Avalyn

Hello,

I've been mooning over new scoobys for about 4 months now .. the wife is used to it by now. Anyway SHE suggested on Saturday that I go and have a look at some scoobys I'd seen in the local paper to 'cheer yourself up'. I currently have an MY00 wagon (wagon's rule) with some mods most noticeably an H&S DP and BB. It's cost me heaps of money over the last 3 months (60K service + £600 for a transfer box bearing ) and sounds like I may have a rear wheel bearing on it's way out, rear brake discs and pads will need done soon, tyres have 4 months left and I have an MOT next month.

Anyway it's not the day to day running of the car that stuffs me up it's the unexpected bills I'm getting now I'm out of warranty. I'd say my car was immaculate for it's age but there a few scrapes on the bumpers and it's just starting to feel a bit baggy (47K miles), doesn't seem to hold the road as well as it used to, just doesn't feel tight any more .. I'm sure new springs/shocks would help but that's more money lost really .. wont get me any more come selling time ..

Anyway I digress, in the paper I saw 2 cars advertised, MY03 WRX+PPP and a MY02 STi so off we go

MY03+PPP (10k miles)

It's black mica (nice), turns out to have tinted windows (dark - illegal?) and some spiffing 18 inch Speedlines and the UK300 spoiler. I like things to look standard-ish so it's maybe a wee bit too much for me being used to a stealth wagon. Closer inspection reveals that there are more marks around the door handles than I have and the driver seat looks a bit marked but it's not bad. Get chatting to the guy (Mr. Grumpy) and he says he'll give me 7.5K for my car and when asked tells me it's a Euro import. So crap trade in and more warranty hassle than I'd like so .. errrm on consideration ... no.

MY03 - £16995, mine £7.5K, to change - £9445

MY02 STi (8 k miles)

Looks OK ... bit marked again .. needing tyres .... Black Mica and I do like bug eyed STi's .. hmmm ... b'lox it's another import (why is this never in the advert?). Oh there's another one but it's an MY03 STi ... 'go and have a look' says the wife, oooh she must be in a good mood or I've done something nice that I haven't noticed .. so

MY03 STi (11k miles)

It's black mica again, really see the gold fleck and is in pretty much immaculate nick. Like the new lights, not so sure about the big wing and mahoosive scoop. We have a seat inside and it's lovely compared to mine. Arrange a quick test drive while the missus and nipper wait behind so on my own off we go. Dugga, dugga .. I love the noise, quieter than mine though (which is beginning to bug me .. must be getting old ). Ahh this is the off boost behaviour that I hear about ... wait for it, blam ... hell's teeth that feels good. Woooooo down the road, brake .. wheee they work well, no lurch forward and then off brakes and turn in .. ooooh, no lurch again just around we go ... lets be serious kept on boost my car wouldn't even see the way this one went and it's not even PPP'd Still it's not altogether smooth as I don't redline it everywhere so am continually on/off boost. If you want to scream everywhere this is your car

Have a nosey around when I park up, boot is quite reasonable (2 sets of gold clubs I'm not sure?), seats don't fold though ... nipper is a bit older now so would likely be OK when roof box is on .. Ok how much, I like it

MY03 Sti - £19995, mine £9K, to change £10995

MY03 WRX

So STi thoughts still around we head off to local dealer. It's the last week of free servicing, the MY05 is out so lets see what he has 2nd hand and what sort of deals I could get on an new MY04 ... some on here are saying about 2K off ... oooh they now have 3 MY03 WRX saloons, one's an SL and they are all in WR Blue (which I now like but didn't used to .. go figure). Arrange a wee drive in the MY03 WRX as it's bound to be very similar to any MY04 (may even just buy a MY03) ... the STi looks so much more serious and the WRX a bit errrm, inconspicuos (can you say that about a scoob?). Interior is still MUCH nicer than mine but it's awful quiet in here _ ... ahhh thats more like mine and very similar to an MY02PPP I drove about 2 months ago. Handling is much better than my car, brakes are better too and it's just feels tighter and more controlled over B-roads, I get into an easy flow (actually more easy than the STi - it's less forced to get a similar pace). I do remember the STi above 4K though ... do I really need that sort of oomph? I get the occasional blast when the wife nipper isn't in the car .. hmmmm this is getting difficult .. anyway here's the deal.

MY03 WRX £16995, mine 8.5K, to change £8445.

So decision time .. but wait what's this ... a curve ball from the back _ ... 'We've an MY05 wagon we can do you a good deal on' ... oooh a WAGON and we all know that wagons rule. I can't see it because it's all locked up elsewhere but it's WR Blue. I ask about a deal on an MY04 but they say that they can only get a hold of one (Silver) and the deal will be the same. What about free servicing then? That's on MY04 models ... errrm no, it's on cars registered before 30th Sept so the MY05 car will qualify ... basically turns out that they are not entirely sure why they have an MY05 car .. they find it tricky to get wagons so since they have no MY04 stock have been sent an MY05 car

So that means better interior, single tail pipe, red calipers, different dials (air con etc), 3 spoke steering wheel and inverted strut suspension .. I'm of a mindset that straight line speed is great but I'd MUCH rather have a car that handles well and spears through bends so the new suspension for me from an MY00 will be a step in the right direction .... what's the deal then ?

MY04 WRX Wagon (WR blue) £20495 (mica paint free), mine £10K really? ... to change £10495 ..

So 2K more than a yr old WRX and 500 quid cheaper than the STi. Plus I get free servicing for 3 years, it's the new model (and a wagon) .. Ok let me have a think and I'll call you back tomorrow ... surprise, surprise they want the deal today, no more discount (can't really complain about the 10K trade in ).

Ok well throw in some aero flaps (OK), mats (OK), full tank of super (think about it OK) .. hmm still not sure ... here's the clincher .. what about that nice blue momo gearknob? ..... (errrrrrm OK). Deal done .. looks a good deal to me?

Pick it up on Saturday, so will take piccys of MY05 for all to see

Avalyn (formally Doofus but Scoobynet won't let me login so now Avalyn).

Andy Porter

Nice write up and good for you for getting a good deal, lets see those pics soon

DBY

Cracking deal well done, Just got to get to the first 1k service to open her up.

John

supertouring

Thanks for posting this, interesting to read other peoples experiences. i hope to swap mine soon also, so good to know what is being offered out there.

Avalyn

Thanks for reading it all

I'll get piccys this weekend and try and post them in the Members Gallery on Monday. I think the worst part for me is going to be the running in period, never had a new car though so maybe the novelty will last the first 1000

I hope once run in it's as quick as my MY00 (or just about) and will be much better round the twisties

Couldn't believe it, 10K for my trade in.

Avalyn.

eric Scofield

brilliant review of a fun day's events - fanks for sharing ...

Allan

iTrader: (1)

Great write up Avalyn

mightyyid

Top stuff - but have you actually seen the car, as my dealer said no way to MY05 being able to get free servicing deal (it only applies to MY04 and beofre end Sept, not MY05 registered before end Sept) and if your dealer said it has single tail pipe, that is interesting because my dealer was looking at mine when I talked to him and he confirmed it is still a twin pipe. And I know mine is definately MY05 as it;s the new crystal grey colour, which only starts at MY05 year...
Andy

Avalyn

mightyvid ... no I've not seen the car. But 2 salesman confirmed it's an MY05 i.e. different interior, he described the steering wheel and said it had red brake calipers. No mention of single pipe .. only picked this up online in here

Sounds like your dealer is saying one thing and mine another _ .. who's right? Well I'll find out on Saturday and be pretty hacked off if it's an MY04 or an MY05 with no free servicing as that's precisely what I said I didn't want

I'll let you know anyway.

Cheers,
Avalyn.

wide

Sort out your suspension and dont spend all that money

BMWhere?

Congratulations! Definately sounds like you picked the best deal of the bunch! Your gonna miss those STi brakes though!

craigdmcd

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like the jobs a good un, the only hassle being that everything that Prodrive do , you will want, trust me, I' got everything except those fabulous prodrive sinks on a wishlist. Get the PPP kit and springs , oh , and the PFF7's to finalise it and you'll wonder why bother with a STi when you have a Prodrive Wagon

Craig

Bubba po

EEEeeemmmmnnnhhhh.

MJW

Yay another victory for wagonkind !

Avalyn

Thanks for the kind words chaps (apart from wide who seems to miss the point i.e. I'd like a new car ).

Yep the words Prodrive will be coming out of my mouth for the next few years, would have liked to have stretched to PPP (I will when I get bored of the standard car) and the only thing I'm not sure about is that if the MY05 has the inverted struts will the Prodrive spring kit available for MY03 fit ? Might not need it anyway .. wait and see

Anyway as everybody knows WAGON'S RULE

Avalyn.