Worth flying to Manitoba for?

[natejj]

http://manitoba.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2008-Subaru-Impreza-2-5I-Hatchback-W0QQAdIdZ298507148

Cheapest Auto Impreza hatch I can find in all of western Canada, I save $2000-$3000 by flying to manitoba and driving it back. Anyone else care to chime on if they think it's worth getting? I'm taking a friend's for a spin tomorrow to make sure I like it. Car above has been in front end collision, $2000 worth of damage has been repaired.

Thanks beyond!

[Hakkola]

I wouldn't do it because of the collision. It could still have some issues.

[Sentry]

Not really. 2k in damage on a new car would only be superficial. Just a bumper, some trim shit, and a paint match could easily reach that.

[kamakurakid]

If repaired by a pro shop, it will be fine. Easy to ding a couple grand in a very minor accident, a headlight and bumper repaint would be over a couple grand. A key running along the hood and two doors would be a couple grand.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Take it from someone whose been looking for a car for over 4 months. Every "mint" or "excellent" condition car is nowhere NEAR that. I wouldn't go to Manitoba to likely be disappointed, but that's just me.

[Sentry]

And if there was an airbag deployment, fuck, that's a couple thousand bucks alone.

[natejj]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Take it from someone whose been looking for a car for over 4 months. Every "mint" or "excellent" condition car is nowhere NEAR that. I wouldn't go to Manitoba to likely be disappointed, but that's just me.

Yeah I would definately be taking a huge risk, to save a few thousand. Could get burned for deposit and 2 flights as well. I think I'm going to offer him 13,000.

[chkolny541]

pretty sketch, but it could be a great gamble potentially

[Nakadah]

If I were you I would go. As you have said it is cheaper by much than the rest you could find, and accidents are not that bad as people make them to be. $2k is easily just a front bumper and grills replaced in a shop.

If it is really that cheap I would hurry though, because good deals disappear pretty damn fast!

[funkedelic2]

Why are you dead set on an impreza hatch? No offense but that's not a very exciting combo. I'm debating driving 5-7 hours out of my way for a car im really interested in but I can't imagine going that far unless it's something rare or hard to find. If you don't mind driving that far, I would consider looking in the us in areas like Seattle or Portland. Usually cars down south are cheaper and our dollar is pretty good right now. Just a suggestion

[clem24]

Yeah I find this strange.. It's an Impreza Hatch; a very common car. Do you *need* a car right away? Sounds to me like you're just being impatient. If you wait a bit, the right car will pop up locally. You just have to keep looking (which to me, is the fun part).

BTW cars in the USA are *not* necessarily cheaper, especially for a car in the $15k region. In fact, used car prices in Calgary have dropped tremendously. I've noticed lately that unless you're getting something $30k+ (maybe a few exceptions), it's almost not worth it anymore. And especially older cars, like the E46 M3, E39 M5... Everything in Alberta is priced either at or below their US equivalent, sometimes even BEFORE factoring taxes. Crazy!

[natejj]

Originally posted by funkedelic2
Why are you dead set on an impreza hatch? No offense but that's not a very exciting combo. I'm debating driving 5-7 hours out of my way for a car im really interested in but I can't imagine going that far unless it's something rare or hard to find. If you don't mind driving that far, I would consider looking in the us in areas like Seattle or Portland. Usually cars down south are cheaper and our dollar is pretty good right now. Just a suggestion

I'm really not dead set, but I cant think of another car that I like.

Budget is $10-15k
Must be Auto
AWD is preferred, going to be doing some serious winter driving
Preferrably fully loaded
Needs to be dog friendly, with the impreza can just kick the dog into the rear. I'm all open to other suggestions as well, was considering a Honda Fit. I'm not a huge fan of SUV's, so a wagon is preferrable.

[clem24]

Originally posted by natejj
Budget is $10-15k
Must be Auto
AWD is preferred, going to be doing some serious winter driving
Preferrably fully loaded
Needs to be dog friendly, with the impreza can just kick the dog into the rear. I'm all open to other suggestions as well, was considering a Honda Fit. I'm not a huge fan of SUV's, so a wagon is preferrable.

Lots of choices here since it's not performance you're after. I am in the same boat (2 dogs + 2 kids) - I like wagons and not SUVs, but I need performance. For me, there only 2 choices: Mazdaspeed3 and Legacy GT. The LGT won for me

For you, you have (if you must have AWD):

Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe
Legacy wagon
Outback (I don't consider this an SUV)
Forester (the older gen are much lower and I consider them wagons)
Impreza wagon
Audi A4 & A3
BMW 325xi (E46) wagon
VW Golf wagon

And FWD (which I think is great and MUCH MORE TOSSABLE in the snow but not as good forward traction: Subarus are great at getting going but they understeer like crazy in snow and are very unpredictable when sliding around because of it's variable power split):

Mazda3 wagon
Mazda6 wagon
Golf GTi

Plus a bunch more but you can get all the above choices in your price range.

If you're dead set on an Impreza, I'd consider the GDs since they're real wagons and not a hatch. So at least your dogs won't be roasting if the sun is shining right on them through the steeply raked rear window. I prefer a bigger hatch myself to give them room, so of all those, I'd pick the Legacy wagon (I guess I am biased). Plus in the Legacy, Subaru makes a metal dog gate that keeps them safe in the trunk, that I also use to hook up their seat belts.

[natejj]

Clem24, took your advice, here's my new ride.

2005 Outback Legacy 2.5XT

http://i.imgur.com/jwIjo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VzRA2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qgdsi.jpg

[n1zm0]

^ wow nice, i want a LGT or Outback LTD sedan, so hard to find a decently priced 5spd, mid 100k km one tho, you flew there and drove it back then?

do you do your personal inspection or bring it to a shop or both?

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Nice! Welcome to the Subaru family.

[natejj]

Originally posted by n1zm0
^ wow nice, i want a LGT or Outback LTD sedan, so hard to find a decently priced 5spd, mid 100k km one tho, you flew there and drove it back then?

do you do your personal inspection or bring it to a shop or both?

Got this one from Calgary. It's auto with Tiptronic. Just did my own personal inspection, the guy seemed trustworthy (by my standards) and the turbo was rebuilt 2 months ago, so I just went for it, got a great price.

[clem24]

Nice.. Congrats! Same color as my LGT. The LGT is a total sleeper, in all departments. The interior of the LGT/Outback is miles above the Impreza and even the current Leggy/Outback. The dash is all soft touch, and even the A pillar is covered in cloth instead of just hard plastic. You won't be disappointed.

Subaru also makes a really nice, fitted dog gate. I buy everything from www.subarugenuineparts.com (i.e. Chaplins in Bellevue, WA). Even after shipping, everything is still cheaper than buying local (i.e. bought some cross bars for $160 shipped immediately, while Centaur wanted almost $300 and I had to wait a few weeks).

Do slap some good winters on that bad boy and you'll beat everyone off the line when it's icy/snowy out, every single time.

On that note, I'll probably be putting up my 5MT LGT Ltd Wagon (rare combo) up for sale soon. Just waiting till I find my new ride hehehe.