I’m considering test driving a 2007 Subaru Impreza sedan, but before I spend time doing that, I’m interested in getting some feedback about whether the car would be worth it.
Car details:
It has a 2.5L engine, and mileage of 117000. The Carfax report shows no accident history, but I’ll get an independent inspection anyway. It’s being offered at nearly $8000 which is lower than the KBB estimation of $9200.
Is it advisable to buy an Impreza with this much mileage on it? Thanks in advance for any replies. 
If it’s properly and thoroughly checked, including for evidence of a headgasket breech, than I don’t see where it would entail any more risk than any other used car.
Don’t let Carfax fool you. The fact that it does not show an accident is meaningless. As its commercials say, it has only “information reported to Carfax”. It does NOT have information NOT reported to Carfax. And there is no requirement to report information to Carfax.
Double negative. Does not have info not reported means the same as info reported is listed. But, carfax COULD not report info that is reported to them. They are not infallible.
Thanks for replying. Yes I’ve read articles about how Carfax is not completely accurate, and independent checkups are advisable.
One thing I noticed is that not much information on the car’s maintenance has been recorded, which makes me worry that I’ll be spending a lot on repairs if I buy it. There is only one record of an oil change in 2007, and that’s it.
Most times maintenance won’t show up on Carfax, so you car’s report is neither a positive or a negative.
Very little car maintenance and repairs gets incorporated into CarFax reports. New car dealers service departments are most likely to get invoices with a car’s VIN # feed into CarFax via automatic computer links. Most independent auto repair shops often don’t bill via computer at all, and those that do just do so internally; the shops computer doesn’t link up and feed data into Carfax. Some national chain shops do have pretty sophisticated computer billing and record keeping and they are most likely to get data feeds into Carfax. The best way to document service on a car is for the owner to keep all repair and maintenance receipts and records in the glove box, and for the buyer to check for such records when they look over the car.
Maintenance is recorded on CarFax if it is done at a dealer’s shop. If someone does it themselves or has it done at an independent garage, then it won’t be in CarFax. The seller might have receipts, though.
i agree you should have it inspected by an independent mechanic you trust. standing at the back, look down the side for wavy lines in the paint job, which may indicate it had a new paintjob and bodywork after a repair. also ensure that the frame is not bent or rusted. i bought a used 2006 impreza in 2010–it had 60,000 miles on it and was sold for $10,000. it now has 90,000 miles and i’ve had few problems. there have been a few recalled parts, but those are replaced for free at any subaru dealer. the mileage for the car you’re looking at is a little high, but $8,000 seems like a reasonable price.
I have a 2007 Impreza 2.5i, that I bought about 3 years ago, when it had 54,XXX miles on it. I can recommend this car if you want to get from point A to point B. Without a turbo, the 170HP has a lot of trouble getting the nearly 3,500 pound car up to speed. The suspension is soft and if you get the automatic, have fun with 4 gears with ratios so far apart, you could fit another transmission in between each.
I should preface those complaints with, I’m a car guy and a die-hard one at that. This was the first car I bought out of college and it has been able to get me from A to B in almost any type of weather. It has been maintained impeccably, so I haven’t run into many issues, but often times, people terrorize these cars. The above posts are correct that you should have it checked out by an independent mechanic and if the car has had any major modifications, which are common with Imprezas, such as suspension, engine, exhaust, intake, or transmission “upgrades”, be extremely cautious. Those are typically indicative of more aggressive than average driving or worse, racing.
$8,000 seems a bit high for the miles it has, but if it comes with a full history of maintenance records, it could be worth it. I’m in the market to sell my Impreza with about 78,500 miles and KBB says that it’s worth about $10,000, so try to negotiate the price.
Thanks for all your inputs I’ll make sure to bring up these points when I go for the test drive.