buying impreza, tips and tricks?

[MPTness]

hey folks, sooby nooby trying to shop for an impreza here,

i found the subaru-checklist


but im in need of more details on what/how to check before buying a used impreza

(ie. came across something about coolant reservior, overheating causes overflowing of coolant as well as trail of residue)

this particular impreza is being sold by a mazda dealer so i can take my time to do "pre-buy checkover"

any heads up guys want to mention?

(sorry it was pretty hard to search for such topic on google)

thanks in advance

[rikimaru]

Hi mate.

Tbh the checklist is very thorough, going through that and any checks you would do on any other car should see you right. Obviously check all paperwork and service history carefully. As its coming from a dealer though should be pretty sound.

However, there are a few model specific issues that you may want to look out for. What year is your car? For exaple Classics have notoriously weak gearboxes so check thoroughly. '99-'00 cars had dodgy MAF sensors sorted on later models. Later models however have a problem with the shocks knocking. Also timing belt needs changing every 100,000 Km's (60,000 miles) if the car is anywhere near that check it has been changed, if not have a word with the dealer

Some things i did;

1. Oil patches in the engine
2. Oil underneath
3. Excessive oil on the rear diff
4. Suspension noises
5. Interior wear and tear (tells you a lot about how the car was run)
6. Bodywork, check it's not had any front/rear impacts, easiest way is to check the front wings, look around the engine bay for extra welding etc
7. Gearbox + clutch check, drive the car up to speed and quickly change through the gears up and down, listen for any crunching etc. Park the car up and put it into 4th, try to pull away in that gear gently, same in 5th, should pull away without any feel of slip or clutch judder
8. Listen for engine noise by taking the rev's up (listen for noise around 3,000 to 5000 rpm). When warm use a screwdriver on the crankcase etc to listen for any knocking or tapping in the engine. Magnifies the sounds. When cold scoobs are horrible noisy things anyway.
9. DCCD (if equipped) - check the DCCD works, dashboard lights should go on and off as you move the DCCD up and down (leave it on the first green afterwards). Check there are no flashing lights on the DCCD panel
10. Electrics, make sure everything works (mine had very few electrics so I didn't have much to check)


Theres probably loads 've missed but hope that helps.

[MPTness]

sweeet, thanks for the info

I am currently looking to buy 99-01 2.5 imprezas because I have heard phase 2 boxers were pretty reliable

problem is i live in canada and we recently had a record breaking snow so people started buying 4wd cars like crazy

(ie. jdm 4wd mirage, camry wagons, justy, imprezas, etc)

so prices went up kinda high not to mention 2.5RS are hard to come by even on normal classified ads.

althou I have came across 3, which were:

1 - '00 2.5 RS, 100km, sold by a dealer, 9k CAD

2 - '00 2.5 RS, 200km, body kit, 6.5k CAD

3- '00 2.2 awd due for service, lady owned since 13k, 6.5 CAD

and couple more auto 2.5 RS which i dont want.


I am willing to spend about 15k for car itself

but dont got much time as I am about to get another job on top of my part time school and work

i just hope that I can find a good car which i can keep for loooong time

(im a toyo-tard, specifically old school rwd corollas, i've already went through couple of messy cars so im out with old cars)

[rikimaru]

OK, the RS is N/A right?

Would go for the lowest mileage one you can. 100,000 km is no problem at all for an Impreza engine (turbo at least, though N/A should last a lot better), even 150,000 but would be reluctant to buy a car with 200,000 Km on it. There's a reason it is only 6.5k. If you're willing to spend 15 then look at all the cars and buy the one that is in the best condition with the best history which kinda goes without saying. Skimping now could lead to expensive repair bills later on as boxer engines are a pita to work on. Also dealer car should come with a decent warranty (12 months i would assume).

Get a decent one with reasonable mileage and stick to service schedules and you should be fine with the car. I have an Impreza ('99 STi) and it hasn't put a foot wrong yet and is also my daily driver. Oh, and it's a lof fun in the snow.

Whatever you get best of luck with it.

[stiimpreza1984]

Wayne pretty sumed it up their

[MPTness]

yea 2.5 sohc n/a for north american RS i think

thanks for the info