Subaru Impreza Hatchback
 

Hello all,

I am getting married in Feburary and am moving to Massachusetts. Here in NY the car did poorly in the snow and I fear that with the hills and valleys in the rural area I am moving to in mass would make the BRZ a very difficult car to own year round.

My question is, I have about 16k left on the loan and I want to trade it in for an impreza hatchback for its AWD and additional storage space / practicality. What are the chances that this will work out in my favor?

The car has 17k miles as of tomorrow and I did hit a deer and have to replace the front bumper cover (no structural damage).

I am just stressing over moving and I need some support haha

P.S. I have no clue where I am supposed to post this, if I am in the wrong section if a MOD could relocate this thread I would appreciate it.

Also look into the XV Crosstrek...those are pretty neat too.

The Crosstrek is built on the Impreza platform with a higher stance to it so it's pretty much the same car.

As for moving to Mass, do you have to get rid of the car or can you afford to keep it as a summer car and get something for the winter? If the damage was reported to insurance, then it will most likely show up on the records when you try to sell it or trade it. That will probably depreciate the value of the car a little. . .plus you're looking now at the end of the summer when a lot of folks tend to trade in summer vehicles so the market is against you.

Trading in or selling a car seldom results in anything that will favor you especially since you are going to take the depreciation hit. Why not go into the regional forum for Mass and see how others there have handled the winter conditions? Then decide on a plan of action based on what you learn.

I'm in the same situation as you, minus the marriage part. From what I remember after getting an appraisal, if you sell your car at carmax they will give you around 20K but you would only probably get 4K since you still owe money on the car.

If you are ok with a loss of a lot of money then go for it, if not then maybe you should consider getting snow tires?

I am exploring my options, if I decide to keep the car it just means that I would have to call out of work if it snowed where we will be moving. It is at the bottom of a pretty steep hill. Here in NY with WS70 Blizzaks and 200lbs of sand in the trunk just to get myself up some smaller hills.

Yea, 4k down payment on a impreza is not horrible but it is pretty much starting my car loan over (which is depressing AF). I might be better off paying it off and getting a winter beater...or just getting a job from home.

If you don't have to buy new you could probably pick up a used Impreza/Forester/Outback for under $10k in good condition. Take a look on the nasioc.com regional forums and you may find a good deal. I sold my 02 wrx for my BRZ 2 years ago for $8k and it only had 59k miles on it and was in perfect condition so the deals are out there.

Oh maaaan buy used used used. As long as the major things have been done, like headgaskets and ringlands are ok, then id say like a $7-10k forester or outback, who knows you mught be able to find a GC8 if youre lucky enough

I will take a look @ nasioc.com thanks for the tip. I am going to see how it goes this winter...if the local DPW is good about plowing and sanding I could be alright. Thanks for the information.

I am looking to buy used, only bought the BRZ new because it was the first year it was out. I should have my BRZ paid off before my first full winter living in mass, so I will have more options. I remember hearing about the headgaskets going bad on 07-10 boxer engines. 11 and on are expected to last longer. If I am lucky I can either get a returned lease or find someone with a '11 who wants to sell it.

I guess I am keeping the BRZ and hoping for an easy winter this year. It does not make sense money wise to trade it in and I dont have the money for a second car.


Thanks for everyones input. I appreciate it.

The head gasket is a problem on all Subarus with either the EJ25D engine or the EJ251 and EJ253 engines. From about 2002+ all of them if they suffered a blown head gasket the leak will be external. The head gasket design has changed as time went on to further reduce this problem. Basically with whichever one you get simply make sure the head gasket isn't blown, and when you're sure it doesn't leak simply add sealant in the coolant system. This will further reduce the chances of a leak by plugging it the moment it starts and potentially avoiding the worst problem that affects these cars.