sevenman

I wanna buy one
I wanna buy one...HELP !!
As a prospective Scooby owner, I know I want one, but am baffled by all the specs and models. Should I go late(r) model, high mileage or older model, lower mileage ? What about UK vs imports ? What pitfalls are there when buying for the unwary ?
At the moment I am leaning towards a 5 door, bog standard, UK car. (5-door cos I've heard people say they are less conspicuous - I'm not too worried by the looks)

If it was your twelve grand, what would you spend it on ??

All views and comments welcome.

DominicA

Not a lot to choose between 4 and 5 door, 5 door slightly louder (quite a bit louder with a good backbox). UK=Subaru warranty, Import=more power(usually), no Subaru warranty. If you get an import, go for 97 onwards as they have a bigger turbo, so people say...VF22. Whatever you get, be prepared to change the exhaust, because unless it's been done, you will...

Pitfalls are the same as any other car, crashed-repaired, stolen imports and trackdayedtodeath.....get FSH

If it was my 12K then i'd buy as new a UK as I could. If I had a bit more i'd get an STi4...If I had even more i'd get an RB5..

Dom

Shark

Book a holiday, we did

As for the car, well at 12k check the following -

1. Look for full service history, pref at a dealer. <B>Don't</B> be fooled with a nicely stamped service book, my 3yo godson could stamp one up in no time. Get copies of invoices, or conformation from dealer.

2. If buying from any kind of dealer be wary of warrantees from Warranty Holdings, the cover is crap and they won't pay for a lot of things, including a decent labour rate.

3. Make sure you start and drive the car from stone cold at some point. Listen for piston slap and drive it to check for clutch judder. (I won't go into details on either of these, just search scoobynet and you'll get tons of info on both.)

4. Normal used car look for's - Check for worn pedal rubbers, holes in mats/carpets, 'sat out' seats, all can be signs that the car had done more miles than is on the clock. Also dip the oil, if its very black this indicates it hasn't been changed in a while. Check the coolant, at the expansion bottle and on the rad. It should be clear green with no milky stuff in it.

5. When you drive the car don't just go mad. Drive it on the overrun at various speeds to check for gearbox noises, noises from axle and wheel bearings.

6. Make sure everything works. That may sound obvious, but check that all the buttons and gismos work. Check electric mirrors work in all directions, heated rear screen works, a/c works etc etc, all will cost money to fix if not. I’m that bad when checking a car that I make sure the wipers work on all speeds, including the intermittent.

7. Check the alarm carefully if fitted. If not budget for a new Thatham Class 1, probably about £400. Well worth it for piece of mind and insurance discount.

8. Be prepared to accept stonechips, the odd dent/scratch. All used cars have them, and if you find one that doesn’t, it soon will

9. I’m not getting into a UK v Import debate, but for 12k your better looking for a UK car, with a history you can chase.

10. When you found a car and are happy, get an AA or RAC inspection. There not cheap, but unless you ‘know a man that can’, it could save you £££ in the long run. Also this will check if the car has had any major accident damage.

The 4/5 door debate is very personal. If you want a car that goes like **** of a shovel but looks like a normal (ish) estate, then go for the 5 door. IMHO the Impreza is a car that can be made to look like a Monster on speed or a very normal looking saloon / estate. The choice is yours.

Good luck, and enjoy it when you get it.

David

sevenman

Dom and Shark

Thank you for your replies - I am definitely going for a 5-door UK car now, and I've now got 13 grand (yippee !!) and Shark, a great run down on what to look for - thanks.

AND I've been mailed offline by a kind person with one to sell.

I get the impression that there are a lot around at the moment for sale.

Is that what others think ??

polarbearit

Yep, loads around, £12k should get a 40k mile MY99 privately, there have been some 1999 cars going for below £11k lately, with £13k you could buy an STI 4 (Which is MY98) but finding a 5 door one of those won't be easier.

As to the Imports vs UK car, if we are talking Jap imports then more power and more insurance for the money, and if we are talking EU imports then the car should be a little cheaper as it only has 1 year warranty and not 3, insurance!

Other running costs are about the same for all of them, expect low 20's mpg and three figure services every 7.5k with big ones at 45k, 60k, 90k (£400-£500) so use those to negociate if one is nearby!

Personally I have a jap import, which I've had no real problems with over the last 20k+ miles.

But with £12-13k to spend and looking for a 5 door, a private UK MY99 is the way I'd go, some warranty left (which you can extend though your dealer provided you don't let it lapse), ok performance, and standard CAT 1 alarm. This model can suffer hesitation and clutch judder so drive a few and compare them, both 'features' are easy to spot!

happy shopping

Jon

WEBSTER

IF I WERE YOU I'D SPEND £7250 ON MY 94 WRX WAGON WITH LOTS OF EXTRA'S ! THEN GO ON HOLIDAY WITH THE £4750 LEFT OVER.

BugEyed

If you can stretch yourself (Oh err ) to £14 K then have a look at this - an MY01 for the price of the older car.