Scottish Scooby Newbie

Hi folks,

I'm seriously considering a Subaru Impreza WRX Sportswagon for my next car. I've got a budget of about £12k and after looking on Autotrader I came across quite a few 2004 models all with about 20K-30K mileage on the clock around that kind of money.

Hopefully you can help with a few questions:

1. Has there been a model change or facelift since the 2004 (53) models I'm looking at?
2. Does anyone know when the Impreza is due for it's next model change?
3. When was the last model change?
4. Insurance - 28 years old, 6 years NCB, no points/claims, 20k miles per year. Bell Insurance were quoting me £900 fully comp. Is that what I can expect, or will specialists like A-Plan get me close to £5/600?
5. Realistically what mpg can I expect? (Silly question to ask a Subaru driver I know!)
6. For the money I have to spend and what I'm after, am I likely to encounter problems buying a used Subaru?
7. Is there anywhere else I should be looking for used Scooby wagons apart from Autotrader?
8. If I go to a Subaru dealership looking for this kind of car/age/miles, are they not going to be charging me about £15-16K?
9. What are the servicing and running costs for a car like this?
10. Finally, can I expect a nice car for this kind of money?

Appreciate there is a lot there, but it's a big purchase for me.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

wrx-kris

is there any shape in particular you are looking for?

personally i like classics. you could pick up a mint one, pay your insurance AND have loads of change!

Scottish Scooby Newbie

This is the kind of car I've been looking at.

STi5_TypeR_VLtd

I bought my Type R in 2004 and the wife used to drive it a lot as it was safer than her escort (and more fun!) especially with the baby on board.

When her escort died (with some help from her dad who crashed it) we decided on getting a wagon for her . I initially looked at 2004 models as I like the shape but the ins. quote for a standard wagon was 850 - 900 (based on 8 years NCB and no claims/convictions). I enquired about a 99 STi Wagon and the ins. costs were 550 all in inc. legal!
More BHP = Lower Ins.

We gave up looking at newer models at that point, I prefer classics anyway, and finally decided on the MY99 STi that she has now.

I guess (hope) we can achieve 30mpg on a long trip (off boost), not sure with the newer models though - suspect similar mpg.
One mint 04 car I looked at was 9k with 40k miles. so your budget would be fine for a very nice example.

Try Pistonheads.com as they have some (people list there as its free).

You will always pay more at a dealer but you are paying their forecourt, wages and for the warantee you get

Servicing can be cheap (ish), it all depends whether you go to a main dealer or not. I use a specialist and it is much cheaper than a dealer price, I think the work carried out is better too. Then again I doubt any dealers near me would look at my imports...

I dont see why you wouldnt be able to get a mint example for the £12k, dont rush in and buy the 1st car you see though. Drive a few and get a feel for exactly what you want.

Scottish Scooby Newbie

Hi there, thanks for the response!

Sounds like you got a deal with your '99 STI, but I'm probably going to stick with the newer model.

Hopefully I can get some more reponses to assist with the decision

RS Grant

Hi Mate,

Welcome to Scoobynet, and potentially Subaru Ownership..... I'll go through your questions as best I can.. If I leave stuff out, or am a bit wrong in what I say, I'm sure other people will pick me up on it.

1. There was a slight facelift on the 2005 models, but they still retained the same general look (called Blobeye).. I think the visual upgrades were mainly interior based, and the rear suspension got inverted struts too. Like the STi models.

2. The 'all-new' 2008 model Impreza is due for release at the end of this year/beginning of next year according to the people I've talked to and the things I've read.

3. Last model change was 2006 with the launch of the current Impreza (called Hawkeye).

4. That seems quite expensive, but depending on post code might be correct. I'm 23, low-risk post code and am £700 on a 2007 STi Spec-D as part of a multicar policy with Admiral.

5. Realistically, in a WRX, I'd say that you'll average 25mpg driving in mixed conditions.

6, 7 & 8. Used Subarus at this age arent likely to cost you dearly on maintenance or repairs. Places to check for cars would be: Scoobynet, Subaru Impreza Drivers Club and Pistonheads as well as the main Subaru UK site. I had a quick look on Subaru UK and there are a few 2003/2004 WRX Wagons on there with good miles for around your 12k budget... If I was in your position and not confident in buying/looking at private cars for sale then I'd buy from a Dealership as you get a years Subaru Warranty which will give you peace of mind with such a big purchase.

9. Varies depending on how you drive the car to be honest, the harder you drive the car, the quicker stuff like tyres/brakes etc will wear out... Generally, you are cheaper/the same price buying uprated aftermarket stuff for the consumable items. Stuff like upgraded brakes shouldn't invalidate your warranty either, but its best to check with your servicing dealership before buying anything that might be 'dodgy' in the eyes of Subaru UK.

10. Definitely, they are awesome cars mate. I've had 5 of them now and lots of other cars in between, always seem to come back to them and feel happiest when driving one.


I'd recommend doing a bit of searching/reading on here for information on areas you arent sure of, whatever question you're thinking of will 99% of the time have been asked before.. so just use the Search Function at the top of the page and have a look through the results.

Also, where in Scotland are you based?? For more local events/banter then get yourself onto Scottish Scoobies and introduce yourself.. there are lots of events/local meets organised and we're all a friendly bunch of peeps.


Cheers,
Grant