looking at a new family car

[ALL4SHOW]

rite before we start with the "its not old skool " "its jap crap" & all the other stuff im just asking advice as i know some people have had them,worked on them or know someone that has had 1 so im looking for a car thats newish,has 4 doors & the wife & kids like the look of so ive been offered a subaru imprezza sport 2.0 on an X plate so what i need to know is the good & bad points on these cars as i just want a turn the key & go so need to know what to have a look at i know it needs the cam belt changing but other than that it has got fsh but that doesnt tell me much about the weak points on the car i know they are very basic in side (plastic ) whats the going rate for these cars these days ? thanks for any advice & as my wifes friend told me your are buying a mid life crisis car

[Slik 50]

Never owned one myself, and probably never will not my cup of tea!

But as far prices go You will pay around £140-£160 for a half decent clutch(Blueprint or LUK), About £30 for front pads £25 ish for the rears. (All Blueprint which are specilist jap aftermarket parts ant you cannot beat the quality)

If you want rough prices on any other parts just let me know!

[ALL4SHOW]

cheers for that i know they are not everyones cup of tea & its not the best place to post & ask about them but i wont get a reply from someone who owns the all singing all dancing telling me you want this & that or someone who has got the rose tinted glasses on that thinks there should be nothing else in the world but subarus as i just want a daily family car that has 4 doors can have a bit of fun in (4wd), wont cost silly money & looks modern(ish) & those prices as you said arent really that bad as ive seen the prices of parts for mine & mates astra,mondeo,bmw & toyota so i think i can live with that

[Mr Sam]

volvo all teh way if you ask me

[Slik 50]

At the end of the day I can think of much worse cars to own and more expensive ones to maintain. But I work in a small motor factors and quite a few of our regulars own them both in the turbo and non turbo models and not one of them have ever complained about them and they never seem to buy any obscure things for them. They just seem like a well built jap cars

[105Nick]

I really dont rate them, my sister in law's got one and wasn't impressed. Although they're a sport wagon, there's not a lot of room, especially if you've got two adults in the front the rear leg room is seriously comprimised. The rear roof line is severely raked too to make it look sporty, so he estate isn't much better than a saloon, and it still has the thick rear door pillars from the saloon, which cut out a lot of vision for back seat pasengers. They're very plasticy inside - not quality plastic but it feels really lightweight and flimsy and I really didnt like driving it. Only drove it on dry grass but ther throttles a switch off-or-on with no feel and I found the whole thing to have no feedback, the steerings light and vague. It also costs a fortune to run. The best modern family car I've been in is the newer shape VW Passat estate TDI. The engine is really superb, it pulls like a train straight off and is so responsive, and its a modern diesel so its better than many petrols. Everything about it just says quality, it feels really sound and solid there's tons of room in without it being too big and the turbos quite effective. The interior is really nice and comfy too. They do look bulky but do drive well. I'd rate it above a vectra for everyday, though they're quite good too. Seat Cupra also uses the VW TDI underpinnings and is awesome, feels equally as solid and well made and the kick from the turbo is unbelievable for a diesel but then it is a smaller car.

[4parajon]

I believe they are very thirsty and very high for the insurance mate

[Mk2Jo]

Good Points: Extremely reliable, comfortable, loads of boot space, drives beautifully, sticks like **** to a blanket, nice to drive in traffic and on long journeys

 

Bad Points: Not a huge amount of leg room in the back (my kids are 12 and 9 and they find it okay though), petrol consumption (not sure about the Sport though as mine is a turbo and I only get 20mpg ), basic inside.

 

Check out the insurance as well before you go any further ..... mine is group 21 although it is the WRX turbo.

 

I've had mine for 6 1/2 years now and it has never let me down so far (searches for wood to touch ).

 

Have a quick look here for more info although it covers the Turbo versions mostly, it's worth a read

 

http://www.sidc.co.uk/faq.htm

[ALL4SHOW]

cheers for all the replies & jo you are a star for that that has got a load of info i need & as its only the sport its 30 mpg & group 13 so its not that different to my old mk4 xr3i

[Gareth]

M8, my older bro's into his subarus,

 

Check out SIDC (subaru impreza driver's club)

 

He says theyre really friendly, not like scoobynet who wonder

why a ferrari beats their 300hp 2ltr turbo...

 

Hope that'll help ya out

[marky4]

i know someone with a sport and it's as jcuy as a turbo but without any go in it

[ALL4SHOW]

i know someone with a sport and it's as jcuy as a turbo but without any go in it

ive heard that aswell thats why i needed some info on them to help me

[105Nick]

My sister in law's one's a sport and yeah it's really thirsty. I'd have to disagree Jo, I find it really uncomfortable, I'm 6ft and find there isn't a lot of headroom and that its cramped all round especially in the back. The forward raked pillars really bug me and the tailgate is raked forward too so there isn't a lot of space, unlike most other estates. I wouldn't get my dog in the boot that's for sure without putting the seat down.

[Mk2Jo]

You are talking about a Sport Wagon and I was talking about a Sport Saloon but each to their own and I agree, personal preferences differ that is why we are all commenting in here

[ALL4SHOW]

no jo you are right it is the saloon i was thinking about forgot to clear that up on some of the other posts as i dont need a sports wagon as ive got a mk4 escort diesel van for ME to use

[EmmaOrbit]

4 dr mk2 escort you cant go wrong

 

i like scoobies but if it Xreg i bet it has had the crap ragged out of it mate (they call it the classic shape lol )

 

classic my arse !

 

juicy cars - wagons are a waste of a scooby if you ask me - plus theives can easily get them now and round our way you got to be carefull cos loads and i do mean loads are getting nicked

[ALL4SHOW]

4 dr mk2 escort you cant go wrong

 

i like scoobies but if it Xreg i bet it has had the crap ragged out of it mate (they call it the classic shape lol )

 

classic my arse !

 

juicy cars - wagons are a waste of a scooby if you ask me - plus theives can easily get them now and round our way you got to be carefull cos loads and i do mean loads are getting nicked

there is no chance the wife will have another 4dr mk2 escort (my first car at 17 yrs old) & she remembers how i used to drive it the car im looking at belongs to a mates fiance & she only uses it for running the kids around (bought it cos it looked nice ) so it has been pretty well looked after (with the odd bit of abuse when my mate used it ) plus if i get a nice resectable family car i can sort out my osf when ive sorted the other cars out i need to do as ive now got some free time

[105Nick]

Ah. Sorry. But tell you what, mate of mines EVO VI is ten times better imho. Feels a lot more solidly made than the scooby, and scoobies are everywhere. Still I'd rather an OSF for me .

[Wessie]

i got a soft spot for evo 5's and 6's

[mk2_escort_chick]

My m8 Kyz loves the Evo 8...and her fords!!! More retro than old skool, but hey she's still a ford gal

[ALL4SHOW]

yes would love evo,wrx or a cossie but in reality its not going to happen plus the wife thinks the evo's are ugly the cossie is a old sierra & the wrx is ok so its the sport im looking at as my teenage daughters like the look of them to so im out numbered i dont care as ive got my van & a second class ride is better than a first class walk ! & with the sport i get to keep my other cars without to much grief as they dont have to go in them