Impreza STi Version 6 Limited
20 February 2015, 06:11 PM
#1
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Impreza STi Version 6 Limited
Well after just over 5 years away from Subaru Impreza ownership, I'm back with number 7... and 8, haha. 
Over the last 6-12 months, I'd been 'passively' keeping an eye out in the usual places for a nice Classic Impreza to appear which I could tuck away to tinker with and use on the odd occasion, with nothing really taking my eye and a seemingly endless amount of cars with 'just a couple bubbles of rust' and poorly executed 'modifications' appearing instead.
At the same time, one of my best friends was also looking to re-live his Impreza days... although looking at spending a fair chunk more than I was, on a Hawkeye STi. After he had found a car for a decent price, he realised that personal commitments may force him to pull out of the deal as he wouldn't be able to travel to collect it. Anyway, it just so happened that I was free and a week later I landed in Heathrow to view/collect the car on his behalf.
I'd say that in under an hour, I realised that my slight reservations that I had been wearing my rose tinted glasses when looking back at my Subaru history were misplaced and that I genuinely missed that flat-four burble... and so my search for a car went from passive to active.
It's far more irritating seeing the previously mentioned tired/poorly modified examples appear when you have actually decided on a real budget and are actively searching for a suitable car to buy, haha!!
Skipping out the wasted trips/phone calls/emails about cars which weren't to make the grade; I eventually found a cracking example of a 1997 STi Version 3 Wagon. Absolutely bog standard, in black with a mountain of history which included; recent cambelt service, clutch/flywheel, rocker cover gasket, radiator, etc... and it had done ~800 miles between the last MOTs which is the reason the owner was selling it. Another flight to Heathrow later, pleasing inspection/test drive and swapping of documents/cash later... I was on my way home in my 7th Impreza.
Here are a couple of pictures of the car:
A few days after I got the car home, one of my friends told me that a mutual friend was thinking about selling his Sonic Blue Version 6 STi Wagon... which was a car that I'd been a huge fan of since he bought it as a fresh import a few years ago. After a few days of serious consideration and will I/wont I type deliberation, I decided that I needed to take a look at the car (I'd not seen it for a wee while since he moved out of the area) to satisfy my curiosity and see if my desire for the car was still as strong as it had been before... so I contacted my friend and arranged to view it.
After taking a look around it and talking numbers, I ended up owning it... so I'd gone from owning zero Imprezas to owning two Imprezas in around as many weeks?!!
Given that space is a luxury which is in short supply for myself and as much as I'd LOVE to have kept them both, I reluctantly put the Black Version 3 STi up for sale and it sold within a couple of days. Just hanging on for the buyer to arrange collection for the car.
Anyway, that's the story behind it all, here are the details and some pictures that I've taken of the Version 6 STi which will be staying with me for a while:
MY00
Impreza Version 6 STi Limited (Number 232 of 500)
5dr Wagon/Hatchback
Sonic Blue
Additional 'Limited' Extras: Rays Engineering 16" Alloys, Tinted Windows, Blue Dashboard Trim/Instrument Binnacle and Seat Trim
Performance:
AlcaTek ECU mapped by Andy Forrest
HKS De-Cat Downpipe
Apexi N1 Exhaust
GT Spec Headers With Matched Up-Pipe
Cosworth Panel Filter
Turbosmart FPR800 Fuel Pressure Regulator
Walbro 255 lp/hr Fuel Pump
Mishimoto Radiator
Handling & Braking:
Standard STi 'Pink' Suspension
STi Carbon Strut Brace
Cusco Rear Strut Brace
Tarox F2000 Discs & Pagid Pads (Front and Rear)
Pictures :
I haven't got any massive plans for it really (famous last words!!) but I'm definitely going to change the Apexi exhaust for something a little less in your face... both visually and volume-wise!! It could do with a proper detail (will get that booked into the guy I've used before) and a few wee bits of trim cleaning up/replacing... but I had it in for it's MOT yesterday and it is in unbelievable condition underneath, even cleaner than the Black car, which was immaculate itself. I wish I'd had my proper camera handy rather than just my phone. But I will update the thread whenever I snap a nice picture of it or change any parts.
Anyway, if you made it this far, thank you for sticking with me!! If you've skipped straight to the photos then you must be wondering why there are pictures of a black car and a blue car, haha.
Cheers,
Grant
Over the last 6-12 months, I'd been 'passively' keeping an eye out in the usual places for a nice Classic Impreza to appear which I could tuck away to tinker with and use on the odd occasion, with nothing really taking my eye and a seemingly endless amount of cars with 'just a couple bubbles of rust' and poorly executed 'modifications' appearing instead.
At the same time, one of my best friends was also looking to re-live his Impreza days... although looking at spending a fair chunk more than I was, on a Hawkeye STi. After he had found a car for a decent price, he realised that personal commitments may force him to pull out of the deal as he wouldn't be able to travel to collect it. Anyway, it just so happened that I was free and a week later I landed in Heathrow to view/collect the car on his behalf.
I'd say that in under an hour, I realised that my slight reservations that I had been wearing my rose tinted glasses when looking back at my Subaru history were misplaced and that I genuinely missed that flat-four burble... and so my search for a car went from passive to active.
It's far more irritating seeing the previously mentioned tired/poorly modified examples appear when you have actually decided on a real budget and are actively searching for a suitable car to buy, haha!!
Skipping out the wasted trips/phone calls/emails about cars which weren't to make the grade; I eventually found a cracking example of a 1997 STi Version 3 Wagon. Absolutely bog standard, in black with a mountain of history which included; recent cambelt service, clutch/flywheel, rocker cover gasket, radiator, etc... and it had done ~800 miles between the last MOTs which is the reason the owner was selling it. Another flight to Heathrow later, pleasing inspection/test drive and swapping of documents/cash later... I was on my way home in my 7th Impreza.
Here are a couple of pictures of the car:
A few days after I got the car home, one of my friends told me that a mutual friend was thinking about selling his Sonic Blue Version 6 STi Wagon... which was a car that I'd been a huge fan of since he bought it as a fresh import a few years ago. After a few days of serious consideration and will I/wont I type deliberation, I decided that I needed to take a look at the car (I'd not seen it for a wee while since he moved out of the area) to satisfy my curiosity and see if my desire for the car was still as strong as it had been before... so I contacted my friend and arranged to view it.
After taking a look around it and talking numbers, I ended up owning it... so I'd gone from owning zero Imprezas to owning two Imprezas in around as many weeks?!!
Given that space is a luxury which is in short supply for myself and as much as I'd LOVE to have kept them both, I reluctantly put the Black Version 3 STi up for sale and it sold within a couple of days. Just hanging on for the buyer to arrange collection for the car.
Anyway, that's the story behind it all, here are the details and some pictures that I've taken of the Version 6 STi which will be staying with me for a while:
MY00
Impreza Version 6 STi Limited (Number 232 of 500)
5dr Wagon/Hatchback
Sonic Blue
Additional 'Limited' Extras: Rays Engineering 16" Alloys, Tinted Windows, Blue Dashboard Trim/Instrument Binnacle and Seat Trim
Performance:
AlcaTek ECU mapped by Andy Forrest
HKS De-Cat Downpipe
Apexi N1 Exhaust
GT Spec Headers With Matched Up-Pipe
Cosworth Panel Filter
Turbosmart FPR800 Fuel Pressure Regulator
Walbro 255 lp/hr Fuel Pump
Mishimoto Radiator
Handling & Braking:
Standard STi 'Pink' Suspension
STi Carbon Strut Brace
Cusco Rear Strut Brace
Tarox F2000 Discs & Pagid Pads (Front and Rear)
Pictures :
I haven't got any massive plans for it really (famous last words!!) but I'm definitely going to change the Apexi exhaust for something a little less in your face... both visually and volume-wise!! It could do with a proper detail (will get that booked into the guy I've used before) and a few wee bits of trim cleaning up/replacing... but I had it in for it's MOT yesterday and it is in unbelievable condition underneath, even cleaner than the Black car, which was immaculate itself. I wish I'd had my proper camera handy rather than just my phone. But I will update the thread whenever I snap a nice picture of it or change any parts.
Anyway, if you made it this far, thank you for sticking with me!! If you've skipped straight to the photos then you must be wondering why there are pictures of a black car and a blue car, haha.
Cheers,
Grant
20 February 2015, 08:23 PM
#6
I assume Super Shift is a quick shift (shorter throw)?
Last edited by joz8968; 20 February 2015 at 08:29 PM.
20 February 2015, 08:24 PM
#7
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Thread Starter
I'm not sure if that's a standard thing on late JDM wagons or not, that car mentioned at NewEra seems to be rail-less too??
http://www.neweraimports.com/carDetails.jsp?carId=569
Cheers,
Grant
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20 February 2015, 08:26 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
Cheers,
Grant
21 February 2015, 04:49 PM
#12
I serviced it for the current owner the other month, he said he'd be selling it soon and asked if I wanted it back. I did ask him to give me first refusal but my business is soaking up any money at the moment. Must admit, when he pulled up I'd forgotten how smart it is. The paint is all original (only front bumper been done for stone chips) and it has an amazing look to it, looks so fresh and the rear arches still show no signs of rust.
21 February 2015, 08:27 PM
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Hubba Hubba! The black v3 is very nice and came up for sale just after I bought my v2,
otherwise I might have been bidding against you... Looks like a great car, but the v6, well that is something else. What a beauty, I can see why you made that call!!!
otherwise I might have been bidding against you... Looks like a great car, but the v6, well that is something else. What a beauty, I can see why you made that call!!!
22 February 2015, 12:19 PM
#16
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Thread Starter
Haha aye!! Some of their translations are absolutely gold.
Thanks very much Si, haha.. yeah things have been quite hectic here on the Subaru front!! Black car should be collected on Wednesday, so the blue car will have my storage unit all to itself and I'll start to focus on the wee bits and bobs which I'd like to clean up on it.
Thanks Jay.
Cheers,
Grant
Thanks Jay.
Cheers,
Grant
22 February 2015, 12:20 PM
#17
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Thread Starter
I serviced it for the current owner the other month, he said he'd be selling it soon and asked if I wanted it back. I did ask him to give me first refusal but my business is soaking up any money at the moment. Must admit, when he pulled up I'd forgotten how smart it is. The paint is all original (only front bumper been done for stone chips) and it has an amazing look to it, looks so fresh and the rear arches still show no signs of rust.
Cheers,
Grant
22 February 2015, 12:26 PM
#18
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Thread Starter
Cheers lads, feels good to be back.
Yeah I'm a wagon man myself, so when I saw the Black V3, I decided to swoop!! But Sonic Blue is a colour I've been a massive fan of since I can remember.. so to combine the two, in such a well kept example which I've known since import, it was a bit of a no brainer in the end. 
Cheers,
Grant
Cheers,
Grant
09 March 2015, 02:59 PM
#19
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Thread Starter
So I finally uploaded the video/sound clip I took of the exhaust note, it should be ready to view on this link now:
...as you might be able to tell, it's completely unacceptable, haha. Believe it or not, it actually gets worse when the engine is under load.
I'm also pretty chuffed because after talking to many, many people about chewed up and overpriced alloys... on a random sweep of the usual places, I managed to get hold of some 17" Speedline Turinis for the car!! Recent refurb in silver (which is the colour I wanted) and they will require some tyres which I can recognise/pronounce before I fit them, but I'm over the moon.
Cheers,
Grant
...as you might be able to tell, it's completely unacceptable, haha. Believe it or not, it actually gets worse when the engine is under load.
I'm also pretty chuffed because after talking to many, many people about chewed up and overpriced alloys... on a random sweep of the usual places, I managed to get hold of some 17" Speedline Turinis for the car!! Recent refurb in silver (which is the colour I wanted) and they will require some tyres which I can recognise/pronounce before I fit them, but I'm over the moon.
Cheers,
Grant
09 March 2015, 07:54 PM
#21
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21 March 2015, 06:16 PM
#24
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Thanks very much, I really enjoy making wee changes too, so they're a wee bit more personalised.
Not sure what I'm doing with the Rays wheels, think I'm going to keep hold of them just now though. I'll give you a shout if I ever decided to let them go.
Cheers,
Grant
21 March 2015, 06:16 PM
#25
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After some lovely sunny weather and almost running out of wee jobs to carry out on the interior, I couldn't resist any longer, I fitted the Speedline Turini wheels which I bought the other week. They're still on the awesome 'Triangle' tyres they came on but they'll only be around for a few days since I've got a full set of replacements on order.
You'll also notice the private registration/square plates have gone, replaced with an age-related registration on standard rectangular plates front and rear. Again, I think it's made a decent difference.
This is quite a picture heavy post, so take a seat.
Think I'd still like to lower it a wee bit, but lowering an Impreza properly without screwing up the handling balance is seeming more difficult the more I read about it... gone are the days of choosing which springs to fit just by going on the drop they offer?! Haha!!
Cheers,
Grant
You'll also notice the private registration/square plates have gone, replaced with an age-related registration on standard rectangular plates front and rear. Again, I think it's made a decent difference.
This is quite a picture heavy post, so take a seat.
Think I'd still like to lower it a wee bit, but lowering an Impreza properly without screwing up the handling balance is seeming more difficult the more I read about it... gone are the days of choosing which springs to fit just by going on the drop they offer?! Haha!!
Cheers,
Grant
21 March 2015, 07:41 PM
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A nice wagon you have there and much rather the look of new wheels too. These clean examples are certainly the ones to hold onto.
22 March 2015, 01:08 AM
#28
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...I'm planning to hold onto this one for a long time coming, it's very difficult to find a good classic and I don't want the hassle of trying to find another one again. Cheers,
Grant
22 March 2015, 08:17 AM
#29
Very nice looking wagon, I keep mulling over swapping my Blob wagon for a Classic wagon but not seen a nice enough one to make me jump ship and it would also need to be white or grey for me to love it, I already have a blue Type R so 2 blue ones would be a bit much.
Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good work.
22 March 2015, 05:31 PM
#30
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Very nice looking wagon, I keep mulling over swapping my Blob wagon for a Classic wagon but not seen a nice enough one to make me jump ship and it would also need to be white or grey for me to love it, I already have a blue Type R so 2 blue ones would be a bit much.
Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good work.
Haha, aye would be a bit too much blue going on there. A friend hasn't long bought a fresh import V6 STi Wagon in Cool Grey (yes, we're all reliving our youth!!) and it is a lovely colour.
Cheers,
Grant
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