import queery
04 October 2004, 08:32 PM
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import queery
New to this site and would like to ask you knowledgable folk for some advice!!!!!! I have been offered an 01 jap imported sti for 14k in a dealers. Would this be a good deal or would i be foolish to buy an import?
What about fuel probs, parts, warrenty etc? Thanks in advance for any help!
What about fuel probs, parts, warrenty etc? Thanks in advance for any help!
04 October 2004, 08:53 PM
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No reason to avoid an import in principle IMHO.
Fuel: any Japanese import needs to be run on a mix of super unleaded (preferably Optimax) and octane booster. Many people do this, but a better long-term fix is to get the ECU remapped. This costs about £500 but will greatly reduce the chance of an engine blow-up and typically improves both power and economy too.
Parts: an '01 car would most likely be out of warranty anyway, so you'll save a packet and get perfectly competent (more than likely, better) service by going to independent specialists rather than franchised dealers. Most service parts are common, but you shouldn't have too many problems. There can be difficulties, though - if an unusual part does break, it can be expensive or take ages to arrive. Phone a few specialists (not the supplying dealer, obviously) if you want an honest opinion.
Warranty: the STI is a pretty reliable machine. The big failure you might possibly face is a blown engine (big ends have a tendency to go), and a lot of warranty companies refuse to pay out for this failure, blaming poor or no oil - whether that's actually the case or not. Popular wisdom is to save your money, don't buy the warranty, but to put something to pay out if the engine does fail. Rebuild cost is about £2000. (Trust me, I know).
So really the question is, why buy the import? I'm not too clued up on the early Japanese STI - I know it had a 280PS engine as standard (compared to 265), but it's worth checking (again with a specialist or two) what the other differences are. I know the later Japanese STIs have gained numerous improvements over their Euro counterparts, such as the fantastic twin-scroll turbo, but the earlier cars were much more similar.
There's no need to run away just because it's an import - but do check that it offers something worthwhile over a similarly priced UK car.
Fuel: any Japanese import needs to be run on a mix of super unleaded (preferably Optimax) and octane booster. Many people do this, but a better long-term fix is to get the ECU remapped. This costs about £500 but will greatly reduce the chance of an engine blow-up and typically improves both power and economy too.
Parts: an '01 car would most likely be out of warranty anyway, so you'll save a packet and get perfectly competent (more than likely, better) service by going to independent specialists rather than franchised dealers. Most service parts are common, but you shouldn't have too many problems. There can be difficulties, though - if an unusual part does break, it can be expensive or take ages to arrive. Phone a few specialists (not the supplying dealer, obviously) if you want an honest opinion.
Warranty: the STI is a pretty reliable machine. The big failure you might possibly face is a blown engine (big ends have a tendency to go), and a lot of warranty companies refuse to pay out for this failure, blaming poor or no oil - whether that's actually the case or not. Popular wisdom is to save your money, don't buy the warranty, but to put something to pay out if the engine does fail. Rebuild cost is about £2000. (Trust me, I know).
So really the question is, why buy the import? I'm not too clued up on the early Japanese STI - I know it had a 280PS engine as standard (compared to 265), but it's worth checking (again with a specialist or two) what the other differences are. I know the later Japanese STIs have gained numerous improvements over their Euro counterparts, such as the fantastic twin-scroll turbo, but the earlier cars were much more similar.
There's no need to run away just because it's an import - but do check that it offers something worthwhile over a similarly priced UK car.
04 October 2004, 09:25 PM
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Welcome to Scoobynet 
We've all been there...
...well, except me. I bought a UK car brand new and paid an absolute fortune for the privilege - THEN discovered scoobynet and learned how much I could have saved by buying an import, and how much faster an STI would have been.
'Twas still a nice motor, though
We've all been there......well, except me. I bought a UK car brand new and paid an absolute fortune for the privilege - THEN discovered scoobynet and learned how much I could have saved by buying an import, and how much faster an STI would have been.
'Twas still a nice motor, though
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