Which impreza WRX, STI, P1, Type R or RA
 

Good day to you guys

Im a real newby to impreza's though ive been a fan for many years, but its now time to make my first purchase but have hit a bit of a problem as im really unsure which one to go for as ive seen very mixed reviews.

the criteria is that its occasionally used in the week to commute to work 2 miles and then used on the weekends for fun etc.

Ive been looking at the classic shape around 1999 running 300 to 350 BHP


Can someone point me in the right direction, things to look for etc


cheers pete J

Buying a classic I would advise that which ever you buy and this is based on that you have listed all if the main models / shapes that make sure it is one that has had a forged engine rebuild, from a known tuner as it will save you thousands down the line. I'm not saying they all go pop but you eventually like everyone else will end up wanting more power and the forged build done right is not cheap. There are soo many cars to choose from try and hold out for one that has had a rebuild.

As for which one I think it comes down to what shape you prefer. For me it has to be the two door so would be a type r or p1 but it depends if you "need" 4 doors. I wouldn't be ideally looking for a wrx as the sti is a better base car in my opinion and will have a higher resale value again that's in my opinion.

Also depending on your age, driving experience, no claims bonus i would run some quotes first as you may he shocked.

Also depending on your budget it may also answer what model would be best for you to go for.

Good luck

I went for the P1 as I wanted a 2 door with ABS and a UK model. It's really great for our rubbish UK roads. I used mine as a daily drive and it has been fine in city driving through to doing motorway miles. Mine has a Zen Performance engine which makes 322bhp and 329ft lbt . Again go for a forged lump as they are a safer "bet". I blew my old engine up in a rather impressive manner and had one hefty bill , all because of a fuel pump failure.

Many on here rate the Type-R's highly ( the JDM 2 door car ) , which is a more hard core set up than the P1's are. A firmer ride , DCCD and a slightly shorter 5th gear , Inter cooler spray , climate control rather than normal A/C. You can get a really nice one for less money than a P1 of the same condition and they are cheaper to insure these days.

I never looked into 4 door classic too much , but again the prices and specs you will find will vary greatly on the version and type.

Depends what your budget is. You can get a four door runner for £1k or a low mileage mint P1 for up to £9k...

Hi Guys

thanks for the responce

im looking at a 2 door preferably but will also consider 4. The budget is around the 5k mark.

does the engine have to be forged or can it just have a rebuild if at all if running at standard power

ive looked at either getting it private off piston heads or trade from SVA, MVM, ralliart. Is there any other companies that you surgest or are these a not good idea.

sorry about all the questions but just want to be sure

cheers

For £5000 you would be looking at Type-R's and some P1's.

The one thing you should check is if the car has been mapped for UK fuel , because the P1 were never mapped for our lower RON fuels and I believe the same would be apply for the Type-R's.

You don't have to have a forged lump and you could get gains from the standard unit with just a remap. The term "You get what you pay for" is very true with cars like these , so while you think saving a few pounds here and there might be a good idea , you can easily find down the line those pounds saved will be lost ten fold.

There are plenty of cars on the market these days and personally I would try and get a nice clean standard example and then go to respectable places mentioned on owners forums to get further work done on getting the power you require. Again I must stress it's not a cheap hobby if you want to get the job done professionally and correctly , but by god it's bloody fun when you get the results!!

Try and drive a few examples if possible , so you can get a feel for what the cars really feel like. It is all too easy to jump in a cheaper car and thing WOW this thing is fast , only to find it's not as quick as it should be. These cars are quick and due to the cheap price , a lot have been abused and have had an accident. With the high running costs , you need to make sure the cars been looked after otherwise you can end up with a bloody big bill to sort things out.

With all the above in mind , you need to really make sure you can afford to run one of these cars. Many members on here will tell you stories of big bills and eye watering MPG. For example my P1 , which is not really that heavily tuned in terms of BHP ( 322 ) is giving me about 300 miles out of a full tank on a good day , when I start booting it I can expect to get around 240 miles out of the tank. Regular oil changes and punctional servicing are important with these cars , you need to always take care in letting them warm up properly before you give them a hammering and letting them cool down properly before you stop.

The costs are high but these cars are very addictive and the community as a whole is pretty friendly and helpful , which makes them a fun car to own. :)

Regards , Felix

I'd look for an enthusiast owned type r in a private sale for that money. SVA's cars look nice on the adverts, but are expensive.

If you see something you like, put a link to the advert on here. The bull**** adverts (and there's a lot of them about) are easy to spot for those of us who know about these cars.

Hi, Whats your age and car history, and are you able to do things like oil changes and basic spannering like brakes ect yourself?

The reason i ask is classics are knocking on a bit these days, so the bills can come a little thick and fast if you don't know how to do stuff like this the costs can soon spiral, added to the fuel and insurance costs these cars are not cheap to run properly, so every little helps, i'm not questioning your ability to afford one just giving you a heads up.

You really need to do your research with these cars so as to know what it is your after as well as what it is you will be getting.

I would let the car choose you as opposed to going out looking for a specific model, look in the for sale section on here as there is often a sweet one to be had, i believe there is someone selling a very nice well sorted newage jdm wrx at the moment and you could do a lot worse.

Whatever you choose to do just make sure you take your time and go in with your head and not your heart, as echoing the sentiments above, it gets very expensive if you get it wrong, been there done that.:thumb:

thanks guys for the support im getting.

at pressent im looking for cars and ill paste the links on this thread so you can cast you eyes over them and see what you think.

My age is 29 and have a reasonable mechanical knowage, brakes, disc, clutches, general servicing oil etc, engine swaps, gets a little gray with ecu's and there codes ect

im not far from scooby project in Ledbury so i guess if i get stuck it will go there :)

I would avoid getting a P1 if your budget is 5k mate as the only cars available at that price are dogs. You would be better off looking at a type R or a well spec'd uk turbo with engine rebuild and stands out as value for money.

Keith at Scooby Projects did all the work on my Scooby after it went bang. They cleaned up an horrific mess left from destroyed engine , fire damage , water and oil , put the new engine and parts in and it looked a million $ . Top blokes who are always happy to give good sound advice and their quality of work is second to none! :luvlove:

Ok, so it sounds like you should be able to keep the cost of ownership down to an acceptable level.

I'd go with the type r if you have your heart set on a 2 door as decent p1 commands a lot of money for some strange reason, even though it's not as well specced and had the best bits removed ;)

Main things to watch out for are, the dreaded 2/3k rpm lift off knock/rattle which means the big ends are gone.

Needs to have been mapped by a reputable mapper to run on uk fuel.

It doesn't need to have had a rebuild as long as the above has been done, even rebuilt ones can let go for a multitude of reasons.

And the rear arches because what seems like a small amount of rust on the outside can mean 4/5 inches on the inside as they rust from the inside out.

Apart from that it's all the usual checks that apply.

Look for an enthusiast owned car, with an owner that knows his scoobies and has had a few or owned it for a long time, because there are plenty who will talk a load of bolax, and as above post the links to any cars and we will give you the benefit of our combined wisdom.

I'd consider upping the budget slightly to secure a minter.

Just remember it's a buyers market, so there is no rush, although good ones will get snapped up by those in the know.

I'd suggest finding a mint RB5 and spend some money on a fruity but quiet exhaust and remap with lots of maintanence will probably hold its value very well.

Hi Again guys

once again tanks for the replys im really overwhelmed with all the advice you given as im part of many other forums and this is by far the most helpful and friendlyest.

heres a few cars that ive looked at on the net if and when anyone gets chance to cast their eye over them and post the feed back.

I know in the above post i was looking at 2 door but ive oppend up to the idea of 4 door aswell

http://pistonheads.com/sales/3730014.htm

http://pistonheads.com/sales/3754709.htm

http://pistonheads.com/sales/3749922.htm

http://pistonheads.com/sales/2842866.htm

cheers pete

all four of them look very nice.Whichever one is your favourite go and have a look,if possible take a mechanic who has subaru experience with you.Whatever happens dont let your heart rule your head.There are plenty out there its a buyers market...........Good luck

If I was you I would Not go with a dccd 2 door as your first impreza as they can be quite a handfull and most owners will admit they've had a couple of close shaves. So unless your used to rwd I'd go for the first grey ver 6 4 dr sti, looks a nice example.

Personally I'd go for the last wrc limited type r and get rid of those god awful lexarse afterburner rear lights, why do people fit these??? They look horrendous!!!!!!

The first one was imported from new, so has been on our roads for 12 years. Could have more rust issues than the others as a result.

1: NO! full exhaust and dump valve with no mention of a remap.

2: Sounds good with the right people looking after it, only problem is the chav trumpet that wants taking off.

3:Sounds good and again got the right people on the job.

4:Good limited edition and some nice factory extras, but expensive and again would need a remap for uk fuel asap, so need to budget an extra 3/500 £ depending on wether open source or ecutec.

Wrc looks gOod but some ricer has owned it as oe us lights large scoop and front end
The oe v5/6 front end is one of the best IMHO .
There all good cars but make sure your getting value for money pal

I'd be wary of the wrc you've linked, for whatever reason the front end has been changed wether from a front end smash or because they thought it looked better. My thoughts are its been smashed.

Might be worth a look..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-Subar...item3369b01014

Good dealer and looks pretty much standard. A little pricey for a v3 though.

I am looking at a P1 tomorrow, 11750 off piston heads...

£11750 !!!!!!

Must be of an awesome spec for that money. Link please...

This one ????

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...1-2000/1261208


Far too expensive imo.

Nice car and very low miles.

It's your money spend it how you like.:thumb:

Totally agree mate, far to over priced although it looks great and has low miles i still dont think its worth that price. The intercooler looks like its covered more than 29k in my opinion.

Cheers lads, what do you reckon, closer to 10- 10.5k?

I've also seen p1 TRB for 8k, any thoughts ...

I don't like commenting on price because IMO it's worth what someone else is willing to pay.

I wouldn't buy it at all, but I am biased towards Type r's over P1's and you can buy a hell of a lot of Type r for the price of this particular P1.

You could also buy a very decent Type r for £4/5k then forge it and fit a bigger turbo and a 6 speed box for that kind of money, which is the route I would take.:thumb:

Cheers ditch