can anyone help please???
 

im just in the process of buying a 1996 subaru impreza sportswagon and its supposed to be a wrx import, ive just done a vehicle check on it and it has come up as 2.0 GL, i have also seen the dvla vehicle documents and its says GL on them also, the present owner assures me it is a wrx? when the car was first registered in the uk can there sometimes be a mix up?

ive driven the car and it is fast, but because i am not mechanically minded, im not sure if it is the real macoy? it has the wrx bonnet and a turbo timer in it!

the present owner has also told me there is a slight oil leak on the head gasket, but will only cost 300 quid to fix??? apart from that it drives well should i go for it, or avoid it like the plague? by the way he wants 2500 grand for it!

cheers

A can of worms may be an understatment, I bought a cheapy wrx and regretted big time

"a slight oil leak on the head gasket"
You can make your own decision on that. If you have a tame friend with Subaru knowledge he may be willing to assess the problem or even get it fixed for you. If you have no knowledge then I think you are leaving yourself open to all sorts of problems.

As regards it being registered as a GL, that is not necessarily a problem and you can easily get to the bottom of it. The GL is the non turbo charged version, usually 1.8 litres. The WRX is 2 litre turbo charged. Early WRX were registered as GL by the DVLA because they did not recognise the 2 litre WRX turbo import. Lots of 2 litre WRXs 93-95 to my knowledge are registered as GLs.
There is an easy way to get to the bottom of this. The VIN plate is on the near side chassis leg and easily visible. Take all the details of the VIN plate and e-mail them to me and I can identify the vehicle. If it is a Jap import WRX it was start GC8 or GF8 in the case of a Wagon.
harveysmith1@btopenworld.com

a point to bear in mind, if you do get it, and the worst should happen, its knicked or smashed, if insured as a GL, you will at best be paid out on GL, at worst, not paid out at all for wrongly insuring it.

As for is it a turbo, does it have a intercooler on the top of the engine, it looks like a radiator???

if so, it will be a turbo, unless it has a front mount intercooler fitted.

Where abouts are you?, find a local specialist to give you a quote on the seals, but like everything to do with a performance car, the cost of maintanence and running aint cheap, if your looking for a sportswagon non turbo, i would there are plenty good ones to be had for not much more money i would imagine


John