My Impreza is 10 years old in May 2010. I have owned it since that May day in 2000 when I picked her up with 12 miles on the clock.

It has been the most reliable car I have ever owned, it has given me many miles of sheer pleasure.

It has cost very little with the exception of the petrol consumption. Less than £300 a year Insurance, reasonable Car Tax, 6 monthly Servicing costs low, bits rarely wear out - nothing falls off.

So, my mind is turning to a new Impreza.

The current offer is £18,000 for a WRX - add an S to that and £20,500 comes into view. WRX STi 330 looks like an amazing package and I could scare myself silly.

But, and this is the fly in the ointment, each one has an annual Car Tax of £460!!!

The first time you pay it, it doesn't really matter - what's £460 on a £30,000 car?

Second time, the car is still worth a reasonable amount, so £460 slips easily from the fingers.

Third time around it is starting to hurt, the car isn't worth much more than half what you paid and the 'newness' has vanished - dents have appeared and the tyres need replacing.

Fourth time and it's now gone up to £550 ... MOT is due, Warranty has expired, value is on the floor. That £550 is now becoming a right royal pain in the rear end - but, you can't sell, no-one wants a car like that anymore!

Fifth year and the car Tax falls due, the value is now in banger territory, the Tax is approaching the value of the car!!

This is what puts a brake on me wanting to jump in and buy another - seems I am not alone, the sales figures are pretty dire.

I would love another, but will probably carry on with my old faithful - after all, I no longer worry about dents and knocks, I no longer worry about being Car-Jacked, and in actual fact - I'm sure she is faster than she has ever been!

Anyone else been stopped buying another newer Impreza because of the Tax?

 

In absolute terms , no it isn't a factor over 52 weeks, however being a Yorkshireman, I hate giving the "Gormless Goon" a penny more in tax than is necessary.....

I was thinking of transplanting my STI into a hatch, (1.5 R) as the tax is the same. Plus £2k for a cage, and £3.5 to 4 K for the wide arch kit, then suspension and a full mechanical upgrade using my car.

But due to the recession I need to know I'm still employed in April, so no way at the moment.

Tried the STI and was left with only a luke warm feeling, unlike the first drive I had in a classic way back in 1997....

dunx

P.S. Welcome back

 

Keep the old one and modify it LOL

Where you been, missed your predictions (guesses) on the economy and politics in particular :-)

 

Cheers

 

MODIFY IT!?

Wash your mouth out!

Been away for a rest - I'm back to guide the mis-guided, to lead the way, to encourage those who are lost -

 

translation: muddy the waters!

 

You're not the only one. I feel quite lucky that my 55 plate car still comes in at the lower tax rate, being 219g/km. I very nearly waited a few months for the Hawkeye 2.5, but I would have been paying £400+ in tax and I would have found it hard to justify.

It's not just Imprezas, though. A few others I considered are just into the top band and I wouldn't touch one now, exactly for the reasons you have pointed out.

 

It's a shame ..... but, it is the response the Government wanted - to drive the thirsty cars off the road - or make them pay heavily for their pollution, I guess?

Buying a £30,000 car right now would appear folly, if in 5 years it is worth nothing?

I'm glad I got most of my driving in through the 60's, 70's and 80's ..... it's just not the same these days

 

Fifth year and the car Tax falls due, the value is now in banger territory, the Tax is approaching the value of the car!!

WOW
Wish i could view ANY five year old motor as 'banger territory', let alone a WRX!

I hate to think what you would consider my 13 year old scooby to be then!

 

here's abit of food for thought:

Classic impreza 6 monthly services and two yearly coolant change, 2 year gearbox oil changes and 5yr cambelt (or 3yr on pre-MY98 cars).

Vs

12month servicing, 11 year coolant change (so long as the correct type is used). Not sure on gearbox or cambelt yet (longer or the same? ).

So, whats the cost of a PROPER 2 year service on a Classic vs that of a MY09? And will that long term saving offset the road tax?

 

You do get three years free servicing with the new ones though. That takes the sting out of it a bit.

 

Point taken, but I service my Classic myself - I would guess at £30 a Service?

If I had a 2009 STi 330 I would be putting it into the Main Dealer network at a much, much higher cost.

Insurance would be more - maybe £600 rather than the £270 I pay now?

Car Tax - as we have said above, is a concern.

Depreciation - my Classic cannot fall any lower.

The sinking feeling that comes when you see another dent

Nah, it just doesn't add up anymore.

Maybe a Legacy? They are knocking the old model out at £14,000 OTR - which I find quite amazing.

 

I don't think that applies to the Turbo versions - does it?

 

Yeah it does, I got it with my WRX-S.

 

When you put it like that it doesn't make much sense to buy new. I'm hoping to keep mine for a long time and get my moneys worth. Hopefully it will be as reliable as your classic.

 

You should consider a nice wrx bugeye I think that would tick the boxes and still keep the costs down nicely.

 

When I bought mine, it was for 10 years. Unless it let me down - it hasn't - and yours will be rock solid too, I'm sure.

I have kept mine standard, it's when you start messing about with it that they tend to get unreliable .... enjoy what it gives you and you will be fine!

 

what about fuel?
new cars are better MPG
even a small amount more can add up to a lot of £ over the year
depending on mileage you inten to do?

 

I do about 7000 - 9000 miles a year, any more and I would have thought longer and harder about a Subaru.

I doubt the STi 330 would deliver better than the 25-30mpg I generally get from my classic?

 

Just for once I have to agree with SSU.

Purchased a Blobeye early last year. Realised what was going to happen tax wise and recession depreciation wise (and also was not impressed with the unexciting drive) so got shot of it as fast as poss. Luckily got what I paid for it. Even luckier still had not sold the classics so PPP'd them just to give them an edge (not really modified then LOL)

Don't really understand the legislation as most of the modern cars, even the higher bands, are better on emissions than the 10 year old 145,000 mile gas guzzlers that are now financially more attractive.

Now if they put the tax on the fuel, as new car owners are advocating, then I may get rid, but I am sure that is on the way AS WELL!

 

Pete, dare I mention it, but.... Diesel?!
The flat 4 diesel is meant to be very good and you don't drive that quickly anyway and its a much lower tax bracket, plus you stay with subaru

Tony

 

There are now cars with better performance than Scoobs with lower emissions and better MPG.

Subaru need to up their game and sort out there engineering policy to make things better for the marque.

 

I agree with sticking the (VEL) tax onto the fuel, as I only do 6500 miles per annum in mine, so half the average figure, this would mean I pay for the emmissions that I produce not a fixed sum.
I could then consider a replacement on "fair" terms, IMHO.

dunx

 

But on the other hand the classic owners won't agree. 12000 miles a year at 22mpg, can't afford that!

It's coming I'm sure. Sure there will be a reduction in the price for the tax disc itself, but it will be kept as a visual check on insurance and mot and to keep the Post Office in profit. Then, after a couple of years, we will hear that the system cannot sustain itself and the inevitible increase in the cost of the new mot/insurance disc will start. Almost guaranteed

 

If your after the new Hatch Impreza try an S-GT JDM model only £210 tax 2.0 litre 260 bhp twin scroll etc even has a eco mode, i get 28-30 mpg about town on a run makes 36 mpg .Insurance not bad either once you find somebody who's heard of them, i pay £389 fully comp, with Aviva.
For more info give Litchfield a ring.

 

To be fair to Subaru the engines are very clean. The latest 2.5 turbo for instance is sold in America where they have some of the toughest emission regulations in the world. C02 isn't pollution despite what stupid greenwashed politicians may tell you. So while the engines maybe be fractionally higher on their c02 output (most car companies fiddle it anyway) the emissions that actually matter are extremely low. If the government had any sense they'd scrap the c02 based road tax scheme altogether, but they won't.

 

What about the Subaru Diesels, owners seemed to be very happy with them.

Also, Subaru have been doing LPG cars recently?

 

Even the fuel consumption on my WRX-S is better than I thought. Can quite easily get 26-27 mpg with mixed driving. My old peugeot 207 gti only did about 31-32 and that wasn't anywhere near as quick.

 

You could always buy a WRXD, for 20K have £155 a year tax, and spend the rest of the 10k that you would have spent on the STi on mods


Oh and still have 45 mpg

 

The US still produces some of the worst emitting cars still being built. The huge SUV's and Pick up are as efficient as a mill stone but still sell by the bucket load.

ACT ON CO2 | New car CO2 emissions: Model search

Compare some of the Porsche Cayman/Boxster with a Subaru WRX STi and you'll see what I mean. Half the cost in Tax and just as good on fuel.

I wish it was on fuel but with a higher charge for the MOT. Use a TUV system like the Germans and your number plate is then your MOT/TAX indication. ANPR will then be a much better option.