ian7675

Morning everybody, I am looking for some general advice regarding buying a Subaru in the future. I apologise if you've had these threads over and over in the past but I do like up to date info and I'm sure you all love the excuse to talk about the cars and pass on your valuable knowledge to the likes of myself.

I don't have a great knowledge of these cars but a few years ago I did own a bug eye WRX for a while which was probably the only car I was reluctant to sell but circumstances dictated at the time.

So getting on with it then, I will soon be looking for a car that I can love and cherish for years that will happily live in a garage so I really want to make sure I pick the car that is right for me and will hopefully be a good choice.

I plan on spending upto around £8-9k max and this really does bring up a lot of different models. I do like the classic models best and was really hoping to aim for a P1 as they look great, are supposedly more suited to UK roads and seem to be increasing in value. So first question is this a good car to buy?

Secondly I see on Pistonheads that there are a lot of imported Japanese models that fall into my proposed budget, are the version 5 & 6's a good alternative to the P1? I'm guessing when it comes to classic models the imports could be an advantage due to the stringent annual tests they have of their cars which should in turn produce a higher standard of condition?

Moving away from the classics are the new age blob eye models a significant improvement over the classic in any way? Again are there improvements in the imported models over the UK models?

Any help and advice from my questions will be very much appreciated and again I apologise if you gave a big sigh when reading this as I'm sure this info would be somewhere in the forum but I couldn't see it.

Newbaru

Uh oh not that question, ye know not what you do when you ask that question...

https://www.scoobynet.com/scoobynet-general-1/1025930-p1-vs-type-r.html

plenty

iTrader: (13)

I hate to be that boring forumite who points you to old threads, but these topics really have been covered to death and a few hours spent with the search function will yield far more than a new thread could ever do.

It should also be mentioned that many of your questions are quite subjective and tend to attract a wide array of opinions. I'll try to be as objective as possible below.

People on forums love to debate Type R vs P1 however if you are serious about buying then the best advice is to buy the best example you can. 2-door classics are rare cars getting rarer - do not get hung up on which exact model as they are much more similar than they are different. IMO the biggest difference is gear ratios - Type Rs are much lower-geared than a P1, making them much less suitable for daily driving but arguably more special as a weekend car.

Yes that is correct however pick your importer/dealer carefully as not all have equally good reputations. Also you'll need to factor in the cost of a service, remap, alarm etc. on a fresh import which can add a fair bit to the price, unless you buy from a dealer who does this for you and if so will already be pricing at the higher end of the market.

This is a topic that has attracted debate for close to 15 years so understandably cannot be answered definitely or easily. The short answers are: the newage cars are heavier and better built, which you may or may not like. The JDM cars have a number of differences versus UK cars and are generally considered more desirable, although it will be difficult to find a good one in your budget.

Generally speaking newage cars are much less rare than classics, and some people find classics offer a greater sense of occasion partly because of their rareness and partly because of the rawer drive they deliver.

ian7675

Thanks a lot guys, I was toying with the idea of a new age but I think I'll stick with the classic as like you mentioned, it's the rawness and lightness I am seeking in what will pretty much only be a weekend car. Refinement etc is not important.

Thanks for the advice.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

If your budget is £8-9k max, I'd have thought you could do better than a fifteen year old car?

ian7675

Any suggestions are welcome...

nortonscooby

Sure scoobynets very own uk poverty spec/chav/midlander hater will crawl from under his rock to steer you in the right direction very soon. Shocked he hasnt already jumped on this thread. Must be busy playing with his power folding mirrors or changing the blade on his rear wiper????

Newbaru

Don't be put off pal, which Scooby u wnt is a completely personal choice. They're all great cars, go drive a couple and see some in person and it will help. You are at an advantage having already owned a wrx bug you you have something to compare with. The market is quite strong atm so maybe you will pay a little more now than 18m ago but having bought recently and thus having been looking at the market I reckon at 8-9k you should have access to a good range of decent cars so don't buy the first shed you see! Good luck!