Are Imported Subarus OK?
 

Hi I'm thinking of purchasing an imported Subaru WRX. Does anyone know what issues there are to consider? In particular how do their depreciation figures compare with a Uk sourced car. Also are there any issues with servicing etc.

Anyone dealt with a company called interest4free4cars.com

Thanks

Bought mine through allbrandsnew.com they were ok. No alarm and no locking wheel nuts. I have been told to service it to the Malta logbook for warenty. All good otherwise.

Got my grey import from Hendry's in Malmesbury.

They get their cars in from Cyprus I think, so UK spec but without the UK badge or UK Subaru warranty, Sigma Alarm, underseal etc.

I saved 2k on purchase price and lost 2k on trade in...

Should have bought one of there jap imports.LOL.

youll have no problems with jap imports
go for a sti model if you can but make sure it is a sti -there are loads advertised as sti's that clearly are not.

you get 260-275 bhp from a M reg onwards wrx/sti respectivly as standard
alloy bonnet
alloy front wishbones
sti's have electronic adjustable centre diff

cars are superior to uk models imho :)

The question here is are you asking about a jap import or a euro import.

Euro import pretty much the same as a uk car, some have the superior bucket seats (- airbag). But less alarm and locking nuts. Most people put thoose on staright away anyway. Advantage here is most people opt for a better alarm than is standard on the uk cars.

Servicing is the same UK subaru dealers will service as well as independent specialists. Insurance should be the same if you broker wants more go somewhere else.


Grey / jap import. Better specced cars, generally very well looked after. A large number imported straight to the UK new. Better performance. most previously imported cars will have security sorted.

downside
can only be serviced at specialists
higher insurance premiums.
must run optimax and booster unless re-mapped

Sound advice there then.

Jap imports are not designed to run on UK fuel though are they?

Shaun

no jap cars are designed to run on 100 ron fuel. so what you need to do is put shell optimax in it and a can of octane booster in every tank. also to be on the safe side get a knocklink sensor fitted. or you could get the car remapped for uk fuel, or better still give you the excuse of going for a tek3 remap etc:D
but seriously you shouldn't have problems if you look after the car and service it. ive had 3 grey imports and never had any problems:D

I've got a MY05 WRX bought from Alliance Car imports http://www.alliancecarimports.co.uk/

Its a UK Spec car sourced from Cyprus. Service intervals are the same as UK sourced car and the Subaru 3 year Pan European Warranty applies so no different from UK dealership car.

The only differences are:

No cat 1 alarm as standard - 3-600 quid
No locking wheelnuts - 50 quid
No free 1k service - 50-100 quid (although the Cypriat service book doesn't have a 1k service interval but does have a 3k one!)

And that's about it

Best 3.5k I've ever saved!!!!!!

Paul

If it's a MY99 onwards you can get it ECUTEK'd and mapped for UK fuel. I would feel a bit nervous buying a JDM car though which is not already mapped for UK fuel and is a second buy. To be on the safe side I would have it fully checked out by a Subaru Specialist in any event, could avoid any expensive bills. If anyone refuses to let you have it checked out leave no matter how good it looks.

I bought a new JDM STi and had it mapped for UK fuel from the offset.

All IMHO of course. :D

Damian.

Proper UK Imprezas are so cheap now its just not worth settling for 2nd best!

Find a fully documented UK car and sleep assured :D

Mind you, the prices of Imports are sprawled all across the floor at the moment so, if cheapness is top then an Import is for you ............ but, it will be more expensive in the long run!

Pete

Pete....

Why will it be more expensive in the long run????

Paul

Insurance, scarce parts, heavy loss on re-sale, octane booster for every gallon or engine blows up, etc. etc.

Pete

That may apply to some degree for a Japanese car Pete; but not for an EEC car.

Simon

Have to agree Pete..... My EU car is no different than a UK car apart from what it comes with (i.e. Alarm/wheel nuts) I can see where you are coming from with a JDM item but as far as mine is concerned all I have done is gained £3.5k.

Paul

But the sales guys at Subaru are not stupid, they know how much you saved by buying an Eu Parallel import, and will knock that off when you trade it in.

So in the long run, taking all things in consideration, you will be no better off financially.

Trade a car in rather than selling it privately and you'll often get a bad deal, though. It's the easy option, but rarely the most cost-effective.

I bought JDM because it was the better car and I'm planning to keep it a long time anyway, so resale doesn't really bother me. I also believe there will be people down the line who will be just as keen to get the twin scroll turbo, HID lights and so on as I was, so I don't actually expect to lose that much more than I would have on a UK car.

Fair Point Andy,

But you have to admit, you will have fewer people interested in your car when you choose to sell it than a person with a UK spec'd car, simply because the Jap models need a specialised garage for servicing/repairs etc and they are not as common as Subaru UK garages.

So part ex is the only option to most people, and a lot of Subaru garages will not even take Jap or Eu imports as p/ex, and when they do they offer much less for them.

I had to accept 15.5k for my 2003 STI Eu Impreza.
That was 2k (as told to me by the dealer) less than what they would have offered me if it was a UK car on the same deal.

Simply because it had no UK warranty they could pass on to any new owner.

Ive got a 93 Jap import......, run it on Optimax, and occasionally normal when i cant get optimax ....yep, insurance is dearer, ive found someone who'll maintain it...

and ive had it nearly 4 years - so no complaints from me.


Frank

Try calling round a few local dealers, you might be surprised at what you hear. Times have changed.

There are also plenty of specialists who will happily service and maintain imports, I have a database of them on my sat nav. PM me if you'd like a copy, I'll send you the link.

After reading the thread again, I noticed you are looking at a WRX, not an STI?

If so, then you will be surprised how competative UK dealers can be (1k or so) in relation to imported WRX's.

God, I sound like a UK car nut.....

to ballance things up..... the Jap spec STI is superior to the UK STI...:D

BUT

a well sourced UK WRX is a better buy than an Eu WRX.. or JDM WRX... IMOA

Darbo...

What do you drive? Im from Lancaster



J :)

if you sell an import car privately,you have to tell the buyer or risk legal repurcussions surely ?? so if the buyer knows it's an import , is he not going to offer less money ?? so to me you loose all round wether you part ex or sell an import car privately !!

So, the thing about the fuel etc etc - If I was to get say an 99 sti from an importer, would this need modifying to run on optimax...what if it's older.....a 97 model perhaps?

As far as I understand.... ALL JDM STI's are mapped to run on 100 RON fuel.

The older ones are even more fussy

Thanks for the prompt feedback, my main reason for considering an imported model (probably EU) was to save on the finance payments. When I last checked at a UK dealers (over a year ago) there were no good finance deals or big discounts. However I suppose I had better check again!

I just bought a WRX on an EU import, it was the only way I could afford a new WRX(which I intend to keep for years). I have had too many bad 2nd hand cars. If you have money to throw around get a UK model but use the import proce to get a discount. If you don't have the money then get an import and get the spec up to the UK standard and beyond. By the way no one seems to notice that mine is an import apart from my bank manager. In all I saved £5k and spent less than £1k getting it above UK spec. Will I lose £5k on the price when I sell I doubt it. Insurance wise £450 basic fully comp with privilege.

And yet the 3 year pan european warranty via IM is transferable so that's B****x

Paul

Yes, but only when they leave Japan. Many are remapped in the UK, and it's becoming increasingly common for this to be done around the time of registration.

The older ones are harder to convert, so that's why they tend to be branded as 'fussy' - plus the newer engines are a bit more robust, but all should be run on the best fuel available unless they've been mapped for something different.

FWIW, my '05 JDM STI is mapped to run without damage on 95 RON unleaded - not that I would given the choice, but it's nice to have the option if I get stuck in the middle of nowhere with no SUL available.