URGENT HELP BUYING 98 TURBO 2000
 

buying a scooby , but its started life in NEW ZEALAND - its a 98 turbo 2000 awd. is this the same as a jap import . anything i need to be weary off ?

I'd exect it to be the same as any non European import. Where is the car now?

parked outside ! paid a deposit as i was led to believe it was a uk car. only when looking thoroughly at history discovered it spent 1.5 years in NZ from new was then exported hear. has been fully regeistered here etc..... just curious about parts / fuel type etc....

get your money back and walk away

import itself isn't a problem but if you were told its a uk car and is from NZ, then what else have they lied about. def a case of buyer beware and walk

Parts should be no different or very similar to uk parts, same as jap cars. If you requested that it should be a UK car and have received an import that is another matter. There should be no warranty issues and any Subaru warranty on most classics would have lapsed by now.

What would concern me is that the car could have been stolen etc out in NZ and you would have no way of knowing. And, that the person supplying the car to you is ignorant about it or knowlingly selling it to you essentially telling you lies. What other things could be wrong with the car?

If you have purchased from a dealer and you have paid your deposit and you really want a UK car then I'd imagine there would be no problem in returning the car and getting your deposit back. If you're happy with the car and it's recent history I'd kinda keep the car as it's value will not be that much different to a UK car, if at all. It's possible, but you may have to pay more to insure it.

..but the car seems mint , and drives perfect with all MOT's , good history etc..... done 73000 miles , has had new clutch / cam belt . Has a years MOT on it , and passed with no advisorys , and HPI checks etc are ok.... should i walk !??? .... im about to pay £4000.00..... is that too much if it is an import ?

Australian and NZ cars are closer to UK specification than JDM WRXs. They were marketed as 'WRX' in Australia though, just to confuse you.....

4k isn't over the odds but tbh any dodgy info given by the seller like that would make me run a mile

Seems a reasonable price for a 98 if it's a saloon. If you're not comfortable with the transaction the best thing to do is to go away and think about it and take your deposit with you. There are plenty of cars out there.

ive phoned various subaru dealers on the cars history , and to be honest i think the current owner is just a bit ignorant about what he bought . i'm happy with an import if its not gonna cost too much more than a uk one for parts / servicing. should it be run on OPTIMAX or any other high octane rating fuel though , as its an import ! the label on the petrol filler door says 95 octan or above , so can it be run on normal unleaded ? .... i'll prob be running it on optimax anyway.

tbh if its a turbo i'd run it on vpower anyway, only issue will be is if it needs to run on octain booster as well (not sure what NZ fuel is)

If its classed as a grey import, insurance will be more, and due to this you may find resale values a bit down on a similar UK car, it will probably be harder to shift too. Saying that at £4k, a few thousand miles down the road 10% will make no difference. I would get an insurance quote for the UK version and as an import and make your decision.

FFS don't insure it as a UK car and run the risk.

yeah mate very very good point

got insurance quote - they didnt even ask if it was a uk car ! seems reasonable ! im 25 with full no claims disc (65%) , and paying approx £800 Fully comp....

only £100 less than mine, i'm 24 3 years no claims and one big claim, but clean licence

so all you experts out there - should i hold for a UK spec , or is an import just as good??? .... was only going for UK coz i was advised to stay away from imports but the import factor doesnt seem to matter much ? looks like all work to convert to UK was done (ODO. speedo .fogs)

imports norm have higher spec, but not as good security, so you pay more for insurance.

as far as running costs go a 2.0 turbo is a 2.0 turbo so import or uk cost are similar

has a CAT 1 toad alarm / immob on it and will be having tracker fitted. this was done in uk - it alos has pro drive suspension and sti7 seats , so its been loved by someone - dont wanna walk away if the import is not an issue !...

^ this

An Oz WRX is in effect a UK Turbo 2000.

nah its not an issue, just the fact it was hidden from you to start with. what else has been is my question and it would be enough to make me walk away

thats what i thought ! - but im new to scooby's ( only just being able to afford to run one ) - just needed someone in the know to reassure me! im almost trying to find fault with it coz its so nice !

tbh for lack of knowledge i'd walk, there are plenty of very nce scoobs around being sold (market is crap at the min so you can pick up some absolute bargins).

whats the max you wanna spend?

about £4500.
i know its sounds dodgy but i know the previous owner , and believe he just didnt understand that the car came from NZ so is an import. when i asked if it was uk he said yes , but he did point out that it had been used overseas! .......... if an import is as good as uk , and im not gonna have issue with parts then im gonna go for it ! i think buying any scooby ( other than new ) is a risk !

yeah, but you can buy it from a respectable dealer and get warrenty etc.

tbh if you know the seller and trust him then you'll prob be ok, the are NO issues getting hold of parts for imports, or at least that model.

issues tend to be with special editions and lighweight pannels etc which wont be an issue for you (they are available anyway you just have to pay through your nose for them)

where abouts in the uk are you?

wiltshire / hampshire border

right, someone help me out with a good specialist down that way lol

was just gonna try to point you to a good garage where you were but tis a bit of a way from me so i don't know lol

feck it ! im just gonna bite the bullet and go for it ! anyone knows a good specialist in wilts / hants area please let me know !

lol, just get it checked out before you pay for it and you'll be sound as a pound

being a novice what are the main things i should be looking for ?

Don't know anyone around thatarea. Your best bet would be to call the AA or RAC or Green Flag up. They'll inspect it and you might get a reduced parts and labour warranty off of them if you buy the car.