Hey guys I'm currently looking at 2 impreza's at the moment. They both seem nice but one of them has some problems. One of them is a 98 and the other being a 93 (~156k on clock. I'm not sure if it's fwd or awd yet, but it seems perfect, aside from not having power windows, and the minor rust...but has the black/grey interior!!!! :biggrin 98: Black, 2.2L, ~220k on the clock , tan interior (BOOOOOOOO!!!! )... has 2 creased dents on the driver's side doors (both driver and passenger door; almost as long as both doors put together; it's slightly above the moldings and continue up until the body's , uh, lines? Also need to replace circuit board thing (idk what it's called lol) to make the passenger door's window roll up & down.) Owner says only form of rust on the body is where the windshield meets the roof. They're both "cheap" and around the same price, but before I make my decision on which one I want to take, I would like to ask you guys this: How much would it cost to replace both driver's side doors, and how much would it be to replace the circuit that allows the passenger window to roll up and down? I need know this so I can take it into account of how much I spend. So, if you guys can help, that would be greatly appreciated. :biggrin: -Nam
if you do research online like on subaru friendly sites, or salvage yard sites you can probably get away fairly reasonable.... other questions though to ask yourself is the 93 fwd or awd, is the 98 a 2.5rs, if it is, is the head gasket in good shape (i.e. burning oil, oil in antifreeze or the other way around, low compression, 98's dohc were good for it)... when was the timing belt and water pump done on either one.... i'd say the 98 on info given but i could be wrong
Thanks, I'll try to look through some suby sites if I find the right ones. lol Also, what salvage sites do you recommend? I've never tried looking at them before, so if you can list a few, that would be very helpful. Oh yeah, I forgot to add those info (woops lol). The 98 is just a 2.2 L (b/c i don't want to "kill" my dad hahaha). Owner claims that she has just replaced the Timing belt, and brakes recently. She also says the tires are "fairly" new. As for the 93, Idk if it's a fwd or awd. I'm waiting on the owner to call me back..
i was going to get that 98. its black and auto. eewww auto. You should get the 98, sounds easy to fix if u do a lil research. It would make a great beater or dd. if this is your first car, you should get it. you wont find another 98 for that price.
I would research a little more, get some detailed pictures of the rust by the windshield. That would worry me, as that can be a tricky area to fix (possible pillar/roof transplant) if the rust is advanced. A friend of mine had to do a roof transplant on one of his cars because of bad rust around the windshield. If its just surface rust, then it shouldn't be a big deal.
Yup, I'd say the 98 too, if this is gonna be a DD, but if it's gonna be a project car, the 93 might be more suitable (OBDI/crank windows... hell ya!) car-parts.com is always a good place to look, I'm on there now and assuming this is a 4-door, they have some driver side doors listed in state ranging anywhere from 150-300 bucks. Don't forget you're gonna have to paint them too, unless you don't care.
Hahah! That's the one! I've been in on-off contact with the owner and she's going to hold onto it for me a little longer to allow me to gather $$. :biggrin: And yes, this is my first car. :biggrin: To be honest, I don't really mind the rust on the windshield. By the way she told me how it was "minor" it should be fine for a while, but I'm up for a transplant to experience new things. :biggrin: This would be a DD so I can get to and from work/school. I would get the 93, but I don't want cranks.. I always need power, and I'm too broke to do a project anyways hahaha. Also, thanks for recommending the site! The price which you've stated seems fair to me, and shouldn't be a problem if I have to paint them or not... :biggrin: Thanks so far for the input guys! Keep em coming if you can! :banana:
i would lean to the 93 myself if it was AWD and not rusty. is the 93 a 2.2 or 1.8? does the 93 have drum or discs in the rear? the rust on the roof is troubling to me too. sellers always say it is "minor" i can not put it into proper words how much i hate the tan interior. it looks so dirty so fast. i would rather deal with crank windows than replacing doors and door electrics and a rusty roof. you should have a body shop take a peek at the roof before you buy if you are serious about the 98. dont worry about the mileage on either engine. my 95 has 270,000 on its 2.2 and it is running awesome. it could use a little work but it still runs strong.
I'm not sure on specifics on the 93 at the moment since I'm waiting on a call back from the owner. I agree with you about the tan interior, but I can live with that and replace it in the future for the beastly swap when I actually start getting money lol. However I do want to actually have something to do with the car once I get it. I just want to take something apart on it and put it back together just for the heck of it. One reason why I don't mind replacing doors on the 98. Also, I can't live without the power windows as I would get annoyed very easily to roll up/down the windows just for some air. edit: also as stated before: I would really mind the rust on the roof b/c I wouldn't really mind trying to transplant a new one just to experience/do something with the car. But I probably would have issues with it if I can't do that... Oh well, I'll see if I can have it get checked at a body shop.
Go for the 98. It's not an RS as evidenced by the fact you stated it has a 2.2l engine. Those engines are bulletproof in their stock form. With the 98 (96+ GC8 body style) there are a lot of mods you can perform on them and much JDM support. They take easily to many WRX parts. 98 FTW There's a 99 GC8 in one of the junkyards up here that you could get parts from. It took a front end hit so the doors are all intact as far as I know.
anything that will work on a 98 will work on a 93. the only major difference is the hood, bumper, headlights and grille. there are other minor ones but those are the big ones.
i will say that the 98 is a better looking front end than the 93. it really depends on what kind of shape that rust on the roof is. make sure to look at the rocker panels and the rear wheel arches where the bumper meets the sheet metal. rocks get trapped in there and eat away at the paint and rust that area really bad. also since it is a 4 door they are prone to rust in the area called the dogleg. it is the small area between the wheel arch and the rear door. subaru put a pice of plastic there to protect the metal but what ends up happening is that crud gets trapped there and rusts out the metal back there. it is not an easy fix. another trouble spot is in front of the rear wheel at the bottom of the arch. there is a little area where mud and grime and salt will sit and eat away at the metal there and can end up with holes into the rocker panel area. the rs bumper looks awesome on these cars even if you dont swap the hood. but if you do put it on the 93 you will have to change the grille, headlights and hood. the more i think about it the 98 might be a better buy just because it has 5-6 years less time on MN roads. doing any work underneath the 93 could be a major pain. also if the 93 has a 1.8 you will not enjoy the amount of power it has but you will enjoy the durability and fuel economy it has. the 1.8 is peppy but not a powerhouse.
Ah, I see. I knew the area of which the rust begins more commonly, but I didn't know the exact spot it would begin. Thanks for the heads-up. I'll see if I can go out to look over the 98 if I'm not busy this weekend. As for the 93, I see what you mean about the years, so I guess I'm in t he green for the 98 now. :biggrin:
