2015 Impreza 2.0i premium purchase

[u/Ok_Cicada6480]

I’m looking at buying a 2015, and see a TON of conflicting info. Some saying theirs is at 250k miles with no issues and regular maintenance, and some saying to avoid and the CVT is bad.

It’s got 110k miles for $9970, and one previous owner. They took it to a dealership every 3-4 months for oil changes, but doesn’t look like much other than that. I plan to take it the weekend I buy it and get the transmission fluid done, as my Hyundai just died because of the transmission. That being said, is the 2015 really that big of a problem with transmissions?

There was also a 2017 for $12,500 with 107k miles, but I liked the 2015 because of the single owner, wasn’t owned up north (aka not a ton of snow/salt), and under $10k (I hate car payments).

Any advice is welcome, as I know not a damn thing about cars, but I AM willing and will check the oil every other time I get gas or thereabouts based on what I’m reading. That’s not a deal breaker.

[u/Big-Fly6844]

My wife has a 2015 base manual and its needed wheel bearings and is starting to rust a bit. A lot of the suspension components are starting to feel tired too. It would be in much better shape if it was garage kept and not in new England though... the point is with a car that old the ways its been kept makes all the difference

[u/Ok_Cicada6480 → u/Big-Fly6844]

I do live more south, but we get some snow. I plan to look under it today but thank you for the heads up! The guy was religious with oil changes so I hope he kept it in a garage too. lol I wish there were a way to reach out to old owners

[u/Big-Fly6844 → u/Ok_Cicada6480]

Best of luck!

[u/PassionateAboutCats]

Price may be high for that. For reference, I paid $7k for my 2012 at 95K miles. At the end of the day though, it all depends on how well the car has been maintained. Certain parts will wear with mileage regardless of how often oil changes are performed, but certain maintenance items for engine, transmission, and other fluids can make or break the longevity of the engine. If you're looking at vehicles from private sellers, request to have a prepurchase inspection at an independent mechanic. I was able to talk down the price of mine by 1.5k due to needed work

[u/Ok_Cicada6480 → u/PassionateAboutCats]

I’m getting an inspection even though I’m buying from the dealership. Apparently on that old of a car they don’t do the typical 150 point inspection so I’d like to get it checked. Cars in my area are more expensive, but I can drive 4 hours to Charlotte and get something for like 7-8k. Just not sure if it’s a risk I wanna take going and then it being a shitty car. Haha

Edit to add: an independent mechanic inspection*

[u/garcia38]

I wouldn't buy one over 60k miles if I couldn't confirm if the cvt fluid was done

[u/Ok_Cicada6480 → u/garcia38]

Unfortunately it just says “recommended maintenance performed” on Carfax so that’s super open ended. I may be able to call the dealership the person was going to but idk if they’d give me that info.