Romeo_and_scoobyet

Hi there, first post

I'm on the look out for a new car, and ive never really considered getting a impreza, but I saw one the other day I quite liked so im now considering one.

What i'm after is a nice fast car, with the mod cons(ie nice interior etc, the whole package). I dont want to spend a lot really, yet..

My current car is 300bhp and is very torquey, so It needs to be pretty fast, or similar/more power reachable with mods in the future. Dont know if you feel the same, but I know if I go to a car that has a lot less power then I'd get bored.

I want to spend around £10,000 to begin with, and want it to be fairly new, or as new as possible (perhaps 02,03 onwards). Unsure on the colour yet so thats not a concern as much.

The thing is, and my reason for posting is I know next to nothing about imprezas so i'm looking for some advice and information please.

Am I able to get a fast nice looking car for that amount of money, and if so, any suggestions(model/versions etc)

Cheers

wrx287

iTrader: (8)

How about this? Subaru : Impreza Type-r version 5 370bhp Bit older than you were looking for but cant go far wrong with one of these. And with the £2500 you have left will cover insurance and some v-power
Welcome to SN

S3TH

iTrader: (2)

hi welcome to SN, interesting user name.

Can you push the budget to the 11k region? That will get you a decent condition MY03 STi (blobeye). If you can find one with PPP (prodrive peformance pack) then it will be 300BHP/300lb/ft out of the box. The PPP is a dealer fit modification.

Its certainly what id be looking for with that budget anyway.

An STi is a great all rounder and the perfect base to tune further when compared with a WRX.

depending on what you have drive before you may be disappointed with the interior, its perfectly functional however and from a glance looks quite good. however they are made up from nasty cheap plastics and coming from german marques i found the interior laughable, although it doesnt detract from the enjoyment i get from the car. Just thought id mention it as you listed a nice interior as one of your pre reqs

NorthDownsScooby

Hi and welcome.

What car do you have now..?

Rich

Romeo_and_scoobyet

I do actually like that,nice colour too! im not saying No to an older car, just wanted something a little newer if you get my drift

lol about the v power bit, I already feel the pain of filling up

Romeo_and_scoobyet

Cheers for the welcomes!

yeah, random name I know, was thinking of what to use, and it just came to me

I think I could probably push the budget a bit, and that sounds quite a nice example, do you have a pic at all so i know which model you're talking about, I think I know, just not 100% sure.

ideally, I want to be able to tune it eventually as its quite an interest of mine, so the more potential from a base model the better I think.

My interior is currently crappy, so anything would be a bonus aslong as its just new looking if you get my drift, I'd be happy.

Thanks for the help

Romeo_and_scoobyet

Hey there!

I've currently got an astra coupe turbo, quite highly tuned, but FWD. Suprises a lot of people really, completely standard on exterior, all the money has gone into the engine,suspension and brakes, but im just bored of it now.

My mates on this forum aswell but cant remember his username.

S3TH

iTrader: (2)

Subaru Impreza WRX STi PPP Type-UK --- MotorBar Road Test

Have a read of that article, great review and some pics on there as well so you know which model im talking about.

Ive had a moderately tuned ibiza cupra and octavia VRS and whilst great cars quite often struggled to get the power down in anything other then near perfect road conditions/weather. I expect you probably have a similar problem in the astra, you`ll love the point and squirt handling and uber grip levels of an impreza which you will get in 90% of road conditions also

NorthDownsScooby

Is that the 03 model..? Just trying looking up the approx weight to gauge power to weight ratios, as I suspect that as yours is lighter than a scooby would be, you are going to need a bit more than your current 300bhp to get the same rush.

Is the 300 confirmed buy Dyno or an educated guesstimate..?

SqeekyMclean

I have always found astra's don't go round corners well , specially fast ones.

Maybe something do with them cars sharing the same chassis platform as their USA counter part GM models.

Romeo_and_scoobyet

its a 2001 model, and aslong as it wasnt drastically slower then i'd be happy. I want the whole package, power,looks,nice interior and I like the my03 sti's!

When it was being rebuilt it was dyno'd at 290, but then more things were added, and it should be a fair bit more than that, but because im not 100% sure now, i took it down to 300 if you get my drift. Similar spec astras to mine were 290bhp-320bhp, and 330lb torque - 380lb torque.

As for the going around corners, never had a problem, but ive got a strutbrace,rear arb and nice suspension that seems to work wonders not saying its the best handling, because ive had issues with it before, and that does let it down, but its not that bad, just bored of it, never driven a impreza so im thinking a test drive may go down wonders

NorthDownsScooby

Think this might be yours:
Vauxhall Astra Hatchback - 2.0i 16V GSi Turbo 3d - Facts & Figures - Parker's

Weight at 1272kg, giving BHP/Ton of 236 approx, which is good. It's going to be lighter than a scooby of the age your are considering. 03 STI going to be around 1450kg so you'll need a notional BHP of c342 to match the figures. Obviously there's a lot more to take into account than that but just trying to give you an idea of real world performance.

Romeo_and_scoobyet

Hi mate, cheers for taking the time to check those figures etc much appreciated.

Its not the exact model, but pretty much spot on so atleast ive got an understanding now.

Before i had the engine work done to my car it was running about 240 and I was happy with that, so I think around 280+ would suit me, the impreza is more than that plus 4wd so its a whole new ball game. Im going to see if I can get a test drive in one this weekend somewhere

What are they like for tuning then? any ideas on what each stage could offer, or is it a straight away jump to internals, bigger turbo and so on? understanable i'd need things like decat,exhaust and all the other smaller changes first off.

Thanks again for the help,plus ive just realised my statement about taking corners didnt make sense. meaning as standard the cornering on the coupe turbos isnt the best, and the back end comes out quite easily, with the use of strut braces,rear arbs, decent suspension and tyres, it manageable and better, but still not as good as some of its competitors :P

GlesgaKiss

Subaru's have got to be one of the easiest cars to improve(providing you're willing to spend the money). The amount of different parts on the market is unreal!

For your budget you would be looking at an 03 sti, and its easy to change exhaust, turbo etc then remap it and see close to 400bhp on standard internals.

NorthDownsScooby

Yeah AWD (4WD) is going to be a whole different ball game....a better one

Tuning is relatively easy to start with, then becomes more difficult the further you go, so I suppose just like any car really.
As you will already know, the key to tuning a turbo-charged car is managing the air flow.

Subaru do their own tuning pack call PPP (Prodrive performance pack), available for the best part of 2 grand. I forget what exactly is included on the STI, but it's going to be exhaust, filter, hoses & remap at a minumim. May even be a fuel pump upgrade on the STI. Benefit of using this one is that its a Subaru product so has dealer backing. Downside are that you can get better for the money. PPP should get you up to 320+.

A few other choice mods and a decent mapper will get you up to 350 without replacing the internals or relocating the intercooler for a front mount. Above that and you're starting to get into new clutch/turbo etc territory. I'm no expert on Imprezas specifically so I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm too far out.

I'll dig out some links for you that should give some example of "stages".

Good engine & suspension stages on here:
:: GRD - Greenwood Racing Developments ::

PPP
Official Accessories, Merchandise & Parts - Accessories | Subaru (UK) Ltd official website - Home of the Forester, Impreza, Justy, Legacy, Outback and Tribeca

Powerstation:
PowerStation

NACRO

Buy the latest model WRX you can afford, remap and exhaust would be my advice or find one with the prodrive performance pack. A 2005/6 car is within your budget.
Sure these aren't as nice as STi's but they are a lot newer and only a blindman would buy a bugeye.

I like the Type-R but let's face it these cars are getting on a bit now and it looks like a lot of money for a car that's nearly a decade old.

S3TH

iTrader: (2)

Thats not a bad suggestion by nacro to be honest. From a finance and resell view makes more sense, if buying any kind of scoob in todays economic climate is sense at any degree lol.

perhaps you should have a look at both a hawkeye WRX and a blobeye 03 STi.

reano

iTrader: (2)

Look at my car (in profile). It's not for sale but have a look at it!!! Thats the car you want... Thats the car you need....... Now go and get a test drive and buy one. Get an MY53 STi or younger....

NorthDownsScooby

Seeing as you have a stealth car now, it would be remiss of me not to suggest buying another stealth car if you can scrape together a bit more cash:

Subaru : Subaru Forester STi 2.5

Romeo_and_scoobyet

I do quite like the foresters, but out of choice I really like the my03 wrx sti's, especially with the wr1 alloys (unsure if these come as standard on some models other than the wr1?)

What colours can you get in them, blue, silver, red, black?

Cheers

Mikkel

I used to own an Astra Coupe Turbo, but it was at the standard 190bhp. Nice little car but a different ball game to the Impreza. I went from the Astra to a 350z and then to the Impreza and have to say the Impreza was vastly quicker than both despite not being too different on paper to the Nissan.

My advice on an Impreza with your budget is to hunt out a relatively low mileage Blobeye STI. Don't get the bugeye which is commonly acknowledged as the ugliest of all Imprezas. You can't afford a hawkeye, so stick with the blobeye if you don't want a classic.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the PPP. It's not worth the money and people only pay it for the warranty which yours will be out of. Better looking for a mildly tuned example from an enthusiast - exhaust and remap done. You should be looking at 350ish bhp. Or an untouched standard one if you want to start from scratch.