S7EVY

Ok i'm looking for my first impreza, now after doing a bit of research there seem to be a great number of scoobs getting engine rebuilds etc.

Do the big ends tend let you down all of a sudden, or is there some sort of early sign/s to look out for, i am intending to purchase a wrx on the weekend, thought i'd gather all the info.

Is it worth just buying a standard example without the mods?

cheers

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

pslewis over to you!

bob r

iTrader: (46)

what model are you referring to?

The Zohan

Have a good look around and in technical this may answer some questions.

For example imports espeically earlier ones are mapped to run on 100ron fuel, UK is 95 or above so this can and usually does cause probles unles the car is remapped or run on 97+ octane booster.

These cars by nature get driven hard, maybe not all but most people do not buy a scoob turbo just to go to tescos on a saturday.

Some have been on the track which can put a lot of wear and tear on the mechanicals of even a low miles car.

I for one would rather buy an 70k miles with mostly motoway miles than a 30k that has done a lot of track days.

Some people sell their cars as they have had a warning of impending trouble say slight knocking or such a flog it beofre it becomes terminal.

Maintenance can be expensive, some people may skimp on it, prolong oil changes or whatever.

Some cars get modded, not always a problem and depends what mods and who did them.

They are performance cars and need good servicing and looking after, warming up and cooling down, etc.

If buying seconfd hand i would take someone who knows these cars or get an inspection by the AA/RAC or such.

You want to see a faultless service history and a car that has been loved not a nail cleaned up for sale.

Good luck!

Paul3446

Un-modified should be very reliable if it's had all the regular oil changes.

Graz

Jap Import or UK spec?

They don't go bang that easily (touch wood), an unmodified UK model should be one of the most reliable cars you'll ever own.

Problems occur with Japanese imports as people don't realise the ECU is set up for 100RON fuel, not the stuff we get here (95RON normal, 97RON Super, 98ish RON Optimax, 99RON Tesco Super), so Optimax/Tesco99 is needed + some octane booster. It's advisable to fit a KnockLink to imports that way you will be warned of detonation well before the engine goes pop.

The other problems are often due to ill advised modifcations, e.g. induction kit without a re-map.

MY99/00 model had a weak MAF sensor and is worth replacing periodically (1-2 years?) if you value your car.

S7EVY

Thanks for that Paul,

I was also advised by a friend to go for a fresh jap import 1995 onwards, main benefit as you've mentioned they have had the right fueling.

But only trouble is they usually don't have any service record from over there.

Steve

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Knowing what i know now I would never by a scoob. why?

Costs to run, insure, service etc. How much attention they attract from people wanting to damage, steel, vandalise.

They where meant to built like tanks if you belived the old JD power but far too many full rebuilds seen on here. Leads to paranoia regarding warming up, cooling down, trying to avoid det, failing MAF's, using high octaine fuel.

all that is on a Uk car as well.

I'm getting old now and would be quite happy with an oil burner that will do 50mpg, can park anywhere, service anywhere and as long as it gets me to work and back in comfort and can sit at 90mph.

Cars keep you poor. fact of like!

MickWrx

I am now on my second WRX jdm import, and I have not ever had any problems with either, the first one was sold due to personal reasons.

I change the oil on mine 6 weekly, and always use optimax, I have never used octaine booster, If I was going to sling it up a 1/4 mile track may think about it.

Both mine were and are MY94's so ecu is not mapable in its standard form. so suggestions to remap are not options that are available with out upgrading to a mappable one,

IMO a lot of people build up scare stories on how; you must use octane booster, you must remap, more owners of JDM's don't have serious engines problems then do...

Look after it and run it on optimax religously, (if not ajusted) and if you ever cant, don't drive it enthusiastically with lower grade fuel in.

Think that some of the one's that go pop are just not looked after, possibly have induction and exhuast mods and ecu not reset or re'fuled (if an option). or simply unlucky

.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Most engine failures are on older JDMs. Many were imported without being properly set up for UK fuel. Less of a problem with the modern cars, as reputable importers have them remapped for UK fuel as before they leave the showroom.

Most that occur on UK cars do so due to neglect or abuse.

The VERY few exceptions to the above are just the bad apples you get in every barrel.

If you look after them, don't drive them like a to55er, put cheap and nasty mods on them etc... they're very reliable cars.

NS04

PS I hope you apprecate this reply cause it involves me tempting fate!!! :-)

nik52wrx

Insurance on my STI no much different to my old golf V6.
Servicing, not much different.

Far too many rebuilds, uk cars included......i beg to differ on that.
How about everybody that 'owns' one puts a post up saying theres is running ok ? The list would be as long as your arm .

Its attitudes like yours that fuels tha paranoia

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

All japanese cars are reliable - but.... being a performance car, you can't maintain and run an Impreza on the cheap.

Most of the engine faliure stories you hear are on Jap imports with no history, so you dont know what the previous owners were like - could be they thrashed them constantly and maintained them on the cheap, or not at all.

I have a suspicion a lot of the jap owners sell the car when the major service and cambelt change is coming up ( or has just been and they dont want to chance their luck anymore ) - buy an import with no service history and not knowing if the belts have been done is asking for trouble.

If I was buying an older import, I'd budget best part of an extra grand to get the belts done and a full service and engine checkover ( some good import dealers will do this before selling the car, but most wont ).

Dont think I remember seeing any reports on here of UK cars blowing engines recently ? all of them seem to be cheap old imports that are sold by some shady dealer.

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

Also - steer well clear of engine mods on imports unless you have paperwork that proves it was done by a company who know their stuff.

UK modded cars arent such a risk as you can generally find out who did the work and check their reputation and make sure it isnt a DIY job or some backstreet garage.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

I've had mine for over 4 year now and it's been great with no major mechanical probs except the clutch judder. Thing is the number of std cars with realatively low miles I've read about on here scares the crap out of me rightly or wrongly.

Perhaps the several incidents of theft and vandalism have soured the ownership experience for me. I was also once desperate to own certain cars etc and i'm sure this blinded my judgement. Now I'm not so fussed about cars so the running costs dont seem worth it for the ammount of times I get to put my foot down and enjoy the car.

your

Grump old man...... ok I'm 29 so not so old

Chris L

If you're going to heavily modify a car, then there is a good chance that reliability will suffer. If you run a Jap import and don't adjust for UK fuel, there's a good chance it will blow up! Are either of these Subaru's fault? Does it mean that Subaru's are unreliable? Off course not. Be sensible and you'll be fine. I owned two UK cars for nearly 5 years and did 140K miles, including several mammouth trips across Europe and a few track days without any serious problems. In fact the only time the car was off the road was for a broken oxygen sensor in the exhaust!

Aztec Performance Ltd

iTrader: (234)

Found the scoob to be very reliable and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

Owned mine for 5 years and 55k miles.

stuntmonkey955

Probably tempting fate now, but my standard MY99 UK turbo has done 75k miles with no more problems than any other car with 75k IMHO. It's been serviced according to mfrs schedule since new (by Subaru Main Dealers), and I see no problems with getting another 75k miles without too many major probs. It's had brakes, exhaust, clutch, tyres, shocks and a couple of bulbs replaced, but no surprises there. Replaced the MAF at the last sevice. It has never failed it's MOT, and never let me down. My mate has a similarly serviced classic turbo with 158k (mainly motorway) miles but gets at least one track day a year), and it seems almost as fresh as mine...
As with most things, I think they're fine if they're properly looked after.

rossyboy

iTrader: (8)

Wasn't it pointed out on here that the really old jap imports ie 93/94 could not have been mapped for 100 RON because 100 RON fuel did not exist at the time?

I know that when I first got my '93, I used 95 RON for 3 months before I found scoobynet and then upgraded to Optimax. We all know that the early months of ownership aren't exactly an easy time for these cars! It still has that non-rebuilt engine more than 2 years later.

I think that although the STI jap imports will often go bang if run on poor octane fuel, it is less likely with the WRXs. That said, they should still be run on 97+ as it does happen.

booby

word of advice
DONT USE JAP PERFORMANCE BRADFORD
my engine and gear box have gone bang after only having the car not even 2 weeks,and hes not intrested in the slightest but thats another thread.

l5tuy

I agree with the previous comments, fuel wasn't as pure as 100RON 13 years ago so i don't see a prob with using normal fuel in the older imports. My mate has been using normal fuel for past two years with no porbs, it's all down to the owner.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

I love the internet!

"my mate"

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

"So subarus just go bang"

yes, yes they do, run now while you still have the chance!

ewanrw

I've got an 0505 WRX PPP. The only problem I've had was the engine shut down at 145mph. It only had 2900 miles on the clock so it was probably a bit early to test it out. Its done just over 9k now with no problems - going for 10k service very soon then I might look into new exhaust system and remap.

An old boss of mine had a P1 that went POP !! had done less than 10k miles but I would hazard a guess that it was down to the way he drove it - lots of short, fast journeys.

ewan

willfal

i was advised when i bought my 1995 uk impreza that as soon as it needs a timing belt get the oil pump changed to an uprated unit (around £140)..... if i was planning on modifying it!! Unfortunitly for me the timing belt had just been replaced a few days before i bought it so i wasn't going to fork out on another belt and new pump.

Advice came from Roger Clark motorsport when i was asking them about upgrades.

A few months later a friend bought a type R 1997, it ran for 2 months and then big end failure struck. On inspection of the engine it turned out the oil pump packed in.

I'm not due to replace the timing belt on my car for some time yet but i will do it this year and replace the oil pump as well.

Will

S7EVY

Hey just been on the phone with my friend whos gonna drive me down & inspect the scoob's, he mentioned Jap Performance. His Old feller bought a Nissan Skyline from them 5 months ago, and said he had no problems.

Just seen their website cars look pretty decent, i'm gonna hit the road on Saturday & find out if they are as good as they look.

Will also pass Keighley place just to compare although doing some homework on other Jap Forums they do lack in positive feedback.

Will keep you updated

Steve

sc00by555

Has anyone mentioned de-limiting the car? Friends of mine sold their de-limited MY99 Type R to a young fella who promptly thrashed it to death (literally) within 6 days. I would say keeping the limiter in place (at least until you're used to the car) would stop the temptation to push it into the red.

booby

your choice but remember if anything does go wrong like the engine blows etc
then you be in the same boat as me
cause he dont give a dam once he got your cash

S7EVY

Sorry to hear about your story, but i have'nt been there myself but going to take a trip down on the weekend with a friend who is a qualified mechanic. We do have a few places to visit. Probably go there last.

Steve

Carl2

THere was a thread on here maybe a year or so back now and a guy on it told me that you could blow an engine (import I think) after ONE high speed run. I didn't believe it, but he was adamant. Over the couple of years I've been on here I've seen quite a few engines reported as going bang. Admittedly that's probably quite a small percenntage of the total number on the road, but it seems it can just happen.


If it's the Keighly place I'm thinking of, do just that, pass and don't stop.

BLACK V5

Limiter only limits speed to 112mph. Doesn`t stop you ragging it to death in the first 3 or 4 gears.