STI or Wrx as first Scooby
12 September 2020, 09:42 PM
#31
Scooby Regular
i nearly bought myself a modded blobeye wrx
allegedly running 320bhp with no brake upgrade or chassis stiffing upgrades etc and still running 5speed I left it
although it did have nice seats and a wide arch kit on but clearly the owner didn’t have a clue or he was playing dumb....
12 September 2020, 11:26 PM
#32
Scooby Regular
So my scenario is that I have a budget of £7500 and I'm looking to buy a Scooby for the first time. Once I buy it I won't be modifying it. I will be driving it mainly on weekends as I will be at university.
I have found a WRX for around my budget and its very clean (no rust) and looks brilliant and has got some modifications. I can't make up my mind whether to buy this car or buy an STI.
Would appreciate any advice. Thank you
I have found a WRX for around my budget and its very clean (no rust) and looks brilliant and has got some modifications. I can't make up my mind whether to buy this car or buy an STI.
Would appreciate any advice. Thank you
13 September 2020, 09:46 AM
#37
Scooby Regular
Off the top of my head the official kerb weights I can recall are as follows:
Pre-widetrack Blob STi (and likely Bug too): 1470kg
Widetrack Blob/Hawk STi: 1495kg
The WRX comes in at 1390/1410kg IIRC for the saloon/wagon respectively. However, when Torque GT sent me a data sheet for my Blob Wagon it said 1380kg.
Ok, might not be 100kg difference but certainly enough to notice in cars of the same power back to back IMO. E.g. comparing a PPP'd/mapped WRX to a standard 265bhp STi (although I realise most had PPP).
Pre-widetrack Blob STi (and likely Bug too): 1470kg
Widetrack Blob/Hawk STi: 1495kg
The WRX comes in at 1390/1410kg IIRC for the saloon/wagon respectively. However, when Torque GT sent me a data sheet for my Blob Wagon it said 1380kg.
Ok, might not be 100kg difference but certainly enough to notice in cars of the same power back to back IMO. E.g. comparing a PPP'd/mapped WRX to a standard 265bhp STi (although I realise most had PPP).
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13 September 2020, 10:53 AM
#38
14 September 2020, 10:49 PM
#39
Scooby Regular
I get what the guys are saying about depending on what mods you guys are doing.
Main differences WRX vs STI
Brembos, AVCS heads (internals are different), 6 speed, interior and a few other bits. Now lets say you go 2.35, Stoptech brakes, Dog Box and buckets you have removed the bits you would have paid extra for. Its one of the reasons the Spec C Tarmac exists. All depends on end goals and what you want. So I understand the argument on both sides.
Back to the topic at hand, the guys have posted some very well priced STIs based on current market conditions, haven't seen them that price in a long while.
Honestly mate if you're a Uni student you want to take into account running costs especially when all the other students are running cars that a far cheaper. I did the scooby thing back when I was in Uni too but back then road tax was all the same and cars then weren't as efficient as they are now. Had loads of fun but filled it up loads looooool. It was my first car and I banged it a lot.
Main differences WRX vs STI
Brembos, AVCS heads (internals are different), 6 speed, interior and a few other bits. Now lets say you go 2.35, Stoptech brakes, Dog Box and buckets you have removed the bits you would have paid extra for. Its one of the reasons the Spec C Tarmac exists. All depends on end goals and what you want. So I understand the argument on both sides.
Back to the topic at hand, the guys have posted some very well priced STIs based on current market conditions, haven't seen them that price in a long while.
Honestly mate if you're a Uni student you want to take into account running costs especially when all the other students are running cars that a far cheaper. I did the scooby thing back when I was in Uni too but back then road tax was all the same and cars then weren't as efficient as they are now. Had loads of fun but filled it up loads looooool. It was my first car and I banged it a lot.
15 September 2020, 06:33 AM
#40
Scooby Regular
then few months later bought the current one 😂
which now I’ve had for 5years and still modding adding bits etc it never stops keep on tellin myself to stop but can’t the satisfaction of making something to your taste how you want it etc is priceless 👌
17 September 2020, 10:34 AM
#41
Scooby Newbie
An STi costs twice as much to buy over a similar WRX. So you have ~ £5k to play with straight away. Second hand STi parts are not expensive. Aftermarket parts are the same regardless of model. Depends where you are trying to get to. You could build a WRX that outperforms a stock STi for far less than the cost of a stock STi, for example. Or if you plan to upgrade a lot of the stock STi parts, why pay a premium for them in the first place?
Ultimately it's budget dependant and whether you enjoy doing the work yourself. If you have to pay someone else to do everything, then the best stock car you can afford is a better idea.
With a £7500 budget, you'd be better looking at clean WRX over a leggy STi. Suspension, tyres, alignment, brakes etc all need to be in good condition to truly appreciate the cars. You could easily spend a couple of grand bringing a tired example up to spec, if you have to pay someone to do the work. It's not a great idea to blow all your budget on the purchase price. That's how so many performance cars end up as snotters with multiple owners. People just see the sale price and think they can afford that, without considering the maintenance costs. That's not to say that Imprezas are expensive to run but the £7500 is the bottom of the STi market, so you'd have to expect further outlay once acquired. A £5k WRX with a £2k maintenance fund is a more sensible proposition and will be a better drive than a tired STi, especially if you've never owned one before.
Ultimately it's budget dependant and whether you enjoy doing the work yourself. If you have to pay someone else to do everything, then the best stock car you can afford is a better idea.
With a £7500 budget, you'd be better looking at clean WRX over a leggy STi. Suspension, tyres, alignment, brakes etc all need to be in good condition to truly appreciate the cars. You could easily spend a couple of grand bringing a tired example up to spec, if you have to pay someone to do the work. It's not a great idea to blow all your budget on the purchase price. That's how so many performance cars end up as snotters with multiple owners. People just see the sale price and think they can afford that, without considering the maintenance costs. That's not to say that Imprezas are expensive to run but the £7500 is the bottom of the STi market, so you'd have to expect further outlay once acquired. A £5k WRX with a £2k maintenance fund is a more sensible proposition and will be a better drive than a tired STi, especially if you've never owned one before.
17 September 2020, 10:45 AM
#42
Scooby Regular
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17 September 2020, 01:09 PM
#43
Scooby Regular
with 150k miles and rust showing its Face id think it was about righ but not cheap ,, it might needs loads doing to the underside now rust is showing on the arches as the subframes and stuff are normally worse than the arches
17 September 2020, 04:53 PM
#44
Scooby Regular
£3500 i would have snatched it I just love bugeye s and it’s a uk300 limited edition aswell 😳
Full on flat four rumble perfect as a daily and it’s not covered in waxoil so a genuine car imo👌
no need for sti wannabe seats and the headlights this would be a perfect daily it just rocks my boat
18 September 2020, 09:23 AM
#45
Scooby Regular
Youve got turbo 2000 sh!itboxes being advertised at £4K plus “the worlds gone nuts”
£3500 i would have snatched it I just love bugeye s and it’s a uk300 limited edition aswell 😳
Full on flat four rumble perfect as a daily and it’s not covered in waxoil so a genuine car imo👌
no need for sti wannabe seats and the headlights this would be a perfect daily it just rocks my boat
£3500 i would have snatched it I just love bugeye s and it’s a uk300 limited edition aswell 😳
Full on flat four rumble perfect as a daily and it’s not covered in waxoil so a genuine car imo👌
no need for sti wannabe seats and the headlights this would be a perfect daily it just rocks my boat
dont get me wrong I like the uk300 I just dont think this one is that much of a bargain if you consider the rust problems it "could" have ,if it is just a tiny bit of surface rust then its priced ok but id want to see every bit of the underside if rust is already showing as its normally not just a tiny bit with uk cars lol, doesn't say anywhere about wax oil so not sure why you mention that or why wax oil means its not genuine lol , no need for STI wannabe seats as subaru did it for you at the factory and just left the badge off and charged you extra for it lol
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18 September 2020, 01:40 PM
#46
Hmm, this is an interesting topic, close to my own heart 
Mine's just a modified WRX, but I think it's plenty fast at the moment (and it was 'faster in a straight line' earlier on too). We bought it back in 2003, and at the time we wouldn't have been able to afford the extra 5k in purchase price and additional insurance (we were only 23), so ended up with the WRX.
I never had any gearbox issues with the old 5-speed, even running 1.5 bar with a td05-20g, including some track work, but then I don't tend to launch the car at all in first, for example, and it was working perfectly when I pulled it out to fit my PPG box. I actually had the 5sp apart because I was stealing some parts from it (for the PPG box, as it happens...), and all the internals were still in great condition, at least visually).
I've got a couple of STI components on my own car at the moment, namely the top mount intercooler, intercooler undertray, and fog light covers A lot of the other STI items seem like bad value to me, e.g. the brembo brakes, I'd rather go aftermarket for the price you have to pay for STI items.
The one mechanical component I wish I had is the STI AVCS heads - AFAIK they should rev safely to about 8k (i might be mistaken), and flow better as well at higher outputs. I've been contemplating "fixing" my WRX heads, but there's just no point - it's way, way cheaper to get the STI heads and have them refreshed rather than upgrading+porting the WRX heads (and you still don't get AVCS...). I do sometimes wish I had the "optics" of the STI, though... the bumper + wing + skirts look nicer than the WRX equivalents.
I think the right WRX might be just as much fun as an STI, be cheaper overall, and no less reliable - e.g. a 320-330hp WRX should be well within limits if you don't launch in 1st everywhere, and there are options to make the brakes "better" (having said that, I never had any problems with the brakes on the road even when they were standard... I don't personally understand what people are moaning about when it comes to WRX brakes, especially if the pads are swapped for something with more bite, if that's your thing).
... but, it will never be an STI, of course. However the STIs are almost 2x the price as well, so IMO it doesn't have to be to be a good proposition.
Also, if you're going "all out", then I'd personally agree with Tidgy - only really the gearbox+diff+driveshafts+hubs will be used, presumably, and even the 6sp gearbox is not unbreakable, especially if you get one that is 20 years old...
Mine's just a modified WRX, but I think it's plenty fast at the moment (and it was 'faster in a straight line' earlier on too). We bought it back in 2003, and at the time we wouldn't have been able to afford the extra 5k in purchase price and additional insurance (we were only 23), so ended up with the WRX.
I never had any gearbox issues with the old 5-speed, even running 1.5 bar with a td05-20g, including some track work, but then I don't tend to launch the car at all in first, for example, and it was working perfectly when I pulled it out to fit my PPG box. I actually had the 5sp apart because I was stealing some parts from it (for the PPG box, as it happens...), and all the internals were still in great condition, at least visually).
I've got a couple of STI components on my own car at the moment, namely the top mount intercooler, intercooler undertray, and fog light covers
A lot of the other STI items seem like bad value to me, e.g. the brembo brakes, I'd rather go aftermarket for the price you have to pay for STI items. The one mechanical component I wish I had is the STI AVCS heads - AFAIK they should rev safely to about 8k (i might be mistaken), and flow better as well at higher outputs. I've been contemplating "fixing" my WRX heads, but there's just no point - it's way, way cheaper to get the STI heads and have them refreshed rather than upgrading+porting the WRX heads (and you still don't get AVCS...). I do sometimes wish I had the "optics" of the STI, though... the bumper + wing + skirts look nicer than the WRX equivalents.
I think the right WRX might be just as much fun as an STI, be cheaper overall, and no less reliable - e.g. a 320-330hp WRX should be well within limits if you don't launch in 1st everywhere, and there are options to make the brakes "better" (having said that, I never had any problems with the brakes on the road even when they were standard... I don't personally understand what people are moaning about when it comes to WRX brakes, especially if the pads are swapped for something with more bite, if that's your thing).
... but, it will never be an STI, of course. However the STIs are almost 2x the price as well, so IMO it doesn't have to be to be a good proposition.
Also, if you're going "all out", then I'd personally agree with Tidgy - only really the gearbox+diff+driveshafts+hubs will be used, presumably, and even the 6sp gearbox is not unbreakable, especially if you get one that is 20 years old...
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