hi all, thought i would post this in here in the hope of the best response.
Interested in getting a subaru for use as a track day car, and which will lend itself to some tunning later on. Have located a recently imported grade 4 95 wrx sti ra with full history from Japan, and 50k. Have not viewed, as a plane ride away.
the main question is would this be a good base to start on, if looking for a track day car, that lends itself to easy-ish tuning.
At just under £6k it seems a bit steep for a standard unmodified example.
Would appreciate others opinions,

 

IMHO:
Starting with a stock car is good as you know it to be straight.
The Sti RA has a great transmission, but lacking in some areas, but those are areas where you will modify for track, ie brakes.

to bring the car up to a 'competative' state will cost about 5K where the car has some purpose and ability to actually go fast and safely.

The alternative is to buy a car already done.
Might be a bit tired in places but buy well and the option is cheaper and instant (in your garage).

If you want to DIY the car, buy stock, buy a good old one, change lots of things.

Others will possibly say differently, but those of us who have actually done it may reason with a better argument!
Mods for the track are very different for the road.

Graham.

 

If you want an early STi RA for the track i'd import and not be too fussy when it comes to grading. You'll end up with something half-decent and landed with duties paid for 3-4.5k. Who cares if it's seen some minor action in the past if it's going to be track orientated?

I had my heart set on a V4 RA and because there is no model report even the earliest ones can't be imported again until 2007. So i bought one that was already in the UK... and it didn't cost a whole lot more than the RA you've seen.

 

tbh not sure if i would be willing to put myself through the hassle of importing to save £1k or so. Still a good saving, not sure if i could cope with the sleepless nights lol

It's just when you look in the for sale section and on piston heads etc there are always pretty well specced wrx's and uk turbos for sale, fmic, coilovers and big brakes already fitted, also with boost controllers etc.

i am just wondering is the sti ra so much better than the uk turbo and the wrx, what with the dccd ,and in another thread there was something about a higher revving engine.

If only i could get the guy to deal abit on the price

 

The Sti RA is worth it.
Graham

 

what could i expect to achieve spending £5k? Still wouldnt leave it an expensive car, and i am looking to get/build something that will be mine for a good few years to come,

 

like Graham said, it's the best car, don't bother with a UK car, anyone can fit a FMIC, suspension etc. it's when you come down the real important stuff like the drivetrain where it matters, DCCD & plated diffs make a huge difference to handling ...oh and the weight saving of the RA


the higher reving engine isn't a major selling point, i hardly ever go above 7k anyway so don't use the extra 500rpm available, it's just there if you need it

 

To make the car produce about 400 bhp will cost you about £3K.(DIY)
The Sti engine is a very good starting point, and a V3 even better (especially for later on)
The car you have looked at is a V2, but not too bad.

Getting the suspension right add another £2.5 (DIY)(inc new big brakes)

Wheels and tyres add about £700 (you need 17's, second hand)

Transmission/clutch about £300 (DIY)

Interior, about £400 if you have 2 seats/harnesses or £1K if you add a 6 point roll cage.(Good Idea)

With that you will have a car with about 350 bhp/tonne that goes well, and is still road legal, and a cost of £7K, maybe a bit more, but all DIY (the fun part!)

Kev (Flat 4) will do it for about 17p cause he's good at that!(read his great thread in Projects)

Graham.

http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=r90d9i

 

lol you're going to have to explain that now.....as there is a v3 for the same kind of money, but with a few more miles. So what would be the difference and what happens later on??

 

The V3 car is equiped with better brakes, an engine with the best cams for making power (in 2 litre and 2.5 lite engines) of the Sti engines made, better interior (not that that matters too much to your application and other small details.
The TMIC is not slanted, so upgrades are easy, and the inlet to the turbo is 'better'
It has the facelift front end too.

If you can get a good V3 go for it, Sti RA V3!

Graham.

 

Just under 6 does seem a bit strong for a V2 STi RA. I imported my own with the intention of prepping (nearly finished!) for a bit of motorsport and track use. Sold my V4 STi RA to Carl (see above) mind you, he did get a good deal!! LOL

Paid less than 4 for mine leaving money to use in it's preparation, obviously the dealer has his mark up! If you want to import, look for cars 10 years old or more then you only need an MOT, not an SVA.

Cheers

 

Maybe i should consider a direct import....where's the best place to start?
Cheers