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You need to ask yourself are you willing to wait 10-20 years to find out? Or would you rather just buy something to enjoy and if it appreciates it appreciates?
Who here owns a Subaru?
- Thread starter ScoobyDoo69
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205's are going mental. I've always wanted one and just assumed that I'd be able to pick one up as a secondary car as they were like £1500 for a good one when i was looking a few years ago. Now people want £6k+ for an ok one... As i was saying to a friend the other day ideally you need to have the right conditions(Nice big dry garage) to store cars that will become something one day. As a rusted mess won't do anything for you..
Yeah, I think I am. I do understand what you're saying though.
I know I'm enough of a fanboi that I'm unlikely to want anything else. I've missed having an Impreza for years and I'm now in a position where I can buy the car and enjoy it when I want to and it can sit quietly appreciating when I don't use it. I will be using it and enjoying it during the summer months and dry days in the winter when it needs exercising.
You can get car cacoons. A mate has an 1983 Escort RS1600i which has been in a cacoon for 4 years. Has fans running 24/7 to keep the air "breathing" without it getting damp. Not sure how it works. I'm having new doors put on my garage in the summer and the heating boiler is in the garage so am considering putting a rad in there if it helps keep the car warm and cosy
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Whereas I'm the opposite and want to go out in the wet and slippery days
I respect your decision though. I thought about doing the same, but then I thought I'd worry about babying the car and not using it the way I had my previous one.. e.g. abusing it.
I respect your decision though. I thought about doing the same, but then I thought I'd worry about babying the car and not using it the way I had my previous one.. e.g. abusing it.
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Suppose I keep talking about mine so I should really post a picture now.. #potatopic
Really nice car there ScoobyDoo69!!
It'll be used - just occasionally.
I want to take to the 'ring at some point. Also it's only taken 15 years for someone to mention that my sister in laws' parents, having not actually met them before, live about 40 mins from Le Mans. So I'm hoping to get that arranged in 17 or 18.
It'll be used - just occasionally.
I want to take to the 'ring at some point. Also it's only taken 15 years for someone to mention that my sister in laws' parents, having not actually met them before, live about 40 mins from Le Mans. So I'm hoping to get that arranged in 17 or 18.
Soldato
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Looking at Blobeye WRX's, Good idea for me to be looking at these as a daily at 12-13k miles a year commute and whatever fun miles I do?
Maintenance and servicing reasonable? I'm not handy so whatever job will be in a mechanic's hands.
How reliable?
Probably not one of the best commuter car's around, but I've always wanted an Impreza (Especially a Blobeye) and thought this could be an alright time to scratch the Impreza itch.
I know most of you will say, "Aim for an STI" simple response, I can't afford an STI, WRXs seem to be at a reasonable price at the minute.
Maintenance and servicing reasonable? I'm not handy so whatever job will be in a mechanic's hands.
How reliable?
Probably not one of the best commuter car's around, but I've always wanted an Impreza (Especially a Blobeye) and thought this could be an alright time to scratch the Impreza itch.
I know most of you will say, "Aim for an STI" simple response, I can't afford an STI, WRXs seem to be at a reasonable price at the minute.
Interesting to see the response to this, although swapping maintenance/servicing for cost of parts as I'll do upkeep myself
Pondering chopping in my Z4 for a Hawkeye but the other half isn't keen, not entirely convinced myself but pondering options
Although i had an STi i guess a lot of costs will be the same? Over the 3 years/10000 miles i owned mine the biggest expense was probably petrol. I smashed through it! Haha! Next to that i had to have the rear suspension replaced as the car was probably due it at 70000 miles. That cost around £800 i think. Other than that i got the cambelt changed, diff oil, oil and filter, air filter and tyres. Probably cost me around 600 for all that from a local mechanic. Tyres around 400 for Eagle F1 A2 XL's. So not too bad considering it made me over a grand when selling it.
The brakes would've been the next big thing. I've heard the standard discs and pads can be very expensive for the STi's. Then again the ones on the WRX aren't brembos and a bit smaller so shouldn't be as bad.
Soldato
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Interesting to see the response to this, although swapping maintenance/servicing for cost of parts as I'll do upkeep myself
Pondering chopping in my Z4 for a Hawkeye but the other half isn't keen, not entirely convinced myself but pondering options
How coincidental, I'm selling my Z4 and looking for its replacement.
Hope yours has been more kind to you than mine has, mine's been a PITA after a few months of owning it, a load of small niggly things which have accumulated to several hundreds spent in the first year, now I have issues with the Valve cover leaking oil, recently had some intermittent misfire issues so I think I'm looking at coil and spark replacement....and the list continues.
As much as I've loved the car, roof down flat out with that 3L straight six screaming.....I can't wait to get rid.
Not a Blob, but I did 27k in a year in my bug WRX.
Bought on 71, sold on 98.
It was nigh on bulletproof.
I did quite a lot of work to it in that time, but most of it being servicing/maintenance. Cambelt and water pump, clutch, plugs, filters, coolant, brake pads... nothing that could be attributed to the car being unreliable. The only actual issue I had was a failed lambda sensor which kept triggering an EML. A quality Denso sensor was about £80 I think.
Parts were very reasonable but I'm fortunate to be able to do everything myself which keeps costs down. Genuine Subaru (black) oil filters are about a tenner, spark plugs are about the same. I always use Fuschs Titan Race Pro S oil which is about £50. Due to the milage I was servicing every 8k-9k, but the majority of my driving was motorway so fairly easy on the engine.
Fuel economy was very very good, averaging around 34mpg across tanks during the entire time I owned the car. My STi seems to get around 28mpg with the same driving style.
There's no reason why a garage should charge you over the odds just because it's an Impreza. These are not difficult cars to work on
Bought on 71, sold on 98.
It was nigh on bulletproof.
I did quite a lot of work to it in that time, but most of it being servicing/maintenance. Cambelt and water pump, clutch, plugs, filters, coolant, brake pads... nothing that could be attributed to the car being unreliable. The only actual issue I had was a failed lambda sensor which kept triggering an EML. A quality Denso sensor was about £80 I think.
Parts were very reasonable but I'm fortunate to be able to do everything myself which keeps costs down. Genuine Subaru (black) oil filters are about a tenner, spark plugs are about the same. I always use Fuschs Titan Race Pro S oil which is about £50. Due to the milage I was servicing every 8k-9k, but the majority of my driving was motorway so fairly easy on the engine.
Fuel economy was very very good, averaging around 34mpg across tanks during the entire time I owned the car. My STi seems to get around 28mpg with the same driving style.
There's no reason why a garage should charge you over the odds just because it's an Impreza. These are not difficult cars to work on
Soldato
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You lot seem to be making all the right noises so far.
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Blob WRX with a few simple mods are great cars and kind of cheap to run IMO, especially from a maintenance point of view.
My Dad's WRX is 15 (?) years old.. modified to over 300bhp, he's happy to rag it down the drag strip and around Curborough, it has been faultless
As you say, STi isn't that much more expensive, mainly brakes that would increase the cost.
My Dad's WRX is 15 (?) years old.. modified to over 300bhp, he's happy to rag it down the drag strip and around Curborough, it has been faultless
As you say, STi isn't that much more expensive, mainly brakes that would increase the cost.
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The only time I'd advise people against a Subaru is if interested in the 2.5 models - only because of the head gasket, piston ring issues. If you're happy to accept that it will likely cause you issues at some stage and you're happy to pay for a rebuild to better standards (like I am) then they remain the great, sturdy cars that they've always been.
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Not quite. He had one of the very first Bugeye WRXs when they first came out. Unfortunately whilst on the motorway in Switzerland someone pulled out on him and that car was written off. Shortly afterwards he bought the one he has now
I think they make a fine car if you want something practical and with a bit of poke. My only caveat to this is that other manufacturers have caught up - pace wise and their Achilles heel is their fuel useage compared to the competition.
They are reliable when looked after properly and shouldn't cost the earth to service. I discovered the 4 pot calipers on UK Turbo and AFAIK later newage WRX are the same as Nissan 300ZX so the Apec pads were £30 at a time when Subaru charged closer to £100.
I sold my UK turbo seats to a guy that had had his from new and put 170K miles on (This was probably say 2003/4?) and he swore it was on the OE clutch - even his Mrs backed him up. Being a little old school they really aren't that complicated to maintain.
Met up with a good friend today who was fed up with clutch issues on his forged (480bhp) Celica GT4. He part-ex'd it for a modded WRX.
I took it out for a drive and tbh, it had me giggling. Either a VF34 or 35, STi injectors, turbo-back de-cat Hayward & Scott exhaust, coilovers, STi brembos... it was a decent drive.
Not quite as aggressive as my STi in acceleration but the noise was just immense! I had all manner of disapproving looks at very legal speeds... something I'm not used to, even in my car
I do like how mine tends to blend in, being silver and pretty quiet, but the WRX was so much more immersive. The pops, bangs, crackles and spooling sounds were just amazing.
Mine just seems a bit too nice to mess with.
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