gerry st clare

Hello all I am new here and was just interested in some info on impreza turbo’s

I am looking to buy a 99(ish) car and have about 10k to spend on a UK car
I am a bit confused when looking at the autotrader website at the massive range of models available,
Which are the UK (turbo) models? And what are the basic specs of each one?

Also, as I am relatively young to be buying an impreza (23) are there any recommendations for insurance? The best quote I have had is about £1100 fully comp for a standard car with a tracker fitted, this was from tesco, and I think is quite reasonable, but was wondering if there were any other companies that do a good deal.

Are the any common problems with the cars, or any general niggles that people experience,
I have heard fuel economy isn’t brilliant, I am not overly concerned about this, but was just wondering how much it will cost me to do 200miles (my weekly average), most of which will be spent taking it easy going to work, with a bit of motorway, urban, and A’ road driving.

Cheers.

scoobyrob

welcome

U should be able to get a my99 or even a my00 for 10k. Watch out for piston slap but not to sure if it affected the above models. have a look at www.sidc.co.uk/faq.htm for model details etc..

£1100 with tracker is a good price i pay £1200 full comp no tracker and iam 25, but check under insurance section for other companies people use.

Once uve got a impreza u won't be disappointed.

rob

[Edited by scoobyrob - 10/14/2003 3:55:09 PM]

fitzscoob

hiya, 23 here and im insured with tesco, just be careful when insuring it that it is actualy a uk car and not a paralel import (i.e. a uk spec car imported, but not from japan) as tesco will not let you cover it via there online website, you will have to phone up and will lose your 10% online discount

I done 180 miles this weekend on the M1 and used up about £40 quids worth of petrol, nothing to excessive in my driving, nice paced all the way.

i pay 1200 through tesco with tracker.

Paul Woodward

I just had a brilliant quote from Liverpool Victoria.

fitzscoob

didnt think L&V insure anyone under 25?

Paul Woodward

Don't know, I'm 34 so I didn't look!

Charlie WRXSTI

Try Direct line got my STi8 insured for £780 fully comp

As for fuel I get through two tanks a week (about £80)but do drive it every night for no other reason than to make me smile

[Edited by Charlie WRXSTI - 10/14/2003 4:19:15 PM]

gerry st clare

feel a bit daft asking, but i take it, my99 means model year 1999??

as for piston slap, i would be taking my uncle, who's been a mechanic all of his life to look over the car when i come to buy it, so would he notice if it was there, without having to strip down the engine etc?

do any of the models come with leather as standard, and would a hpi check show up whether the car is a true uk car???

greasemonkey

Indeed it would, and don't feel daft. There are plenty of regular posters on here who don't seem to know what it means!

You wouldn't really need your uncle to hear slap if it's happening. Make sure the engine is stone cold, start it up, then blip the throttle gently. If you do a search on piston slap here, you should find some soundfiles that demonstrate what a slapping engine sounds like, but to summarise in words, it'll sound a bit like a diesel when the throttle is blipped, but the sound will likely go away when the engine warms up.

Slap isn't anywhere near as common on the MY99's as it was on the earlier cars. The main issues to look out for with '99's is a failing MAF sensor, or dropping out out of fifth gear on a trailing throttle.

A failing MAF needs to be picked up as early as possible, as leaving it on can result in lean running which in turn can cause engine damage. Its most common symptom is uneven idle. If you buy the car from a main dealer, you might ask them to put the car on a Select Monitor so they can check the sensor function.

The gearbox issue is caused by a nut coming loose on the end of the input shaft, and can be rectified relatively easily. The best way to test for it is to drive on the motorway at 50-60mph, gently accelerating and decelerating the way you would if you were in a queue of traffic.

Yuk, no. You want slippery leather on a performance car??? If you want interior creature comforts, a classic Impreza may not be your best option; the interiors are spartan, but the seats do exactly what they should - support you in all the right areas.

Should do. The other way to do it is to ask to look at the car's V5.


[Edited by greasemonkey - 10/14/2003 4:39:53 PM]

fitzscoob

they way i found out mine wasnt a true uk was when i went to put the reg no. into the insurance web site, could not find the car from its reg.... phone call sorted that.

misty

Ah! Mr St Clare Welcome to the forum. 200 miles a week,I would have thought that 8-10 galls of prime Optimax would see you through! Approx £30-£35!
dave
P.S. You'll soon get used to the fuel issue m8!

[Edited by misty - 10/14/2003 4:50:55 PM]