bobthebodger

hi there, wonder if anyone could help me. for 5 yrs now ive wanted to own one of these great cars and now the time has come to purchase one, ive only got 5k so wont be driving a new one...to be honnest i prefer the classics anyway. i was wondering which model to go for?....which ones to leave? and someone to clear all these storys ive heard about them ie: plug changing(drop one side of engine) oil pump valve corroding leading to engine damage, pourous cylinder....and gearbox and clutch problems.

im wanting a uk model for insurance purposes, mainly want to know which model would be best for the money as theres a few knocking about.

cheers

ps: great site btw

bobthebodger

anyone!

Colinj

Its going to be difficult at that age & budget mate because its gonna have been about a bit & things are going to go wrong with a (any car) car of what.....8-10yrs old!!!

I bought my MY96 UK impreza with PPP fitted a year & half ago for £5.5k, so far its only cost me a new radiator, coils, clutch & brakes, so nothing major thank god I seem to have got a good one!! The other £2500ish+ ive spent has been on mods.....something thats hard to resist on these cars, you say you wont but we all do it!!

My advise is to get the newest cleanest example with as much service history & receipts etc you can!! Forget about what shiny bits its got attached to it...if you buy a dog it will cost you loads to repair!!

Hope ive helped

bobthebodger

also would be great if you could tell me what to look out for when i go looking at a few.

cheers

burpworm

You can pick up a 99 plate with reasonable miles on if you can go to 5500/6000 !

bobthebodger

cheers thats a big help m8.....looking at buying a 96/97 model with the money, what was the difference in spec on these 2 models.

Tidgy

uk, for that price would be a uk turbo, most others are much higher price wise, hang on a mo other option might be a series mcrae, not sure what there selling for at min, hang on auotrader,,,,

mmmm, nope sorry start at 5500 ish

uk turbo mate, your looking at high milage later model,

1997 SUBARU IMPREZA Turbo 2000 4WD 4dr Saloon, 95,500 miles £4995 (private sale)

1996 P Reg SUBARU Impreza Turbo 2000 4WD 120,000 miles £4695 (trade)

most uk cars around that price dont say milage which means moon and back

bobthebodger

hi burpworm, 99 is just out of reach im affraid....got insurance to think about aswell lol.

Tidgy

96/97 pre face lift, dash is different, front end is different, slightly lower powr (not by much about 10bhp)

bobthebodger

cheers tidgy, series mcrae....not really into that colour and the seats dont turn me on either....catalunya looks nice!

Colinj

Mmmm im no expert but rust may be an issue....any imports you look at make sure they have been undersealed as they dont do this in Japan!! Smoke from exhaust on start up...infact any smoke would mean trouble!! lumpy idle, not holding boost! Gearbox - drive it until its warmed up & do a good few fast up & down changes to ensure the gear synchro isnt worn!

^^ Im sure theres more to look out for & someone else will add to that lot

bobthebodger

97 on is the best to go for then? top man!

Tidgy

whats wrong with a mcrae???? my first scoob before i destroyed it lol doh

1996 SUBARU IMPREZA Turbo 2000 4WD 4dr Saloon,
85,500 miles, Petrol. Green, UK Car, FSH, RAC Trackstar Tracker, CAT 1 Alarm/Immobiliser, MOT May 2006, TAX March 2006, Ninja rear silencer, Bailey Motorsport dump valve, CD, STi grooved front discs. This is the facelift 1997 model with revised front end and interior incl. bucket seat. Just registered early by dealer. Lots of documentation incl. Carwatch UK certficate. More images available on request. Serious buyers only. £4,050. No offers.

bobthebodger

cheers colin, how can u tell if the gearbox and gears are ok?

Tidgy

also just thought beware of ones saying face lift model, there are two different stages of facelift, exterior and interior.

bobthebodger

nice post there tidgy....sounds good!

burpworm

Insurance whats that lol (Killer i know) my best tip is dont rush one will come alog at the right time and money (that what i keep telling myself any ways lol)

bobthebodger

2 stages of facelift.....damn these cars have so many changes!

Colinj

If the synchro is fubered it will crunch when you do a fast change, 1st to 2nd usually!!

Heard of them jumping out of gear also but not sure what caused that problem!!

Tidgy

bad syncros, tends to be when they get quite bad. mates kept jumping out of 5th every now and again, got em sorted in end, cost more to drop gearbox than sort em out.

bobthebodger

thanks colin, cheers all infact!

Colinj

Series Mcrae was mentioned before but ive found one in the for sale section...looks pretty good, few nice mods & open to offers

http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthrea...7&page=1&pp=20

bobthebodger

hmmmmm looks nice colin, thanks for this, big thanks to tidgy aswell for showing me some pics of facelift etc.

cheers

bobthebodger

can anyone tell me what the 2 different types of facelift there are, i presume they ment interior facelift and exterior and one with only interior or exterior facelifts, i think this is what they ment!!! ive had some photos sent to me to show the interior facelift...was wondering what the exterior changes are and why 2 different types???

thanks

Colinj

Theres been a few exterior tweeks through the years, main one and most noticable was MY97 cars got different lights, grill, bonnet, vents etc

Tidgy

nee probs fella

bobthebodger

hi all, was browsing the site earlier looking for any potential problems i might come across when buying one, smoke on boost off boost, unsteady idle (poss faulty maf) lumpy running(seems commom) would it be fine to purchase one thats lumpy from cold becuse it does seem quite common, what is this problem????? do any of you guys experience problems from cold because in my eyes it should be perfect, let me know im new here, dont want to buy a bad one....could but my life in the **** (girlfriend)

Colinj

I got told a good test to check if the maf is fooked is to let it idle, pop the bonnet & unclip the plug from the air meter. If its running as it should - it should splutter for a few seconds then cut out!! It it keeps running with no or little change then this means the maf is faulty & the ecu has adapted to the situation & could mean damage has occurred!

^^Ive never tried it though!!

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

The engine should run OK from cold, the clutches are 'lumpy' when cold on a lot of cars, this makes it judder a bit as if its going to stall when pulling away, but this should go away after 10 minutes or so of driving - this seems to be general weakness on Imprezas, and doesnt indicate the clutch is knackered ( as long as it works OK, and doesnt stay juddery ).

The nicest classics ( IMO ) are the ones from MY97 onwards which are the facelift ones - this would be something on an S plate or later, which is what I bought earlier this year.

Beware of any cars nearing 90K or just over - the belts need doing at 45K and 90K and this is an expensive job ( £600 at least according to most ), so some people get shot of the cars just before that service is due, or dont do them and sell just after and claim they've been done - if they say they were done at the service, ask for proof.

With the insurance, make sure you get quotes first, especially if you're thinking of getting an import. Mine costs £1400 for a UK car, cheapest quote for an import, from a specialist, was over £3000 !

There are good cars out there just within your budget, try and get one that has been owned by an enthusiast or an older driver as you are more likely to get one thats been looked after and properly maintained.

bobthebodger

cheers guys, ive had my insurance quote and i am happy to say its very cheap also on an import it was only £300 dearer but im wanting only a uk model. i had a faulty maf on my vr6 and it had very bad idle and was a shed for the first ten mins, judder does seem to be a problem but once warmed it shouldnt do it??? and gear changes should be smooth. never drove one so all this advice is top notch, you lot are such a big help.