Pars91

Hi guys. Been looking at imprezas lately but getting confused. Ideally i would like the lower tax band as the mrs isnt impressed with £500 per year. I am currently looking at cars around 04/05 and some of the sti's say £285 and some £500. Can anyone clear up what i should be looking for. Cheers.

scotty boy 80

iTrader: (5)

Think it's cars after march 06/56 that are the higher bracket, you get some 56 plates that just scraped into the lower bracket

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

as far as im aware its like this..........

blobeye shape from 03-05 is a 2.0 car with lower tax as above

after the blobeye came the hawkeye shape 2.5 with higher tax band (and a ****e 2.5 engine that will need a rebuild)

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

If you are worried about tax then the running costs should be more of a worry. Some of the early 2.5's are in the lower bracket.
They are not the cheapest to run unless it's just a weekend toy.

Pars91

Thanks for the quick replies. Im not worrying about it as such. At the moment i have a 1.8 astra sri which the tax is £225 so shes just moaning its double. I only drive 15-20 miles per day so the mpg side isnt a major worry.

STIWR1

Buy a ltd edition WR1 - they are well known for being the best edition which prodrive have thrown a spanner at.

Rickfh

Higher Tax band came in on the 28th march 2006; so anything before this is lower tax. JDM cars are cheaper to tax than UK ones also

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Depending on distance/conditions, that is about the MPG round town in heavy traffic. On a good run 30 MPG is about it.

Scooby-Mark

Get an 05 Blobeye Widetrack STI, a snip at a mere £285 per year.

Think there are a few on 06 plates.

This was one of the ticks in the no box last year when deciding on Blobeye or Hawkeye all be it a minor one, would rather spend the difference on mods than road tax

Pars91

Glad im not the only one. I no an sti wont be cheap to run but if i focus on the running cost over the huge smile ill get from owning one ill never buy 1. What does widetrack mean as iv seen a few advertised but unsure of the difference? Also what is PPP?

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

The tax changeover date was 23rd March 2006 (yes, I am a pedant).

Widetrack means the rear wheels are slightly further apart, and there's a plastic trim on the rear wheelarches which denotes this. PPP is Prodrive Performance Pack, which is a factory approved tuning package, taking a UK STi from 265 to just over 300 BHP.

Trinity

iTrader: (28)

My old JDM STI Blob, £120

Get a JDM, cheaper tax, more car. Simples.

If you are wondering what widetrack or PPP is, sounds like you have a bit more research to do before shelling out good money on a Subaru. the search engine and google are extremely helpful.

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

JDMs aren't necessarily cheaper to tax (although as Trinity implies, they are obviously better in every other respect....) My 2005 model year Type 20 Blob is still £285 a year. I believe it depends upon how it was registered on import.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I do lol at this, I think it's the psychological aspect of getting out £500 in one go that puts people off the higher tax bracket, but unless your a good DIY mechanic you better get used to the idea if you plan on owning a Subaru of any description.

And that's BEFORE we talk about fuel consumption.

Jonnys3

Welcome Pars, you've certainly come to the right place. Scoobynet is THE BEST PLACE for all things Impreza and folks on here are fantastic, very knowledgeable and very helpful.

When buying your first Impreza it's very important you do as much research as you can beforehand and not to rush into a purchase - finding the right car can take months (I know some on here have reported taking over a year to find the right car).

It's also worth taking time to browse this forum to learn about the car in its different forms, different tax brackets, different problems associated with each model, rogue traders who have proved difficult for members on here etc. etc. and if you have any queries, just ask, people are more than willing to offer advice.

As Ditch says, don't be put off by the £500 car tax - it can now be payed in installments via direct debit over 12 months. And as for fuel - Shell vpower or Tesco Momentum only !

Good luck with the search.

Pars91

Thanks jonny im not looking at buying straight away have to pay for my wedding first. Just want to get some basic knowledge at what ill be looking out for in the future. Iv owned 4 astras in the past 7years and im now looking to stray away from vauxhall and try something new

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

Wtf......the Widetrack is a far better car

Jonnys3

The good thing is you're in Derby, so scoobyclinic (Wingerworth) is just up the road - always take mine there.

Scooby-Mark

When it's a second car too, £500 seemed ridiculous.

Widetracks are 05/55/06 blobeyes only I believe and as the name suggests the rear track width is wider than previous models, think it also has slightly different rear suspension to suit too. Along with DCCD driver controlled centre differential. There were also alterations in the interior too.
Maybe more changes and I'm sure someone will correct something I've sad.

PPP Prodrive Performance Pack, dealer or factory fit kit that enhanced performance, New exhaust, intercooler pipe and a remap is essentially the pack (I think), were given away free on a lot of cars around 2005, I had free servicing on mine as I had planned to swap most parts in the kit anyway.
If the car has it there should be a certificate present to proove it.

Mark

Pars91

Thanks mark some good info there. Anything out of the ordinary to check when looking at buying 1

Scooby-Mark

As previously mentioned about issues between types I would suggest first decide on shape I.e classic, bugeye, blobeye, Hawkeye, hatch etc then once you know what shape then look at versions I.e wrx, sti, wr1, jdm etc.. and colour!!
The colour can make a massive difference to your search, if you don't want arc blue then be prepared for a possible long search.
research that shape and versions and how they fit around your budget.

No point worrying about the 2.5 engine problems if you don't fancy / can't afford the Hawkeye.

Other than that it's the usual, mileage, service history, condition, cam belt change etc.
Be aware of some traders, read up on the dodgy ones on here and most of all take your time the right one will come along.

Jonnys3

As Mark says really, although budget will obviously be a determining factor too.

As a starting point I would suggest having a browse in the Market Place - Cars for-sale section (SN members) and look at past and present ads to gauge what the different models are, people's opinions, and what you can expect to be paying etc. You can learn a lot in there. Then once you've decided on a shape / colour / spec, ask the community about the model and its pro/cons - info will be thrown at you in abundance.

You basically have the choice of:

Classic [>2000]
Bugeye [2000-2002]
Blobeye [2003-2005]
Hawkeye [2006-2007]
Hatch [2008-2012]

plenty

iTrader: (13)

The £500 tax isn't always about affordability though - it's all about the psychological barrier.

Coming from Porsches and M-cars I find Subarus very cheap to run. And if pushed I could probably scrape together £2k per year for road tax for my four jalopies if I needed to, but I don't want to.

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

wow you must be so rich..........probably why you have a 1993 impreza

plenty

iTrader: (13)

It's indeed an honour to be noticed by ScoobyNet's most erudite contributor!

Yes, I'm rich. Absolutely stinking loaded in fact. The point I'm making is that even fat cats like me can be put off by £500 road tax. And, as you mentioned it, appreciate 1993 Imprezas.

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

im only messing i love the first imprezas, but more importantly the new tax rules allow you to pay monthly now so its not really as big of an issue as previously.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

Maybe he's so rich he has a 2.1 stroker in all his cars.... He may post a wanted thread for one to confirm his story soon

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

Rust!

Have a look here, for example:

https://www.scoobynet.com/general-te...ame-query.html

The Pink Ninja

iTrader: (23)

My Blob Spec-C was £235 a year...the Hawk is now £500, Registered in April 2006 ffs!!!!!
Doesn't bother me in the slightest, what in reality is an extra £260 a year in subaru ownership...£5 a week, you could save more than that by not putting your foot down on a Sunday lol.