actionslax

Hi folks,

first post and all so hallo!

been looking around here for a while and found some good info but still unsure what to do about this impreza i been drooling over past week.

i'm no mechanic and like anybody i don't want to buy a goosed, ragged motor.......

its a 98 wagon, 99k miles, full service history - last service october 05, standard apart from exhaust. price - £4k

just looking for some advice -
whens the next big service coming up around this mileage - average price?
do i do a RAC/specialist check?
anything else i should worry about at this mileage - 4wd system, turbo etc - or will these things run for another good 30k+ without much bother?

cheers in advance..

slax

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Hello and welcome

It should have had a major service at 90k miles including a new cam belt, so make sure that's been done. Service interval is 7500 miles, so the last service should have been at 97500 and it's due one at 105000. Go to an independent specialist and you should get a reasonable quote - £150 or thereabouts.

There's no particular point on which these cars tend to fail; the most common 'sudden death' tends to be big end bearings, which go without warning and mean a new engine. That's mercifully rare on standard UK cars and shouldn't be anything to worry about. (Mine was the exception, though )

An independent inspection is definitely a good idea IMHO; these cars may be mechanically reliable, but their owners do have a habit of driving them into solid objects from time to time

'98 cars can suffer from piston slap, heard as a knocking noise from the engine whilst it's cold. If you hear such a noise, and it goes away as the car warms up, then that's probably what it is. Some cars were fixed under warranty (new engine block!), but it's more annoying than serious.

Bear in mind that even though it's cheap to buy, an Impreza is a performance car and tends to invite correspondingly large fuel and insurance bills. Check you know exactly what you're letting yourself in for in both cases. (Expect around 24mpg). Parts can be pricey too, so try and get some idea of how much life is left in the clutch, brakes and any other consumables.

Eckmcmann

As andy just stated mate, best get an independent inspection, and maybe HPI clearance to be on the safe side. and as said before just make sure you know what your getting yourself in for mate, as scoobys dont come cheap! get an insurance quote first, and if its going to be run everyday, you've seriously got to think about fuel consumption, as these things drink it like there's no tomorrow! but, on the plus side, one drive and you'll be hooked

actionslax

cheers for the replies folks, just the advice i'm needin.....

i have thought about this for a while. checked my insurance 2 weeks past now and it is not much more than what i am paying at the moment to just around the 600 mark - i'm 29 year old with 7+ years of ncb's...

the fuel doesn't bother me too much and i won't be using it every day. i used to drive a race prep'd landrover 90 which did 10-14mpg on a good day!

only concern is buying something and having to throw a load of money at it.

would one of these independent inspections give me an idea about the clutch/ brakes/ oil levels in the gearbox, the MAF (heard these need changed allot) - basically all i would need to know about making a good decision?

cheers again..

slax