I was having a conversation in the office this afternoon about my next car being a Scooby. Eyebrows were raised and heads shaken, as people started relaying tales of friends' Imprezas blowing engines at the 60000 mile mark, replacement Subaru exhausts costing over a grand ("...they've got the turbo unit built into the exhaust system, y'see..."), rattling engines that suddenly seize up...

I've owned a slew of Jap cars so far, and all have been unbelievably reliable, so certainly doubt the validity of my work colleagues' stories.

Hopefully, I should be buying my first (second-hand) Impreza in a couple of days, but can't help that nagging feeling that's crept in after today.

Someone put my mind at ease, please!

 

All humbug m8
With any car theres the usual horror stories like blown engines,weak gear box,maf failures etc but in my opinion if you look after your motor properly and buy the best you can find ie:scoob history low owner car you wont go far wrong!
Plus as is well known in motoring circles jap motors are VERY reliable indeed m8...

 

Well,

Be warned.

There is an issue with the Jap imported Imprezas (poss all high performance JDM cars) due to the different grade of fuel used in Japan(100 ron).
The JDM imprezza is more desireable with higher power output and AC fitted as standard (lots of other goodies too).
However more care is needed to keep it going properly,especially if you moddify it.

On the other hand the UK scooby is more safer/reliable as it is designed for the British market, and at around 220 bhp standard, is not exactly a slow car.
Its also cheaper to insure and the dealers will be happy to help you (the same cant always be said about the import).

It 'is' a very enjoyable car to own as many more may tell you,but make sure you do some research before chosing which one to go for.



Oh and your work mates sound like some of the people I would meet down the pub........

 

Be aware of the people that bodge all different engines and parts together then complain when they blow up

 

Mr Fusion

Having driven over 160Thousand Miles in two company car Impeza Turbo's I can say that your collegues know didlly squat.

Yes, If you buy an import that has been messed about with you may well have probs as mentioned.

My Advice (for what its worth) is buy a bog standard UK Impreza and forget about reliability issues.

Just my 2 pence worth .

 

Thanks chaps - I was hoping you'd all say that!

I'm chasing a standard UK car at the moment, as my previous car was a Jap import and modded to hell, and I don't fancy going down that road again. Something changed within me when I reached 30!

I had a funny feeling that my colleagues (all but one are senior managers in my company) were just trying to put me off. I've noticed many people's reactions are just 'sour grapes' when you mention the Impreza.

 

YUP!

The car to go for is the bog standard Impreza with a FULL Subaru Dealer history - get a one owner one with sensible miles and you will be home and dry on the reliability front!

Avoid all cars that have been modded, tracked and all imports - if its reliability you want!

I mean, my brake pads are the SAME ones as when the car was new 48k miles ago - quite when the tyres are supposed to need replacing is a mystery to me??!!

Pete

 

The car I'm chasing has full Subaru service history, which is good. I'm hopefully getting it from a Subaru dealership, but noticed that to keep their year's warranty, you've got to get it serviced there.

60000 miles on the clock for a 1998 model isn't too bad, I guess.

 

Sounds good.
Read the small print in the warranty,ask all the silly questions you can think of,ask if the mass air flow sensor (MAF) is covered and/or damage as a result of 'MAF' failure.

mileage is average @10k /year.

Worth paying the little bit extra for full dealer history (even after 1 year)
for peace of mind (helps with resale value aswell)

What body type saloon or wagon?

 

Thanks for the tip about the MAF sensor - I'll check the paperwork at bit more thoroughly than usual, then!

I'm aiming to get the Wagon, as the car will be the family load-lugger mobile, and the wagons don't seem to be as 'obvious' on the road as the saloon (although I prefer the looks of the saloon).

 

It's certainly isn't "all humbug" that they have a tendency to go bang from time to time. It's unlikely that any given car will die at 60k miles, you certainly shouldn't be put off buying, but it can happen to even the best looked-after UK spec cars. Anyone who argues is welcome to pay my credit card bill for last month's rebuild.

Replacement exhausts aren't that expensive, though, and the pub talk you've heard about the turbo being built in is (predictably) bull. Ask in the Wanted forum and you'll probably get a standard centre section and back box for free from someone who's upgraded.

 

As above. If it's peace of mind you want a UK car with FSH is a must, in addition and if possible check if it's been run in properly, always had SUL fuel and that the owner has let the engine cool down before switching off. There's a big difference between paper FSH's and people who have really cared for their car. There are enough impreza's around now for you to take your time and find a mint example.

If it's a MY98 check that the engine has been modified to cure 'piston slap'. It was a recognised issue with that years engines and should have been fixed under warranty.

 

Neil: it's not even that easy I'm afraid. I owned my car from new, ran it in properly and have always run it on SUL. It was always serviced on the dot by main dealers and STILL want bang (no. 4 big end failure). Subaru UK were embarrassed about it enough to provide a nice shiny new short engine and turbo free, but I still had to pay for fitting which was the thick end of £2k.

That said, it does seem that mine was an isolated incident (for a properly serviced UK car), so I don't want to unnecessarily colour anyone's view - but I am bitter about it and it annoys me when people say it never happens to cars that are properly looked after.

 

Mr Fusion, as AndyC says, problems do arise occassionally. However, it may make you feel better that I bought my 98 UK turbo from Subaru with a FSH at 42000 miles. Three years + later it has 103000 on the clock and, apart from the odd part, (e.g. balljoint at 70K) has never let me down -

18 Months ago I went down the modding route, and I'm currently running 280 brake, but I wouldn't start going down this route unless you're very sure (Its V. addictive !) and get LOTS of advice.

No one can be certain that it'll always turn out OK, but I think you're on a safe road here mate - Just be sure to keep the servicing up.

Cheers,

Mark

PS _ SB - I don't know who you could mean