AdamCrank

Morning chaps, first post.

Ive currently got a 94 plate MR2 Turbo and am thinking of getting shut of it for a newer car with 4 seats. So far on my list ive got the Honda Civic Type R and the Nissan 200sx S14a to consider.

Ive now turned my attention to the Impreza, ive been told to go for the STi but i dont really want to sell a kidney before i can afford to buy / run one so someone mentioned to me the UK turbo 2000 model - but unfortunately i dont know anything about them. Does it have the same scooby burble that the cars are known for?

What is the spec of one of these? Ive also heard they are the cheapest impreza to insure, i currently pay £750 on the 2 turbo so dont really want to pay any more than this if i can help it.

Also this PPP pack, what is it? Im presuming its a performance upgrade pack - but can you get it for this model or not? Does it matter? Im also not specifically looking for anything faster than my current car, it just needs to be more spacious and reliable.

Any help on this matter would be appreciated, considering im a complete scooby noob!

Thanks

Adam

spec-cie

I had a Turbo 2000 for four years and loved it. The PPP is an exhaust and CPU upgrade. Added one to mine after eight months and it improved the car no-end. If you buy a none-PPP car there are loads of good mods packages out there; the main advantage of the PPP was it didn't invalidate your warranty.

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

The UK Turbo 2000 is a great car.Vary between 208 and 215 bhp depending on age. All have the lovely off beat thrum sound. Find a standard unmolested one with history and you'll love it. Whats your budget? Good luck.

TonyG

Still got one, had it for 5 years from new. It's not PPP'd, but has had a 'couple of mods' to make it go a bit better. I love it! Insurance for me is around the £600 mark.
Never had a problem with space, as the boot is plenty big enough for my needs. If you do want a bit more space than the 4-door saloon offers, you might want to take a look at a 5-door wagon.

IN THE STICKS

Have a look here http://www.sidc.co.uk/faq.htm it's a bit old now , but has plenty of info for you to read up on
Also here http://www.iwoc.co.uk/contents.html is a good read too

Dave

AudiMan

Adam,
I have owned a MY00 (X reg) 2000 turbo for nearly 4 years now, I love it, performance wise in std trim it will be quite a bit quicker than the MR2, as mentioned PPP was a performance upgrade which was warranty friendly, although most Classic shape Scooby's are now well out of warranty (you can extend past the 5 years but it's huge amounts), I've had very little trouble with mine other than the usual clutch judder and new MAF sensor, but if you do a bit or research these are common complaints and nothing to get too concerned about.
If you are worried about running costs, fuel, tyres and insurance, think long and hard before you enter the Scooby community- they are NOT cheep to run, however smiles per mile are what keeps me, and I honsetly can't see myself driving anything else.
Do LOTS of research and look at a few before you buy, get along to one of your local meets and talk to people there.

Ian

Paul3446

Go for a standard UK Turbo 2000, these were the last of the Classic shape Imprezas, make sure it's got FSH, it will be quicker than your MR2 in standard trim. I've had mine for 3 years now, I love it! You should be able to find a good one for about £6-8k.

AdamCrank

Thanks for the replies fellas, much appreciated

I would ideally have a budget of around 7k to spend on my next car, it just depends what i can sell my mr2 for.

TonyG - who are you with for insurance / your age / NCD etc if you dont mind me asking? £600 sounds like a cracking price for an impreza.

Thanks again chaps, ill have a good look through the forum and gather some more information before deciding.

Adam

RS Grant

Sorry to go against the masses here..... but a UK Impreza Turbo (even late 99-00's) will not be faster than your MR2 Turbo mate.

Off the line, probably.. but once that 4WD grip advantage has worn off the MR2 will sail past the Impreza.

A '94 MR2 Turbo, is that a Rev 2 or 3.. Either way, it'll either be 220bhp or 240bhp as standard, which, once rolling will out drag an standard 215bhp Impreza. This is due to the transmission loss of the 4WD being greater than the RWD in the MR2.

But, dont let that put you off.. with c1k of mods on the Impreza, you will be up around Import STi power levels and it will be a different car to drive. I've had two lightly modified Imprezas so far and I'm considering coming back for a 3rd time.


Cheers,
Grant

Rasher

I had an MY00 from new had all the Prodrive bits fitted and loved the car

Paul3446

Does anyone have performance figures for these 2 cars, I'd have thought the Impreza would stuff an MR2!

AdamCrank

Hia mate, mine's a Rev 3 Turbo ( 240bhp ).

As long as the scooby can be modified to be of a similar performance level im not too bothered, id gladly drive a slowerish car just to have the added advantage of 4 / 5 seats / a bigger boot space and a newer car.

I would also think the subaru was a more comfortable ride compared to the mr2, ive renamed mine "the boneshaker", its getting a bit tiring to drive with the uprated suspension.

Adam

RS Grant

I understand what you mean... I went from an RS Turbo that was quicker than a UK Scoob to a UK Scoob with a few light mods. I changed for a couple of reasons, the RS was a target for theft and also reliability... it couldnt be used daily.

You'd be very happy with an Impreza mate, buy a well looked after standard one and run/service it properly and it'll serve you well for years and years. Also, if you are modding it, then choose wisely and do supporting mods at the same time to keep the reliability record going..

I'll warn you now, there is NO preparing for the MPG you get.. and you never get used to it, ever!!


Cheers,
Grant

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Strange how stock UK imprezas seem to put out more than their quoted BHP figures http://dyno.scoobynet.co.uk/PEindex/uk.htm

Paul3446

MPG on my standard classic is between 22 & 24, can't imagine that's much less than an MR2.

Boost II

iTrader: (1)

Basic stuff but just so you are clear...

Impreza Turbo 2000 is the only turbo charged Impreza of that age you could buy in the UK (apart from a few limited number special edition models which were more or less the same car as the Turbo 2000 (except one called the P1 - more like a Jap Sti)) BHP as standard 208-218.

WRX was the entry level Jap import car with 240 bhp

WRX Sti was a tuned car available in Japan with 276 bhp standard


With the more recent shape ones >2001 you can get WRX and Sti's that are sold in UK but they are still different to the Jap ones.

RS Grant

When my Celica GT4 was standard (same engine, essentially) my mate was getting c28-29mpg from it.. so not a million miles away, but over time it'll make a difference.

I also believe that if you drove them both hard back to back, you would use more fuel in the Flat 4.

Stock 3S-GTE's make more than standard too mate, my Celica made 271bhp and the Rev 3 MR2 Turbo that my friend replaced the GT4 with made 264bhp. But life isnt just about guestimate dyno flywheel figures, its about what happens on the road, IMO.


Cheers,
Grant

Stephen Pope

Try and get a MY99 onwards, slightly more power and 4 pot brakes instead of 2 pots on the earlier models. BTW, I had an MY98 and loved it. Plenty around so get shopping. Once you start with Subarus, you will not go back!!!

timbo2000

I've had my MY00 Turbo from new and generally get 25 to 27 mpg. Insurance is about £480 with Screentrade (I'm 35 mind you and I don't think they cater for mod's).

One other thing, any minor niggles or queries I've had I've always been able to sort just by coming on here and doing a quick search/post! Otherwise it's been plain sailing -touch wood- except that those 6-monthly service intervals come round too fast!

AdamCrank

Im pretty sure im getting about 24 mpg out of the mr2 at the moment so i can see me getting similar figures / slightly less with a subaru!

Being a target for Theft is something ive thought about, one of the main reasons i was put off the Honda Civic Type R was that they are the most stolen car around at the minute. Although i though a couple of years ago it was the impreza that was a target for the thieving scum? Seems to have changed now.

I would probably try to buy the newest uk 2000 turbo i could find / afford, something thats got sensible mileage and has been looked after with a service history.

Reliability wise, this would be my daily runner so it needs to be reliable. What supporting mods would you need to do after a filter / exhaust change?

Adam

RS Grant

If you are de-catting the car fully (both CATS) then I would get a re-map (EcuTek) done of the standard ECU by a local tuner.. which means you know you'll have enough fuel throughout the rev range etc. Best thing to do is to have a word in your local group (down bottom of 1st page of forum) and ask who is recommended for tuning/servicing the cars and who you should avoid.

With just those mods, I would expect you to be around 270-280bhp.


Cheers,
Grant

AdamCrank

Great, thanks mate much appreciated.

Adam

chippy17

I have had an MY99 since July and can only agree with all that has been said. I will add that if you want less attention (touch wood) from thieves you should consider a wagon. I bought a wagon because I needed the extra space but what I also found was they tended to be owned by a different type of person and there are more unmolested examples around.

moo

I had a MY97 Turbo 2000, was a great car and never had a single problem. It had a Power Engineering remap, PE exhaust with high flow sports cat and a Blitz air filter and made 270bhp on the rollers. It also had uprated 4 pot brakes and full history from new. It sounded superb, nice and burbly.

brybusa

I loved the noise and looks of my UK Turbo, just have a few £££ to put buy to mod it because as standard they aint that quick and dont handle that well...the brakes are also dire...10mins of hard use and they go to mush

Id go down the Sti route and have all the trick stuff to start with or find a well cared for UK Turbo with some choice mods already on it..

TonyG

I'm 44, with full NCB (protected), and currently with Churchill, but may well be changing at the next renewal. Best bet is to check out the insurance threads on here, then try and get a few quotes from the better companies.

555-Shaggy

Adam, I'm also just over the £600 mark at 31 with full protected NCD through A Plan.

AdamCrank

Looks like insurance will be pretty steep then considering your 31 with full ncb and still paying £600. Im only 24 with 4 yrs no claims!!

Adam

Tidgy

you'll be looking at just over 1k i would have thought (total guess though) mine this year was £1500 but i had a smash at begining of last year and have now gone back to 2 yrs no claims, but it only made about £200 difference between my old scoob and new one, also mt new one is mod'd but all things have been declared on insurance.

Harty2000

If its any help im 26 with 3 years ncb and im paying £580 fully comp with NU