imprezamike

Hi everyone, i am new to the forum allthough i have been reading here for a while.

I am looking to buy an impreza and am after a bit of advice/ info.
i am tied between choosing a type r and sti uk 04/05 both having benefits such as cheaper tax and purchace price for type r and uk history abs etc for sti uk.

i have heard people saying type r's need rebuilding at fairly low milages. is this generally true? and can any owners tell me if the short gearing is a pain on the motorway / lack of abs a problem?

Wich is the stronger / more reliable car? i know one is a lot newer but generaly speaking. i only intend mild mods and reliability and parts costs are important.

Do parts on the type r cost alot more?

Are running costs similar? sevicing etc

Thank you for any information given. any comments on either car welcome

mike

El Cat

check the insurance on them
might be more to tax the newer ones but those older typre R's are expensive to insure
my brother had a quite of £1200 for a uk sti and he is 22 next week and the cheapest he got for the type r was £2250

imprezamike

good point! thanks for that i hadn't thought about insurance

Graz

The Classic and Newage model are very different. Newages are significantly heavier and as a result feel a lot more solid and refined. The Classic is very raw, especially in Type R guise, so depends what you're after really. If you want a comfortable motorway cruiser but with plenty of power on tap to enjoy the B roads go for the newage. If you want a flat out racer, B road blaster, track weapon then the Type R fits the bill.

As regards reliability issues with the Type R, most of it comes about from people buying them with out understanding that the are Japanese market cars and therefore mapped for 100RON fuel they get over there. Run it on normal 97RON Super (or even worse 95RON unleaded) and it will almost certainly lead to detonation under high boost. This will kill the engine before too long. Run it on V-Power + octane booster or better still get it re-mapped for UK fuel and it will be fine.

imprezamike

Thanks for your reply! interesting point about the ron of fuel i spose some people dont bother adjusting the car for uk and thats the ones i have heard about.

Can i acheive type r performance 0/60 etc with a lightly modded sti/uk exhaust remap etc?

is the uk stronger mechanically?

El Cat

in all honesty as far as i am aware the later sti's tyoe r's are 280bhp( some are more due to breaking gentlemans agreement) 300bhp in a classic is going to be a lot quicker than 300bhp in a newer age car as they are quite a bit heavier!
not sure what BHP neage car you would need to be the equivalent in performance of a 300bhp classic

Graz

Tough one that. As mentioned an unmolested Type R would be putting out around 280 bhp, the new age is good for anything up to 350bhp with light mods (full exhaust de-cat or sports cat, panel filter, fuel pump(?), remap). Not sure what the power to weight ratio would be? Also with similar mods to the Type R you'd be good for 320bhp at least so would be at least as quick as the newage but would probably feel faster as it's a lot more raw.

As for the strength of the engine, in theory the Japanese STIs could well be stronger as they of ten come with uprated internals, semi or closed deck blocks, etc.

gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

The simple answer is to drive them both and see what fits the bill best for you.

Newages are heaver, but, arguably, better built. MY 98 Type R was very quick as standard: low ratio 'box and lightweight helps along with 290bhp @ the flywheel (on G Force rollers).

The low ratio 'box of the Type R can be tiresome on motorways - nearly 4000rpm @ 70mph. I eventually went to a 6 speed and it's much better/quieter on motorways now!

DCCD is another consideration; there's no auto setting on Type R's. This can make them a handfull. Treat it with uttmost respect when you first get it and it shouldn't bite!

Tuning wise; it depends on how much you want to spend. A remap (on a V5 or V6) will be useful with a few simple mods - decat, etc. You should see well over the 300bhp mark. This makes for a very quick car, especially the acceleration in low gears, probably arround 4.5 to 60 if you're rough with it.

Engines are strong, but can let go if abused; a good history is essential. Also, the general condition of the car tells a lot. There are plenty of cherished examples out there. Many have been rebuit too and should be safe with UK fuel.

As I said earlier, go and drive them both and then decide.

Good luck and happy hunting.

imprezamike

Thanks for all the help from everyone who replyd
I will have a look at both cars and drive if possable.

I was interested in the difference between wr1 and regular sti. is it essentialy a different map that gains the extra bhp or mechanicle stuff aswell?

thanks again everyone for your help