glilley

hi, Im new here and Im looking to get a new WRX - I think it is a MY05.

I have been into the dealer and hope to get an extended test drive, I have also looked at the Evo 260 - but the dealers are not so freindly. I have had a few jap cars in the past, including Nissan Primera GT, Nissan Silvia and Honda Civic VTi; currently got a Gold GT TDi which I have grown very bored of.

People say the scooby is noisey with harsh ride, rubbish on the motorway and not a practicle every day car, is this a fair comment?

My only practicle question is, what are they like on fuel? On a run the golf will do almost 600 miles to a £40 tank - a mate with a bug eye wrx says he gets almost 400 miles on the motorway. Is this about right?

Does anyone have any links to articles so that I can read up on what to expect? cheers, G.

Gutmann pug

Depends what you want from a car?

I wouldn't expect much more than about 25mpg on a run and much less when driven hard.

Test drive one mate. Peoples opinion on here will be very wide and varied. Only you will be able to say what your specific needs and thoughts are.

DO NOT BUY ONE if mpg is a big issue though coz it will all end in tears

Gary

DBY

400 miles on a motorway at a steady 40 mph LOL
I have WRX with PPP do 20k a year and get about 22 mpg

Regards

John

Avalyn

I've an MY05 wagon (standard so far) ...

.. it's not noisey at all (a new backbox will sort that out if needs be)
.. It doesn't have a harsh ride, in fact it soaks up bumps very well
.. it's great on the motorway .. enough oooomph in 5th so you don't need to change down, quiet, stable and reasonably economic .. likely 30 mpg+, the seats are comfy too
.. practical, of course it is, it's a 5 door, good sized booted wagon. It's big enough for me+family and you can get washine machines/fridges in the back if you want
.. it's safe, if you are safety conscious. AWD helps, the brakes aren't too bad, the grip is great for wet/snowy conditions and it comes out well in crash test simulations, Should the need arise to accelerate away from danger you have that under your right foot.

Only downsides for me, the standard stereo is incredibly poor (speakers especially) and once you get used to the oooomph you want more (PPP = £1600 )

Do a search on here for more write up's, details than you'll be able to read in a year

Avalyn.

Manners

I get 250-300 tops! to a tank full on a motorway average 85mph 02 bugeye.

MidLifeCrisisII

Just bought a Dec 01 bugeye WRX last w/e. It is our main family car. It's a compromise but the Mrs likes it and fuel is no worse than my old 200SX (worse than my Honda Accord sport tho). It's immense fun and can just about be justified in standard form. Just buy a second hand one, worse can scenario you have to sell it, but at least you'll have fun. Grp 19 ins is a bi*ch tho.

Chris L

I've used an 01 WRX as my main car for 3 1/2 years. It spends an awful lot of its time on the motorway with no problems at all. The newer cars are even better by all accounts. Go out and test drive one - it's the only way to be happy. If you fancy an MY01 - mine is for sale

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

It's fair in the same way that one might argue that Kelly Brook is ugly! Whoever said that has

a) Never driven one
b) Never driven one
c) Never driven one.

glilley

cheers for the comments - this is a cool forum! Subaru offer a 24hours test drive which is much better than 10 minutes around the block.

It is actually a company car - so will be brought via contract hire. it is a good deal - I pay the tax on the car and have upto £350 to spend, we get all services and tyres paid for. As I only do about 18,000 business miles my bosses have agreed that a diesel isnt necessary

From what I have read, the evo and scooby have been head to head for a long time and the evo has always been slightly better but not really worth the extra money. however with the lastest cars im told this isnt the case.

The VW may have posh door handles, but the subaru is fast a f*** and I want a real car! Im just doing some reserch into the costs so I dont end up with anything unexpected after my safe little diesel.

If anyone does have any good links, thats appreciated - the salesman will think I know what Im talking about then!

bits'n'pieces

the tax on that will be about £320 a month (cause of the emissions) just to warn you so you may be better taking the cash and having 350+320 to spend on yer own motor !!!

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Very true...does your boss also know about the servicing costs? Insurance grouping? You do also realise that Scoobies prefer Optimax or at the very least SUL, bare that in mind when talking about MPG. Yes, a Scooby is a fast car and cheap considering the performance, but it's not a cheap car to run if you want it to be reliable. Cut corners and don't be surprised when you're looking at a 4K bill for an engine re-build!

Best,

glilley

thats what I thought too mate (hence the diesel).

On the Subaru website it is only £191.37 (as I dont havea fuel card). My insurance would be over a grand and if you add the costs of tyres and servicing its an attractive deal.

I also dont have £20,000 to spend on a scooby so I would have to take out a loan and if I chanaged jobs Id be stuck with it - not a bad thing I suppose

glilley

good points.

I dont know about the insurance scheme, but it covers all drivers on all cars and I asked about groupings but was told it didnt matter.

I always look after my cars and have always used super before optimax came out.

Seriving is not a worry; the golf was leased on a fully maintained basis which is great - the company pays a little extra per month and all consumables are covered - regular service, new tyres, windscreen wipers etc.

There was a scare about unreliable scooby iirc but in my experience japanese cars are virtually faultless.

Bartop

Got a MY05 WRX and echo what these guys say, very practical car and useable day to day even without the PPP.
Plan on 20-25mpg average of the dear stuff.

10,000 miles service intervals also which your employer need to consider costs for..

I wouldn't say the WRX / EVO 260 is the right comparison anyway - WRX is a different beast to the Sti which would be the right one to compare so perhaps you need to be clearer about what you are wanting from the car..
Also maybe look for a new MY04 WRX - should be still a few about and a good couple of grand discount available..

Other than that pound per performance and fun factor I think they are hard to beat

glilley

Everyone here seems to think that the scooby is a good day to day car - I want something fast, which I can enjoy driving but I also need something practicle for my family which I can jump into after a long day and waft home in.

The WRX seems to be overlooked in favour of the STi, but the Evo review was very good.

As far as the 260 comparison, the PPP WRX is on par cost wise but PPP is not an option and the STi is way too expensive.

scoobydood

COmpared to most "hot" hatches (especially Japanese ones) the WRX has a fantastic ride.... Very absorbant! Thanks to the AWD it doesn't need rock hard suspension to grip. But then again the STi's are a little harder and the EVOs not recommended for those with too many fillings LOL

rsalmon

if you're settled on scooby then go for WRX MY05 if the contract deal is good and you like the way it drives.

have just moved from VW Golf to WRX MY05 SL and not regretted it. ride great, mpg OK (25 whilst running in - although Optimax ain't cheap), bit of road noise but I think the factory tyres cause this. cannot find real fault with this car for 20K-ish.
i'd use it every day if parking was easier at work but as per other posts, they're everyday cars if you need them to be. and great to drive.

if contract deal is much better on 04 then consider it - I've seen 18-19K OTR from main dealer.

happy test-driving

dietbruboy

Another MY05 WRX convert here - moved from a Mini Cooper S so anything at all really would be practical after that. Have had a Nissan 200SX in the past too and find that the WRX is actually better mpg-wise (town driving about 22 against 18!).

On a run I reckon I could get 27 or so, but really - if you are worried about mpg you are looking at the wrong car. The 260 Evo is a nice car but completely different to a WRX - rock hard ride, horrendous servicing bills and a bit more in your face than the WRX.

Two months in and I've been really impressed so far, keeping it clean is a pig of a job - but its that time of year isn't it? The stereo is truly shocking and the Exec in charge of that purchasing decision deserves a kick in the family jewels and no mistake.

Overal though I'd give it 9/10.

rsalmon

stereo is quite bad, speakers are made of tissue paper. easily sorted though.

Smudga

[QUOTE=glilley

The WRX seems to be overlooked in favour of the STi, but the Evo review was very good.

As far as the 260 comparison, the PPP WRX is on par cost wise but PPP is not an option and the STi is way too expensive.[/QUOTE]

I did the reasearch Evo 260 or WRX STi drove both - the Evo is just 2 harsh by comparason wit the STi and money wise you can get STI with the PPP 1 year old for the same as a new 260. Servicing on the STi 10K - Evo 4.5K the Evo just wasn't an option as a 260 You need the FQ or MR 300/320 IMHO and that was just out of the price bracket.

Don't buy the Scooby if you want economy though - I got the STi +ppp generally 200 ish miles to the tank . I get somewhere between 17 to 26 MPG if I'm lucky!! But great car for me & I do at least 18K PA

Soulgirl

Pah! Coming from a non-scooby owner I suspect Noisy yes - but a noise that hits the g-spot. Harsh ride? Yep... *big grin*. Rubbish on the motorway? Bullocks... it's fantastic on the motorway and it is a fantastic car for everyday use. Two years I have had mine, and I still grin from ear to ear when I put my foot down.. I mean, get in her

uno70s

I've had my standard 05 WRX for 3 months now and covered a little over 2000 miles. So far there are no complaints.

On the motorway the car handles well and if driven easy I get about 30mpg. There is a lot more road noise than in my BMW but its nothing compared to my mates EVO.

I use the car to commute to work every day and average about 25mpg when taking it easy, although a hard drive home can reduce that by a fair bit. The ride is firm but no worse than most quick cars.

Best thing has to be the AWD which in this rather damp weather gives amazing drip and a lot less scares than the beemer.

Neil_G

I've had my WRX for a year and am very happy with it. Okay, it is loud (full decat), not soft on the handling and does 25mpg...all downsides which I'm prepared to deal with as it's such good fun to drive.

Hasn't been that expensive to run and if you know the right places to source parts from and do your own maintainance then the running costs can be cut considerably.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

I'm sure Neil is very competent and knowledgable, but I'd be VERY weary about DIY maintenance on a performance car unless you are SURE you know what you're doing. For example, there are a number of threads on here about how to perform an oil change; various approaches are advocated. Follow the wrong advice/get it slightly wrong and you might cause some serious (and expensive) damage!

Best,

maci

iTrader: (3)

Yes, I have my bugeye MY02 for 7 month now, and use it every day for work commuting. It is great. Consumption is not that bad, in fact it depends on your right leg I find that if you keep it under 3000 rpm, it doesn't consume worse than my previous Peugeot 406. But again, fun starts from 3000, and after getting used to it it does make you feel you want more -> ppp.

MattW

Free servicing on the Evo 260 plus the sure fire knowledge of having a better more exclusive car!














































Waiting for a bite

sti-04!!

Behave

There junk, i sold mines last week because it couldnt touch the Sti i had previously !!

Scoob all the way

Chris L are you watching

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

Fantastic car especially the wagon for carrying


Main problem is for me 200 ish to the £40 tank


mmm

maybe i should get rid of my heavy boots :

Vipa

Funny....

Just got home from a round trip to Cambridge and back in my new MY05 WRX, 420 miles in total, 99% motorway (2 1 hour trafic ques) and most of the time spent between 80-90 when moving (obviously a private motorway) my fuel light came on at 375 and I filled up at 390 but had at least 20 miles left.

Been through 3 tanks of fuel now, the first 2 the light came on bang on 300 miles but that was pretty mixed driving (no motorways or long stretches of dual carriageway) and made up of 20-25 mile journeys.

Have had her 5 days and she's booked in for her 1000 mile service Friday morning.

I had a Mondeo Ghia x 2.5 V6 before the Scoob so can compare it directly with a car designed as a comfy motorway cruiser.

I disagree entirely with the following points:

1. Poor M/way cruiser - not at all, Cambridge yesterday 180 miles with no stop and return today (different and longer route via M1) 240 miles with 1 20 minute KFC stop at about half way. Very comfy, no back pain - driving position and seats ere excellent. I would be more than happy to jump back in and do it all again. Also effortless power delivery in 5th between 60 and 90+ which makes driving nice and relaxed with no gear changes needed, even during the one incident when some t@sser pulled out on me and I needed to boot her to get out of trouble. Only thing I miss is cruise control.

2. Poor everyday car. same as above really, I will be doing 1000+ miles a month in her and if the rest are as good as the first I will have no complaints whatsoever - again comparing with the Mondeo (driving to the office will also be more fun) - also the top gear guys rate the Scoobs as better everyday cars than the Evos. (JC did say though that for a fun car the Evo is better, just not as practical every day)

DO have to agree on the fuel issue, especially if you are comparing it with your TDi, you will get a nasty shock but from my experience to date you should get better than some are quoting here, mine is working out at 26mpg 1st 2 tanks and 31 motorway and remember a lot of the quotes here are on PPPd cars.

Regards
Paul

glilley

Thanks for all the comments. lol @ MattW!

I plan to test drive both cars. On the various contract hire list I have, a WRX is £269, WRX Wagon is £289 and Evo is £299. The Fleet manager has told me that the WRX is within my budgt for a fully maintained contract and he is still waiting for the quotes on Wagon and Evo. The Evo would cost a lot more on tax.

Im really sold on the Scooby to be honest as its one of those cars I have always wanted (thanks to McRae)! For my budget I can only afford a bottom of the range 3series, Im fed up of the golf and the audis favoured by many at work leave me cold - a vw in disguise! volvos suck. I was worried that the fleet manager would knock the scooby back because of mpg but I found out that his sharan 2.8 does 17mpg!

My only other worry is security. Apart from muppets stealing my clear-wing indicators a few times the golf is a car that can be parked any where no worries. I have heard of scoobys being taken by force, houses broken into, jacking etc. How big a concern is this?