My Mazda 323 seems to be rotting away at ever-increasing speed. I have about £9k to spend and am thinking of an Impreza 2.0R estate. I like the Subaru 'engineering' ethos, the non-mainstream image, the 4x4 handling and I think the 2.0R has enough performance for me.
However, I'm a bit concerned about the likely cost of repairs - Subaru seem to be among the most expensive cars to fix when they do go wrong, and I guess consumables like exhausts are likely to be very pricey. I'm also wondering how long Subaru dealers are likely to survive in the UK.
So, would the sensible option be a petrol Focus. What do backroomers think?
Pete
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Our March 2003 Forester 2.0x has only had to have wiper blades replaced since new.
I don't know if parts are expensive, as I've never had to buy any !
I also think the Focus is a great car, it depends on if you want something different or not.
Try a test drive, that clinched it for us
MVP
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I>> I also think the Focus is a great car it depends on if you want something different or not.
MVP
I think that's what it boils down to - I like the Subaru, even though rationally the Focus would be a better purchase. It's a head v heart thing I guess.
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We have had three Subarus in our family and I can't remember a replacement part that was not a service item or a wiper blade/lightbulb.
The brake pads all round were replaced at the last service in my Outback. The parts cost was about £120 for the lot. Given that the car had done 45,000 I thought that was OK.
Go for it.
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A non-turbo Impreza will be about as bullet-proof a car as you can buy. I very much doubt you'll be buying many parts. There are supplies of OEM parts like brakes and clutches if you don't want to pay dealer prices.
I've had 2 litre Legacy, followed by a Legacy Spec B and currently have an Impreza RB320 and a Forester 2.0XT auto.
I ran the original Legacy from around 55k miles to 135k. It needed a clutch at around 120k, probably due to me (I drove it hard) and normal servicing including brake pads and discs. When I p/exed it against the Spec B, it had the original bushes, joints and exhaust. It need nothing at all in the time I had it other than mentioned above.
None if the others have needed anything either although they are relatively low mileage, the Forester on 53k being the highest.
You may guess I'm a little biased!
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The focus is a great car and 9 grand would buy a very high spec model if u shopped around and got something less than brand new. If I was planning on keeping a car for many years though I'd buy the Impreza. If I was keeping it for 3 to 5 years I'd go for the focus.
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Whilst a lot is said of "test drives" written by others on their "driving pleasure" you can't beat a real test drive in a number of options such as Civic, C4/5, even a Jag etc.
I did and really couldn't tell much apart, so went for Megan Estate and not regreted it. Almost two years old and a blown light bulb after 43000miles for £12,000 new. I know many wouldn't touch it as the badge says "breakdown", but I reckon it was more than worth it. I found Sub a bit "hard" which for longer drives (300+ miles at a time) was not realistic. Would happily get another in September, but will test drive a number of alternatives first...
Good luck
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I need a new aircon compressor for my Legacy. At £1,400.
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On e-bay today remanufactured (?) compressor for £317+£15 del on exchange basis.
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Wow! That's a lot. How old is the car? Can you get a non-OE version?
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Almost two years old and a blown light bulb after 43000miles for £12 000 new.
barneybear, that's one very expensive lightbulb!
;-)
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I plan to keep the car for 5+ years so from that perspective the Impreza makes sense. The £1400 Legacy bill is a bit worrying though. I'm hoping that Impreza parts might be cheaper?
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Have a look at the Forester, especially in 156bhp 2.0 guise for regular tooling around. Handles like a car and more room than an Impreza (upon which it is based).
You also won't look like the guy who couldn't afford the WRX Impreza.
The 2.5 turbo is Boxster quick but a bit heavier in running costs than the 2.0 NA model...
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An aircon compressor would be expensive on any car and it's a very rare occurrence, especially on a Subaru. Don't worry about it.
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Nick>> An aircon compressor would be expensive on any car and it's a very rare occurrenceespecially on a Subaru. Don't worry about it.
Thanks then, I won't....
Many thanks for the eBay link though, above.
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Do consider a BMW 5-series Touring of the E39 generation (1997-2004). Even a late model should leave you some change! The six-pot petrols are fantastic, but a wee bit on the thirsty side and, curiously, the bigger ones seem more economical than the smaller ones. They'll do 40ish MPG on a good motorway run, though! A 530D could be worth looking at, though. All E39s are endlessly reliable, don't need anything doing at all even to quite silly mileages. A good independent garage could save you money on the usual consumables, though. Scoobies are nice cars but the ride quality ain't great and the quality of cabin materials leaves something to be desired - oh, and they're at least as thirsty as any BMW six-pot. Focuses do have reliability issues and they rust - I'd avoid if I were you. Hell, you can get a late-model E38 or even an early E65 7-series for that sort of money...
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