User 21721

I do like the Type R's and I personally believe that they are more of a 'drivers' car as you don't get certain creature comforts such as ABS, aircon?, etc. Although I would have thought a P1 would be the better investment financially as at the moment they are worth considerably more than Type R's and surely should be in the future?

Regards,

Subaru Colletor 555.

marco58

I think that the ltd version of the R and RA will be just as good investment imo.

marco58

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

They're not worth more than a Type R it's just the owners think they are, there have been quite a few threads about this subject over the years, i'd say the Type R is definitely the better car in pretty much every respect, certainly from an equipment point of view and a drivers point of view.

The P1 had the rarity value when there were no other 2 door cars available in the UK but that began to slide once people got to know about the Type R.

Mint Type R vs mint P1 i'd go for the Type R every time as it's a much more focused drivers car and that's what I like, that said they are both great cars and i'm not trying to take anything away from the P1 but I don't see how you can remove one of the best features of a car and then say it's better as in the dccd and fit abs, but i'm old school and like the rear wheel drive bias and to be able to lock the brakes up.

Prodrive got it wrong imo, they dumbed down a car that's an absolute hoot to drive, the only thing I ever got that sort of a buzz from is a slightly mental horse over a cross country course, it's a very similar feeling of this bloody thing is trying to kill me.

Thinking about it, maybe that's why they did it, because a lot of Type R's end up backwards in a ditch.

marco58

Wrong p1 used to be a type R until it got watered down

Fat Boy

Not quite right. They are worth what people will pay for them .... and at the moment that means a P1 goes for more.

The endless argument about which is better a type R versus P1 is an entirely separate point.

As for me, I couldn't give a monkey's about the keep it standard approach either - are you buying the car as an investment or to use it?

Banny can hardly claim his old Type R was standard, nor will his new car be in all likelihood and I have the same approach with my P1 - which is why it's now a 2.35 GT 35r with a 6 speed DCCD box and very different suspension.

Down a bumpy British B road a P1 rides the bumps/ holds the road better than a Type R can due to Prodrive's fettling of the suspension for our roads -the reverse on a smooth track, of course, as the Type R suspension was developed for Japan's billiard table smooth tarmac. The buyer's choice.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Yes your right, they are both worth what someone is willing to pay.

I personally never had any issues with the suspension on my Type R and I don't see that it can be that firm as many swap it for coilovers which imo are totally unsuitable for a road car.

I'm not a modder more an up-grader / slight improver based on my perception of what I think needs sorting things like ALK, roll bar, bushings, better brakes and a safe re-map is as far as I go and then just enjoy the car.

It's all horses for courses at the end of the day, I bought mine to enjoy not as an investment, it just so happens that the values for nice ones are climbing as they get older which is just a bonus as far as i'm concerned.

Scrappy9

I guess you are deliberately missing the point. The OP wants to buy a P1

It appears his view is that a P1 is a better investment, so l think if he wanted a type r or a variant he would have asked about one of those.

marco58

No not missing the point at all was just giving him options if he does not find a good p1,ltd type R and RA cars will be a good investment as much as a p1.

User 21721

Thanks guys for the support it is much appreciated

I thought I would give a bit of background info to help clear a few things up so currently I have a UK turbo which will be used as a track car- it is not standard by the way and has various engine/suspension mods, a Bugeye WRX which is just for getting to A to B mainly as it is fairly standard. In addition I have a blob WRX which was sort of a heat of the moment purchase as I was fairly new to the modding scene and was unaware of the substantial amount of parts that would need to be bought to run 400+hp. So I am considering replacing that with a blob/hawk STi either UK/JDM which would be running at least 400hp to hopefully become a supercar contender .

So why another one? I wanted another Impreza which would be a bag of fun on things such as country lanes, etc but nothing too extreme as the STi would cover that, yet also something a bit more special. A P1 pretty much ticked all the boxes as it has been praised for its suspension setup and drivability which would be ideal for B road blasts IMO. There were a few things I did not like such as the crappy 2/1 pot brakes although these could be replaced with Prodrive Alcons on the front and Brembos on the rear. However, I prefer the ABS option as I thought it would be a much more wise option for spirited driving on public roads - all within limits . Wouldn't the DCCD be more fun though? Yes it could but I probably wouldnt experience its maximum potential to really appreciate it, although I wouldnt complain if I had both, the ABS will definently be helpful in certain instances.

Is it going to be an investment? No not really but I would like it to be worth something in the future and maybe a bit more but if not then I am not going to be fussed judging that it surely delivers and meets my expectations. Thats why the P1 sort of seemed the ideal car as it supposedly is a great blast and as it seems, holds a stable value especially those which have been catered for. Moreover, to me the exclusivity of the P1 is more valuable than the better spec Type R. I cannot predict if the Type R/RA's will be worth the same or more in the future but for what matters to me to this present day is that I dont need complete harshness, exhilarating speeds, or practicality - just a bit of each. I could just buy a low mileage Type R V Limited and just upgrade the suspension and other parts to suit my driving styles and desires but, in my eyes, something like a P1 WR would not require as much modification and thus would help retain its value in the future if need be.

If I limited myself to one Subaru which was either a Type R or P1 then it would be a highly tuned 400-500hp Type R V-limited which would be the all-round package...oh and a LPG system to help aid my wallet in 'A to B' instances .

Regards,

Subaru Collector 555.

Kwik

iTrader: (10)

I cannot comment on which is the better car having never driven a P1. What I will say though is that 90% of P1's are and have always been thought of as being an "investment" and kept with that in mind.
Because of this though Type R's tend to be the ones turned into track day cars or projects. I've not seen any official figures for how many Type R's are in this country, and certainly don't see that many, maybe on average one every 2 months. I don't think it's crazy to think that one day there will be less Type R's on UK roads than p1's.

I know it's not the ideal comparison but I regularly compare Type R's and P1's on Ebay, and currently there are 3 of each, maybe Type R's aren't as ten-a-penny as everyone thinks. And as they are widely thought of as "the better car" will a P1 be the wise investment?

mnem1c

iTrader: (4)

This has turned into another "P1 vs Type R" thread........zzzzzzzzzzz

twistybits

This is a really interesting thread, especially so as in the last 3 days I have bought a P1 I was looking for a while, even considered a Type R, but then held firm in my desire for a P1.

The reason i bought it, IMO it's THE classic that has the best blend of looks, performance, availability, current affordability and potential for ....at least.... holding it's value.

Mine is not perfect, none of them are...don't flame me for that comment (they are over 10 years old now). Its been owned by a true enthusiast (and is a credit to him) it has had a rebuild in the past 15k miles to run at standard power output but with upgraded internals, apart from that its almost completely standard, down to the original P1 suspension, original standard Prodrive exhaust etc, it has also been featured in 3 magazines as the base reference for a standard P1, it has a FULL service history with some respected specialists and main dealers.

I am intending on keeping it for a long time and I am lucky enough to be able to throw some money at it to get it back to as close as possible to original condition

My plans,
Refresh the suspension with a "as close to standard as possible" set of springs and dampers plus the usual rubber suspects.
Sort out the tiny spots of rust on the roof from some stone chips
Have the front, roof, bonnet, and the rear bumper resprayed to remove chips etc from careful use.
Have it remapped for UK fuel (its still on the dubious original P1 Map)
Keep searching Ebay, SN and P1woc for the optional Prodrive P1 back box (if anyone has one and reads this PM me)
Replace the MAF every year as a service item
DRIVE IT

I will be creating a project thread in the next few weeks detailing the work

If you want one, keep searching, good ones are out there, buy on condition and history not necessarily only mileage.

User 21721

Ah nice your plans sound pretty much of what I had in mind if I ever bought a P1 as I would try to source original parts, I was thinking to buy a complete engine gasket and bolt set aswell as service parts just so that I would be able to prolong its life a bit longer. I was thinking to remap it to a safe 305-310hp to provide an extra bit of punch, should this be ok on standard internals as I have heard quite a few have let go in the past? So when you say UK fuel do you mean 95ron or 97/99ron?

In addition how much did you pay, if you dont want to give out the exact amont could you tell me a rough figure - was it way over/within my 6/7k budget?
I will look forward to following your project thread when you start it.
Enjoy it bud

Also, import car parts are quite good for original parts such as gaskets, etc.
For the optional P1 exhaust do you mean something like this?
http://www.subarupartsstore.co.uk/ca...xhausts,b.html

Regards,

Subaru Collector 555.

bighead

iTrader: (1)

Not sure about 90% been investment , as I never though of mine been as such.
When I bought mine in 2002, the P1 was of high value than any Type R of similar age/mileage .

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

...but type R roof vent

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

That wasn't the intention, but as usual it's difficult not to draw comparisons between the two, I was merely suggesting the OP widen his search thus improving his chances of getting a mint car that's a keeper, it's well documented that the tiny little rust bubble on the rear arch is generally hiding a costly repair underneath, which is an area where the imports win as most have not spent the same amount of time on UK soil, which I pointed out in my original post on the matter.

The Type R being better comment was a little tongue in cheek to pull the P1 boys p1sser which obviously worked.

Op has outlined his thinking on the matter which I fully understand, but I think it may be better to up your budget and buy a low milage garage queen and not have to do the remedial work because what you've outlined is a good £4k's worth. I'd be looking for a £10k+ car with sub 50k on the clock in better than showroom condition.

Or a freshly imported special edition.

twistybits

OK, to clarify, the remap will be to UK SUL, probably V-Power, the consensus seems to be that the original P1 map was the same as the Type R but with a little retardation for UK SUL, I like you will be mapping the car to around the 300/310 mark, given the stronger internals of my engine this should be fine for many a year if serviced religiously.

Mine was just a tiny bit over your budget, only by £150 though, you should be able to get one. I recommend going over to P1woc.co.uk, you need to register to view the posts and for sale section.

The back box I am looking for is this one, i fear they are as rare as rocking horse s*it though

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

You'll probably be able to buy one from Prodrive.

twistybits

Their website states "We no longer sell performance parts for fitment to road cars"

i am planning on calling them to clarify though or to see if they know of any buried at the pack of the store cupboard, I am getting the lube ready for the price quote though.

Fat Boy

They don't make them any more ( and sadly I sold mine about 5 years ago for £250 IIRC).

Some good points both ways eg the reducing number of type Rs due to them being generally used as the basis for track cars, although against that you could say that there are many versions of Type R's / RAs - v1, v2, ...v6 etc versus 1000 P1s.

On the investment front and on a personal note, I just can't be doing with it - waiting for future reward when you could fall under a bus tomorrow or catch something horrible at any time? Carpe diem n all that.

I gave up on the p1 vs type r argument years ago and, although I've had my P1 from new, it's pretty much a P1 / Type R hybrid so it shows my view on the matter

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I'd say you have a 6 speed Type R in a P1 shell or should that be the other way round.

veerinder9

iTrader: (1)

P1 FTW

Kwik

iTrader: (10)

Oh of course, the Type R should be seen a fair bit considering how long they were about in comparison to the limited numbers of the P1, but I honestly rarely see them. I also live 1 mile from Jap performance, who still import them.

Fat Boy

I think it depends which end I look from .

Dave uk blue mica

You have a pm

Davec30

iTrader: (2)

https://www.scoobynet.com/subaru-444/1005484-p1-for-sale-deal-of-century-i-think.html