Looking at getting a subaru impreza (as a first car) have heard mix thoughts about them so undecided whether to get one or stick with well known cars such as Toyota etc. thanks :)
mugenb20b,
May 23, 8:31am
1995 model or 2011!
nev48,
May 23, 8:33am
dont want to spend more than $5000 max on one so would be the 1995 - 99 models.
also - do the 4wd models seem to have many issues!
mugenb20b,
May 23, 8:46am
They are actually OK, but automatic transmissions can play up. I would go for a 2 litre non turbo 4wd, 5 speed manual one. But for the same money you could get a later model, poverty pack, 1.5 litre front wheel drive. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference on what kind of car you want to buy,see what suits your needs best and what you feel comfortable in.
peejeles,
May 23, 8:49am
they are ok. a bit thirsty tho and they can get very pricey when things go wrong.
nev48,
May 23, 8:50am
yeah, thats the thing thats putting me off. but then the people that do have them, say they havent had any problems with them at all. so Im sitting on the fence.
franc123,
May 23, 8:53am
most of the grief is with badly maintained turbo versions and those that have had engine mods done by people that don't know what they are doing and have driven them hard.The more basic versions give a reasonable run IF they've been looked after well.
peejeles,
May 23, 8:53am
the rub is that they are mostly owned by muppets who have not maintained them and thrashed the bejesus out of them. if you get a good one you should be ok. get your mechanic to do a full check on it.
mugenb20b,
May 23, 8:55am
They have their advantages, low centre of gravity (good handling), all the ancilliary items are easy to get to, fan belts and cambelts are easy to replace, engines can be removed from the vehicle in less than 2 hours, etc. Disadvantages, takes a bit of time to replace spark plugs on quad cam engines, once they are over heated they are toast.
thejazzpianoma,
May 23, 9:11am
Why not keep an open mind in that price bracket. For 5K you can get a LOT of car and if a nicely maintained Impreza (as outlined above) came up for that then its definitely a contender. In another thread a while ago there was a real gem of an example that would have suited you.
However, great examples are not super thick on the ground so assembling a list of other good options and watching/comparing those as well may yield the best results. I wouldn't be in a rush to get a Toyota though, smaller Toyota's are more often than not poor value. Parts are not as cheap and prevalent as you would expect and as a vehicle in your price range they are average at best.
However with an open mind and the will to do some research (and the ability to sort the wheat from the chaff in terms of whats true and whats not) you could get a real cracker of a first car for 5K or less.
geoff_m,
May 23, 9:20am
They tend to get nicked by joyriders. For similar reasons, good second-hand ones are hard to find, and the non turbo ones aren't much to write home about.
franc123,
May 23, 9:30am
Some good points raised here, pricing some insurance first especially if you are U25 is a good idea, there is definitely an above average chance of it being nicked.The above poster is right about the more mundane versions not being outstanding, they aren't exciting cars by any means, I guess really because of being in the shadow of the WRX.Not dissing the Impreza in any way here but unless you have a particular fancy for AWD (unless you choose the very basic 1.5) you might be better off looking elsewhere
mme,
May 23, 9:41am
I've got a 1996 CZ model 1500 economical & peppy! First NZ owner & have had it for 8+ year,first 5 years absolutely no work required. I'll get another in a couple of years or maybe a Forrester. It's more the WRX models that are targeted.
jason18,
May 23, 9:23pm
I hacd a 1600 4wd version. What a gas guzzling sack!
kcf,
May 23, 9:27pm
Turbo, non turbo.4wd, 2wd, what engine size are you looking at, what are you using it for.Without having an indication of that, you will mostly just get random opinions.
Personally for $5k, unless you need a four wheel drive turbo wagon, I'd be looking at a something like a Corolla or a Pulsar.On average cheaper to run, and should hold value quite well
steve312,
May 24, 8:32am
Got a '97 5dr 1.8 2wd Impreza for my wife to run around in.Great little car and pretty cheap to run.Hasn't missed a beat since we got it and has no problem with the drive from Nelson to Christchurch.I would recommend staying away from the turbo ones.They have generally had the ass thrashed off them.
nev48,
May 24, 9:35am
Currently have my eye on 378190885. Dad is/was a mechanic so he would come to view with me and I would also get an AA Check and what not on it too.
Toyota Caribs - thoughts!
_peas,
May 24, 10:47pm
With that example you are combining everything poor about anything resembling performance.Auto, 4WD and smaller engine.I personally think you would regret it.Do you want a 4WD!
The Caribs go very well especially the BZ Touring versions with the 20valve 4A-GE.They are unfortunately overpriced at the moment though you would geta decent lower spec version for your $5k.
321mat,
May 24, 10:54pm
No. Because no.
' ' ' And I'll tell you why. because while they are "reasonably" nice to drive (worse than their Mitsubishi equivilants). they will cost you and arm and a leg (and your first born) when it comes time to service them.
And, Subaru dealers are just a bunch of crooks to deal with.
_peas,
May 24, 11:06pm
Is that just taken as gospel that they are expensive to service!I mean do they have more drive belts, I don't recall that they do and they are very easy to get to, more so than a traditional FWD layout.They take a stock oil filter, the EJ20 takes 4.5l of oil from memory. nothing out of the ordinary there.Plugs are a barstard, but NGK platinums have long life so its not as often that they require changing.Cambelt does have a lot of components, as does a V6 but this is a once every 100,000km job so is it that much of a deal!
Does anyone have an actual expensive service experience on a Subaru!My friends and family have owned them and have never had major problems or whinged about the cost of ownership besides the higher fuel use but that was only in the smaller engined legacys or if it was loaded up. which could be said of any small-midsized engined car.
nev48,
May 25, 4:31am
Basically Im a young female thats finally in a position to be able to afford a car and pay for the upkeep etc. - Willing to spend up to $5000 for the right car. - prefer towbar for towing a small yacht occassionally - Open road travel - so a bit sturdy than say a corolla hatch back - able to go up mountains over winter for skiing (North Island - so Mt Egmont and Ruapehu) - not fussed if 4wd or not. - automatic - less than 300,000km - no earlier than 1996 - tidy and well kept condition
Soo. if you know of anything. :)
_peas,
May 25, 6:47am
Just how big is the small yacht!Are we talking sailing dinghy or trailer sailer!
nev48,
May 25, 7:13am
just a little sailing dinghy - a Laser - so not too heavy and its would only be locally
fordcrzy,
May 25, 7:44am
They tend to get nicked by joyriders.
They tend to get nicked by joyriders.
They tend to get nicked by joyriders.
They tend to get nicked by joyriders.
that's why you will pay $#!T loads for insurance and don't be surprised if you wake up one morning and it's gone. don't even think about taking one to university.
michael.benn,
May 25, 8:11am
nev do you mind if I stick my nose in and suggest a car !
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