Originally Posted by captain scarlet

Hi all. im new here so go easy on me please and if ive posted in the wrong place/section then ill put that one down to experience and try harder next time

At the minute I have a 52 Civic Type-R and am thinking what to buy next. Im in two minds wether to buy a newer CTR or defect sides over to a scooby. I dont intend changing the honda until march next year so ive go plenty of time to do some research and take on as much info as i can get my head round.

Is there a model and buyers guide any were i can look at??? there seems to be quite a few versions of the impreza which is a little confusing to someone who is not clued up on such things.

Providing the second hand prices for the CTR dont drop like a bag of pooh in the next year i should hopefully have about 10grand to play with and and possibly another 5-6K on top of that. As i dont want to take a huge leap backwards age-wise what scooby can i look to buy my 15grand??

Do I buy private or go through an established importer or go through a dealer?

What are they like to live with?? ie servicing costs etc and what kind of MPG is my wallet going to be hit with.

Also do they eat tyres??? I managed to go through a set in 10k in my CTR ( it was the 1st fast car ive had and got a bit carried away!!)

How hard is it to find a standard unmodified scoob?? Id rather start with a standard one and work on it from there.

Insurance I guess these beasties are group 20. might need to budget in a bit of saving for that.

Erm. i think thats it and your no doubt bored of another noobie asking the usual questions.

Thanks in advance

Originally Posted by corradoboy

As said, you should get a standard UK 03 blobeye WRX PPP (the current shape) or maybe consider an 01 bugeye (the previous unpopular shape) STi. Personally I'd go 03 WRX PPP as you will benefit from any remaining warranty with the option to extend. Servicing at dealers is expensive, but thanks to the removal of block exemption there are cheaper alternatives (Scoobyclinic - 30k @ £200 compared to dealer @£450). There is a slight grey area regarding the BE ruling not being retro-active, but it can be sorted with a couple of heated and stern conversations with IM (International Motors - Subaru UK's representetives).

Insurance can be surprising, dependant on (obviously) age and location. There are some on here quoting premiums below £400 :eek: but a more realistic figure is between £800 and £1200 for a city dweller. Well worth contacting www.liverpoolvictoria.co.uk if you're over 30. Unfortunately their tollerance of mods seems to be coming to an end unless you're an existing policy holder :rolleyes: and I bet we're gonna be clobbered by elevated premiums in the future to get rid of us too :(

I would imagine a Scoob is kinder to its tyres than a CTR as the 4WD and extra weight makes wheelspin a thing of the past. Most FWD performance cars shred their front tyres constantly.
Fuel economy is never gonna be great. I've managed 32mpg on a steady motorway run by keeping at 70 which holds the turbo under boost at about 2800rpm, but it sounds like you're not the most controlled, reserved person so figure for 23 or lower.

As time is on your side I'd check out the Events forums to see what meets go on in your area and pop along. No better way of gaining massive amounts of info than speaking to those who've been involved for years. That's what I did and I've made some great friends to boot.

Oh, and wecome to SNet :D