RB320 is a great car, im bias as i own one but you will still need to budget for some forged pistons and ARP studs if you want to start going for more power. Once that's done there are very few cars that would compete as a road car imho.

 

Have you considered a Sti Spec D ?

 

Great car and very rare. looks like there are now 215 licensed plus 9 sorn'ed

http://howmanyleft.co.uk/combined/subaru_spec_D

 

no never really even thought about a spec d,a spec c has caught my eye however.

 

Now your looking in the right direction, but out of the 2 in question I would go for the later sti ppp hawk over the wr1. It might be a rare car but the added extras on a later widetrack car make it a no brainier really. But the spec c is a different beast altogether and well worth considering. Some like import cars and some don't but I have owned both but settled for jdm sti widetrack and have no regrets.

 

whats your budget?

i have a tasty 55 plate hawk sti with cheaper tax that may take your interest!

51k miles
afterburner catback
shadow 60mm gauges in ati pod

@ 50k miles - HG (ARP STUDS), new exedy organic clutch, major service.

a mere remap will leave you looking at a possible 350bhp +

 

dont really have a budget as such tbh as its only a 2nd car but im not really after spending a **** load on another toy either.mail me more info and pics if you like?

 

Import dont bother me as ive had import cars before but apparently the spec-c has been mapped over here.Is the spec c really that much of a diffrent animal over a hawk sti ppp?

 

oh and BC coilovers with full road geometry. probably more...

Ive just spent 3k + on her and she is only a toy for me. looking to sell up and maybe head for the classic route for a project getting a company van so im not bothered about her being off the road.

not officially for sale yet, but will most probably go up soon though

 

Import , he ment twin scroll turbo setup , DCCD from 2003, quick steering rack, xenons as standard and 2.0 bullet proof engine with better heads and lots more potential than a Uk equivalent . We have just bought a mint one from someone on here . Ours made 364/390lb ft torque with 20% meth map and couple subtle power mods.

 

Did this argument ever get settled? I'm after my first Scooby and can't decide between 05 wide track, hawk sti (with low tax!) Or wr1? There was a hawk on here last week he practically gave away but that one had the expensive tax

 

Tax shouldn't be an issue really as its only an extra £5 a week over the earlier car, don't let tax put you off having the car you want. Although I like the my05 blob shape over the hawk.

 

The WR1 is my least favourite 'special' edition Impreza, horrid colour!!! It does have the best interior though!
Go Hawk

 

If it's not too much of a stretch for you i'd go with the RB320, much better looking car than a WR1, not that i hate them, the colour is a bit gash but the RB is just sooooooo sexy.

 

I would buy the rb320 purely on looks alone over the Wr1. I bought one new early in 2005,theyre pretty enough,better brakes than the P1 I traded,but despite the official performance figures saying otherwisethe P1 would outdrag it. Brake pads and discs dont last long either,and the gearknob takes ages to warm lol

 

The RB320 is a lovely car but its a shame that blue wasnt chosen as I think its a lot nicer than the black which I find dulls down the car.

 

They seem to be way out of my budget! I'm looking around 7000-8000

 

if you are going into the realms of RB320 then look up RB320 forum they have history on most of the RB320's and have a list of RB320 they have seen for sale including ones to avoid.
was going down that road but could not afford the extra thousands so ended up with Black Hawkeye STI. as posted earlier with the 2.5 you have plenty of power even at low revs

 

WR1 all the way, but I am biased... haha

but seriously, people forget about the extra stuff the WR1 has:

- DCCD is great for traction.
- Limited edition, piece of history
- Rare wheels, colour, and interior

and performance-wise, it is miles better. 0-60 is 4.25secs! hawkeye will be nowhere near that!!

and WR1 will hold its value much better. In fact, since owning mine I would say that the prices of them have actually gone up a tad, where as normal STI's have dropped significantly due to price of fuel etc

 

^^^^
Rose tinted specs I feel!
Do the Hawk STi's not have DCCD too? Piece of history - who cares! Bathroom coloured! Miles better performance wise????? Hardly any difference what so ever!

 

forged hawk all the way, although apart from the colour of the wr1 its a great car, in the real world i doubt you will notice the diff performance wise between a standard wr1 and a 2.5 hawk. Forged takes the o**** moments out of the car although they will be slightly dearer, as for tax, pff who buys these type of cars and worrys about an extra £200 a year or so

 

lol +1

You should buy some earmuffs and get a 2003 Spec C RA-R! There's no point in owning anything else unless you're a bit simple.

Joking aside it's personal preference really. Lots of choice in all areas, including some fine classic cars also but if you're looking at UK newage that's most likely what you want to hear about.

The WR1 is pretty much a JDM car with a UK badge on it, it is a fine car with more tuning potential but much shorter service intervals and as many have pointed out is a car that would benefit from doing less miles. The WR1 is not a bad daily driver but would probably be a little less comfortable than a regular PPP car. The colour is a lot nicer in the flesh than in photos and the car looks pretty mean with 18" alloys filling the arches.

The 2.5s are potentially a little flaky if thrashed or have service history gaps (oil changes with these cars are very important) but if you're buying cars six to eight years old you may encounter problems no matter what engine and gearbox you are running, JDM or otherwise. I've said it before on here but try seeing what engine problems 911s can have it'll make your blood run cold.

They typicaly command a premium and JDM cars are very nice but unless you have a special edition there is not that much different that you'd notice unless you enjoy driving like a loon or regularly track your car. Any UK STi configuration will eat a hot hatch alive on a B road and would keep up with many a German super saloon with twice the horsepower. Other UK editions like the RB320 also command a premium especially as they are usually well looked after and out of the box are usually a good match for all but the very highest spec JDM cars.

2.5 PPP and WR1 have similar BHP though the WR1 is peakier. Do not rule out a late DCCD Blobeye either as many would agree that this is the newage car to have. I loved mine to bits, a lot more than my bug and hawk.

The cars you're looking at are circa 300bhp and I would imagine in the real world you'd be looking at a 0-60 time a little under five seconds if you don't care much for your clutch. The WR1 is the same in this respect and has very similar acceleration to a PPP Hawk despite the 0-60 claims being very different.

I guess the best advice is not to rush into anything and look around. It's a buyer's market at the moment and there will be plenty of good cars coming up. When and if it feels right to go for it you're unlikely to get a car you dislike as any Impreza will put a smile or your face

 

WR1 is nothing like a JDM car it's absolute poo having had one back in 2004 it was sold for a evo MR340 which ran rings round it.

JDM and especially the spec c the difference is night and day compared to UK cars.
I only left evo ownership after driving a spec c which ran rings round the evo.
They I found out about the top spec special editions they got in Japan such as the spec c RA, RA-R S204 etc and have never looked back.

Suffice to say over the years I decided to sell my CLS63AMG, R8 and 997 Turbo to get back in a STI SPEC C.

If I was in your position theres only two options for me forged UK sti or JDM sti/spec c. I would also consider a MY05 Spec c

 

Or a Litchfield Type 20 or 25?

 

Would stay away from a t25 as it will most likely need a rebuild to.

 

+1 they need regular engine rebuilds but wow do those things fly

 

£40,000 for constant rebuilds? What went wrong?

 

I hadn't heard of T25s needing frequent rebuilds before, but if that's right, I'm even happier with my Blob T20 now.

 

Fantastic car the T20 Blob.

 

Whats the difference between the T20 and T25? I thought the T20 was the Blob and the T25 was the Hawk until I saw this

T20