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First I'ld like to thank Knowlesy from Scoobysport and Graham Goode for taking the time to speak to me and offer good advice on this car. (and Hol for some extra tips )

To look at it was just what I could have dreamed of, WRC blue, 2 door Type R, roof vent, BFO spoiler, immaculate condition.

Drove it, first JDM I've driven, I thought my UK scoob was quick , this thing was an absolute monster in comparison.

Trouble was something didn't feel right, got a vibe that something was a bit dodgy..Graham Goode checked the chassis number for me and it came down to an STi5 RA...not the R as shown on the back. The service history was as good as useless, 2 stamps from a place with no location or phone number and a mileage one at 23l and one at 25k, nothing other than that.

The log book had no engine number on it, not sure if this is correct or not for a JDM...the papers and history on the car were for 5 months before the car was even registered as being on the road

The bloke selling it were also a bit, shall we say, "shady" , the deal was being done away from the actual dealers showroom and in some industrial estate.

So in the end I walked away from it, can't part with 14k of hard-earned for something that I didn't feel was right, damn shame as the car was a minter.

I might be wrong and the car be pukker, and I've missed a real tasty scoob , so my quest for a import continues

oh, also after the test drive the car really stank of hot oil, even though I didn't really drive it that hard and it had plenty of time to cool down on the way back to the place.

One day...one will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine

Tommy 2000

Mega, you must be disappointed, but you've done the right thing. If you're gonna spend good money, you've got to get a decent genuine motor.

As you've obviously done a lot of research into imported Scoobs, who will insure it and what is the damage premium-wise?

Cheers,
T

barge

its a buyer market.

dont rush in to the first car you see.

If it felt wrong then it was wrong, dont keep thinking about it.

MelTypeR

iTrader: (4)

Mega my type r was imported in jan 2001 but wasn't registered until may 2001 as i had to wait for SVA test ,reg papers, etc so dont be put off by that.

As far as i know all type r's are 2 door and type ra's are 4 doors so dont quite understand how GGR got it as a type RA.

Anyway dont be put off getting a JDM import esp the type r as they are one of the best and fastest imprezas available.

Mel.

HKSubaru

there are type ra's which are two door but they are very rare. look on sidc website.

mega_stream

I will keep looking no fear of that Especially now I've driven one of the buggers AWESOME

I did think that RA's were around in 2 door guises, this one had a rev counter that went into the red at 8k, don't know if thats any bearing on if it was a R or an RA??
I know on the back of the car it said R anyway.

Anyway, I've tracked down another V5 typr R and gonna look at that tomorrow not blue, but the next best IMO, cool grey.

Cheers all , a slighty happier John

RAZZ

What does JDM mean ?????????

RAZZ.

Triple X

iTrader: (1)

Not 100% sure but dont Type RA's have an ultra close ratio gearbox which is quite a lot shorter than the Type R. I was a bit worried when i first went to view a Type R expecting the gearbox to be similar to my bro's RA but was surprised by the differance.
Could be something to look out for?

TBMeech

John,

All sti's will rev to the 8k redline, mine sure does

Hmmm sounds like you did the right thing by walking away, shouldnt smell of oil even after a hard thrash, tho that could have been power steering fluid from the resevoir leaking onto the engine.


Razz,

JDM = Japanese Domestic Market

Tim Bomford

Any JDM car will feel quicker than a UK car. Engine number may be missing as its down to the person registering the car (1st uk owner) to submit that info. if you bought this car there would be nothing stopping you sending the V5 in with the engine number part filled in. It may be missing just because hey don't know where to look.

as I understand it a type RA car can still be a type R car but doesn't have electric windows etc but I'm bound to be wrong.

Hope this helps

Tim

Adam M

al type rs are 2 door.

some type ras as stated above are two door too.

all post version 3 (97 onwards) stsi rev to 8k rpm.

The gearing thing is an odd one.

all jdm cars have a 4.44 final drive, giving them a fifth gear of 19.7 mph/1000rpm or 21.8 mph/1000rpm.

The earlier ones felt a bit manic, but were no more so, they just had a rpm limit of 7k which meant that at full whack in fifth they could only do 138ish.

These were mostly wrx ras, not wrx sti ras.

Dont feel bad abaout walkign away. If it didnt feel right, it didnt feel right, simple as that. dont need to spend your cash without being confident in the deal.

When I bought the 22B I was very worried because ti was relatively cheap and didnt make a lot of sense. It had no one minor service recorded at 8k miles, but since i bought it at 12k, I wasnt fussed.

worse case scenario it hadnt even been serviced at 8, but it has been treated beautifully ever since.

had I walked away I would feel stupid now, but then I got only a good feeling, not a bad one. You have done the right thing.

I will keep an eye out too. If I see anything, will let you know.

1 word of advice, be careful whose advice you listen to.

In my experience a lot of "companies" know **** all about these cars, and only do it as a business not as a passion.

the people to ask are the enthusiasts who have learned through interest and experience.

the likes of Pat, Bob rawle, mark aigin, moray, mutant matt, and dare I say it me.

I have slipped up on occasion like many others, but then I dont charge for my knowledge so dont mind so much if I do. Have also found anomolies in the sidc faq which was previously the official guide.

I would certainly trust the faq as far as chassis numbers go over say GGR.

Nimbus

JDM = Japanese Domestic Model (I think!).

dazzaTypeR

Mega,

If you are after a Type R but dont get on too well tomorrow I'm considering selling mine.

Its on an X reg, reg jan 01

It's STi V5, has now done just over 22k, 1st service was PE, rest have been GGR which is where its off next fri for the 22,500k service, its got 18in OZ super Leg's.

E-mail me if your interested.

I imported it myself from new so know all the history.

dazza

Oh

chrisp

I was lookign for an STi5 TR and ended up with a WRX 6 RA. Its just how it came about. I want a two door but glad now it has 4 to be honest. I also couldnt believe how much faster the JDM car was than my 98 UK. The gearing is a touch manic and has a WRX 7.5K redline. Not brilliant for motorways but awesome midrange punch . I just head straight for 5th gear in the first 50 yards and still look for 6th occassionally as some of the guys on here can tell you .

If I was you would definitely hold out for a FSh low mileage STI v-limited model.

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dazza YHM

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Just found out the one I was going to look at today has had a rollcage in and is only running 0.5bar of boost
He don't know what's been done internally, but I reckon its a safe bet something has

Not even going to waste my time looking at that one

bubblegum

some cars come from the factory with a rollcage fitted
the options list is huge
but not as huge as the bubbles I can blow

Hol

iTrader: (1)

Cheer up John.

You will find the right car. Im in most of tommorrow if you want to come and have a look round my car and logbook for information.

Might even have my morrettes on , if it aint rainin

As you know i love the R, as said above, its just the motorways cruisin. Prolonged 4000+Rpm can show oil temps upto 100Deg on the defi's. Youve got my number, let me know.

mega_stream

Cheers Andy, working all day tommoro
Double double on Sunday's, all going into the Scooby piggy bank I got going

"might" have a couple of interesting leads brewing

All good things come to those who wait