RichieL

Been having a look on Ebay at cheap fast cars. Subaru's seem to be very cheap these days. I am 40 with full no claims so I think insurance on a UK spec should be ok. What are they like to run, drive and are parts easy to source?

stevieturbo

If they are looked after properly they are very reliable and good cars. Parts are very easy to get.

Again depending on budget, but best cars are the 2002+ 6 speed STI's

BRAMMER

iTrader: (23)

I had a late UK with a PPP conversion from new - ran a lot of STi parts and guestimate to be around 260-270bhp so not the highest hp - it ran on Tesco 99 and it did 18pmg urban back in 2009 when fuel was a little cheaper.

Reliable as hell though i can't fault it for that, great in the winter weather too

ranutter

dont waste your money. great motors and fun but u will regret buying it

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Do it!

Plenty about so buy with care and take your time.

Many cheap ones will have been bought by the wrong people and not taken care of.

Buy a nice one and look after it. Fantastic to drive, fuel consumption depends on your right foot. You can drive frugally 70% of the time and have fun burning fuel the rest. Loads of the will have been crashed etc, so good network for second hand parts.

You won't regret it.

steviecossie

I ran my 320bhp standard wr1 as a daily driver for 2yrs and put 34k miles on it in that time and it never missed a beat, I had it serviced every 5k and apart from petrol, tyres and a set of brake pads I didn't need to spend anything else on it.

Was a really good fast reliable car and I couldn't fault it

Turbosystems

iTrader: (5)

have a look on piston heads

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

A lad was telling me when you do an oil and filter change on the subarus he used to pull the crank.sensor plug off and turn it over to get the oil round the engine cause if not it could cause damage to the engine?????

steviecossie

My local Subaru dealer told me the same mate

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Or right so he must be right then.

A lad round the corner from where i work is a subaru specalist and he reckons he is always doing engine jobs on them.I always thought they were pretty reliable.

Turbosystems

iTrader: (5)

it's good practice to immobilise the engine on any car and crank it over to get oil pressure after an oil change
I have been doing it like that for over 30 years

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

I did this the other week to mine only because i had a new turbo fitted.

stevieturbo

They are, and it is standard practise to wind over to get oil pressure after an oil/filter change.

And yes, big end failure is quite common. But usually due to poor maintenance or sheer owner abuse/neglect. Not helped by many main dealers and others using crap oil.

The amount of these cars Ive seen where owners have little or no oil in them defies belief. And pouring nice clean oil in after it's shit the big ends is a bit late.

If you get one that's been properly looked after, they are very reliable cars. Problem is there are too many fools out there who dont.

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

I'm thinking about selling my ST200 for another one (it'd be my 7th) after collecting a friends '03 STi for him today... had forgotten how much bang for buck they represent, I did c80 miles and the fuel gauge had just moved off the full marker when I got home, so if you drive them without going boost daft, then they really aren't too bad.


Cheers,
Grant

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

Indeed, let us also remember that the duck flies at midnight.


Cheers,
Grant

RichieL

Excellent and helpful replies, thank you.

Now this may sound crazy due to asking about a Scooby....But! A UK spec version so 220bhp if driven with care how many miles to say Ł20 would I get if driven with care? Reason I ask is I pick my daughter up from school every day and cover around 200 miles per week, this is mostly A roads and some town driving. Of course every now and again I would give the car a bit of go! I had an auto Volvo T5 once and that was horrific on fuel, although I read auto's drink more and the Volvo being a 2.3 Turbo being a big heavy car may not of helped?!

stevieturbo

If you drive very sensibly then 25-30mpg shouldnt be a problem. Although obviously traffic etc will impact on that.

If buying 2001+ I would say avoid the WRX. The STi is just so much better.

But certainly a 99/00 car a UK car if you get a good one can be a good purchase. The problem really is finding a good one.

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

I'd budget for Ł50-Ł60 per week on SUL/V-Power with that mileage and type of driving... I'm not sure you'll get massively more MPG than that and if you get addicted to the loud pedal then that average MPG figure will drop very quickly.

110% agree with this.. unless you need a wagon, given the small price difference and assuming insurance isn't an issue, you'd be crazy to go for a WRX rather than an STi.

I also agree with this, I've had a few 99/00 UK Turbos and if you can get a good one these days then it'll be a fantastic point to point car for very little money.


Cheers,
Grant

RichieL

They sound better MPG wise than the old T5 Volvo then? I have to go for the wagon due to having a large dog......I wonder if insurance would be cheaper on a Wagon than the saloon?

daz1968

I had a uk wrx 2003 for 3 years superb and very reliable, I now have a jdm import twinscroll sti 2005 and is even better, insurance was same for uk wrx with 225bhp and jdm sti at 340bhp for me, you just need to shop around. The imports are far better cars and any car post 2005 on a sti has wide track and dccd as standard and in the case of the jdm the engine on twinscroll cars has nitrided cross drilled crank and much stronger than uk car. They will take 450bhp without issue. As for mpg I average between 18 and 22 with mainly town driving. If you can live with the mpg then I don't think you will find anything better for the money. Jdm cars are the best but uk sti is still good but look for a post 2005 as there are lots of improvements. As a side note since I went jdm I would not have another uk car they are in a different league.

RichieL

I have also seen Golf MK3 VR6's and Golf MK4 GTI Turbo's going for cheap on Ebay......Are these cars any good? I must say sorry now as not upto date at all with anything but 80's Fords so I am sure I will keep asking some questions! I have Ł1,500 spare.

daz1968

You will only buy a load of trouble with a Subaru at that price level tbh

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

As long as you're careful there's no need for that to be true. There are plenty of bad ones out there, but no shortage of good ones either. Plenty to choose from so be picky!

TIFF

They are HORRIFIC on fuel............Worse car i have ever had for a fuel addiction....

Fagin

Subaru's are no more horrific on fuel, than any other performance car imo.

OEM maps are rich by nature, so a good remap can sort that out. Badly maintained can also be crap on fuel.

Mine is 450bhp and I don't think 24mpg is, in any way, horrific fuel economy for the performance. If I drove like a gay I'm sure I could get 30mpg.

But Ł1500 on a Scoob....... If you only have that kind of cash to spend, anything performance related is not your bag!!

RichieL

This is the one that has caught my eye.....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-SUBAR...ht_1369wt_1270

Looks nice and the advert does not sound like it is owned by some chav!

stevieturbo

Sure that wasnt an Evo ? lol

Ł1500 is a tight budget. There will be cars out there, the biggest problem is finding one

Ideally one you really know it's history and that has been properly maintained.

Ive seen some that should have been decent cars, some even with huge web write ups about their build and shiny pictures of expensive looking parts. But shoddily put together and turned it into a piece of shit that needed vast amounts to put right.
One guy had just bought a 97 STi, recent engine rebuild bla bla bla.

Holy good fuck, there was silicone sealer everywhere, the engine knocked, they had re-used old head gaskets, and worst of all there were circlips missing off two of the gudgeon pins !! Talk about a ticking time bomb.

An engine replacement or rebuild can be a good thing. Problem is, it can also be the worst thing in the world if not done by a proper reputable place.

tarry500

I like ebay ads, rear wiper motor needs replacing, only costs Ł10 on ebay. Erm buy one then and fit it.

chrisa3

iTrader: (1)

Like all performance cars, you need one thats been looked after. Problem with the impreza's, you get people people buying them that cant afford to fix them properly when the go wrong, and you end up with a car that has been bodged half its life.
Your probably better looking for a bog standard UK example thats been serviced at Suabru all its life, and not been messed with. They come up every now and again, but sell quickly too.
If your handy with cars and dont mind repairing stuff yourself, they are not too bad to work on. If your no good with spanners etc, expect large labour costs, unless you can find a good reliable independant garage in your area.

something like this.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3660896.htm

stevieturbo

A few knocks about it, but I really like those classic wagons, nice colour too.
Worth checking for rust in around the rear strut towers on the outer skin side. UK cars do rust worse than imports for some reason.
If it isnt far it'd certainly be worth a look


Sadly that assumes Subaru dealers look after cars properly. As everyone knows, most car dealers do not.
I know most Subaru dealers here for years used Castrol oil, and mostly basic semi synthetic Magnatec in the turbos. Not a good idea on a Subaru.

KSA-Cossie

iTrader: (4)

I'd have a nice crystal grey 55 plate sti.

Fagin

Like mine then:



A 2ltr JDM one though..... not your nasty 2.5ltr UK version. lol

Turbosystems

iTrader: (5)

properly chav that Sean suites you
especially the pink stickers

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

Plenty of good scoobies out there for Ł1500,I paid Ł2000 for my old one back in 2005 and it never missed a beat,needed an alternator and rear pads in my time of ownership(sold it 2010),never failed to start,still went as well as when I had it and flew every Mot bar one where the cat failed.
I was also told I wouldn't get a good one for that price but I had a few to choose from,problem I found was too many people harped on about engine rebuilds etc and then tried adding the price of the build to the car.if your not sure who built it,walk away,get an original one instead.
Their jap built not cossie's after all!!!
Also,Clarkson once said they make hondas look unreliable so that's testament in itself!!
Sold it for Ł1500 that year to a mate as I was so confident it was a good car.

I think the key to mine was it was a standard SA import model with only a wheelchange so no messing about with it by bodgers.

R reg is the facelift year and their prettier cars,bit more modern inside too.

As for fsh I wouldnt get too hung up on it,their tough old busses so buy on condition not mileage,most were clocked when imported anyway,notice they always seem to have new steering wheels and gearknobs?

Get the belt done unless reciepted,general service and enjoy.

Really can't go wrong for the money.

KSA-Cossie

iTrader: (4)

I meant the wide track blobeye mate.

daz1968

You mean like mine then also a jdm twinscroll, almost sold my cossie when I got into these, but have seen the light and so far managed to keep both! Just these pics are before I sourced correct xenon lights and fitted a genome jdm backbox on it. Is fagin on here also on scoobynet with the project thread if so think it has lm series turbo, good car of it is.

ajamesc

dont they have oil pump probs after a certian amount of miles hence the reason theres always spears or repair ones on ebay with spun shells?

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Mine have all been fine. 30mpg on a run easy.

Much better on fuel than the Focus ST and way better than my daily hack 523i touring auto that I average 16mpg in and barely scrape 20 on a run!

Fagin

Daz1968,
Yes... I'm Shaun off Scoobynet.

Ajamesc,
Do they bollocks. Lol

ajamesc

just what I was told by a work mate who is well into his scoobys but as you say its bollocks I googled it lol seems there's a lot of posts about them failling!