PING

Hi all,

I had to let my STI MY02 go a year ago - (work, etc) and to say the least am rather keen to return to the fold. My Audi A4 TDI 130 (180/265 thanks to AMD admittedly!), may be torquey, frugal, cheap to own and practical...but ...

I would value your opinions on driving defferences between the bug eyes and the facelifted models please. Looks don't worry me so much and to be fair, whichever I plumped for would probably end up with an ECU upgrade of some description!

My budget probably precludes a face lift model (£11-12,000) at a good mileage, but wonder if it is really worth waiting til the facelift comes into range. Wodyafink?

Apologies for doubtless going over old ground, but letting the STI go rather discouraged me from wanting to be on the BB's .. Sad old G*T aren't I!

Thank you in advance to you all.

Steve

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Personally if you don't mind the looks I'd go for the bugeye STI UK non PPP or JDM - there are some bargains out there.

You'll have pretty much the latest spec and the 6 speed box, all it needs is that remap once the breathing is addressed and you're looking at 320+ BHP

Thats the VFM route

scooby L

.....and to ballance the argument I'd go for the Blobeye m8....


IMO the >03 cars are much better looking... and thus will have more of a healthy 2nd hand market than the older models...

plus it's always best to go for the latest shape (if you can afford it), with 2nd hand car prices doing so badly, at least you will have a more recent model when you choose to swap again.

But that makes it 1 each...

PING

Hi,

Cheers guys.

Are we saying that the driving diferences are not too great?

Steve

Senior_AP

Alot f$cking quicker to!!

scooby L

I think hawkeye will be here in a mo.....


PMSL

(But true non the less)

scooby L

Only ever driven a WRX Bug Eye mate (Mines an Blob STI) and was quite impressed...so I would have thought not much in the 02STI/03STI dept.

PING

A lot quicker ... Lower down torque perhaps or just better all round?

Steve

will13

If your buying from a money point of view the early bugeye STIs are probably best buy, seen a few JDM ones touching 15K and the UK ones are only a few grand more, even though the early WRX bugeyes are fast approaching 10-11K if you are going to be modifying it and are after power then the STI is probably the best car to have to start with! By the time you wait for the blob eye to come down to these values then they will probably have another facelift again or an entirely new car and it won't be the latest thing anymore!

Senior_AP

Just better.

scooby L

To get "a lot quicker" you need the twin scroll JDM STI...

and they are not that cheap...

PING

Your point about the STI in the first place is well noted. Prior to the STI I had a classic wagon, ECUTEK TEK 2, Scooby sport DP, etc. - reached 275 BHP and 265 lbft - very torquey early on ... however, when I got the STI, I did realise what I had been trying to achieve and hadn't really made it - quite a different animal indeed!

This time, I would look at a standard WRX and probably just do the ECU - I think that the taughter suspension of an STI was a little too harsh for me and though the better breathing must be preferable, I think I'd prefer a quieter cabin these days ... well I am 41 now with three kids! - Flawed thinking maybe???

Steve

PING

That is what my expectation is ... sharper steering, slightly earlier power ..?

Steve

hawkeye

hey what's all the fuss about then LOL

let's get one thing straight

i'm not a bugeye (blinkered) lover i just really really like my particular car.

my MY02sti will chomp an sti uk for breakfast period

as to whether a bugeye is slower than a blobeye I really don't know but I could imagine there IS a difference between bug and blob wrx but not much if at all between bug and blob sti

let the slinging begin

PING

I guess that's it really ... in real world day to day driving, how many of us will find any differences that noticable / frustrating ..?

Cheers Steve

ScoobyDoo555

I think the main difference - from day to day, is whether or not you can live with the styling.....

I've got a classic at the moment (MY99 - the good one ), but am seriously looking at a bugeye STI JDM.......

Like the Blob, but FAR to common/popular - victim of it's own success IMHO....

my 2p FWIW

Dan

jmk

I own an 03 and my mate a bugeye. Not much in it peformance wise and the blobeye is still ******* ugly (those lights and front bumper!!). So I'd buy a mint bugeye and put your considerable saving towards upgrades.

PING

I guess a set of replacement lights would solve most of the aesthetic issues ..?

Steve

PING

I have to say, I'm heading in that direction really ...

Steve

paulwrxboro

The best looking impreza front end the bugeye with afew mods http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=y1949k&outx=600&oq=0

BedHog

Sorry to crash the thread.....

Where did you get the mesh grills? I'm looking for some but don't really want to splash out the £350 that Subaru want for WR Sport ones.... Will do if I have to though cos they really do look the dogs nads

http://vtr1000.sytes.net/Impreza/IMG_0003.JPG

'Borrowed' your grill and photoshopped it onto mine

http://vtr1000.sytes.net/Impreza/IMG_00031.JPG

Needs mesh grills badly

GRIFF007

so what is a blobeye then and why - I thought bug and blob were the same!

BedHog

Bugeye = MY01 & 02 and Blobeye is MY03+ (Current model)

Probably annoy Blob owners if you call it a Bug lol

hawkeye

another thing about a bug eye is there aren't that many around I haven't seen another MY02 sti in blue/black on the road yet.... plenty of pics on scoobyney but not one on the road.

ScoobyDoo555

yep PING, I'm looking at the Bug Eye with a new set of peepers, but not Morrettes. Sorry, don't like em. Granted, an improvement over the bug, but not much...

Sorry Morrette owners - I'm sure you'll get over it!!

Dan

wrxmark

I prefer this one . Best VFM around get yourself a JDM STi.

GRIFF007

So I guess other people werent too delighted with the 'radical improvements' made to the bugeye - still not a patch on the Classic (truly organic - Silver 'R' really looked great up to a couple of years ago - now looking a little dated

It would be nice if Subaru could get an Italian stylist to create a new 2 door compact 100kg car..

sti-04!!

sweet car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BedHog

Yep seems it didn't go down too well, hence the very quick (in car industry terms) facelift Blob.

Maybe not just looks but performance too as some people reckon the Bug is slow in comparison to both the Classic and the Blob. Only ever drove my Bugeye so can't comment.

Doing a few mods to mine style and performance wise then hopefully I'll keep it for quite a few years, which was the original intention.

I'm happy, and that's good enough for me. Plus it wouldn't be much fun if we all had exactly the same car would it

*Edit - btw did you mean 1000kg? lol I know people who weigh more than 100kg.....

paulwrxboro

sorry mate they were on the car when i got it and the price means theres not many around but i think they look sweet cheers paul