lucky_strike

Investingating a MY05 STI from the likes of David Hendry or Iain Litchfield and realyl been looking at the euro model however the JDM seems to be calling out to me.

Not having looking into them properly yet (or spoke to either of the two importers either) I was thinking of service intervals, where would service them, what about a warranty (after all these are £27K+ new cars)....

Any other gotcha's about owning a new JDM motor? It's my work transport as well so I need it to be able to cruise the M6/M62 as well!

Any thought/recommendations greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Richard.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Speak to Iain Litchfield - he should be in a good mood today

I should be picking up my '05 STI in a week. Service interval is oil change every 5000 miles, which can be done at any garage, and then a full service every 10k miles which has to be done at Powerstation to keep the warranty. (Only a 1 yr warranty is included though, so that's probably just the one service if you don't decide to extend it. I plan to keep the money rather than rely on a 3rd party warranty to pay out if the engine goes bang).

Who you use for the 5k oil changes is up to you. Where are you based? It might even be worth calling your local Subaru dealer - I called the two near me, and although one was hesitant, the other was perfectly happy to look after the car subject to parts availability. I got the impression they could do servicing but not diagnostics and repairs, which is fine - I personally trust 3rd party specialists more to do that sort of work anyway.

Iain sorts out most of the 'gotchas' on the JDM car - the whole import process, SVA, registration, UK fuel map, underseal etc - and fits an alarm and tracker. You need to sort out your own locking wheel nuts, that's about it. And don't test drive a car you can't afford no matter how much encouragement you might get!

JDM springs are very hard, so I'm having Eibachs fitted which are much better. If you can afford it, the AST adjustable suspension kit is well regarded, but it's an upgrade I'm prepared to wait for to see if I feel the need. Same with the exhaust, which despite being a new design for '05 is still potentially worth replacing.

I'm also having a Knocklink fitted just to be on the safe side and to make sure that the map is good, and you'll need a stereo as the car comes without one.

Thanks to the improvements on the '05 Euro car, the '05 JDM car certainly isn't as compelling as it used to be - both now have DCCD-A, Spec C suspension geometry and the updated interior - but you do still get the fantastic twin scroll turbo, HID lights, electric folding mirrors and rear wiper. Also the JDM car has slightly wider tyres.

Another option to consider is one of the amazingly cheap Euro imports that are available from the car supermarkets. You may not get the after sales service, but you could get a longer warranty and will certainly save some £££. A trip to TSL could see you in a car with well over 300bhp for about £23k (or even less, if some adverts are to be believed) all in, which is hard to argue with.

lucky_strike

Thanks for the swift and comprehensive reply, I think I'm swinging (oh er missus) back in favour of a UK/Euro model actually, the JDM might just be a bit too much for me right now. Mainly because I need it for work transport as well a fun transport and I think the std. STI will be more than enough to keep me smiling for some time to come (and if people's comments on the RE070's are to be believed the entertainment alone from them on a wet day will be worth it!).

Thanks again.
Richard.