[OcUK]Gibbo

Hi there

Time to get myself a new car as I am currently driving a Honda S2000 which has been great fun but I want something easier to drive and faster plus a little more comfort too.

I am looking at 2 different Scoobies:-
Subaru Impreza WRX Type R V-Limited (Import)
Subaru Impreza P1 (UK Car)

Can someone be kind enough to tell me how the two different cars compare please as they are in STD form as at the moment I have no interest in making modifications. It would be nice to know the performance of these two vehicles such as 0-62mph, 0-100mph and 1/4 mile etc. BHP, Torque, Weight, MPG etc. etc.

What are the service intervals on these vehicles and how reliable are they as coming from Honda's I am used to superb engine reliability and awsome build quality. Looking through the autotrader I see quite a lot of shocking statements such as recent engine rebuilds on vehicles that have sub 60k mileage. Obviously I am possibly thinking of buying 1 of the above and am going too test drive them both tomorrow hopefully but what should I be looking out for? The P1 is a UK car but the mileage is high should I let this deterr me as I have heard the engines go pop on these quite a lot and any at sub 15k will be a dog? What about the Type-R I assuming it is slightly faster and maybe more raw than the P1 but its an import and imports can have hidden nasty's you dont know about, but I do trust the reseller as its where I bought my S2000 from and he has offered to do me a swap.

There you go, just generally after some advice regarding the possible purchase of 1 of the above, how they differ and what too look out for? The other cars on my shortlist are Mitsubishi 3000GT, EVO6, Ford Mustang 4.6GT and BMW M3..

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

do a search my friend, would give you the run down but already done so twice today!!

corradoboy

Not according to your post history Chris

Would love to help Gibbo, but I don't know much about classics, and especially imports.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Thats because some guys at the pub asked me for the same info earlier on today!

corradoboy

bluenose172

iTrader: (2)

http://www.p1woc.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5429

If you're looking at a P1, why not try the best one going at the moment!(Not mine)

Worth registering for the site btw!

S.B.

Say goodbye to those then

[OcUK]Gibbo

Hi there

Not having any luck witht the search engine, can a veteran post me some links from the search to have a look at or take 5 mins to answer my questions please?

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

Gibbo

Best place to start is probably the famous SIDC FAQ - that should answer most of the questions.

I'm not much into classics (got a bugeye myself) so I'm not sure which is faster etc, but the P1 would be the cooler.


M

DreXeL

Gibbo, I've replied over at OcUK mate

pslewis

Stick with the P1 - its a UK car and will come with complete history (or it should do, or you should walk away)

The P1 has the Anthracite wheels too ......... which are so better than 'Girlie Golds'!

The Scooby cannot hope to match the build quality of the Honda and the Scooby is only reliable if NOT modified (ie. leave it as the Subaru designers wanted and you'll have no trouble!)

Pete

[OcUK]Gibbo

Hi there

Had a go in a BMW M3 the single Vanos 286BHP version and was not overly impressed. It was lovely inside and comfy with little road noise. But it did not seem that great performance wise. I was expecting it too have loads more low-end grunt as I have been used to the S2000 but it was no better and I suspect thats due to the S2000 been a far lighter car. The BMW did accelerate pretty well and it revved really well past 4500rpm and the gear change was very nice. The steering gave very little feel for the car and gave little feed back regarding road conditions but the car did put all the power down but I think it had traction control which let it cope.

flatty

iv just sold my bmw M3 convertible and bought a P1,i have had WRX imports before but the P1 is completly different - i love it, its an excellent all round car, excellent usable power,excellent brakes and handlling, good looks, and full UK history , plus you no your not going to bump into one on every trip to the shops cos theres probably only 8 or 900 on the road.

[OcUK]Gibbo

Was your M3 the EVO double Vanos version?

How much faster and more precise do you find the P1? Would you say the P1 is a reasonably comfy car?
What is your average MPG?

[OcUK]Gibbo

Hi there

Found a nice Subaru, the details are:-

Subaru Impreza P1
2000 (Private Plate)
72,000 Miles
Full Subaru Service Dealer all with same Subaru dealer
1 owner (I would be 2nd owner)
Clutch recently fitted
4 new Pirrelli Boots all round
No curbing on alloys
Very clean interior
Completely STD
HPI Clear
Bodywork in pristine condition and all mechanics seems perfect too.
1 Years Warranty cover
12 months Tax/MOT

This car is between 13k-14k whatever I can get the dealer down too and I will be taking for a test drive and doing a full inspection 1 day/night this week. Many people on here said that any P1 for sub 15k would be a dog. Would those people consider this well looked Subaru to be a dog?

At this kind of mileage what questions should, I know of some I need too ask but don't know enough about Scoobies and I dont want too look at fool so can someone please answer me the following:-
What is the next service, car is currently 72,000 miles?
What is the service interval and is the next service a big one etc.?
When will the cambelt be due for a change?
How long does the Turbo last for?

You get my drift, I think those are the major issues and could do with the answer too the above and any other questions I should be asking.

This car looks like a great contender as my next car as long as I like how it drives and am happy with it.......

bluenose172

iTrader: (2)

TBH a car with 72,000 miles on it won't have a warranty. So anything that is going to go wrong will cost a lot to repair. I'd reccomend stretching to one with warranty if you can afford it. It's all very well budgeting to buy a car for 14K but if a couple of months down the line you have to shell out for clutch, gearbox, cambelt, turbo, engine repairs, you could be looking at thousands more. I've had £2K worth of warranty work carried out on my car since I bought it last year.

[OcUK]Gibbo

It has a 12 month RAC warranty so I will have too find out what this covers....

So would you expect many things to go round on the above car, even if it has been well looked after?

Are these cars not reliable then past certain mileage or do they just not last long, as I would have thought that 72,000 is nothing too a well looked after modern sports car?

flatty

the m3 was a singal vanos, the P1 is awsome compared to this and the ride quality is just as good!

realy you want to find one with less than 72k i recon or one thats had a rebuild.

DreXeL

Rebuild?? Surely 72k isn't huge miles??? Normal UK classics go well past 100k if looked after properly, is the P1 really that much more fragile?

flatty

not so much fragile but iv heard stories of alot of FLAT FOURS IN GENERAL only doing 80-90k my old WRX was one of them!

bluenose172

iTrader: (2)

Remeber the P1 has a lot more horsepower than a standard UK Turbo, so longevity will not be the same.

[OcUK]Gibbo

HI there

Well I am gonna too test drive the car to see what I think and will make a decision from there, but if I go for it I will make sure the warranty covers the engine etc. etc. but I will take this advice onboard, even though I am surprised that a stock UK production car has such a poor un-reliable engine. Are the engines just not as strong as those used in Nissans or Toyota's that push big BHP?

I shall also be looking at the much lower mileage Impreza Type R V-Limited as this has 41,000 miles on the clock and some of that could be kilometers, so possibly even less. But than there is the issue of imports with servicing, repairs, how it will cope with UK fuel and the fact an import cost a lot more too insure...Also this engine produces 300BHP as standard so is there not just as much chance that it might go pop?

The other car at the top of my list is the 3000GT it aint the mad handling and stupidly quick like the Scooby P1 or Type R but it is a fast car with plenty of grip and amazing looks....For the money I am spending I should be able to find one with sub 50k on the clock and around 1997-1999 age....plus a UK car too and these are very cheap on insurance....

flatty

when you go and look at any scooby make sure you here the engine from stone cold, as this is when mine knocked(on the first scooby i had MY95)