Castlegrayskull

Afternoon Guys and Gals,

Firstly .. i'm not a Scooby owner ... as yet!
I'm just starting the long drawn out process of replacing my current car.

I currently drive a 92 MR2 Turbo with a mild boost upgrade (running about 1bar)
I've had older cars for ages and thought it was about time i looked into getting something a lot newer and more practical (size - can't lug around all my audio gear in the MR2)

Here's what i'm considering see if you can help me out.

I'm looking at spending about 18k in total

I'd love an STi ... tho am not sure i can fit in my Bass Amp (for my bass guitar not a sound system) and other related sound junk! ... am i right in saying that the back seats in all the saloon models (not just the STi) dont fold down?

If I was to buy a WRX then i'd have to fit the Pro Drive option just so the accelleration was in keeping with what i'm used to - but it'd prob have to be the estate version tho :S

Ok so here's the question ... does anyone on here have the estate version of the WRX with the Pro Drive pack fitted .. is it worth paying for?

I'm also considering the new Astra VXR (only cos i can get a good discount due to who i work for) ... also in the Fray is the New Leon Cupra R... thats providing they put a better engine in than the weed 200bhp one they've tested so far.

... I guess all i'm after really is for someone to tell me that the scooby is the best thing ever .. and blind me with science and bombard me with links of things to read?

cheers
Dave ... Bewildered and Confused!

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Dave,

The boots on the WRX and STi are bigger than you might imagine. Even the one on my Classic is large. The only drawback is the loading apeture might be a bit small for a large bass amp. I'd have a measure up before commiting to the wagon!

The Wrx with PPP is very quick. It's not just the headline power and torque figures, but the spread of power that is impressive. You certainly won't need any more power than this car has....as for want, well, you'll always want more. Be aware though, that even with the PPP the WRX is still a different car than the STi, which is more a more focused drivers car, but less comfortable/refined etc... so you should drive both and see which of the two characters you prefer. The Sti can have the PPP treatment too, which takes it up to 300bhp

If you're thinking about buying one second hand and warranty isn't an issue, there are other more cost effective ways of getting even more power out of a Scooby, but not with the warranty intact.

The Astra looks interesting, but I think we can all guess that 250bhp through the front wheels is going to be challenging!

The Leon is apparently emminently chip-able up to about 260bhp, but the above applies as it's also FWD. IMHO Neither of these cars will see which way a Scooby goes if it starts to rain or the road surface is less than ideal.

Do bare in mind the insurance and running cost for a Scoob though and -fantastic though they are- they are not cheap to run at all!

Have a measure up and test drive, see what you think.

Enjoy,

NS04

Castlegrayskull

Now that touches on something else i'm interested in ... with my MR2 ... i know its limits and certainly wouldn't push the boost any further than 1bar due to the limits of the engine internals.

What size turbo is in the WRX and STi respectivly ... does the PPP up the boost much or just remap the ECU .. what boost pressure to they run .. and whats the most you can get out of them whilst retaining the reliablity?

so many questions .. so few answers!

I do agree with the problem with the FWD cars ... i also dont like buying brand new .. but with a 13% discount the VXR actually becomes quite a good financial investment ... ie not really loosing much (if any) value off the forecourt ..... to be honest tho .. its still an outsider option as far as i'm concerned!

Cheers
Dave

IN THE STICKS

Do check out insurance if going down the PPP route , have a look in the insurance section on here, it's quite topical at the moment

corradoboy

The PPP is now free in the summer "get rid of some stock quick before we launch a facelifted car in the autumn" campaign. Some dealers are reported to be still offering the free servicing too. Bargain hard (arm yourself with some net prices as a starting point and then play 3 dealers off each other) and you might be able to get a brand new WRX PPP Wagon (you're right about the seats ,fixed rear bulkhead for chassis rigidity) for only slightly over your current budget.

I would say that if you carry the heafty bass amp regularly whilst still driving spiritedly then the FWD cars may prove to be compromised. All that extra weight in the back unloading the front driven wheels will compound their existing shortcomings IMHO.

As for the Scoob performance, well, with a 0-62 rated at 4.8s how much quicker do you really want to be ? More is easilly available, but at the expense of the warranty. Better to tweek the suspension and chassis to make the more than adequate power even more usable, and don't ignore the brakes which can be improved greatly for minimal expense.

You could stretch the budget further by considering an EU import from a car supermarket or reputable importer for around £16k. The compromise here though is that you may have difiiculty finding a dealer who'll fit the PPP after, and the holders of the warranty in the country of origin may (probably will) void the warranty. When you consider the deal on offer for UK cars at the mo' it would be silly really.

That leaves 2nd hand. For £18k you could easilly find some nice 03/04 STi's, or even 05 WRX PPP's (wagon or saloon) with almost all their warranty intact. I bought my 03 WRX PPP for £16k in Jan 04 at exactly 1 year old saving £6k on the list price (£22k), 18 months on and I would hope it might be worth around £13.5k (but the market is cruel recently) so you have to decide whether the new car buzz is worth the initial depreciation.

Happy shopping