Charlie23

Hi guys new to the forum but looking to purchase my first Subaru, so hopefully i can spend more and more on the forum and get to know a few people.

Problem is i have two in mind at the moment.

2007 Impreza STi 2.5 with a forged engine by the Scooby clinic, or

2007 Impreza JDM Sti Twinscroll.

I have read a few different views and its confused me a little between them and what one to go for?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Craig

Tidgy

forged 2.5, epic engine, will make even the twin scroll seem laggy.

For a road car properly build 2.5 is the best there is in a subaru.

Also piece of mind given its scoobyclinic built.

Charlie23

Hi Tidgy,

Thanks for the reply. So 2.5 is the way to go??

Obviousy a standard STi is only worth around £8000 am i right in saying, as the one im looking at is £13,500 obviously the incresed price is down to the Engine being forged but when comes to re-sale am i likely to get anywhere near my money back?

Thanks again for your help.

plenty

iTrader: (13)

I would say it depends on your intended use. I went through the same decision process and ended up with the twin-scroll as my car gets used (and maintained) enthusiastically on long road trips, and reliability is paramount.

Even with a properly rebuilt and forged 2.5 there isn't quite the peace of mind of an OEM JDM lump IMO, so that's the choice I made as I don't want to be stuck in the middle of Spain with an engine that has let go. However for (say) a daily driver I would consider a 2.5 as long as it is rebuilt by a trusted specialist and has had the block reinforced as well as internals forged.

Charlie23

Hi Plenty, It will be my everyday car so i would like abit of reliability haha.

The JMD Twinscroll is £13k and the STI is £13,500 are the prices about right?

The JDM has 72k on the clock also so is that still all tight with that kind of mileage?

Thanks

JamieJerkovic

iTrader: (9)

+1 for a forged 2.5. Had a 2.5 forged hatch with GT3071r great road car!

scoobiepaul

Hurst cars in Bedford have a 2004 Litchfield T25. Has 2.5 and twin scroll

Tidgy

properly built 2.5 will last just as long

plenty

iTrader: (13)

I guess I've heard too many stories otherwise to feel totally convinced. As it happens I had a deposit down for a built 2.5 that ticked all the boxes (pinned block, quality parts, trusted builder) - a couple of days before collection the seller reported oil in the water and gave me my deposit back. I then bought a JDM and put on 10k enthusiastic miles in six months with no issues whatsoever.

As I mentioned above, this is specific to my usage - for a daily driver I would not be as stringent. In fact in future I would hesitate to look at ANY modified 10+ year old car for what I use my Scoob for - however the robustness of the JDM in OEM spec gives me a lot of confidence.

As above. I would consider a 2.5 for a daily. As for pricing, too many variables to give proper advice - what model year car, what's the spec, dealer or private?

Charlie23

Plenty you have helped me out as the JMD seems the best.

Is 2007 Import for £12995 about right? its Wide Track on 72k?

Thank you for all your help really appreciate it.

Charlie23

http://www.quayvehiclesolutions.com/...01508035749763

plenty

iTrader: (13)

Is that a fresh import? If so, could the odometer be reading 72k kms not miles? If 72k kms I'd say that's a competitive price.

Tidgy

Could be any number of reasons for it failing even poor building. built right they take alot of abuse.

this is how scoobyclinics development 22b got treated, 4 years after it was built it was still going.



It did drop power but considering how much hammering it took and the fact it was over years then i wouldn't considering it unreliable, i don't know any engine that would survive it.

Charlie23

Ok cheers, so check if its 72km.

It does say the clock have been changed to UK spec but prehaps i might have to go and view it and ask the questions.

So price wise it looks ok? Do they hold there value well?

Charlie23

This was the other Subaru i was looking at

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...Cnew&logcode=p

Tidgy

thats a real tough one, i would never buy a car from them, but its probably fine.

Charlie23

Your not the first person to say that about them mate,

What is it with that Garage then? Im a member on the Audi Sport Forum and they all say keep away from there also.

But out of the 2 cars i really dont know which one to go for?

plenty

iTrader: (13)

Mileage is important. Values tend to drop off a cliff once past 80k miles.

As Tidgy says, be extra careful of any dealer with "Cheshire" in its name. I personally always prefer to buy private with these kinds of cars - not only are the prices usually better but you have a chance to assess the owner and evaluate how enthusiastic they have been with upkeep.

If you're still considering a 2.5 I'd be looking at something like this or perhaps this. In terms of 2.0 widetrack non Spec Cs, Hurst Cars (good reputation) have this and this advertised which look tempting.

Charlie23

Some of them are pretty nice but there is a but, I currently have a Golf GTD that i want to PX so it has to be a car worth more then £12k as the Golf is worth £13/£14k.

rickya

iTrader: (18)

No greater peace of mind or stronger Subaru engine than a 2002 to 2007 JDM 2.0 Sti engine. Get a good low mileage one & fit and forget. Good for 450bhp on standard internals.

Shaun

Charlie,
What power level are you looking at for the 2.5 and will it be literally for normal "road" use... also how many miles a year will you be doing in it?

Personally I wouldn't give a 2.5 to an enemy, but I'll remain totally objective in my response back to you, based upon answers to the above.

Charlie23

Power wise i was looking at 350- 400bhp??

Yes just for Road use and a bit of enthusiastic driving now and then.

I roughly do about 8/10k a year?

scoobyreedy

Forged 2.5 everyday of the week as been said epic Road car that's why I have one;-)

Charlie23

hahaha cheers mate.

Would anyone tell me not to buy a car from that Chesire Performance and is the car priced reasonable or over kill at £13,999??

Cheers for all your help guys really appreciate it from everyone .

Shaun

At that level of tune and usage you'll have a fighting chance. IMO the 2.5, regardless of whether it's standard or built (assuming it's been built properly and is still in good condition risk certainly diminishes), is not as reliable or robust as the JDM 2ltr.

Will a 2.5ltr make a "better" road car? Again IMO, that's subjective. It should have more lowdown torque, but it won't (all things being equal) rev like the 2ltr, or feel like it.

Depends upon what type of "drive" you prefer. Something lazy or something buzzy.

The 2.5ltr engine is a flawed design, and imo matters not how you try to polish it..... although built right the reliability can be vastly improved. That is still not a given, and with the amount of mileage you're looking at doing, it's something to bare in mind.

Try and take both out and see what you think. Then if you're going the 2.5 route, make sure you do plenty of due diligence on the engine installed (especially if it's been built).

Above all..... enjoy whatever decision you end up making!

Benji554

iTrader: (18)

Search Cheshire Performance on here and on Google. I would never buy a car from no matter how good it might look!

Oh and forged 2.5 is a mega road car, I have one. I sometimes miss the high revs of the 2.0 JDM but the torque more than makes up for it! But just my opinion. As suggested earlier, try one of each and see what works for you!

parmin

iTrader: (2)

I have 2012 STI saloon which went bang at 25000 miles on the standard engine. I now have a 2.5 fully forged close deck engine with 14mm head studs and I am running 450hp and 480lbft. the car is used every day of the week and I do 12000 miles a year the engine has done 22000 miles since the rebuild and has not used a drop of oil apart from the regular oil changes.

defo go for a 2.5 as the torque is way better than a 2.0 and that's what you need on the road.

Shaun

Trust me.... an OEM JDM engine using appropriate turbo, intercooler, induction and good mapping can produce fantastic torque, over a wide powerband (thanks to the 8+k rev limit).

It's not all about lowdown torque either to make a road car great. Plenty of cars with linear torque curves, that rev their nuts off and produce BHP are fantastic road cars. Not everyone wants to/or interested in using low revs.

Like I said..... it's best to drive both and see which suits your driving style.

Tidgy

what makes you say that shaun?

gregwill

iTrader: (1)

Hi mate, If I was you I would test drive both if possible because they do both drive different.


I would 100% go for the Jdm why because I have one lol (hawk T20). In all honesty I have never been in the 2.5 but did have a 2.0 bug sti at one point. What i like about the jdm is that it is very smooth going through the gear and when its on full chat it sounds the nuts!! Think I have had mine about 3 years now and it hasn't missed a beat regular services etc and it should all be fine.

They can take an absolute thrashing too and I dont find myself looking at the engine temp gauge so knowing the Jdm's are very reliable it does give me piece of mind.

I see you local to me and if it does help I can always take you out for a quick blast in mine if that's any help to you? Would have to be after xmas though as im off on holidays this weekend.

Greg