Hi thinking of buying 2005 Impretza wrx, could anyone out there tell me

Of any mechanical problems i may encounter/look for.

A good garage in Hertfordshire

Service costs

Many thanks

Gary

 

To be honest, Ive always had good experiences when buying subaru.

Touch wood it will continue.

That said, in my opinion, always buy a completely standard example with low mileage, non-smoker owned, non-rep owned, and every genuine stamp in the service book/mot's/receipts including cambelt and you won't go far wrong.

Check for excessive dampness around the rear diff as these very occasionally leak on higher mileage examples, however it may be as simple as a blocked breather, or it could be more sinister if all the oil has leaked out....

Check for damp oil around the underneath of the engine, where the gearbox mates with the engine... other than that there is a plastic undertray beneath the engine which prevents you seeing too much under the engine really.

Check the tyres as well for even tyre wear all round, if not, it might need a four wheel alignment.Sometimes the brake discs can get excessively lipped on the front too

do a quick check on mytextcheck.com and/or a HPi check and look out for any evidence of bothed crash damage repair such as rust and overspray. Impreza's rarely ever rust bodywork wise unless they have been improperly repaired.

Make sure its all as dry as a bone in the boot as I've known the odd bootlid rubber to sometimes go flat and need renewing.

As for servicing, it can range from around 115 for a simple oil and filters change to 170ish for a more indepth service to around 500 for the full del monte of all fluids,cambelt, brake adjust etc. Servicing is 12 monthly on the newages I beleive.

Best O luck

 

If its a 2005 model then it has the updated shocks which are prone to knocking. Check there isn't a knocking noise from the rear.

You can tell a 2005 model by the red front calipers. Before that they were black.

 

I thought that was just the STI models?

Mine on my 04 were a grey/silver colour.

My 50,000 miles service (including cam belt) recently cost me £300.

If you're talking 05 WRX money then have a look to see what else it could get you, you won't be far off an 06 Hawkeye or Bug STI for that! Shop around and enjoy the test drives

 

I have a 55 plate WRX. The only issue I had was at 10k when the rear shocks began knocking. They werereplaced under warranty. 2 years later and the replacement are fine(14k) I also had a couple of spots of rust on the Prodrive back box, again replaced under warranty.
I found a top independant for servicing, I wasn't impressed with several Subaru main dealers I used.This is my second Blob and third Impreza. I've had no reliability issues. As soon as the warranty expired I ditched the PPP and went aftermarket for mods. Fuel economy with decat and remap is up some 15%. More power and mpg!

 

Need to find good Subaru specialist for service pref in Hertfordshire i live in Hertford, would prob be looking at 50k service to start with.

Anyone no of any treid and trusted specialists for service?


Thanks



Gary B