MY97 or MY98 (P or R)?
25 August 2001, 11:20 PM
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Can anyone tell me whether then MY97 corresponds only to P-registered cars and if so when are they registered? When was the MY98 introduced? I am looking for an MY98 (with the internal facelift). Does this mean R-registered cars onwards, or only some R-registered cars, or does that include some P-registered cars? Is there anyway traqling through Top Marques etc I can tell if a particular car is an MY98 and therefore has the 1998 internal facelift?
26 August 2001, 06:32 AM
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Mines an early Feb MY98 on a R plate with the face lift.
Though there was a R plate MY97 at the COV area meet on thursday.
It all depends on how long the cars were sitting in the show room and first registered. Best thing to do is phone and ask. Also MY97 and early MY98 tend to suffer more frequently from overboost. Try for a late MY98 if you get the choice.
Neal
Though there was a R plate MY97 at the COV area meet on thursday.
It all depends on how long the cars were sitting in the show room and first registered. Best thing to do is phone and ask. Also MY97 and early MY98 tend to suffer more frequently from overboost. Try for a late MY98 if you get the choice.
Neal
26 August 2001, 09:23 AM
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Maz,
Mine's a November 1997 on an R, it's a MY97.
Mine has:
Sports bucket seats
It has the revised heater/aircon controls, not the lego type buttons.
It doesn't have: (from the sidc faq
Mine's a November 1997 on an R, it's a MY97.
Mine has:
Sports bucket seats
It has the revised heater/aircon controls, not the lego type buttons.
It doesn't have: (from the sidc faq
26 August 2001, 01:00 PM
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Rob,
Thanks for your reply, mate.
So the registration plate doesn't seem to matter all that much? I'll have a word with the vendor and see for myself for each individual car.
It is interesting what you say about the MY98 onwards dashboard. I have heard tell that it rattles. What is the earlier one like? Further, you mention air-con. Do all MY97 cars have air-con or is it an option that was fitted when new and therefore on some but not all?
The MY97 has a better all round engine and turbo, I've heard. Views?
Finally, how much for some 17" alloys (Oz or BBS, or should I go for cheaper one's) and a Momo steering wheel (let me know for each thing). Also, I am interested in short throw gearshift. How short is it already in comparison to ordinary saloons, and what cost to improve to a shorter shift?
The reason I ask is this. In 2-3 months some work I've done gets paid and I'm going to have around £10-10,500 to spend on a Scooby of my very own. I'd like a UK Turbo, MY97 or MY98, preferably mica green or mica blue and I'd like to add a high spoiler, 6xCD, decent interior mods - Momo sterring wheel etc and 17" alloys, preferably gold. Therefore, I am looking now and getting to grips with all the knowledge, so I am ready to buy when the time comes.
Thanks for your reply, mate.
So the registration plate doesn't seem to matter all that much? I'll have a word with the vendor and see for myself for each individual car.
It is interesting what you say about the MY98 onwards dashboard. I have heard tell that it rattles. What is the earlier one like? Further, you mention air-con. Do all MY97 cars have air-con or is it an option that was fitted when new and therefore on some but not all?
The MY97 has a better all round engine and turbo, I've heard. Views?
Finally, how much for some 17" alloys (Oz or BBS, or should I go for cheaper one's) and a Momo steering wheel (let me know for each thing). Also, I am interested in short throw gearshift. How short is it already in comparison to ordinary saloons, and what cost to improve to a shorter shift?
The reason I ask is this. In 2-3 months some work I've done gets paid and I'm going to have around £10-10,500 to spend on a Scooby of my very own. I'd like a UK Turbo, MY97 or MY98, preferably mica green or mica blue and I'd like to add a high spoiler, 6xCD, decent interior mods - Momo sterring wheel etc and 17" alloys, preferably gold. Therefore, I am looking now and getting to grips with all the knowledge, so I am ready to buy when the time comes.
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26 August 2001, 01:12 PM
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hi
my first scoob was a 97, july 97 on a p, it had aircon which was an extra and also had the later high level boot spoiler, 16" wheels and front/ rear bumpers, looked smart, mine had power steering, as they all do(i think), i prefer the later dash of the 98 models
all the best
mark
my first scoob was a 97, july 97 on a p, it had aircon which was an extra and also had the later high level boot spoiler, 16" wheels and front/ rear bumpers, looked smart, mine had power steering, as they all do(i think), i prefer the later dash of the 98 models
all the best
mark
26 August 2001, 05:58 PM
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Mi Maz,
To the best of my knowledge:
- aircon has always been an (expensive, but popular) option,
- MY97 and 98 have the same engine, which has numerous revisions over MY96 and before. These include a smaller turbo, which I can say from personal experience has less lag and is more driveable than the earlier ones. The downside is that there's less of a shove in your back when it kicks in, which I know some people prefer.
- The short-shift is <I>very</I> short compared to most saloons, and IMHO a bit crunchy. But without it, the throw is a bit long. Take your pick, I think it's quite easy to retro-fit (£200ish).
- they've all got power steering.
- the ones with the later dash (MY98+) come with a Momo wheel too
- you can't really tell the difference between MY97 and 98 from the outside without peering in at the interior. Call the advertiser and ask, it's probably the easiest way.
- I've been offered a set of new 17" gold Speedline GT-Ones for £995 complete with Bridgestone S-02 tyres, so I reckon that's about what you should find yourself paying for a set. Personally I paid £1120 all in for Prodrive PD7s with the same tyres.
Andy.
To the best of my knowledge:
- aircon has always been an (expensive, but popular) option,
- MY97 and 98 have the same engine, which has numerous revisions over MY96 and before. These include a smaller turbo, which I can say from personal experience has less lag and is more driveable than the earlier ones. The downside is that there's less of a shove in your back when it kicks in, which I know some people prefer.
- The short-shift is <I>very</I> short compared to most saloons, and IMHO a bit crunchy. But without it, the throw is a bit long. Take your pick, I think it's quite easy to retro-fit (£200ish).
- they've all got power steering.
- the ones with the later dash (MY98+) come with a Momo wheel too
- you can't really tell the difference between MY97 and 98 from the outside without peering in at the interior. Call the advertiser and ask, it's probably the easiest way.
- I've been offered a set of new 17" gold Speedline GT-Ones for £995 complete with Bridgestone S-02 tyres, so I reckon that's about what you should find yourself paying for a set. Personally I paid £1120 all in for Prodrive PD7s with the same tyres.
Andy.
26 August 2001, 10:08 PM
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I really apprciate the help I've got from this forum, here's my next 10p worth!
If it's on 15 inch wheels, it's a MY97.
If not, it MAY be a 98. I think almost everyone on this board has bought a set of MY98/99/STI 16 inchers!
All have power steering. I think they all are and feel the same, which I think might be speed sensitive, I don't know for sure. (I wouldn't worry about it unless looking a Japan only grey import STI or Type RA cars which may have different steering rack systems.)
95, 96, 97, 98, 99.
I'd say overall every model year had some significant improvement:-
MY96 for the bucket sports seats and revised bonet slats? or wasthis 97?,
MY97 with it's smaller turbo less lag,
MY98 with the momo and 16-inch wheels, indicators on the left,
MY99 with the 4-pot/297mm brakes, quicker gearshift, apparently less lag (I've test driven two and haven't noticed much difference to a MY97) and much better response to the optional £2000 prodrive WR sport tuning package.
MY00; well I think the MY2000 may be the exception to this steady evolution, as the wheels look crap and not much else seems to have changed. Oh, map reading lights I think.
MY01; new shape and vastly improved build quality. Quieter, a little heavier, 400mm brakes? Semi-auto aircon (you set the temperature). Cheaper £1500 optional prodrive WR sport tuning package.
"Buy the latest you can" they say in the faq. I never understood why. I assumed it was because of the age/mileage; newer car usually equals lower mileage. No, it's because of the detail improvements and the Subaru UK warranty usually ending at 3-years/60K miles.
The reason I bought a MY97 was it was available 1 year old (with £1500 aircon) for £19,000. At the time MY98's were going at or over $22,500 list and the dealer had his very first MY99 which had just arrived and I could not buy and there was a few months wait.
The bottom line is; what's the best deal you can get on each model and are the improvements worth any additional cost to you over a previous car.
A cared for, well serviced, healthy MY98 would be a lovely car, especially if it's the right price and especially if you can extend the Subaru UK warranty. I can;t vouch for Gazzer's car as I've never seen it.
I'd be picky in this uk car market. I'd say a healthy, fit and clean MY97 would be more enjoyable than an below average MY98. For a mint MY98 over a MY99? Well probably not; the 99 should hopefully be in warranty (fssh and<60K miles) and the MY98 might be and you could probably get anything you can diagnose and reproduce fixed by those friendly Subaru UK service dealers.
e.g. I've had a new headlight, 4 new shock absorber dampers, blow-off wastegate valve, rear brake disks, short engine, clutch, power steering pump, battery in my 2.5 years of ownership.
A low mileage, late (October, November, December) MY98 with full Subaru service history should allow you to extend the warranty at any dealer. I might consider buying such a car in a private sale, with a £30 HPI credit check and a full £120 AA check to make sure it's not been wrapped round something and is generally straight.
The gearshift on the MY97 and MY98 are both quite long. I had my dealer fit the prodrive quickshift for £300. I know some aftermarket suppliers will give a similar part for about £120 plus you'd have to fit it.
The shift quality on this is then transformed and quite superb. One mate with a Golf GTI Turbo wanted to take his brand new car to the dealer with my Scooby, so he could show them "that's what I want my gearshift like". Another friend mentioned the shift was even better than a Ferrari 355 he drove on a track once (gosh???????). I've never driven any exotica, but it's probably the best £300 I've ever spent on the car.
Apparently the 99 has most of the improvement as standard. I think the 99 I testdrove had the quickshift option fitted too.
Momo wheels are about £400 + £600 new for the airbag module + about 2 hours fitting (Ussiming the fitter can handle a connector swap; see the momo posts last week). I managed to get mine from a breaker for £230 delivered. Fitting would probably take a few hours now there's lots of info on this BBS. Oh, but aparently it can be dangerous changing airbags.
16 inch wheels are commonly available on this BBS, with new or shreded tyres. I managed to get a set of STI gold 16-inchers with new standard Bridgestone tyres for £400.
OMHO These slightly improve the handling, vastly improve the look and make the option of low-cost 297mm disks/4-pots (pre MY99 UK cars have 260mm disks and 2-pots) available.
MY97's handle fine. The biggest improvement to my handling was a set of 4 new dampers under Subaru warranty and a trip to Powerstation for a geometry/bumpsteer alignment for £100 plus petrol! These have now done about 25,000 miles but my car still felt great driving home aver a test drive of a brand new Impreza WRX UK300 WR sport which is reportedly to be the new benchmark for handling.
cheers,
Rob.
[This message has been edited by RobScreene (edited 26 August 2001).]
If it's on 15 inch wheels, it's a MY97.
If not, it MAY be a 98. I think almost everyone on this board has bought a set of MY98/99/STI 16 inchers!
All have power steering. I think they all are and feel the same, which I think might be speed sensitive, I don't know for sure. (I wouldn't worry about it unless looking a Japan only grey import STI or Type RA cars which may have different steering rack systems.)
95, 96, 97, 98, 99.
I'd say overall every model year had some significant improvement:-
MY96 for the bucket sports seats and revised bonet slats? or wasthis 97?,
MY97 with it's smaller turbo less lag,
MY98 with the momo and 16-inch wheels, indicators on the left,
MY99 with the 4-pot/297mm brakes, quicker gearshift, apparently less lag (I've test driven two and haven't noticed much difference to a MY97) and much better response to the optional £2000 prodrive WR sport tuning package.
MY00; well I think the MY2000 may be the exception to this steady evolution, as the wheels look crap and not much else seems to have changed. Oh, map reading lights I think.
MY01; new shape and vastly improved build quality. Quieter, a little heavier, 400mm brakes? Semi-auto aircon (you set the temperature). Cheaper £1500 optional prodrive WR sport tuning package.
"Buy the latest you can" they say in the faq. I never understood why. I assumed it was because of the age/mileage; newer car usually equals lower mileage. No, it's because of the detail improvements and the Subaru UK warranty usually ending at 3-years/60K miles.
The reason I bought a MY97 was it was available 1 year old (with £1500 aircon) for £19,000. At the time MY98's were going at or over $22,500 list and the dealer had his very first MY99 which had just arrived and I could not buy and there was a few months wait.
The bottom line is; what's the best deal you can get on each model and are the improvements worth any additional cost to you over a previous car.
A cared for, well serviced, healthy MY98 would be a lovely car, especially if it's the right price and especially if you can extend the Subaru UK warranty. I can;t vouch for Gazzer's car as I've never seen it.
I'd be picky in this uk car market. I'd say a healthy, fit and clean MY97 would be more enjoyable than an below average MY98. For a mint MY98 over a MY99? Well probably not; the 99 should hopefully be in warranty (fssh and<60K miles) and the MY98 might be and you could probably get anything you can diagnose and reproduce fixed by those friendly Subaru UK service dealers.
e.g. I've had a new headlight, 4 new shock absorber dampers, blow-off wastegate valve, rear brake disks, short engine, clutch, power steering pump, battery in my 2.5 years of ownership.
A low mileage, late (October, November, December) MY98 with full Subaru service history should allow you to extend the warranty at any dealer. I might consider buying such a car in a private sale, with a £30 HPI credit check and a full £120 AA check to make sure it's not been wrapped round something and is generally straight.
The gearshift on the MY97 and MY98 are both quite long. I had my dealer fit the prodrive quickshift for £300. I know some aftermarket suppliers will give a similar part for about £120 plus you'd have to fit it.
The shift quality on this is then transformed and quite superb. One mate with a Golf GTI Turbo wanted to take his brand new car to the dealer with my Scooby, so he could show them "that's what I want my gearshift like". Another friend mentioned the shift was even better than a Ferrari 355 he drove on a track once (gosh???????). I've never driven any exotica, but it's probably the best £300 I've ever spent on the car.
Apparently the 99 has most of the improvement as standard. I think the 99 I testdrove had the quickshift option fitted too.
Momo wheels are about £400 + £600 new for the airbag module + about 2 hours fitting (Ussiming the fitter can handle a connector swap; see the momo posts last week). I managed to get mine from a breaker for £230 delivered. Fitting would probably take a few hours now there's lots of info on this BBS. Oh, but aparently it can be dangerous changing airbags.
16 inch wheels are commonly available on this BBS, with new or shreded tyres. I managed to get a set of STI gold 16-inchers with new standard Bridgestone tyres for £400.
OMHO These slightly improve the handling, vastly improve the look and make the option of low-cost 297mm disks/4-pots (pre MY99 UK cars have 260mm disks and 2-pots) available.
MY97's handle fine. The biggest improvement to my handling was a set of 4 new dampers under Subaru warranty and a trip to Powerstation for a geometry/bumpsteer alignment for £100 plus petrol! These have now done about 25,000 miles but my car still felt great driving home aver a test drive of a brand new Impreza WRX UK300 WR sport which is reportedly to be the new benchmark for handling.
cheers,
Rob.
[This message has been edited by RobScreene (edited 26 August 2001).]
26 August 2001, 10:45 PM
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Gazzer,
Saw your car, mate. Absolute beauty, but too soon for me to buy! Otherwise, I'd have been beating your door down. Why are you selling, just out of interest?
Maz.
Saw your car, mate. Absolute beauty, but too soon for me to buy! Otherwise, I'd have been beating your door down. Why are you selling, just out of interest?
Maz.
27 August 2001, 02:22 PM
#14
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RobScreene: Mine's from November and it's a MY98 
(and a hatch)
Being serious, the new model Impreza comes out in late October each year. Until Christmas time ish, the remainder of the previous year and the start of the new year's model.
The MY97 and MY98 engines are ever so slightly different. Principally, all MY98 have the "blowing over a milk bottle" sound fault fixed, some MY97s are even today still affected.
The MY98 has the shortened gearstick throw, once drove a Catalunya (based on a MY97) and it had a longer throw. Another comparsion I've made is MY97+PP Quick Shift=MY98
I agree that a good MY97 is a better purchase than a dog of a MY98. However remember that for residual's the slightly newer cars will be better - but the Impreza market seems to be more condition sensitive than age sensitive.
[This message has been edited by Miles (edited 27 August 2001).]
(and a hatch) Being serious, the new model Impreza comes out in late October each year. Until Christmas time ish, the remainder of the previous year and the start of the new year's model.
The MY97 and MY98 engines are ever so slightly different. Principally, all MY98 have the "blowing over a milk bottle" sound fault fixed, some MY97s are even today still affected.
The MY98 has the shortened gearstick throw, once drove a Catalunya (based on a MY97) and it had a longer throw. Another comparsion I've made is MY97+PP Quick Shift=MY98
I agree that a good MY97 is a better purchase than a dog of a MY98. However remember that for residual's the slightly newer cars will be better - but the Impreza market seems to be more condition sensitive than age sensitive.
[This message has been edited by Miles (edited 27 August 2001).]
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