people are put off by the higher road tax, its £20 a month more than a pre 55 plate car. I waste more than £5 a week on crap. Using it as a reason not to buy a car seems daft.

I really do find it amusing when people question buying an Impreza based on fuel, tax and running costs.
Maybe these people would be best served buying a Nissan micra and just fading away into the masses who drive cheap boring ugly cars that personally I wouldn't even take a dump in let alone get behind the wheel.
Granted the Impreza no longer has the exclusivity it once had but it's still up there with the best of them.
My car is a daily and gets a lot of admirers and compliments but obviously ownership comes with a cost as like most things it won't last forever so expect an engine and gearbox build at some point.
Next best thing for me is a gtr, until then I will keep spending on my Impreza to keep it in top condition so I can enjoy it and continue to be different and not worry about tax, mpg and running costs.

Just my opinion but the way things are going with breakers it's only going to get harder to find a good one, if you want one now buy one, get it forged and see it as an investment.

Siv :thumb:

Quality post - thank you

TBF no-one is actually questioning that, on this thread at least. This is a thread about market values not running costs. It was pointed out that one of the reasons why the Spec D commands a lower resale value may be because of its higher VED. Which is entirely plausible, even if VED cost doesn't matter to you personally.

When put like that it seems irrational, but think about this way: if you have the option of two cars, identical in every way except one costs £535 to tax annually or £2,140 during a typical four-year period length of ownership, and the other car £305/annum or £1,220 during the same period, it's an easy and obvious decision. Over four years you've saved almost a grand in road tax alone. It's not hard to source a pre-56 plate hawkeye STi, which is why the 56-on Spec D suffers as a result.

It starts to become even more of an issue when you run multiple cars...it doesn't take much for annual VED bills to rack up in the thousands...

Oh thanks for pointing that out, so kind of you :thumb:
I was just giving my opinion on costs of owning an Impreza and considered it to be relevant and valid.

Siv :thumb:

It's a simple fact that when the fuel prices go up significantly, impreza prices go down. Same with all sub 30 mpg cars.

Less people able to afford the running costs = less demand. Rocket science it's not.

So in your opinion fuel costs are relevant to market value ?

;)

Siv :thumb:

It's not an opinion, it's a fact. When oil was £140-150 a barrel, demand for imprezas plummeted.

I'm not stupid enough to suggest it's relevant for the garage queen 22B or P1, but for your everyday commuter WRX/STI it absolutely is.

I agree, thanks for clearing that up.

Siv