Hi guys,

Congrats on all the excellent Scooby FAQs I've seen, but every one seems to be missing the answer to one simple question....

How much does it really cost to own and run an Impreza!?

I'm currently running an MR2 and am hoping to jump ship soon into a Scooby (UK 5door if I can). I've already been quoted about £900 for insurance, so I've been able to come to terms with that already, and I've heard you guys get 20-22 mpg as a rule, but how much are things like servicing? And how much do the bits cost (ie discs, pads, etc)? Anyone got any disaster stories to tell me!?

Finally, there seems to be a fair price premium on models with the 98+ engines. Are they really that much better to drive than, say, a 95 car, or should I just save my money and go with one of them?

Hope you can help!
Many thanks,
Clett Erridge

Welcome to the board!

Aftermarket discs and pads on a 99/00 car are about 150 and 90 a pair for pretty good stuff. Servicing at a dealer costs about £100 each 7500, with £140 at 15000, and there are bigger ones including cambelt which can cost £600 - see the SIDC faq again.

Exhausts last quite well, but a lot of folk fit stainless ones.

Reliability apart from badly modified/maintained cars is very good considering the thrashing they get.

Later models have a "nicer" (!) interior, 16 inch wheels, 4 pot brakes and slightly stiffer springing, plus a "Phase II" engine which uses a slightly smaller turbo which spools up quicker and lower but gives more torque and power (slightly). There was concern over piston slap for some earlier engines (98 I think - should've been done on warranty - often new engine from what folk say).

205/50 R16 tyres such as on 99/00 are 85 to 120 a corner depending on make - they last anywhere from 5000 to 25000 miles - typical 10-15k even if driven fairly enthusiastically.

All the costs ARE worth it for the performance and grip IMO.

Well, how much does it really cost to run, very few people get anywhere near the claimed mpg, I manage about 20-22 and less if I push really hard!

Insurance has got stupid lately, check to see if you need to get a tracker fitted, for some reason I can insure a Supra for about 40% less my scooby and skyline isn't that much more.

Parts are MUCH cheaper out of the dealer network, I just bought new pads last week - mintex ones for £39.02, I'm told the scooby dealer wants £80 for something similar, but as the owner of an import I haven't ever bought anything from a scooby dealer anyway.

Tyres are cheap enough if you shop around, I paid £303 all in lately for 4*17" Goodyear F1's. I haven't yet had any really big bills, but some of the big services are quite lengthy and hence pricey.

As to which cars are better to drive, UK cars got much better suspension and brakes for the late 1998 cars (MY99 onwards). Drive a few, because different cars have very different characteristics - different size turbos and different rev limits. In general later cars have smaller turbos, but smoother power delivery.

Also there were alsorts of nice cosmetic upgrades which were applied to all the models
97 - new nose, (and I think bucket seats)
98 - new dash,
99 - New front bumber,
00 - Colour coding and different wheels.

That said I have an older Jap car and like it (though see a seperate thread about me looking for a new car!)

Jon