Impreza STI UK TYPE- are they worth it??

[Jim Rosecottage]

Hi

I have always been a big fan of Impreza's. I sold be coming into abit of cash and have been looking at one. I currently have a Fabia vRS and think its a great little car. I do get borred with cars very quickly but fell that i wouldnt get borred with an STI.

I was looking at anything newer than 05 plate as i dont normally like to buy anything that is already older than 5 years.

Due to my age (24) newer models (06,56,07 plate) are very high on insurence.

I have found a 53 plate (thats the blob eye face lift) with the PPP for £8650 and insurence of £2553.69 and a 02 (bug eye) plate without the PPP for £6995 and insurence of £1370.70.

I can afford both the 53, and 02 plate cars but will i have any problems with an Imprza this old? Are the relieable?

Has anyone on hear had/have one around that age?

[Allams Skoda]

Get one that is 1 owner, full history, not been modified in any way, and it should be reliable for you for the most time.

Have you ever driven one?

[ap0gee1978]

My personal opinion would be to keep that kind of money stashed away at the moment, in case I need it 'cos my job goes 'poof' or something. If you're replacing your car 'cos you think you might get bored of it, then change when you eventually do. Otherwise, I'd hang on to it for the next year or so until things pick up and then change cars.

But then, I've got a mortgage and family to support - if you're still living at home or whatever, then 'rainy day' money may not be a priority, in which case Scoobies are very good by all accounts, and being Japanese, ought to be reliable provided the previous owner hasn't ****ed about with it...

[Guest westallc]

2,500 on insurance you are mad mate over 3 years you could buy it again lol:thumbup:

you must have to much money mate also as above

[mannyo]

Dont forget the road tax is likely to be £400 next year.

[Jim Rosecottage]

Get one that is 1 owner, full history, not been modified in any way, and it should be reliable for you for the most time.

Have you ever driven one?

Had a quick go in a mates one and loved it.

Had an Evo7 FQ for a weekend to and like that, but not as much as the Impreza and the Evo's are more $$$ :P

[Jim Rosecottage]

Dont forget the road tax is likely to be £400 next year.

Dont pay road tax :P

It will be insured and taxed as a covert Ambulance responce car so its nil tax

Which is great reason to get one now so i can use the work tax and insurence and not when im 48 and have to pay for it myself

[Guest westallc]

so doesnt that mean its us the tax payers payings for it???

[Tom_vRS]

so doesnt that mean its us the tax payers payings for it???

You won't be moaning if you ever really need the help of such a person

[ScoobyChris]

It's a very competent car and extremely flattering to the driver and in 300bhp PPP tune fairly rapid and pretty much bulletproof.

Whether you'll get bored is another matter - I would say once you get used to the power and way it goes round corners you may well be on a slippery modding slope (and it's a steep slope! ) to improve it or you may be on the lookout for something more powerful to replace it with.

I enjoyed my and would have another one tomorrow, but day-to-day running costs and the ever growing concerns over car-jacking and security make me think it's just not worth it

Chris

[ap0gee1978]

Dont pay road tax :P

It will be insured and taxed as a covert Ambulance responce car so its nil tax

So why are you having to pay anything if that's the case? (Excuse my ignorance...) Also, you might need to check that you're not restricted to driving something 6 years old or newer, as is often the case when using your own car on business - otherwise you could might end up getting the older one and having to sell it again in a few months...

[vRSy]

imprezas are great cars in my opinion,awesome to drive but they have woeful interiors, i even think the seats are tacky.

if i had 8 grand to shell out, id be looking at Audi S3.

you still get the quattro, and a quick engine, it'll be better on fuel, has a much better interior.And you wont look like a boy racer. cos the audi is much more tasteful

[ap0gee1978]

And you wont look like a boy racer. cos the audi is much more tasteful

Right enough - instead of everyone seeing you and thinking:

...they'll think:

[vRSy]

couldn't explain it anybetter.rofl:

[Jim Rosecottage]

So why are you having to pay anything if that's the case? (Excuse my ignorance...) Also, you might need to check that you're not restricted to driving something 6 years old or newer, as is often the case when using your own car on business - otherwise you could might end up getting the older one and having to sell it again in a few months...

The deal i get with the work car is take there car (Rover 75 or Corsa) and pay nothing (cant use it outside of work hours and has Ambulance wrote all over it). Or buy my own car and get a £4K payrise and 5% of the insurence cost.

Have checked about the age and they have no problems with it as the car will be owned by me. As long as i can get Blue light Insurence cover there happy to give me the £4k towards it.

[Jim Rosecottage]

imprezas are great cars in my opinion,awesome to drive but they have woeful interiors, i even think the seats are tacky.

if i had 8 grand to shell out, id be looking at Audi S3.

you still get the quattro, and a quick engine, it'll be better on fuel, has a much better interior.And you wont look like a boy racer. cos the audi is much more tasteful

THnaks for the advice but the car must have a min of 4 doors for work. S3 only come with 3 :(

[ScoobyChris]

THnaks for the advice but the car must have a min of 4 doors for work. S3 only come with 3 :(

Plus the S3 is slow and boring to drive

Chris

[Johnny50]

Definately go for the Impreza.

Although as Chris has said, you can soon get bored, and the slope is very steep if you choose to go down it.

I loved both of my Imprezas, and contemplating another in the next few months. (would be a classic shape though, not newage)

[vRSy]

in that case i think i would have to stump for the newer shape impreza, cos that bug eyed one is just horrible. id definately choose an impreza over the evo though, not sure why though,

[Jim Rosecottage]

Definately go for the Impreza.

Although as Chris has said, you can soon get bored, and the slope is very steep if you choose to go down it.

I loved both of my Imprezas, and contemplating another in the next few months. (would be a classic shape though, not newage)

Did you have any major probs with your Impreza's?? :confused:

[BigW]

STI type UK are actually quite refined and less exiting than a decent impreza classic in my opinion, My mate recently bought one to replace his Fabia vRS and sold it again within weeks for an ITR DC5 :confused: which in turn is now up for sale again.

For the money at the moment there are a huge amount of cheap Lancers on the go, you can pick up a Tommy mak for good cash and even into the Evo VIII for less than 10k now.

Check the forsale on Mitsubishi Lancer Register and you'll find a good loved one.

[Jim Rosecottage]

in that case i think i would have to stump for the newer shape impreza, cos that bug eyed one is just horrible. id definately choose an impreza over the evo though, not sure why though,

Think most people would go for an Impreza over an Evo. I liked the Evo when i had it for the weekend but just like the Impreza more but cant put my finger on why

[Johnny50]

Did you have any major probs with your Impreza's?? :confused:

Not one bit of real bother with either of them.

My first one was highly modded, Gems ecu/anti lag etc..it took a lot of abuse and never let me down at all.

Only thing i replaced that was faulty were the shocks, but i wouldn't class that as a problem, just wear/tear.

Second one was nearly faultless with only the alternator needing replaced at 98k.

Apart from that, running costs weren't that bad really.

I returned around 17mpg on the first one, and mid 20's with the second car (only mod was a larger IC and exhaust.

And at the time 85% of my driving were in town, so i cant complain at the fuel return i got.

[mannyo]

The evo has shocking fuel economy, around 200 miles from 60 quids worth of petrol. The imprezza should be slightly better, I would think.

[BigW]

I found the Evo VI and the STI UK PPP Comparable, although both were slightly modified, exhausts, filters, Evo had SAS removed. Not sure what the more modern ones are like.

Must admit though the killer with the evos, unless you get a X are the service intervals.