hora

The potential car is a 2005/55plate 5dr 2.0 non-turbo GX Sport manual.

Previously I owned a Forester (manual) for two years but experienced problems (drop links, bushes, cv boots, clutch, heatshield, driveshaft fail) etc.

I left the marque and wandered into another however I miss Subaru.

I've seen a good 2005/55plate 5dr 2.0 non-turbo GX Sport.

Mechanically it should be 'ok'? What are the main 'problem's to look out for?

Simon C

Had my MY96 for 5 years. Got it with 56k on the clock, sold with 222K on the clock.


Apart from routine services, the only problem with it was the immboilizer played up. That took some finding, I can tell you, other than that, blissfull car.

pslewis

Of course, a Turbo is better value - holds it's money better and goes much better.

But, I suppose a GX Sport would be OK - as long as it has a complete Service History? All old MOT's? All Invoices and Receipts? One Owner? In a sensible colour?

hora

Reg Nov2005. Two previous owners, 40k (I know 2 owners with mileage and 5yrs old?)....but both mot's match what the history says and gut-feel based on its condition.

Gut-feel also says the car was ex-demo..

Colour silver. 17inch alloys. I actually wanted a WRX however the insurance is a grand more ...even though I have no points and 5yrs NCD. Plus the worry of theft/burglary I guess (live in centralish Manchester).


Edit, I had a WRX courtesy car once. I can honestly say I'd either kill myself in it or accrue 12points on my licence..

Brun

Dog slow and thirsty for fuel. Many, many better cars out there.

hora

Ok, on the insurance front. I have been thinking this in the back of my mind. (I ran a standard confused.com comparison)- are thre specialist companies who can get me a wrx quote cheaper?

37yrs old, only been driving 5yrs (lived in central London for 10yrs), 0points, no-criminal convictions, 5yrs NCD and have my own drive (pleasure only) yet the quote for my old Forester/the 2.0GX come out at circa £500. WRX comes out at circa £1,600 with silly NCD.

Brun

Keith Michaels and A Plan spring to mind.
Seriously - if it turns out a Turbo is too expensive to insure then i would be looking towards a TD of some description. Octavia VRS or Mondeo ST TDCi would both be in my mind

hora

Mondy's leave me cold and although a VRS I drove was swift it wasn't 'fun'. I can carry speed easily without resorting to brakes hence the normally aspired petrol wasn't too bad a choice. The non-turbo Forester I owned for two years was quite swift when you had it upto speed on NSL roads- especially from Peebles down to Moffat!

Its not 'too expensive' its why should I have to waste that extra money basically giving it away?

3yrs ago I had cheapish insurance on a V6 4motion Golf and a Audi S3 (bro in laws).

hora

Ps. I guess its Manchester and WRX that don't go well together.

nick172sport

iTrader: (6)

its cost me manchester postcode for a wrx turbo with keith michaels 650 quid im 43 full claims no points

pslewis

To be brutally honest, there are much better non-turbo cars out there than an Impreza.

Unless it is very cheap, I would look at other options - diesels are cracking these days and cheap on Insurance (they will also give much better mpg and deliver turbo power!).

SRSport

Why not one of these? I got mine 15 months ago with 6200 miles on the clock for £7995. 160bhp, Awd and looks superb. I didnt buy it cos it was an Impreza at the time just the best value car with very low miles, 4 doors that wasnt as dull as dish water, (my Mums 1.4 Honda Jazz was £8500, with 6500miles).

Since driving it I wish I could get the wrx, but only because of how capable this car is, but to be honest 80% of the time I dont get to use all 160bhp anyway.

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

i agree dont see why any one would buy one.

SRSport

Because I cant afford the WRX!? ...and it makes me smile so much more than driving a Vauxhall.

Timwinner

iTrader: (3)

I tried a load of different places to get cheap insurance, in the end it worked out cheaper for me to use Admiral for the Imprezas and Aviva for the Porsche. Both high street companies with no specialist offers.

I spent hours going through specialist websites and then just as I was about to suck it up and pay £600 I did a confused.com quote and got it for £350 through Admiral.

Dan W

Thats the spirit

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

A Subaru is a relatively heavy car, i don’t believe you could not find a car for similar cost that drives 100 times better than a sport, gives more power, better build, better mpg do I really need to continue ? i respect it’s your money and your choice but it would not be for me,

lol i get asked most weeks why didnt you buy a STI so maybe its a very similar reason.

Dan W

My first Scoob was a WRX as I couldnt afford an STI.

Now I got an STI but wanted a Spec C or Type 25 but couldn't afford it.

I'll have one in a year or so. Its all down to affordability.

My old man says that if you dont have what you like, learn to like what you have.

SRSport

Yes I looked at getting a BMW 320 but it would have done 60,000miles odd and be a few years older...and how unspecial would you feel driving that, passing another every 5 cars that go past. Even the Focus and Astras for the same power, year and milage were more expensive and how even less special would you feel in one of those. The Mondeo ST tdci, which I really like would have needed to be much older/high miles.

Reliability (and I include build quality here) is another factor, Ive had a Ford, VW, Merc and a Vauhall and the R sport is the only one Ive not had to get fixed... but when it comes down to it non of them really float my boat e.g. non of them would look so good next to one of these.

wacko_jacko

iTrader: (1)

i have a bugeye gx, have had problems with the air ratio sensors, idle speed sensor and throttle body position switch all of which are very expensive! Very thirsty on fuel and now very high in tax! If you can afford insurance for a turbo i would definitely recommend doing so!

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

looks sweet

SRSport

Which is why I didn't want to go for an older high milage of the above mentioned. All cars are susceptible to things like that when they get to those ages

Absolutely, unfortunately I cant afford it (especially as my NCB has been wiped having lived abroad), or the extra £2000 for a turbo, or the extra tax, or the extra fuel. One day though.

hora

Morning. I actually went for a Legacy sports tourer in the end (private sale). The Air/fuel sensor went! However saying that- once its replaced thats it. It should be good to go longterm.

As cars get older bits wear out. Hey ho.

scooby L

I had a spec-B sports tourer (54 plate) and loved it.

Great cars

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

But how much is it?

The Zohan

+1 if buying a scoob then a Turbo is the natural choice unless you are too young to insure a turbo.

Look towards a civic sport (2.0l) or such for a much more rewarding drive and better economy and build quality

my06 ppp silver

iTrader: (2)

try a test drive of a zetec s tdci. great little cars with excellent fuel economy. loads out there to choose from but imo if you buy the sport then you will always wish you had saved that bit more etc. i know it may ruffle a few feathers but buying a car purely for looks alone is a little, well to be blunt, naive.

Tom87

iTrader: (2)

I didn't by my Sport purely for looks.

Insurance is a massive amount for a turbo Impreza if you are below the age of 25 (in most cases) so buying a Sport is a great way of getting into the marque if you are a fan of the rally cars - like myself.

The Sports still have a brilliant AWD system which gives you a great amount of grip, and good drivability - especially in the wet. And with a couple of exhaust modfiications, sound fantastic.

I'm not too sure why some people have brought up build quality as I have no complaints, Impreza's are very solid cars if cared for properly.

As for fuel economy, a 2 litre petrol engine is never gonna be a world beater, but I always average 30mpg with mixed driving. It's been as high as 37mpg and as low as 25mpg.

The only major complaint I have is the road tax, which is the same as the turbo's, so you're not saving yourself a penny here in running costs. However, I'm currently paying £2500 less for insurance on my Sport than the lowest quote I could find for a turbo

Non-turbo Impreza's are far from the most sensible choice in car, but they're still a Subaru Impreza, which is why many buy and love them.

SRSport

A bit of a strange comment if aimed at sport drivers, and besides someone who buys a car purely for looks would be more inclined to buy something like an Alfa. The fact that I like the look of the Hawkeyes is a bonus but not the main reason for buying one. At the time the cost, milage, age, 4doors and 5 seats were far more important to me.

my06 ppp silver

iTrader: (2)

sorry if it seemed that way, its not specifically at sport drivers either. look, buy a sport, you will probably wish you had bought the wrx, same goes for a bmw x3, wishes he waited and got an x5, vw tiguan- touareg, 2.0 focus- ST. the list goes on. as for Alfas, well i used to own a 156, and this is probably where i adopted this opinion, as it was a fantastic looking car, inside and out. sounded great too. insurance was not too OTT, but was it good to live with? it ended up being the most problematic car i have ever owned. if you are happy to put up with a cars faults just to own one of the brand then good on you. in my case with the Alfa, I was naive. so to be clear, my comment was not a dig or some kind of put-down, just a genuine piece of advice from my own personal experience. so best of luck with your hunting.