ets2k9

Hi,

This is my first post so please be kind

I'm looking at getting an Impreza in the next couple of months although I dont have a massive budget (5k) to play with and a lot of the ones I can afford are packing some hefty miles.

I really dont want to buy anything with much more than 90k but even with that amount of mileage, I'm worried that I'm buying the car at the end of its life and that it will turn into a money pit?

I have a private plate which I'd like to keep so this narrows my choice of car's from a "P" plate onwards.

Apologies if this has been covered on a daily basis for the last 5 years.

Cheers

Steve

Multijfj

If your looking for 97 onwards then you will be looking @ high mileage imprezas,

personally, I would recommend going for a 95 and sodding the private plate, a plate is no good if your car is in the garage all the time!

5k Would knock a nice jdm wrx on the head 95/96 with around 40-50k miles with some good mods most likely.

My mate paid 4.6k for his, with 50k miles, a lovely one off paint job, and the essentials like 18's superleggas, sti5 spoiler, and a nice front splitter, and running 284bhp,

Dave1980

as long as you get one that has been looked after it shouldnt be an issue. I have 105k on my 93wrx with a few mods and its still going very strong.

keep the servicing up and run it on good fuel and obvioulsy treat it with a bit of care. e.g. not ragging the crap out of it from cold and let it cool down for a minute or two before switching off after a long run on the turbo.

marmski

Agree with Multijfj... dont let the plate possibly push you into an expensive mistake.

Put the plate on retention for now and save it for a later purchase.

octain

i brought a 1997 white sti showing 116K this year that i think relates to 80,000 miles, it runs sound and is close to 400bhp / equal length headers, bigger ic/ full sports cat and exhaust/ hks boost controller/ 6 pot AP racing on the front with 330mm discs/HKS Fillter/ HKS Turbo/Chipped and remapped / running up to 30 psi,plus lots more . having looked around i would say some of the low milage ones that are imported oftern have an incorrect speedos, i saw some with low miles that were totally shaged and some with high miles that looked correct , so i would say judge the car on its over all condition and history, i personally egnored the speedo readings in the end and went for wot was infront of me, good checks and a good test drive and an AA / RAC inspection or even ask to take it to a subaru garage for a test, if they aint got nothing to worrie about, they wont mind the inspection, i paid £4500 for mine and its close to mint, i had the 17" speedline restored (£180)and removed the gold rally grafix (free) and have just paid (£240) for some original sti rear light as the goon before put lexus on and put the original in the bin , its fitted with a v 6 rear spoiler, it is now a very nice car, with myself doing a full service , belts oil /gerabox oil/ diff oil / HKS plug/ and a new HKS fillter spong, she ows me nearly £6K, but she is now spot on , and i fail to see anyother car you can get with this performance and style for this sort of money

Mick

swtmerce

I agree with Octain. You must buy on condition, not mileage. I have a 98 STi4 with 113000 miles when I bought it. It had been looked after very well with lots of history (not just service stamps but the invoices too) and had always had parts replaced as soon as wear or tear were identified by the servicing garage, i.e. the guy didn't wait until the parts failed, to replace them. Unfortunately I had an engine failure but it wasn't anything to do with the 'usual' detonation - it was oil pump failure. Now that the engine is rebuilt it is even stronger than before (302 bhp, 260 lbft with just a decat) and with the general good upkeep by the previous owners, I now have a very sorted car that will keep me smiling for a very long time.

wolfie28

Take your time looking for one. Just because it looks good doesn't mean it is good, i.e. mutton dressed up as lamb.
If the car has been looked after correctly and serviced by reputable garages high mileage shouldn't be much of and issue. If possible put approx £200 of your budget aside for an independant inspection to be carried out if you want. If you live near an Subaru independant specialist ask them to keep a look out for a Scoob for you.
There are some not very reputable dealers out there (a search on Scoobynet will find them) so if its too good to be true it probably is .

Happy hunting.

Wolfie.

ets2k9

Cheers lads thanks for all the good advice.

I plan to take my time and hopefully end up with a nice example I had already considered putting some money aside for inspections.

If I'm having no luck with my search i'll ditch the plate and see what I can get.

Many Thanks

Steve

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

my advice is to look around all the available sites etc. ive had two turbo scoobs, one a supposed 95 impreza with 75000 miles, this died 6 months later due to having a hard life... after having a cheap runaround i plunged in and bought a uk 99 turbo on a t-plate. its covered 120000 miles, but has lots of history, and all the reciepts of a total engine rebuild at just shy 71,000 miles, inc turbo, short block etc. didnt cost anywhere near 5k, just shy of £4k acutally, and really only needs a good service, cambelt change, new tyres and discs/pads, hence the good price. ive already budgeted for this anyway.

look, look, and look some more. take test drives in a few. get a feel for what a proper scoob should feel like. many can do over 200,000miles ive heard off reputable sources on here, if treated right, and it seems like your doing the right thing in asking questions.

i personally think you could get a decent 97/98 scoob for around £4.5-5k, but just be careful of the dogs out there, and the conmen.

andy

ets2k9

Cheers Andy

I had a dream of picking up a nice 300bhp+ Sti etc...but then I woke up.

A nice UK model would be ideal I think Its probably wise for me to avoid the import scene as I'm no expert and think it could all go horribly wrong for me.

I'll start my test drivin campaign in January as looking at the usual sources things seem abit slow at the moment.

ets2k9

https://www.scoobynet.com/trade-sale...ica-black.html

This one looks alright although it means my private plate goes.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

good point that. you should defo try jason at scoobybits... excellent guy. getting my scoob serviced at his in the new year. what he doesnt know about scoobs isnt worth knowing. and if your nice to him, he may start up the 138db yellow monster he owns!

always has cars for sale, of exceptional quality too!

ets2k9

He has a few on his site they all seem decent cars so I'll have to take a mooch.

silent running

I would say buying a high mileage Impreza is a false economy. I was in your exact situation last year when I bought mine, a fixed budget and thought a high mileage but tidy WRX would fit the bill. Sorry to say it but if you drive an Impreza how it's meant to be driven, and even if you just take it easy, parts are very expensive and it's once you get over 100k that sensors start packing up every other month, and as you will find out, there is virtually nothing that can be bought as a pattern part from your local motor factors - it's all Subaru-only.

There was nothing wrong with mine when I bought it, but I was expecting that in the next year or two I'd need a new engine and/or gearbox, and so it has turned out. Along with countless sensors, service items etc etc. I've easily spent what the car cost me just to keep it running, which certainly never happened on any other high mileage motors I've owned. If you think Subarus are reliable you're kidding yourself, and leggy ones are even less so, however well they've been looked after. Bottom line is: stuff wears out. Why do you think people sell on high-mileage motors?

It does seem tempting to get a hell of a lot of motor for not much money, but we're not talking about a 911 or an E-class here. Or even a Peugeot diesel minicab. It's a Subaru, designed to be thrashed and needing a lot of attention to keep it alive.

octain

I'll agree a little with you there , but a wot point is it high miles, mine done 116k that relates to 72 thousand miles , the car 1997 , now in car terms thats lower than average miles for the year , as for expencive running , if you are on a bugget dont bother buying any car of this nature , they are not cars to be run on a shoe string (think we can all agree on that)

mick

ets2k9

You summed up my fears there Silent Running I know Impreza's aren't used to drop the kids off at school and pick up some shopping.

I'm under know illusions that a 90k+ car is going to have had a very hard life but in a possibly nieve sense if I could pick up one with a a good history it should be ok?

You may have a point maybe I should hold out a while longer rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel and regretting it.

swtmerce

You defo need some money in reserve and quite a bit of disposable income to run these cars. I knew when I bought mine that the engine could fail, and it did just a bit too soon. However I had factored this in, in the purchase price. The rebuild nearly cost the same as the car! Soon it'll need new discs and pads which is going to be a good £400 including the labour (nice DBA discs and Ferodo pads).

The Scoobys (I'm on number 3 now) have been the most money hungry ***** cars I've ever owned but I love em for it

wilmabeast

ets2k9 (catchy name that ;-)), see my post elsewhere recently on high mileage scoobys, i bought and sold one a couple of years back and regretted it, so am buying another now.

I have to say that in the time i owned my first one it was extremely reliable, i did about 15k miles in it and all it needed during that time was a couple of services (including a big one at 90k). I personally would prefer a highish mileage UK car with plenty of history than some import which reads 50k on the clock but with nothing to back that up, personal preference though.

I sold mine at 100k and it was taut and solid, i was never a huge fan of the impreza before i bought mine, but now i am buying another, you just can't buy a better car for the money IMO.

ets2k9

Its my catchy forum name used throughout my internet travels I could explain but I dont want to bore you.

I'll take a look at the one above tomorrow and go from there.

wilmabeast

at the end of the day at this sort of age/price/mileage it's a gamble, just look at as many as you can to minimise the chance of getting bummed by some big bills somewhere down the line!

silent running

As above. I think what I'm trying to say is that however tidy and well maintained a high mileage Scoob is, parts do wear out with mileage even if it's never been driven hard e.g. my speed sensor which I recently replaced. You end up with the dilemma of sending £150-£300 on a new replacement from Subaru (most sensors are in that price range for a classic, let there be no doubt about it!) or taking a chance on the same part from a scrappy with unknown mileage and still pretty expensive. Owners of younger cars simply don't have to worry about that kind of stuff anywhere near as much.

FAO Octain - mine's done 118k miles now, I bought it on 105k, so firstly I know about high mileage cars, and secondly, when you've spent £4000+ on maintenance and rebuilds in a year and half it gives a new meaning to high running costs. I certainly didn't expect a Subaru to be cheap to run, but if you think I'm being a cheapskate because I find over 4 grand a year too much (and that's cash not credit card) then I wonder if maybe you're running a Lamborghini as a daily driver? :-)

Heple

I'm sorry guys i just dont agree with some of these statements.

In my view as long as you get a well looked after and maintained car you should be fine.

Most wearing parts CAN now easily be bought from motor factors only sensors will have to be bought from the main dealer but this is the same with any car manufacturer.

The only thing you will have to consider is fuel and servicing costs. (i spend around £1000 on fuel a year doing an average of 8000miles and service it every 5Kmiles costing around £50 each time)

For 5k you should easily be able to afford a MY99/00 Classic UK Turbo

Look Here:

Auto Trader MY99 UK Turbo Search

Auto Trader MY00 UK Turbo Search

And some of these arnt even high mile's.

What i would suggest is that you spend a couple of days reading through the tech/drivetrain forum's looking for common problems so that you know what your looking for before you buy.

Just remember at the end of the day buying any used car is a gamble be it if it has less than 10k miles or over 100k miles. I couldnt begin to count the number of people i have heard having problems with brand new cars.

Craig

paul2070

I may be blind,but you don't seem to say whether you want a UK car or a Jap Import(if in fact you are bothered either way).

I think that there are some very inflated prices around at the moment,but the odd "bargain"does come up.

I bought my 2000 W reg UK 1 owner car that even now has only covered 66k with FSH a couple of months ago and paid what i considered it to be worth,and obviously what the seller thought was fair and i have been over the moon with it,however,as stated you can end up with some fairly large bills quite quickly,for what seams like very little................i recently had a slight running problem(that is very common!!)and it ended up being 2 sensors(oxygen+MAF)and that cost nearly £300.

Also be aware that there are still a lot of insurance companies that insist on the car having some kind of Tracker fitted,so you may also have to budget for that aswell.

I bought mine as a "cheap" winter runabout after owning several other quick cars this year,and like i say,i have been very pleased,just make sure you get a good one like i consider i did(some bills are inevitable as a car gets older)!!


By the way,mine is for sale soon for offers around £5250,i have had a Tracker fitted,it has a CAT 1 Alarm/Immobiliser,Dark Blue Metallic,1owner FSH etc etc.There also a Brand New set of Anthracite Innovit Redlines and Toyo Tyres,and a Hayward +Scott Stainless Steel Back Box and Centre Decat available that i bought for it.

ets2k9

Thanks for the advice and I want a UK model ideally.

I had a look at one today which seemed a really genuine good car:

2 Owners from new 88000 miles

Full Subaru History the first 21k were at Bellcharm and the remaining were at Monks Heath. The servicing intervals have been a religious 5000miles. I dont know of the dealers but do have the numbers of both so will call to verify everything is ok.

It also has the bonus of a long T&T and is a completly standard UK car, it looked immaculate and drove really well.

I'm taking a mechanic friend along with me for a 2nd opinion, the seller also seemed genuine which doesnt mean a great deal but it sort of helps.

Here are so camera phone pics.








What do we think?

Heple

How much is it?

IT looks in good standard condition the only issue i would have was the old shape dash board i would go for a 98 (R Reg) onwards car as i know i would be gutted after a few months of ownership.

Just my 2ps worth

Go for a MY99/00 YOU CAN AFFORD IT!

Craig

ets2k9

its £3800

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

is that the owners lowest price? always try barter it down a little, may seem silly, but you never know whats around the corner. not a massive mileage, looks good nick, a good canvas to work from if you have 5k. over a grand left to sort those ****ty wheels and exhaust out.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

IMHO the light grey is not a good colour for a Scoob ... try for dark grey (as below) or dark blue

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-9/1084300/sub2.JPG

TX.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Look at this search for Type R's:

Auto Trader UK - Used Car Search - Used Cars for sale online.

Ignore the Keighley Trade Centre ones (do a search on here to see why) & there is a really nice white one on Page 2, says:

Manual, 60,000 miles, STI TYPE RA LIGHTWEIGHT MODEL white 5 speed power steering aircon intercooler water spray central diff controller sti suede interior 17inch p1 alloys cd/tape player sti stainless steel exhaust roof vent 5th injector very very fast. £3,750. ono

It looks awesome & for the price, you can budget for a few things to go wrong!

TX.

skoosh

FWIW.......I just sold my 96uk turbo wagon with 1400000 miles on clock for £3750 cash. The chap who bought her from me took her to a specialist that I'd not used and he too confirmed the condition of the car..........ALWAYS BUY ON CONDITION SIR.

She was in fantastic condition for age with FULL history, oil changes every 3-4k, washed almost daily, waxed monthly etc etc.........

When I originally bought her she had 82k on clock and another 2 fastiduous owners.

Good ones are out there.

Si