Jason I can mate , the best thing to do if you get an hour or so is read through This Thread Price is dependent on where you buy, plenty of decent examples around now, they were very hard to find here when I bought mine. The power figure does not say it all though, remember this car handles amazingly and the low ratio box hurls the car down the road

http://www.litimports.co.uk/

http://www.wickedkit.com/

http://www.dhcars.co.uk/

Andy

As Simon says above, yep car has full spec of UK one. ABS, 2 airbags and DCCD display between fuel and temp. As the slightly clearer pic below shows. the Auto mode is fantastic at sorting out my crap driving but I also like using it on open (bottom green), oversteer anyone



Nathan..

 

Cheers Nathan,
I've read and digested all of the information! (phew!)
I think I will be sticking with my original plan of STI PPP and spring kit. On balance it will give me plenty of performance, good handling and come re-sale time it "should" hold better value. I can get the UK one cheaper than the JDM and it will be a company asset so future value is important. The only thing I miss out on is DCCD and to be honest I'm not sure it has any value to me. The only mod I'm likely to make is to go to 18's at some point.

Horses for courses and all that, I can see why some people would go the JDM route and I'm certainly not knocking it but for me UK is the way!!


Jason

 

just a quick reply

the WR1 colour looks better than i thought once you get next to one.

and i have heard that an FQ500 is on the way (although i dont really like the evo, drove a RallyArt modded one for an hour, great drivers car and corners like its on rails!!) but i just could'nt live with it on a day in day out basis.

WR1 gets my vote

 

I had to refuse the WR1 for 2 reasons : colour and cost.
Ice blue isn't a strong enough colour IMO, even up close it looks very wishy washy.
£5k extra for DCCD and wheels??? I don't think so. I'm likely to buy 18's so that's an extra £3.5k for DCCD and exclusivity. Obviously 499 people disagreed with me but hey ho!!

Jason

 

Nathan (and anyone else with a recent JDM car),

A few more questions - hope you don't mind!

- Where did you buy the car from, and would you buy from the same dealer again? I was planning to go to Litchfields, where the car lists for £26495 (less a further £500 if you pay upfront) and includes Cat 1 immobiliser, tracker and UK fuel conversion. Has anyone found a better price for the top model?

- What fuel do you run on? Will it accept 95 RON in an emergency? I've taken my current car to places where SUL isn't readily available and have been glad that it will run without damage. Failing that, where do you get a supply of octane booster from?

- Have you needed any warranty work doing?

- Anything else I should know about the full ownership experience?

Ta
Andy

ps. what low ratio box? Isn't it a bit manic on the motorway like an STI V Type RA?

 

Andy

I'm off to watch the football in a few minutes but I'll reply later

Nathan..

 

Andy, you can get a UK STI PPP and spring kit for less than that.

Jason

 

I know - but it doesn't have (as Nathan pointed out): Twin Scroll Turbo, Equal Length Manifolds, Nitrid Crankshaft, Revised Inlet System, DCCD-A, HID Lights, STI Quick Steering Rack, STI Front Strut Bar, RE070-Spec C Tyres, 8250rpm Red Line, Rear wash wipe & Smoked Rear Door Glass, Revised instument cluster - nor does it have the 2005 additions of climate control, updated interior, widened rear wheelarches, BBS alloys, Spec C front geometry and longer wheelbase.

That's a lot of kit!! Certainly it's worthy of a test drive and, perhaps, the slight inconvenience of having to get it serviced at independent specialists. (After the way my local dealer stupidly defended 'Subaru genuine parts' when my engine blew earlier this year, I find that no hardship at all. Good riddance to any dealer or network with that attitude).

 

ps. STI, PPP and springs for under £26k? Where? Not an import, surely?

 

If I was in the same situation it would be the th JDM STI 9 (or 10) hands down! Far superior to any uk model inc WR1.
Litcho is your man

 

Jason,

The £5k extra isn't just DCCD and wheels. You are also getting PPP @ £2k and suspension £500, different paint etc etc.

When you add it all up its a very reasonable package in the WR1.

If you prefer, you could just get a new STi, add the PPP and wheels and it'll still cost you £29k, yet you won't have the exclusivity nor the stronger residuals, or the DCCD!

Not to mention that the WR1 has more power than the STi PPP

305bhp versus 320bhp

 

Nope! 2 dealers have offered me this deal. Wheels and tyres @ £1500 max so I'm quids in. There's not going to be THAT much difference between the cars on the road, the track maybe but not road.
So for me the UK STI is the better option.
Good job we're all different cos life would get boring!!

Talizman- £27k for the full package and I bet it could be squeezed further and residuals will depend on how the market views the colour come sale time.

Jason

 

Not at all mate


I bought my car privately from someone who had bought it from Iain Litchfield just 4 months before. I would deffo buy from Iain Litchfield as I had arranged, more or less to buy from him until he pointed out to me this car was available which saved me a few quid.


I run on Optimax + Booster but only because the level of tune. The car had a UK fuel map before it was tuned and ran on Optimax fine. I never saw any lights on the Knocklink. You could put 95ron fuel in the car but I certainly wouldn't go thrashing it about. If you want peace of mind get a Knocklink.


I get my Nitrous Formula 'Race' Octane booster from Rich S on here who owns...

www.pentlandcomponents.co.uk

I buy in bulk to get the best price.


Yes, my HID lights packed in due to a minor fault somewhere which was proving illusive to find. Iain just bought a brand new kit. Although I did have to wait quite a while for it to arrive, in the interim he converted the car to normal 12v bulbs for me.


Yes, get ready to grin stupidly when you get massive oversteer for the first time and the DCCD-A sorts it out for you making you feel like Petter Solberg


Not as bad as it's a 6MT. It is slightly noisy but the cross country ability more than makes up for it.

Nathan..

BTW. Where in the country are you?

 

OK

I drove two cars yesterday. One (a blue car) was straight off the boat, the other (silver) had been remapped for 95-98 RON fuel, had a loud exhaust and dump valve and Eibach springs.

The silver car was first. The engine was exceptionally flexible, beating the UK PPP hands down for low-down grunt and flexibility. It felt quicker at the top end too, giving a shove in the back like I haven't really felt and appreciated since I first test drove a scooby nearly five years ago

Ride was pretty good - slightly better perhaps than my standard MY00, while the steering remained responsive. With DCCD-A left on automatic I was surprised to get a whiff of oversteer pulling out of a junction and getting hard on the power - I have a lot to learn about DCCD, how it splits torque under what circumstances and how to use it to best effect. I hope the manual comes in English! (Or, are there any WR1 owners reading this with access to a photocopier? ) Is there a DCCD FAQ or tutorial anywhere?

Downsides? The noise from the exhaust was awful and embarrassing and the dump valve would have to come off too. So, by way of comparison, we tried the blue car...

The blue car was much quieter, but the ride was crashy and the (admittedly cold) engine had a nasty flat spot. Clearly the remap and springs are essential.

The verdict? Anyone want to buy my MY00/PPP?

 

I considered evo 8's, and various scoobys inc imports. Final decision was down to warranty, residuals and dealer proximity. My last scooby had some bad piston slap on the rear left cylinder after 28,000miles and subaru with very little hassle put a new short engine in. I have done about 1500 miles so far in the WR1 and as a car to have fun in and drive as an everyday vehicle, its an extremely good compromise. The ride was a touch to hard on the evo's to live with. The ride on the WR1 is only just acceptable to passengers on a long drive. The colour I think is great -- it tends to show off the bulges etc really well -- you need to see it in sunlight. The best bit is the DCCD. Leave it on auto most of the time, and set it all the way to the back for some fun, esp in the wet. You can break the back end away real easy at low speed using just power, which is a lot safer. Some of these imports I have no doubt are a touch quicker and handle a touch better, but I'm not going to find out this side of a track day. They're all too quick for the public roads. One other thing -- the exhaust note on the WR1 is wonderfull -- really deep but not too noisy. I did think of equal length headers but don't want to lose that exhaust note -- it's part of the driving experience. I'm biased, but I'd recommend a WR1

 

DCCD Guide written for DCCD not DCCD-A but the same principals apply. Not surprised you got the back out, in 'Auto' just leave the power on and let the diff sort it out

Just out of interest what was wrong with the exhaust note? Was the D/V a recirc or VTA? I've found my HKS and full system awesome. Not as dugga-dugga as my old UK car but more like a jet fighter

Told you

Nathan..

 

Thanks - I found the DCCD guide this morning. It would be nice to have an update on how DCCD-A works, though - is John still around?

The exhaust was by far the noisiest I've ever heard on a Subaru - a constant, intrusive drone that was as embarrassing as it was annoying. Much, much better exhausts exist. As for the DV I've no idea what type it was - but it was making chirpy, almost bird-like noises as the turbo went on and off boost, not just the 'whoosh' that I expected with each gearchange. This again was just distracting and spoiled it for me.

 

You get the chirping noise even with the standard DV. It just seems to be a feature of the turbo and wastegate setup.

Who makes the exhaust it's got? PM me if you prefer.

Nathan..

 

Better ask Iain Litchfield - he and I just agreed it was sh*te and I didn't ask any more questions