leegee

Hey guys / gals...

Thinking about getting a scooby WRX on about a MY04..

Was wondering if you experienced people reccommend them and also if there are any general problems.


Look forward to hearing from you.

Lee

corradoboy

Usual advice is, if you can stretch to an STi then do it now as you will only wish you had later. 03 STi's go for between £12k (non PPP high mileage) to £16k (mint with PPP and some warranty). Only problems are knocking rear struts which are a top-mount issue, and batteries going flat. Avoid badly modified cars (loud DV's, decat exhaust but no paperwork for remap, chav accessories (Lexus lights, decals, even more ridiculous rear wings, body-kits etc)). Don't be scared of buying private, especially off somewhere like here as enthusiasts often treat them better than their kids and you can view the sellers previous 100 posts to get an idea whether they're an idiot or not. If you really want a WRX you could do a lot worse than consider MINE

Almost forgot, welcome to SNet

leegee

hey corradoboy, thanks for that advice.
I do have the money for a STi, its just a jump in everything else, fuel, insurance etc, so thought it might be wiser to go for a WRX. I know what you mean though, i think i would prob want a STi once havin a WRX.

Thanks for the offer on yours but i aint lookin at buyin one till September. I just like to do my research before i decide on a car i have.

corradoboy

Insurance won't be much more, nor fuel depending on the weight of your right foot. If you do buy a WRX you will no doubt begin modding it, and a mod'd WRX can be dearer to insure than a standard STi, even slight mods such as PPP, although companies like A-Plan and Keith Michaels don't screw you for such things.
With the STi you will benefit from the quicker steering and the Suretrac diffs which make it much more adjustable with the throttle mid-bend. The Brembo's give better stopping power, although with the right pads, fluid and lines the WRX 4 pots are fine. The cosmetic stuff will give you much more kudos though. The big wing and scoop, the bumper aero fins and reprofiled sills, the lovely two-tone interior and alloy gate on the 6sp 'box. The 'box is the only bit I hate on STi's. With the amount of torque available after even slight mods each gear seems to be over too quickly and you spend your whole journey changing gear, whereas the WRX 5sp has superb 3-4th gears which are ideally spaced for fast a-b roads.

leegee

Hey, thanks again for your advice.
I have just done an insurance quote and the STi is exactly the same, i was expecting it to be a lot more.
It was £1391 with 3 years no claims, is that good. Thats with Admiral who i am currently with.

What about servicing, how often will i have to service a WRX / STi.

Zip Boing Arial Whoop

Don't take too much advise with regards buying a Sti or WRX, YOU decide...

I hated the Sti I had the moment I drove it out the showroom, but I now have a WRX SL (Sunroof, leather etc) with PPP and 'most of the time' love it. I have lowered it a bit to improve the handling, just put better brake disks on it, mostly because I like to play a little with out going all 'Chav'

If its an everyday car I prefer the WRX, if its a weekend / Trackday car there are better options than an Impreza Sti (in my opinion anyway).

Take an extended test drive in both and make your choice.

By the way I trackday my car 1-2 times a year (hence the brakes / springs) and I enjoy the WRX on track as much as the Sti.

Zip Boing Arial Whoop

This was one of my budbears with the Sti, that and it needed to be at 4000 revs before anything really happened (but PPP helps this I think). Not good for everyday driving.

corradoboy

I'm sure the £1.4k quote can be bettered, speak to MoleyWRX (Gary Moulson of Keith Michaels) and A-Plan. Servicing is every 10k with biggies at 30+60k with all fluids and the plugs on top of the usual. 50k includes cam-belt. Most people, me included, also do an interim oil and filter change every 5k.

IMHO the best car in this bracket at the mo' would be an 05 STi which benefits from the revised geometry and the DCCD-A (active centre diff) preferably with PPP. Or save a few quid and buy an imported EU model without any mods and get a suitable power upgrade (TSL333, Powerstation or WRC Technologies). Whichever you get then add the Powerstation Type 20/25 suspension package (AST's and Whiteline goodies). I'd do the same to an 03-04 model too, but an 05 will be that bit better.

leegee

Z B A W, I guess I will have to test drive them both to feel whch i am more comfortable with driving.

corradoboy, when you talk about the revised geometry, what do you mean, the active centre diff part i understand.

10k mile servicing is good compared to the evo, every 4.5k miles.

ru'

Try and get an 05 if you're set on a wrx; revised suspension amongst other things. Oh, and red brake calipers!


ps corradoboy are you still trying to sell your car????

abc

Hi and welcome to Scoobynet.

As others have said, take both a WRX and an STi out for a testdrive and see what you think.

We're more than satisfied with our PPPd 05 WRX -- easier to live with than an STi when you don't want to be pressing on and more than adequate when you do. Fuel consumption is good too, considering: we seem to average 28-30, i.e. 25ish around town, especially when the engine's cold, lower when on a mission, 32+ when taking it easy on the motorway. If you (think you might) want to do lots of track days, an STi is probably a better bet.

Insurance is not too bad either, though it will depend on many variables. I *think* that PPP is now officially recognised as a dealer/manufacturer add-on, so it's not as pricey as aftermarket mods, but as someone else has said, A Plan (as advertised on here: not your local branch) and Gary Moulson know what they are talking about and will get you a good quote.

HTH,

Andrew

leegee

Thanks people, you been a great help. I guess im gonna have to tak ethem both out for a test drive.

I dont plan to do any trackdays whatsoever but I like the extra features the STi comes with.

corradoboy

It's always there if anyone makes a sensible offer. Keeps getting better too as even though it's still for sale I accept it may not sell at a decent price and still consider it mine and so keep spending

leegee, the suspension geometry was changed on the 05> STi to match the Spec C set-up. It has a slightly longer wheelbase and wider rear track (note the plastic rear wheel arch extensions) as well as larger wheel bearings, hence the wheel PCD went up from 5x100 to 5x114.5 (IIRC) so STi wheels no longer fit on WRX's. The revisions improved straight line stability and cornering. 05 WRX's got inverted struts similar to STi's. For what it would have cost them I wish they'd also fitted 22mm rear ARB's with better drop-links, as this is one of the best and cheapest and most essential mods that any Impreza owner should do.