samo

iTrader: (6)

Hi guys, im new here and also new to subaru's.

Currently i have a 96 Honda Civic 1.6 Non vtec, but hopefully within the next few months il have sold it and bought an impreza.
I have a few noobish questions i hope you nice scoobynet members can answer for me.

My budget for an impreza after selling the civic will be around £3500 - £4500, id love to get a bug eye but there is no way i can afford one without taking out a loan or saving up for another year or so (which is hard as iv just moved into a new house). Because of this im more than happy to go for a classic Impreza (Wrx Import or UK turbo).

For my budget would i be looking at a decent enough condition impreza? Iv seen a fair few in autotraders and on piston heads that are going for around my budget but they all seem to be import wrx's around the 93-95 year mark with milage between 66,000 to anything over 100,000. Is a high milage impreza still reliable?

Also iv heard from verious impreza owners that you have to let the car warm up and cool down before you turn it off/drive it. Is this because of the turbo?

Hope iv made myself clear what im on about Any advice would be great.

Cheers all.

Red Rocket 11166

Hi Samo,

Welcome to Scoobynet, firstly looking for a Scooby is like looking for any other car, you can get good ones and bad ones so you need to shop around.

(Also iv heard from verious impreza owners that you have to let the car warm up and cool down before you turn it off/drive it. Is this because of the turbo?)

Yes this is true.

Regards Red.

samo

iTrader: (6)

Thanks for the reply Red. With regards to warming up/cooling down the scooby, does this have to be done every time etc?

Paul3446

I'm not aware you need to let it warm up any more than any other car, just sensible driving for a couple miles.

You certainly have to let the turbo "spin down" for about a minute before turning the engine off, this can mean letting it idle for a minute or simply slow driving (below 3k revs) for a minute before stopping.

You should be able to get a late classic shape for that money, they tend to be more desirable than the bugeye version. I would advise looking for a standard UK car, FSH is a must really.

Paul.

PeteBrant

Yes. Basically, you want the oil to get up to temperature before giving it some stick, and similarly, you wan tto let it idle for a minute after giving it some stick so that oil continues to circulate, cooling the turbo.

With regards to buying one...

Check out the service history. Independant dealers are worth just as much as Scooby main dealer sin thsi regards, often more so if it is a reputable indie. I would rather have a higher mileage car that has been looked after than a low milegae that has missed several service intervals.

If it is an import, ask what fuel the car has been run on.

Do the usual checks blue/black/white smoke from the exhaust isn't desirable (although obviously you are going to get white smoke to some extent on cold days.). Check the interior/pedals/gear **** for excessive wear that dones't tally up with the stated mileage

Check what mods have been done and who did them - Personally I would steer clear of Induction kits and dump valves, but exhaust mods are fine. Make sure any changes to turbos etc have has a supporting remap done on the ECU. Check for paper work of this. Steer clear of "Super chips" ECU mods etc.

Check with your insurance company what sort of money you are looking at to insure. WRX imports are group 20, UK Turbos are Group 17.

PeteBrant

You should be looking at a MY96-MY98 for that money. MY97's and MY98's suffered from piston slap. Whilst in itself this is not a problem whatsoever, do make sure that a distinct loud tapping noise goes away once the car is warm.

samo

iTrader: (6)

cheers for the advice guys. ideally i would prefer the uk turbo (though its not as powerful as the wrx import right?) saying that coming from a 1.6 116bhp to something over 200bhp is a huge step up :-D

PeteBrant

Correct. A WRX will have between 240-260BHP. A UK Turbo will be 208-215 depending on the year (Although the UK figure is possibly underestimated).

In real terms, there is not much to choose between the two with regards to raw performance. They are both quick cars, with the WRX being that much quicker - Altough shorter gearing potentially means it is less suited to UK roads. THE WRX has more toys as standards - Rear windscreen wiper, some have folding mirrors, Air con etc. UK cars are faily basic in this respect.


If you are going tofr a UK turbo, just make sure the service history is up to scratch and that it has been "loved"

Scoobyspanners

A few wards of advice,
1-check the car you are looking at has a FSH or receipts for serving.
2-That it is not due a Major service (i.e. cam belt due as this is expensive to get done at a garage)
3-HPI check the car (I nearly got stitched up with a car on finance)
4-Check you can afford to insure it (a Thachem alarm and tracker require by some insurers, tracker charge to transfer ownership if one already fitted and charge by the Year or, for a price, the life time of ownership of the car)
5-Tyres are costly make sure they have even wear.
6-Budget for Tax (180 quid for my UK Turbo a year, STi are higher Tax group, not sure about WRX import)
7-You will need a reserve of cash for the unexpected!!!! I had to have the clutch done on my car 15 Months after getting it, cost over 500 quid fitted. Coil packs started playing up (missing in damp conditions), 60 quid each, and 4 per car...........and last of all if you rack up high mileage remember the subaru has a drink problem. 25 mpg IF you are lucky. If you put your foot down then 18 mpg or less is possible, plus you will need a speed camera detector or budget for speeding fines too................and get a disclock or similar to put off thieves.

Take your time and don't jump at the first car you see unless it is perfect, take someone with you who has a level head and an objective view towards Subarus, and use the above pointers to negotiate price. Good luck.........

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

hi samo, welsome to scoobynet fella.

ive personally had both a 260bhp wrx import, and a 215bhp uk classic, so can see on either side of the spectrum. as im only 23 with 18 months driving experience under my belt, its uk turbos for me. my wrx was costing well over £2k to insure, and im currently under ecar for £1751 fully comp, which is bloody good considering.

basically i echo the above. most import however dont generally come with much in the means of service history. but thats not to say an "immaculate" looking uk turbo will not have been thrashed...

are you good under an engine bay? if not, take a mate who is too look over any possible buys. the usual checks above, and make sure that if you go for a test drive, make sure the car is cold from start. as said above 97-98 classics had piston slap, but when warm, this generally disappears. my99-00 classics had terrible m.a.f. sensors, so nothings perfect.

for the record i picked my my99 uk classic up for £4000, considering the guy was after a quick sale. spent probably that too since on modifications, servicing, wear and tear items too, but i bugdeted for this when buying last december.

for £3500-4500 if you shop around a my98-99 car isnt out of youre reach. is it saloon or estate your after. estates, i have noticed on a personal front, seem to be a little cheaper than saloons, but weigh near enough the same, with the same blistering performance.

plenty of helpful faces on here, but ignore the tossers... one or two come to mind anyways.

just ask questions, youll find a good 'un

andy

samo

iTrader: (6)

cheers Scoobyspanners & chocolate_o_brian for the great advice and breakdown.

Fortunatly my dad is pretty good at spotting problems on engines etc, so no doubt he should be ok for coming with me when i find 'the one'. Wont be for a few months yet till i start going to view cars due to me having to save a bit first and with needing to sell my civic, gives me plenty of time to do some research and pester you guys on here though lol.

As for insurance il have to shop around, im 25 with 0 no claims but have been driving since i was 17 so i should be able to get cheapish insurance (i hope)

Any other bits and bobs i should keep an eye out for?

Paul3446

Clutch judder on models around 1997, this can disappear when warm, so test drive with the engine cold if possible.

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Brakes on the Classic arn't terribly impressive. So don't be astonished by the stopping power. Unless the car you test drive has had a brake conversion done.
Avoid Imprezas with after market air cone type filters. As I made the mistake of having one put on a MY00 Classic I once owned and it caused issues with the engine. I.e: Over fuelling, knackered MAF sensor. Left any longer and I could have had a dead engine.

samo

iTrader: (6)

thats not good at all. So first thing i need to do really is uprate the brakes? i wont be driving silly when i finally get one.

With the cone filter issue, i thought induction kits/aftermarket filters are used to impove the air flow etc.

Red Rocket 11166

Samo,

(Brakes on the Classic arn't terribly impressive.) The standard brakes are ok,but an upgrade makes alot of difference.


(With the cone filter issue, i thought induction kits/aftermarket filters are used to impove the air flow etc.) Get a good panel filter.

Regards Red.

samo

iTrader: (6)

cheers again Red

Bug Eyed Peas

Another point, if the owner insists on driving first & thrashes it from cold, walk away. As said above, the oil needs to warm through first as damage will occur
Don`t buy the first one you see. Don`t let your heart rule your head. A good car is worth travelling for as many have found on here.
One more thing, Good Luck in your search

Ant

samo

iTrader: (6)

Cheers Ant again for the sound advice. at first i might check out any dealerships, they might be a litle more expensive but im guessing the car will come with a 6/12 month warrenty etc.

PeteBrant

Firstly all that will change below 350BHP with a cone filter is the noise. It will make virtually no difference over a decent panel filter below that point, in term so of performance.

Secondly, unless properly ducted, all you are doing is sucking in warm air from the engine bay, sort of negating the "cold air feed" aspect.

samo

iTrader: (6)

ah now it makes more sense.

rossi_p

iTrader: (26)

Agreed - the reason is down to good old physics. An engine develops most power by getting the max quantity of air (not just volume but density). For every 10 degrees C the temperature is reduced the air density increases 3% so power will increase by 3%. It is not uncommon for under bonnet temperatures to be 40 degrees C or more so if you can direct air from outside the engine compartment at say normal UK ambient of 15 degrees C, you can gain an instant 7% power increase.

samo

iTrader: (6)

Panel filter it is then.

Whats the deal with front mount ic's? I see alot of people installing them, just wondered what the benefits are rather than sticking to the top mount ic?

Probein

Save up and go for a bugeye, they're up to 10% faster than any other Impreza!

*cackles and vanishes into the night*

Norman Dog

iTrader: (1)

Certainly 90% uglier