homerjay

hi all

ive spent bit bit of time browsing through past post so thought i'd join.

i currently have an black 04 clio 182 and love it to bits, and its a serious dark horse, but im considering something on a larger scale.

the PPP offer which is currently on is what caught my eye, but i aint spending 20k on a car.

ive seen new wrx's at motorpoint for 16k (i know theyre imports, so is my clio) but not sure what about the pro's and con's of subaru imports, im guessing its a a parallel import, like my clio, so should be no servicing, warrenty or insurance issues?

anyway, i thought about one of these 1st then getting the ppp put on for the £1600? if possible at a later date.

what are peoples thoughts on this...

thanks
homer

corradoboy

The PPP can be put on at a later date, there are now a few UK dealers who'll do it. The big problem is getting the holders of the warranty in the country of origin to accept it and retain the warranty. A few other things to consider before jumping in for the warranty; some EU importers quote the car without a CAT1 alarm which will be essential for insurance (£300 ish) and locking wheel nuts (£35), you will also not benefit from Subaru Assist and so may require AA/RAC/GF (£250-450 depending on cover req'd over 3yrs), you could until recently get 3yrs free servicing on UK cars worth around £1500 (offer replaced at the mo by PPP), and the icing is that when you come to sell it a UK dealer might not touch it for a trade in and most buyer use it as a bargaining tool to demand £1k less than an equivelent UK car.
Considering most aim to pay £18.6-19.3k for a new UK car, the price difference isn't too great if all the above EU pitfalls are relevent to you.

homerjay

thanks for the info mate, lookin on autotrader there doesnt seem to be anything close to the deal motorpoint are offering for 2nd hand wrx's though. i dont wanna be spending more that 15 - 16k and i'd prefer nearly new.

All the issue's you speak of are the same of my clio, ie resale value and insurance being the main ones. i'm not bothered about the roadside assist thing or the serving as i never keep my cars longer than 12 months anyway (i hope it wont brake down in that time) how often do they need servicing though? (i hope it aint evo style, every 17 miles)

pippyrips

having owned both i would stick with your 182, save up then get an STI, preferable a JDM one (Jap Import)

homerjay

ha, good advice no doubt, as i do love it when people expect to waste the little clio then cower into the distance behind...

but i do get bored quickly, in the 6 years ive had, '92 205 GTI, '99 306 GTI-6, 02 205 GTI, 52 Astra Coupe Turbo, 04 clio 182...

just thought i'd try sommit totally different...

jasonius

iTrader: (1)

I swapped my 172 late last year (eu import) and bought a WRX EU import so basically the same as you're thinking of doing. The reasons for me swapping were a new family, therefore I wanted something that performed as well as the Clio (which I too loved to bit's) but was 4dr and could be used by wife. Seeing a wrx for £16500 I went for one. Having had EU cars without issues before I wasn't put off by the rumours of impending doom..! (insidently I got top book from renault for my 172 knowing it was an import).


Saying this there are thing to bear in mind. If you think your're gong to get a car that's significantly quicker than you clio think again. As you've said they are a real wolf in sheeps clothing, and although the wrx is marginally quicker, there isn't much in it on the road. Also I really miss all the toy's (xenon auto lights, auto wipers, alacatara (sp?) interiour (sp?) etc...).

The main consideration is the running costs. Basically you'll be getting ~22 mpg as compared to ~29.9 for your 182. On a run ~27 mpg compared to around 35 for your 182. It adds up especially with 10k services..!

As corradoboy said, with the free PPP and as I've been told STILL 3 years free servicing the £17k you'll end up spending on an EU car may not be so good a deal. It depends on whether you have the money now. I personally would still have an EU car if only for the MUCH better seats.

Also there's an issue with having PPP on a new car. My 05 with 6k on it is as quick as a new PPP (I know we've tested it against a new demo car..!) They need to loosen up..!

Don't get me wrong, I know I made the right choice, it's just there is more to it than at first glance. For me any car that is as fun to drive as a 172/182 with 4 doors and AWD is a winner..!

Jason

PS sorry for the long winded approach.

jasonius

iTrader: (1)

Very good point. It depends what you want the car for..?

homerjay

well, i got married 3 weeks ago and family plans are in the pipeline shudder, dont tell HER i said that. so a bigger car would be usefull.

i know there not much between them performancewise in the real world (i mean ive give STI's a good run for their money before (some young lad with too much money in a brand spanker, HOPEFULLY just coz he couldnt drive it))

different seats you say???

i have also been considering the other end of the scale in a 3 yr old elise s2, so creature comforts arent everything to me.

fuel cost isnt an issue - company benefit ;o) and just to give you an idea i average 27mpg in my 182 but thats mainly because i live 3 mile away from work through traffic and i only have 6000 miles after 9 months...

i think a test drive is in order really...

FB Tuning

iTrader: (30)

We had a parallel import 52 Plate 172 Cup from new...Although it was a quick little car, it was a bit of a bean can

Coupled with the fact that our particular car was a "Friday Afternoon Special" , and Renault Slough's complete incompetence at resolving warranty problems, we didn't keep it for very long (9 months), and took a bit of a hit in depreciation.

We now own a MY00 with just a few little mods

IMO they're like chalk and cheese for comparison.

For on the road driving i would say that a standard classic is slower than the 172/182, but much easier to live with than the Renault.

Although i prefer the overall package of the Subaru, the 'boy-racer' in me still still wants to drive the Renault (even though it is French cr@p )

Horses for courses, i guess!

homerjay

as you can see ive had many french cars and this is probably the best built ive had...

i am a member of the cliosport forum and hear alsorts of stories on clios falling apart and back the dealer every week, but ive not had one single problem with my car, it doesnt rattle there is very little i can fault the car for, its a 12k car at the end of the day with all the toys and it pretty damn quick to boot.

but i would like to move to jap quality as ive heard many good things about honda's, toyota's, subarus and mistibushi's...

in an ideal world i'd keep the 182 for the missus, but she's only just learning and has a 52 plate punto which will probably do her for many years...

i'm in no rush so i guess i could wait for the ideal car to appear, while learning in the process about what to look out for...

ideally i would like a my05 wrx with sti wheels for around 15k, with the worn in mileage (i hate having to wear engines in, why dont they come with 6k on the clock! )