scu-b

Hello Scoobynet !

I am new to all of this and i have to say that it is all a little bit confusing, so if this type of thing is in the wrong place then please tell me ! ! The Administrator cant like me very much cos i dont seem to be able to do very much on this site at the moment, but the weekend will be upon us soon so i can spend some time working out how to use this site !

Anyway, moan over, I am just trying to get my first Scoob and just looking for any pointers really ! Thinking of getting the UK WRX ! Good Choice? I will be 25 in July and have already recieved some quite good quotes fom L&V !

Any pointers for buying, running, maintaining, moding my Scoob would be greatly appreciated !

Thanks.

IN THE STICKS

If you were thinking of a 'classic' shape turbo there's plenty of info here ..
http://www.sidc.co.uk/faq.htm

As for not being able to access certain bits on here , I think some things are being worked on still (search function etc) , give them a bit of time

Dave

scu-b

Thanks mate thats great !

Will try and post my pics on here when i get it !

SCOOBY TOWERS

iTrader: (7)

Hello,
Best tip I can give, is get a credit card quick - you'll need it

Chris

IN THE STICKS

Try here also (test drive of the new shape ..undr 'midlife facelift')
http://www.iwoc.co.uk/contents.html

Dave

corradoboy

Welcome to the site

Buying - If you want a UK WRX then it has to be a bugeye or newer as all WRX's prior were Jap imports.
Running - Warm it up before booting it, and cool it down before parking it. Drive like a granny in town and a devil where it's more appropriate
Maintaining - Keep to the service schedule, and change oil at least once between. Be careful if doing this yourself, as there are some tricks which will save your engine.
Modding - The sky really is the limit. From a new gearknob to major engineering work to create a 618bhp monster wagon, it has mostly already been done by someone on here. Whatever you consider, field it on here to get some very knowlegable and experienced advise, otherwise mistakes can be costly. Best mod I know of is driver training.

Whatever you get, and whenever you get it, I know you'll love it

scu-b

Thanks mate, there seems to be quite alot of info to digest but as all i have heard is is generally good then it will be worth both the wait and the time and effort !

In all seriousness is it an extreemly expensive car to run and maintain ?

I was thinking of using my girlfriends car during the week to get us to work then the Scoob on the weekends to play with !!!

corradoboy

The cars are very reliable, but it is nice to have a warranty behind you as they can be very expensive to fix. The main expenses are fuel, tyres, insurance and of course, mods. If you have the opportunity of using an alternative cheaper car for around town then I would, as long as the Scoob is well secured. The fuel economy for urban driving is not good. I use as much fuel in half a day pottering around town as I do in half a day blasting around the Dales. If you drive with enthusiasm, then tyres and brakes can wear quickly. Budget around £400 for tyres and £100 for pads. Frequency is upto how you drive.
The big expense is the mods. No-one can resist them. Within a week the performance will feel less impressive and you will yearn for a bit more here and there. It usually starts with the odd cosmetic tweak. Then minor bits for suspension or exhausts, and before you know it it's booked in for a £2k brake upgrade, remap, bracing, alignment and decat with equal length headers.
What's your budget and which model takes your eye?

DJNafey

I would completely agree with Corradoboy, having owned my 96 WRX import since July. However, I am the complete opposite to many people here - I use my Impreza for the daily 3-mile run to work and back (good heater!) and I keep my heavily-modified old Mini for fun at the weekends!

Apart from my new engine (I won't go into that long story!), the most noticeable expense I've seen since I changed my MGF for the Impreza is the fuel consumption. Even when I'm not just pootling round town in traffic, I consistently get 19mpg over a full tank.

Am just finishing off the ICE upgrade. Trying REALLY hard not to spend any money on my Impreza. Mods are very expensive compared to on the Mini (no surprise there then!). But those clear indicator lenses do look SOOOO good, how can I resist?!!

Danbo

Yes .............damn those clear lenses.............need Sti rears, need Sti rears.........

DJNafey

I should also say that I can't comment on UK models but my jap WRX is really well put together. Coming up to 8 years old, approx 63,000 miles and no rattles, no squeaks, no niggly little problems that I can think of at all

scu-b

Thanks guys you have been really helpful, unfortunatly i was reading some other threads last night and managed to really scare the sh*t out of myself with some of the costs that are involved with a Scoob !

It seems that quite alot of the Younger owners seem to still be living at home and paying next to nothing for rent ! This would be great, but as i am not, i still have to think about the household bills which would seem to be on a par with the monthly figures that some people are quoting for running thier Sccobs !

I really really want one tho so maybe drastic measures are called for !

Another thing that i have noticed is that there are quite a few stories of Blown Turbos and Engines ! Is this a common occurance or is this just down to ragging the **** of your car ?

Obviously when i buy i will be looking for the Lowest mileage for the Cheapest price in the best condition ! What does anyone think the highest mileage should be on a Scoob that i should seriously consider that wont blow up in a few hundred miles !?!?!?

Ben.

IN THE STICKS

The other side of the coin is that there are some on here that have covered 100,000 miles or more with no problems , just regular servicing


Dave

scu-b

True mate, but it will be my luck to get and get one that looks sweet and runs like a dog as soon as i get it home !

Any pointers for a non mechanically minded person to look for when buying so as to avoid the affore mentioned senario ?

Ben.

markwild

My 98 UK Turbo has passed 100K miles and has only needed an inner CV, a ball joint and an airbag fix, since I had it at 42k miles - I kept it for 18 months prior to the mod-bug hitting and have spent ~8-9 grand since ! I now use it everyday for a 100 mile round trip to work (and have done for a year) and its NEVER let me down.
Mods ARE expensive, but that's down to your choice - Make sure it's serviced (Mine always is) and I've never needed to put oil or water in it other than that.

Welcome to the Band !

Mark Wildsworld Wild

IN THE STICKS

Mine is a UK MY99 turbo , tyres are about £90 a corner for a good make like Goodyear etc .Fuel economy is about 25mpg (but I do live 'in the sticks' so not much town use ) . Things to look out for on classic shape (pre 2001) are piston slap on cars around 1998/1999 (mines got it) , which is a rattle form the engine on start up from cold , it soon goes away and is not a problem , but might be worth checking . Check for uneven tyre wear , and make sure all of the electrics work OK (windows etc) (most Subaru parts seem to be more expensive than you would think ),make sure it's been serviced properly by main agent / specialist . Apart from that, they are quite strong cars considdering they do get a bit of stick. I think a lot of the engine faliures around are due to imported/modified cars being run on the wrong fuel , but I'll leave that to the experts out there ......


Dave

DJNafey

Scu-b,

I chose my MY96 WRX import because it had low mileage for the age - 59,000 miles. However, the engine only lasted a fortnight. It had clearly been sitting around for a long time while going through the Japanese auction process, coming over on the boat and sitting on the import dealer's forecourt. The only problem I've had in 5 months since the new engine is a juddery clutch, which was caused by bad fitting by the dodgy import dealer's dodgy mechanic. UK cars are very unlikely to have these problems. Jap imports are a lot cheaper than UK models but, even these days, it seems to be hard to find a decent dealer and I would certainly think twice about getting an import again.

From what I have read over the last year on Scoobynet, these cars are generally tough as old boots and will go on and on and on IF they have been looked after and have had lots of oil changes and servicing.

If you can bear the insurance and fuel costs, don't be put off be a few scary stories (including my own!). Every car manufacturer puts out a few "Friday afternoon cars" now and again. Having an Impreza is an absolute treat, a goal worth going the extra mile to reach

scu-b

Thanks for all your advice !

I have come to the conclusion that you only live once and that you may aswell do the things that you want to do

Which loosley translates to me going and finding a Scoob

Thanks again,

Ben

IN THE STICKS

Ben , you won't regret it, have you driven one yet ?

Dave

scu-b

Dave,

No mate i havent but got a test in one on the W/E

Ben.

Leslie

Welcome to the Net.

My JDM STi is ten years old, still looks good,has done 75K miles and goes very well indeed. I have done some mods to improve the handling and the power-exhaust system mainly. It gets very regular servicing from me and is driven every day. The oil get changed every 3K miles. No squeaks, rattles or any sign of rust. Best car I have had for reliability, fun and performance.

Les