Hello All
Well i have a big dilema on my hands.
I have an awesome stock 2005 WRX300 blob. It's had an engine rebuild a year ish ago and low miles and runs like an absolute dream. I love the car and has hands down been the best car i have ever owned.
But my heart sits with the bug eye sti or uk300 and i keep browsing ads thinking of swapping.
Now as mine is stock i don't want to start modifying it as people do like them stock. And worried that if i sell it and swap for the bug i may get a dud that blows up on me.

 

You've already answered you own question. If you've got a good one then stick with it.
If you really prefer the bug front end () then all the parts are interchangeable and it's bolt on stuff.
You can probably pick up a bug front end pretty cheap and keep your parts to put it back to stock if you decide to sell in the future.

 

yes i am one of those weirdos that prefers the bug.
The blob i have is a great car and as its stock and lots of people would want it as stock, but it is a WRX. And i do kind of feel the sti will be much better.
So do i sink money into it and modify or buy the sti? some days i lean one way some the other and just cant damm decide.
And as the values of them seem to have risen it may be a good time to swap one for th eother.

 

The WRX and STi are two very different cars to drive. The STi feels much more aggressive with much shorter gearing and harder suspension. IMO, the STi is a much better car but then I also ran a blob WRX as a daily for over 8 years and it was a great car.
A lot will depend on your budget now though. I personally wouldn't buy a UK bug unless it had been pampered it's whole life and I could get it up on a lift before doing a deal. If it was me I'd be looking to import a rust free JDM model as it's much easier to fix some paint fade or lacquer peel than it is rust. The market is unpredictable at the moment but you have a good car so wouldn't have to rush. You'd probably need a budget of £13-16k though.

 

13-16k for jdm bug sti

 

That's a rough estimate through a reputable importer. I'm sure you could find a cheaper one if you look hard enough.
My friend just won a nice white STi hawk which will be about £11.5k landed but he's done all the leg work himself.
There's a UK car on PH at the moment for £11k. https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12334610
It looks ropey and there's some mention of corrosion on the MOT history, this is probably fairly typical of most UK cars now though.

 

Someone listed an entire bug front end for less than £500 on one of the facebook groups this morning just for his information. Was somewhere in Scotland, he's doing a blob conversion haha

 

They should swap cars

 

I will not pay 7k for bug sti,crazy money for poor old car.

 

All depends on the car. I’m not really a fan of the bug myself but I can appreciate a nice one. There were several nice bugs at Castle Combe for Rally Day, a couple of stunning S202’s. I could live with one of those!

 

Best of both worlds, have both cars and daily one of them? I think Hurst have a Bugeye STI or two in at the minute.

 

It depends on the condition but a good condition JDM Bugeye STI will always be worth more than a WRX which have gone up quite a bit lately. A ropey one needing a lot of work would be worth about £7k.

 

Ah dammit didnt have notifications turned on and just remembered i posted here.
I am happy with a more aggressive car and have the tein lowering springs on mine so suspention would probably be better on the sti.
Budget wise its whatever i can sell my current WRX300 for, so i may come up short on the good sti bug.

Also if i do start modifying this one i am 100% getting the prodrive wing almost nobody likes ( the one that looks like wings )

Just found the Bug STI wagon and got sooooo excited!!!!! But its at rasp cars

 

I’d expect a good bug STI to be more than the WRX300 but you may get lucky.

 

Shave the pointy bits of it - transforms it!

 

hmmmmm was thinking something was off with that wing.
Do you mean the bits ontop of it?
Also what wheels are those and do they come in a burnt copper?

 

Yeah the pointy bits on the top



The wheels are just Invoit Redlines - which where a copy of the Prodrive pff7 wheels. Just get them painted whatever colour you want - only costs about £200 to get a set of wheels painted nowadays

 

of course it will👍,i would not pay 500 quid for wrx

 

Not even £500 to sell for 8K. i definately would. Also some people can't afford the sti to buy or insure.
Anyway im still so confused. Definately want the sti, but as mine is in such good condition may just start slowly upgrading.
Where would i start on upgrades for more handling and power?

 

Yeah I can’t work out what he’s on about.

Ultimately keeping your WRX300 standard will keep the value, upgrading can add value if done correctly but it’ll also narrow the audience come resale time. Is it possible to save the money from the upgrades and put that towards an STI fund over time? The limited edition WRX’s like yours will always sit between standard WRX’s and the STI’s so you’re already part way between the two.

 

That is my dilema, standard will retain most of it's value, but i know ultimately i will always want the sti.
Thik that makes sense, save up the diff and keep the fund secret from the kids so they dont steal it for food and stuff.

If anyone is selling the prodrive style wing spoiler im way after it.

 

Go and test drive an STi. I think Hurst have a couple of bug STi in at the moment.
I would say with some confidence you would enjoy the STi more than your WRX.
Just moving to a 6 speed and AVCS heads makes a massive difference.

 

^^Do this^^

I love my JDM Bug STI from Hurst by the way

 

Would you guys say hurst can be trusted to sell a good one and not rip you off like Rasp cars?
A test sounds like a mega good idea. Was hopin gto make it to the car shows this year to have a look around th eclub cars etc but real life got in the way.

 

Hurst are one of the reputable ones, if you search on here you’ll pull up results for each importer. Pole Position are also recommended along with a few others.

You’re best off doing research and becoming familiar with all the known problems anyway so you can check the car out yourself rather than going on reputation alone.

 

Like Tim says, give the car a thorough inspection rather than trusting a trader. No trader is100% trustworthy in my experience!
Any decent trader should put it on a ramp for you so you see everything from underneath too.
Apart from the obvious corrosion, check for worn gearbox syncros (the STi box is notchy but if it crunches when pushing on then syncros may be worn), grumbly wheel bearings and oil leaks. Juddery clutch can mean it's on the way out and obviously check for the tell tale blue smoke.
Panel gaps should not be painted so check under the bonnet for replacement wings and around the boot shuts to indicate the rear quarters have been painted.
If it's modified, what parts have been used and are they a quality brand? Cheap parts may point to a car that's not been maintained as it should imo.
Take someone with you! We often buy cars with our heart instead of our head. It's good to have a second opinion.

 

All good solid advice, thank you. Will try get a test drive in the next month.
Will be keeping an eye out here too if anyone is selling or wants to do a swapsie.
ooh theres a breaker with a prodrive wing here but £400 seems high for it.

 

Hurst is a laugh this days, seen tread about hatch spec c they have got for sale. Have nothing to Your wrx ,just pointed i would not buy bug sti no matter what kind of condition it could be for more than 7k thats mean wrx value for me is less than 500, blob UK sti 9 and jdm hawk 11. Prices are crazy this days for almost 20y old crap. Mine jdm hawk costs me 11k 3y ago with 56k miles on a clock,alcons bbk ,coilovers ,new wheels ,deffis,engine mounts ,sway bars,rcm exhaust,new fuel pump ,fresh remap and list goes on.Sold few parts making car cost less than 9k,no way i will spend over 7k for bug sti.

 

I think obvious troll is trolling

https://www.scoobynet.com/scoobynet-...l#post12108822

 

Was going to argue but figured we are being silly.
WRX is a great car, handles great. Mines got some lowering springs and running 265 with prodrive stuff.
The sti is much better in many .... Many ways. That's not under dispute.
And the sti bug is my personal fav of all the scoobs.
Maybe crimbo will be good to me this year I can swap mine for one .