Skip to main content
Price opinion from advertisements and recorded sales. Not an inspection or a certified valuation.
CarQuant page
CarQuant
Get a report
Reference photograph of a Subaru Impreza WRX
Valuation · Subaru · GC8 · 1994-2000

Subaru Impreza WRX

2.0L turbo flat four (EJ20) · 155 kW / 260 Nm · 5sp manual · AWD
CONSIDERRated within the under $30k band · 27 of 46 at this money
Model value
$15,800
Must gain each year to break even
+18.9%
The projection does not clear it, and nor does most of the library.
CarQuant score
43/100
Scored against the under $30k band, not the whole library
Evidence grade
Measured
Four or more recorded Australian sales
$15,800
$12,435 lowhigh $17,009
Modelled estimate
No recorded Australian sale stands behind this figure. Treat the level as indicative and the structure as the analysis.

Looking at an Impreza for sale?

Put in the asking price and the odometer reading. You will see what this model should make at that reading.

Should make, typical example
$15,800
At about 190,000 km. Enter an asking price to compare.

Odometer only. Colour, options, history, condition and the photographs move it further, and that is what the report reads.

A person reads the advertisement and its photographs. Usually back within 48 hours. Read a real listing report

Price history

Today $15,800 · modelled median at five years $14,756
Solid line: the value this library has carriedDashed from 2026: modelled · even money $13,535 to $15,941
The green band is the even-money range and the one to plan on: half of outcomes land inside it. The pale band behind it bounds eight in ten ($12,435 to $17,009). The path is this model's own: it starts along the momentum of its recorded history and bends toward its projected median as the horizon lengthens, so no two cars share a future curve.

The verdict

A defensible case with reservations. Scores 43/100, ranking 27 of 46 in the under $30k band. Demand durability is the strongest input, ownership economics the weakest.
Running it costs about $3,880 a year (24.6% of value), which is what the economics score measures. All in, including the projected value change, it is $4,355 a year.
The model's five year median is $14,756, a -6.6% move, with the tenth percentile at $12,435.
Value calibrated to recorded sales.
Evidence
Measured5 recorded sales
Off its peak
-14%
Value band
tight
No external evidence. A modelled estimate whose structure is more useful than its level.
Scored against every recent Australian sale this library holds, half its values land within 11.2 per cent of the price paid and the rest miss by more, in either direction. Projections are therefore damped toward flat in proportion to how little is known, and the plausible band is never narrower than the error the model is known to make.
Short term (1-5 years)$4,355 a year all in, -6.6% median value move
Long term (10-15 years)Scarcity case already formed
Negotiate from$15,800

Recorded sales

Every recorded observation, and when
6 rows on record
$21k$17k$13k
20222023202420252026
the value this record published, year by yearnow $16kwhat the model expects across 135k–254k kmsoldcontext, excluded1 row sits off this scale. Open the list below to see them.
Every row, with its price and note (6) ↓
Library value against the sold record
5 sales · median $16,250
Value $15,800
$13,700$17,000
May 2025Collecting Cars$14,350Sold
SOLD. 7 May 2025, Rosebud VIC, 253,567km from new. 1998 AUSTRALIAN-DELIVERED, Dark Blue Mica, repainted 2023, gold 15-inch wheels. Heavy-duty clutch, turbo-back stainless exhaust, manual boost controller, pod filter, dashboard gauges. Serviced annually by one workshop, roadworthy March 2025 with no advisories. The highest distance in the set and the second cheapest
Nov 2023Collecting Cars$13,700Sold
SOLD. 2 Nov 2023, Buderim QLD, 189,003km. 1994, Flamy Red over grey, TWENTY-SIX YEARS WITH ONE SELLER, correct 15-inch wheels, original Subaru cassette player, stamped service book running from pre-delivery in October 1994 through twenty-five dated entries. Minor dents and chips, always garaged. The cheapest result in the set despite the best history in it
Feb 2023Collecting Cars$17,000Sold
SOLD. 2 Feb 2023, Concord NSW, 134,591km from new. 2000, Rally Blue over black with gold 16-inch wheels, LARGELY ORIGINAL - engine, gearbox and body panels understood untouched, the only modification an upgraded intercooler and a grille badge. Stamped service book, dealer books and brochures. Dent in the driver’s door, rear lower trim poorly repainted, wear on the driver’s bolster. The lowest distance in the set and the top of it
Jan 2023Collecting Cars$16,500Sold
SOLD. 17 Jan 2023, Lidcombe NSW, 191,930km. 1994 launch-year car, one of 591 delivered that year, Flamy Red over grey, highly original with early slat bonnet vents, black grille and the original Nardi wheel. SAME CAR AS THE OCTOBER 2021 MELBOURNE RESULT BELOW - the service tables match entry for entry back to 5,610km in February 1995. Fifteen months and 1,141km later, 1.5 per cent more money
Dec 2021Collecting Cars$28,000Context, excluded
SOLD. 17 Dec 2021, Sydney NSW, 177,000km indicated. WRX CLASSIC - one of 150 built and one of 50 in Pearl Metallic Black, with the cream leather interior. Heavily built EJ20: 207 semi-closed-deck short block, STI S20C head package, GT Pumps turbocharger, Haltech Elite 1500, STI gearbox, R180 differential, APS intercooler. A limited edition with a full build is a separate market and it is not used to set this value. Context only
Oct 2021Collecting Cars$16,250Sold
SOLD. 8 Oct 2021, Melbourne VIC, 190,789km. 1994 launch-year car, one of 591, Flamy Red over grey, unmodified down to the original Subaru tape deck. Partial service history, multiple small dents, replaced fuel filler flap in a slightly different shade. SOLD AGAIN AT LIDCOMBE IN JANUARY 2023 - see the row above. The pair is the only clean repeat-sale measurement in this library
5 completed Australian sales of 6 rows. Rows marked asking, no sale, or context are shown for honesty but do not count toward the evidence grade: an ask is not a transaction, a pass-in is a refusal, and a provenance or overseas result does not price the ordinary local car. The badge on every row is computed by the same rule as the grade, so the two cannot drift apart.

Score breakdown

Against the under $30k band median
46 cars in band · ink tick marks the median
Ownership economics30% of total
18/100-17
Scarcity25% of total
35/100-6
Demand durability20% of total
82/100+26
Liquidity15% of total
56/100-3
Risk resilience10% of total
36/100-1
Sub-scores run 0-100 before weighting; the weighted total is 43/100. Medians are computed live from the 46 cars currently in the under $30k band, so this picture moves when the library does.
The working behind each factor: baseline and drivers ↓
Ownership economics30% weight
18/100
Baseline80 pts
− 24.6% of value a year to run-62 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)18 pts
Scarcity25% weight
35/100
Baseline25 pts
+ 9,500 estimated AU survivors, common but thinning+2 pts
+ Genuine unmodified V-limited/RA cars scarce+8 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)35 pts
Demand durability20% weight
82/100
Baseline58 pts
+ Rally heritage keeps demand strong across generations+18 pts
+ WRB colour and STI badge command real premiums+6 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)82 pts
Liquidity15% weight
56/100
Baseline40 pts
+ Deep, active market, 30 days on market+16 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)56 pts
Risk resilience10% weight
36/100
Baseline50 pts
− EJ20 ringland risk on tuned examples-10 pts
− Genuine service history variable across the fleet-4 pts
Sub-score (baseline plus drivers, clamped 0-100)36 pts
Model output, not advice or a valuation. Verify independently before acting.

What it costs to own · about 6,552 km a year

Annual cost of access, excl. fuel
$3,880a year
Share of value per year
24.6%
Scheduled servicing$78020%
Tyres, annualised$70018%
Registration and CTP$80021%
Insurance$1,05027%
Sinking fund (failure table)$55014%
All-in annualised (a different number)
Purchase (model value plus duty)$16,432
Running costs × 5 years$19,400
Median exit, net of selling cost$14,056
All-in annualised over 5 years$4,355/yr
Share of value per year27.6%
Cost of access is what the car costs to run. All-in annualised adds depreciation, duty and selling costs across a five year hold. They answer different questions and are labelled separately for that reason.
Break-even appreciation, 5 year hold
18.9%a year, only to get the money back
This library projects
-1.4%a year
The projection falls 20.2 points a year short of the hurdle. On these assumptions this car is a cost, not an asset, which can be an entirely rational thing to buy but should be bought knowing it.
Purchase$15,800
Stamp duty$632
Running costs x 5 years$19,400
Selling cost at exit, 4.4% of the salescales with price
Sale price needed at +5 years$37,493
Storage
Bought at
No forecast is used to compute the hurdle. It is the purchase, the duty, any premium and 5 years of running cost, grossed up for the cost of selling and spread back over the hold. The projection it is measured against is the weakest number in this product and is drawn that way in the chart above. Transport, finance and any restoration spend sit outside it.

Specification

Engine2.0L turbo flat four (EJ20)
Power / torque155 kW / 260 Nm
0-100 km/h6.7 s
Transmission5sp manual
DriveAWD
Kerb weight1,260 kg
Built worldwide400,000
Delivered to Australia26,000
Effective AU survivors9,500
Australian sales / year620
Typical days on market30 days
Launch price$39,990

What moves the price on this model

Colour hierarchy
World Rally Blue+6%
Silver0%
White-1%
Options
Club Spec or Classic numbered edition+12%
Unmodified EJ20 with factory airbox+8%
Launch-year 1994 car, one of 591+7%
Stamped service book from new+6%
Original paint, never resprayed+5%
Correct 15-inch five-spoke wheels+3%
Odometer sensitivity±1.4% per 10,000 km vs 190,000 km
Applied on top of these

Condition, history, originality, ownership, delivery and modification multipliers apply to every car in the library. They are applied automatically when an advertisement is analysed, and the schedule is set out once, on the analyser page.

Projected value in five years

Projected value at five years
$14,756
-6.6% on today
The model's figure. Today it is $15,800.
Even odds it lands between $13,535 and $15,941.
$12,435 lowhigh $17,009
The shaded range is even money and 18% wide; the outer figures bound eight outcomes in ten. Band width follows the evidence - a model with a tight measured record carries a tight band.
A weaker five year outlook than 78% of the library.
-26.6% weakest projected move in the librarystrongest +73.1%
Five-year cost of ownership
Value change alone: -$1,044 across five years.
Running costs over the same period: $19,400.
Duty and expected selling costs: $1,332.
Net cost of five years of ownership: $21,775, or $4,355 a year.
The projected value fall is added to the running cost. Depreciation is the larger number here.

The case for and against

The case for

Rally heritage keeps demand strong and the market is one of the deepest in this segment at 30 days on market. Genuine unmodified STI and Type RA variants are becoming scarce even as base WRX numbers stay high.

The case against

At an estimated 9,500 AU survivors it remains a common car overall, which limits scarcity-driven upside for standard variants. The EJ20 carries ringland risk on tuned examples and service history quality varies widely across the fleet.

Known faults and risks

Risk 1Ringland failure risk if tuned
Risk 2Odometer/history verification needed
Risk 3Rust in sunroof drains and sills
Ringland repair$4,200
Sill rust repair$1,100
Sunroof drain service$250

Similar cars, and what they cost to run

Evidence behind this valueMeasured · 5 recorded sales
Carried value
$15,800
Historical price
2016 · $10,5002026 · $15,800
Measured
No external evidence. A modelled estimate whose structure is more useful than its level.
This record carried $19,500 on no transactions at all

The sales array was empty while five ordinary Australian results and a WRX Classic sat unentered. They are here now and the value moves 19 per cent to meet them.

Read the rest of the evidence notes (7 more)
The five ordinary cars

$17,000 at 134,591 kilometres in Concord, New South Wales, February 2023; $16,500 at 191,930 in Lidcombe, January 2023; $16,250 at 190,789 in Melbourne, October 2021; $14,350 at 253,567 in Rosebud, Victoria, May 2025; and $13,700 at 189,003 in Buderim, Queensland, November 2023.

They price the odometer

At 1.4 per cent per 10,000 kilometres, correlation minus 0.63 - the cleanest distance signal in the Japanese section of this library after the DC2. The record already carried 1.5 as an assumption and it is now measured.

Two of the six are the same car, and that is the most valuable row in the set

A 1994 Flamy Red car sold in Melbourne in October 2021 at 190,789 kilometres for $16,250, then again in Lidcombe in January 2023 at 191,930 kilometres for $16,500. The service tables in the two listings match entry for entry back to 5,610 kilometres in February 1995. Fifteen months, 1,141 kilometres driven, and 1.5 per cent more money.

That is a repeat sale, which is the only way to measure a market without confounding it with condition

- and it says this one went sideways through a period when the rest of the Japanese section was still climbing. Both rows are kept: they are two real transactions, not a duplicate, and the pair is worth more than either alone.

What separates the top from the bottom is originality, not age

The dearest, $17,000 in Concord, is a largely original 2000 car whose only modification is an intercooler, with a stamped book. The cheapest, $13,700 in Buderim, is a 1994 car with twenty-six years of single ownership and a service book stamped from pre-delivery - and it made less, because it has 189,003 kilometres and the market pays for the reading first on a car this cheap.

The WRX Classic is held as context

$28,000 in Sydney, December 2021, one of 150 built and one of 50 in Pearl Metallic Black, with a semi-closed-deck short block, GT Pumps turbocharger, Haltech Elite and an STI gearbox. A limited edition with a full build is a separate market, and it is 65 per cent above the ordinary cars.

The launch-year cars are a sub-market worth watching

591 were delivered in 1994 and two of the six results are launch cars, both with early slat bonnet vents, the black grille and Nardi wheels. Neither made a premium yet. SOURCING: all six are read from the Collecting Cars lot pages themselves, which is where the service tables that identified the repeat sale came from.

This page prices the model.
The report prices the car in the advertisement.

Send the link. A person reads the advertisement and its photographs and sends back what that Subaru Impreza WRX is worth, what to offer and when to walk away, with five years of costs at the distance you drive.

Read a real listing report

Backed by 5 recorded Australian sales of this model. Read a complete one on a real car first. Seventeen sections, no account, nothing to pay.

This model, today$15,800
Half of sales are further out than$1,766
The report$249
7×
the price of the report: what half of real sales of this model sit further from this page's number than, on this car
Watch this model
Told when the next one is called.

One line of email when this desk publishes a call on a Subaru Impreza WRX, or records a new Australian sale of one. Nothing else, no schedule, and on a quiet model you may hear nothing for months, which is itself worth knowing about a car you are chasing.

Free. One address, one model, and no account.
Impreza for sale?Priced by a person, $249