96 Subaru Impreza asking for 2500?

Question

96 Subaru Impreza

He is asking for $2500.

The car looks decent. it has 145k on it.

I am not sure about Subaru Impreza.

It's a little rare in the states compare to honda and toyota.

Do they last? it is a AWD.

How much should I offer?

What should I look for when i go check it out?

What are some common problems people have with this car?

Answer 1

I'd take it for $2000 but not a penny more. Also if you were unlucky enough to have a lot of things go wrong in the first 6 months.... $1000 isn't to bad when you think about what kinda of new car can you get with payments under $200? Also this is why cars like Honda, Toyota, and Subaru hold there value once they get older. In most cases your won't have to many problems with them once they get up in age unlike some other cars... Best of luck.

Answer 2

I had a '93 subauru i bought for $2,000 about 3 years ago.  Most of them are AWD, but mine was not.  It was a one owner car.

I did my research and found they were pretty reliable, but mine was not. I spent over $1,000 in just 6 months of ownership.  I bought mine at 105,000 miles and sold it at 125,000 for $1,800.

One thing I would caution you is check to see if they did the timing belt and water pump on that car AS WELL AS ALL THE SEALS!  The guy I bought it from did in fact do the timing belt and water pump but he didn't do the camshaft seal and crankshaft seal which is right next to the timing belt.  After I drove the thing for just a few months, the camshaft seal started to leak oil on the exhaust which was creating a lot of smoke and an awful smell.  So i had to pay a mechanic to do ANOTHER timing belt JOB.  NOTICE that it is called a timing belt JOB--you don't only do the timing belt and the water pump like most people do, you must do all the seals i mentioned because if one of them starts leaking, you gotta go all the way back in there and do it all over again which cost several hundred dollars!  Remember, it is timing belt, water pump, camshaft seal, crank shaft seal, and all external drive belts as well as a coolant flush!  this is a Timing belt job!  You don't do this and you gotta spend the money and do it all over again!

And a '96 for $2,500 is not a good deal.  it is worth under $2,000.  more like $1,500 at the most.  If the timing belt job was not done (you had better check for maintenance records and don't believe what people say, trust me) I wouldn't pay more than $500.. seriously no joke

Answer 3

I personally wouldn't buy it for $2500, but it all just depends on how it's been maintained over the years.  

If he is getting rid of it he probably is just going to leave the maintance to the next guy who owns the car.  A 12 year car might nickle and dime you to death.  I've been down that road before, and it's not fun.  

Just be sure if you do buy it that you have someone who is mechanically inclined to help you look at it prior to the sale.  Imprezas are awesome cars though..

Answer 4

that is a great deal snatch it up. its a  subaru so it will probably last like 250k+ miles and they are very nice cars. I cant tell you enough to get it!

Answer 5

Price the car using KBB.com.  Assume private party and FAIR condition.  No car that old could be considered GOOD condition.  You should expect to pay less than KBB Fair condition by about $250.  KBB seems to always be a little high.