Who here owns a Subaru?

After much umming and ahhhing I've decided to actively look for a classic Type R. B7 RS4 was close to as a main car I wasn't going to put up with the fuel bills. A new-ish A4 or 3 series was considered but after borrowing a pre-registered 330D it didn't really float my boat. Had a good sniff round Focus RS and new Impreza STI but I still want something economical for long drives and I do really like my B7 Avant.

I've had two classics before and always loved them and I want something that will be "an event" to drive so another classic it shall be :D

There are a few in the UK for sale right now but they all have something that puts me off so I've asked an importer to start looking in Japan for one. I'm being picky and in no hurry so have asked for low mileage, grade 4 minimum and in either cool grey or sonic blue - if it's blue then it has to be a V Limited.

These things come up fairly rarely these days so I suspect the process is going to take some time. I could go for a P1, there are enough of them for sale right now, but the Type R is more exclusive and the P1s slightly mental cousin.
 
As with all these things it depends on condition.

You see them as low as £7K and P1s have gone a bit bonkers with 3/4 of them for sale right now over £20K and 100K milers being £15K or so.

Torque GT had a really nice one back in May for £12K which I would say is about right for a really nice example.

It's not to get it but I've been given access to the auction search and fixed price searches and there is very little worth looking at. An absolutely beautiful looking grey Wagon is available with 48K miles. Not sure what the landed price would be but had me thinking about buying two and binning off my Audi lol :D

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Which would you choose and why?

Impreza STi Type R Version 6
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Impreza STi Type R Version 6 V Limited
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Impreza STi Spec C Type RA
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Cheers guys.

Baring in mind, the purchase is partly speculating on which one will ultimately be worth more as an investment?

Even though the classic may not be the most accomplished of the three, will a V Limited be worth more than the RA in say 10 years time.

For instance the Lancia Integrale - there are actually a bit pants to drive IMO. Albeit they look awesome. Yet prices have gone up 4X in 10 years. Not saying these cars will do the same. Just saying as part of my purchase choices, future value is important. However, would the classic cost more to keep mintymcmintface and would the additional cost outweigh the potentially higher value.
 
Its not amazing but i purchased my standard Blobeye Sti 3 years ago for £5500 3 years ago, put 10k miles on it whilst keeping it standard and sold it last month for £6995. If i had a nice dry garage to put it in i would've kept hold of it and made it a weekend toy/dry runner/investment as it was so clean rand rust free. Even underneath! But alas it was living on the street in the elements so it was only a matter of time a big bill came up or something happened to it.

Value wise the Subaru was amazing for me as my 205 got scrapped, my 306 lost me £1000 and my Citroen C4 £2k... To be fair the 306 was old so meh but the C4 also cost me about £2k trying to keep it alive/on the road as well. :o

Talking about Lancia's i used to walk past one every day on the way to school just sat on some guys drive not being touched going mouldy. In the Martini colours no less! The other day i was idly browsing Autotrader and saw a similar looking one for £95k!!! Hopefully the guy kept it and finally did it up.
 
I don't see investment value in these cars personally (although not doubting the possibility of value increasing on models).

Buy it to drive it otherwise you'll never enjoy it.
 
SPec C all day long.
Better engine, better turbo, better exhaust, better gearbox, better diffs, better suspension and lighter weight (than another model of same age)
 
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ScoobyDoo69 said:
I don't see investment value in these cars personally (although not doubting the possibility of value increasing on models).

Buy it to drive it otherwise you'll never enjoy it.
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Give it 20 years and the Spec-C will be a bit like the Escort / Sierra cossy is now.. I guarantee it
 
If you're going to be doing a lot of driving it the spec C RA is amazing, a guy in work has one and it's a serious bit of kit. Cost him a lot to buy (18k i think a few years ago) but i think as long as the mileage and condition is kept in check you won't ever lose much and possibly gain a lot if you keep it for 10+ years.

Having owned a classic and a newage the classic is defiantly more of an event to drive. I'm toying with the idea once my garage is built of just keeping my classic fairly standard and keeping it indefinitely in case it does go up in value in the future as it owes me so little.
 
Fuzz said:
Give it 20 years and the Spec-C will be a bit like the Escort / Sierra cossy is now.. I guarantee it
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I've got no doubts either but for me they're just not the investment type. Buy to enjoy and drive IMO.

If you can get a car that you will drive and enjoy and it just so happens to lose no money or increase in value then great. But why buy a Subaru for the purpose of making or not losing money.

I just don't see much point in buying a car worth enjoying and seeing it as an investment. They simply take far too much time to appreciate by which time you'll probably want another car to drive because you're not driving the one you're waiting to appreciate...
 
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Certain models are going to command a price in years to come. They will be a future classic. The trick, Potter, is trying to decide which one will be the most valuable - if future investment is part of the purchase requirements.

For instance the P1s have really crept up in price and will probably always command a higher price over a Type R - even though the P1 is sort of considered a watered down Type R.

RB320 and RB5 - other than cosmetics, not really any different to a STI or UK Turbo of that era. They will command a premium though. It's completely subjective.

The STI RA - or at least any newage, will be a better car than any classic but won't be as raw and punchy. Like I said above, I found the Integrale a bit pants but loved the P1 and P1s are still half the price of the Lancia.

Even mint 205GTIs are starting to creep into 5 figures. Which is crazy as the last one I bought cost me £500 and was a really nice little car.
 
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