End of an era for me.. until next time
07 November 2008, 03:39 PM
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End of an era for me.. until next time
Well I have done it finally, car is up for sale and this time for good (I had butterflies the last time and pulled out of a sale at the 11th hour).
I bought my STi Type RA this time last year and like a kid in toy shop I was grinning to bits planning what I wanted to do to the motor.
I had some specific requirements that eventually pointed towards a Type RA model as it was the right car for the type of driving I wanted to do (point to point) and great as a track machine.
But sods law, not had the car long and I had to avoid a retarded driver resulting in a small mishap that ate into my project budget - yes I was gutted but also thrilled to bits when it finally did come home after getting some much needed work done.
It took me about 3 weeks to get the courage to start driving it properly as I was still a bit shaken up from the knowledge that I had avoided a near fatal accident yet unable to avoid damaging my pride and joy.
But the wait was worth it, I followed advice and got used to the DCCD, the way the RA behaved and then gradually started to let the car play on the road and show me what it's made of (I was in for a surprise).
Now I had driven scoobies prior to this as I was lucky enough to work for Subaru in the past and had owned an 2005 STi Type UK however I fell out with the Type UK and wanted something a bit more lively - to put the nail in the coffin I was given the keys to my mates 98 STi for a week and I was pretty much hooked.
The classic STi felt different, more responsive but also more difficult to manage which is how I like my cars, less techno wizadry, more traditional sports car feel.
After searching for ages I had originally found an STi Type RA WRC Limited, one of the last of the 2000 models to be built but couldn't negotiate a realistic price (I was offering above average, the seller was being a bit too optimistic) I had almost decided finding a MY00 RA would be almost impossible.
Through conversation a family relative advised me about the Cashmere STi RA that had arrived in the UK recently and I was skeptical as you would be and also it wasn't what I wanted (i.e the all singing dancing WRC Ltd model) however I am glad I had a look.
The colour was an instant hit with me, I had owned an Audi S4 in Imola Yellow so took a shine to the weird off-white/custard colour of the RA but I was even more shocked when I got in - nothing, absolutely nothing, no electrics, no AC, only the bare basic controls and amusingly an STi momo steering wheel with an airbag.
To be honest I was put off at this point as I had tried a fair few WRC models so was expecting more of the same however when I took the lightweight RA out for a spin all that changed.
The car was very light or felt lighter than the WRC models and noticable had no or little sound proofing, I could hear an feel everything which was perfect! The quickrack steering was strange and I found it difficult to maneuver the car at first but soon took a shine to it as I started attacking some simple and trickier bends.
The gearbox felt differnet to the more switch like operation of the WRC models however it shared the same close ratios resulting in a manic dance of hand and gear lever - tiring work at first but I realised later on how wonderful the setup was.
After persuading the sales gimp to let me open up the RA we got to a wider winding stretch of road where I could stretch the RA's legs........... that was pretty much in my mind after thinking "oh my *******ing god, give me more!" - it's hard to describe the sensation and experience you get from driving an RA for the first time or after a long break.
You are never quite prepared for the insane head rush and pulse jumping experience. In my car the engine was exceptionally light, lighter and more responsive than others I had driven but very very smooth. I was in 2nd gear, moderate pressure on the accelerator and within a second I was at 6k+ rpm, clutch in and instantly into 3rd, more acceleration and speed (this was an unexpected response), no time to breath, straight into 4th, more acceleraton and speed.
The DCCD was on manual and set to free (rear wheel bias), the rear of the car squatted forcefully, diff made a loud clunking sound as I fed the power and then instantly into 5th - 3 figures on the speed meant it was time to let off - I coasted the RA down to sensible speeds and was grinning at what had just happened.
The sales gimp was quiet, very quiet -
We took the exit into an industrial area where I got to show off some of my driving skills and get a feel for the pedals - a little small but allowed me to do some nice heel-n-toe actions to keep the RA on song, a little over cooked coming out of a wide bend where the back slid out in 2nd gear with the turbo humming but was a good experience and managable.
In my previous cars the rear would swing out very forcefully and you had to be quick on the opposite lock and throttle control or as in the case of the BMW, just keep your foot down and hope you face the right way.. mostly. But the RA was very graceful, gently came round into a straight line as the front wheels started to find grip again.
The car was not perfect but quite close so a nights sleep (or the lack of) I went back to haggle a price, 4 hours later I walked away with the keys and some money to spare - almost a result until the next day when I nearly trashed it thanks to a driver who decided he could use the road as he pleased.
After much heartache, wallet trashing and lots of help from pro's and folks on the internet I was finally able to enjoy the car.
I am not into modding much, in fact I like my cars standard or as close to factory as possible but with the right kind of mods that add to the performance and enjoyment.
So with this in mind I set about getting the car handling right but didn't need to do much as the RA was setup very well as standard however I like my cars a little tail happy so fitted a rear strutbrace - combined with the DCCD this makes the back end much more flat but much more lively when the diff is set to open.
Brakes were next and then a service and hey presto, almost standard 300+ bhp but I was happy, combined with the RA's quickrack and close ratio box, lightweight and the ultra responsive engine I was never left wanting more.
Scoobys are quite unique, they have bags of character which personally, I found lacking in the Evo's and my previous car. Not quite sure what it is, you don't really get it even if your standing next your car but when you get in and pause for a minute or waiting for the warm up - you get this welcome feeling.
With my RA, it's more of anticipation and hesitation as the car really is brutal, only way to describe these particular scoobies. I don't drive far as my office is only 10 minutes away however I used my scooby in the evenings and weekends on local country roads and would then store it in the garage for weeks on end.
But I recommend this to everyone if you get complaicent with your car - don't drive it for ages and then take it out for a spin, massive grin factor.
With the RA it's a case of starting the car and warming it up, driving around a bit until you find some open road and then letting it rip through the gearbox - result: your heart beating rapidly, your excited like a kid in a toy shop and people driving past you are thinking "wtf is he smiling at?!".
It's like that for me everytime in the RA and I am sure the same for any Scooby owner.
As such I have decided not to drive the RA while it's on sale, the last time I did this I got very emotional and about 30 minutes into an amazing drive back from Amersham I said to myself:
"no ******ing way am I selling this car!"
An amazing experience - I think I will always love the Impreza and fingers crossed Mr Brown doesn't trash our country any further I will get back into the fold of Scooby ownership, hopefully next time with an older STi RA for some track work or hill climbing.
Thank you to everyone here, really enjoyed the support and the comedy - will stay on as a ghost but won't be contributing much unless it's spam in the non scooby section.
PS Lewis - your a legend
911 - Thanks for all the support
Bucks Scooby Crew - will wave when I see you lot (but don't laugh at my MPV tin box)
And Mr McRae for being the reason why I took an interest in Scoobies
Adios,
Fz
(sorry for the long post, wanted to sum up what my 1 year plus ownership of what was and is one of the finest and most hardcore Impreza's made).
I bought my STi Type RA this time last year and like a kid in toy shop I was grinning to bits planning what I wanted to do to the motor.
I had some specific requirements that eventually pointed towards a Type RA model as it was the right car for the type of driving I wanted to do (point to point) and great as a track machine.
But sods law, not had the car long and I had to avoid a retarded driver resulting in a small mishap that ate into my project budget - yes I was gutted but also thrilled to bits when it finally did come home after getting some much needed work done.
It took me about 3 weeks to get the courage to start driving it properly as I was still a bit shaken up from the knowledge that I had avoided a near fatal accident yet unable to avoid damaging my pride and joy.
But the wait was worth it, I followed advice and got used to the DCCD, the way the RA behaved and then gradually started to let the car play on the road and show me what it's made of (I was in for a surprise).
Now I had driven scoobies prior to this as I was lucky enough to work for Subaru in the past and had owned an 2005 STi Type UK however I fell out with the Type UK and wanted something a bit more lively - to put the nail in the coffin I was given the keys to my mates 98 STi for a week and I was pretty much hooked.
The classic STi felt different, more responsive but also more difficult to manage which is how I like my cars, less techno wizadry, more traditional sports car feel.
After searching for ages I had originally found an STi Type RA WRC Limited, one of the last of the 2000 models to be built but couldn't negotiate a realistic price (I was offering above average, the seller was being a bit too optimistic) I had almost decided finding a MY00 RA would be almost impossible.
Through conversation a family relative advised me about the Cashmere STi RA that had arrived in the UK recently and I was skeptical as you would be and also it wasn't what I wanted (i.e the all singing dancing WRC Ltd model) however I am glad I had a look.
The colour was an instant hit with me, I had owned an Audi S4 in Imola Yellow so took a shine to the weird off-white/custard colour of the RA but I was even more shocked when I got in - nothing, absolutely nothing, no electrics, no AC, only the bare basic controls and amusingly an STi momo steering wheel with an airbag.
To be honest I was put off at this point as I had tried a fair few WRC models so was expecting more of the same however when I took the lightweight RA out for a spin all that changed.
The car was very light or felt lighter than the WRC models and noticable had no or little sound proofing, I could hear an feel everything which was perfect! The quickrack steering was strange and I found it difficult to maneuver the car at first but soon took a shine to it as I started attacking some simple and trickier bends.
The gearbox felt differnet to the more switch like operation of the WRC models however it shared the same close ratios resulting in a manic dance of hand and gear lever - tiring work at first but I realised later on how wonderful the setup was.
After persuading the sales gimp to let me open up the RA we got to a wider winding stretch of road where I could stretch the RA's legs........... that was pretty much in my mind after thinking "oh my *******ing god, give me more!" - it's hard to describe the sensation and experience you get from driving an RA for the first time or after a long break.
You are never quite prepared for the insane head rush and pulse jumping experience. In my car the engine was exceptionally light, lighter and more responsive than others I had driven but very very smooth. I was in 2nd gear, moderate pressure on the accelerator and within a second I was at 6k+ rpm, clutch in and instantly into 3rd, more acceleration and speed (this was an unexpected response), no time to breath, straight into 4th, more acceleraton and speed.
The DCCD was on manual and set to free (rear wheel bias), the rear of the car squatted forcefully, diff made a loud clunking sound as I fed the power and then instantly into 5th - 3 figures on the speed meant it was time to let off - I coasted the RA down to sensible speeds and was grinning at what had just happened.
The sales gimp was quiet, very quiet -
We took the exit into an industrial area where I got to show off some of my driving skills and get a feel for the pedals - a little small but allowed me to do some nice heel-n-toe actions to keep the RA on song, a little over cooked coming out of a wide bend where the back slid out in 2nd gear with the turbo humming but was a good experience and managable.In my previous cars the rear would swing out very forcefully and you had to be quick on the opposite lock and throttle control or as in the case of the BMW, just keep your foot down and hope you face the right way.. mostly. But the RA was very graceful, gently came round into a straight line as the front wheels started to find grip again.
The car was not perfect but quite close so a nights sleep (or the lack of) I went back to haggle a price, 4 hours later I walked away with the keys and some money to spare - almost a result until the next day when I nearly trashed it thanks to a driver who decided he could use the road as he pleased.
After much heartache, wallet trashing and lots of help from pro's and folks on the internet I was finally able to enjoy the car.
I am not into modding much, in fact I like my cars standard or as close to factory as possible but with the right kind of mods that add to the performance and enjoyment.
So with this in mind I set about getting the car handling right but didn't need to do much as the RA was setup very well as standard however I like my cars a little tail happy so fitted a rear strutbrace - combined with the DCCD this makes the back end much more flat but much more lively when the diff is set to open.
Brakes were next and then a service and hey presto, almost standard 300+ bhp but I was happy, combined with the RA's quickrack and close ratio box, lightweight and the ultra responsive engine I was never left wanting more.
Scoobys are quite unique, they have bags of character which personally, I found lacking in the Evo's and my previous car. Not quite sure what it is, you don't really get it even if your standing next your car but when you get in and pause for a minute or waiting for the warm up - you get this welcome feeling.
With my RA, it's more of anticipation and hesitation as the car really is brutal, only way to describe these particular scoobies. I don't drive far as my office is only 10 minutes away however I used my scooby in the evenings and weekends on local country roads and would then store it in the garage for weeks on end.
But I recommend this to everyone if you get complaicent with your car - don't drive it for ages and then take it out for a spin, massive grin factor.
With the RA it's a case of starting the car and warming it up, driving around a bit until you find some open road and then letting it rip through the gearbox - result: your heart beating rapidly, your excited like a kid in a toy shop and people driving past you are thinking "wtf is he smiling at?!".
It's like that for me everytime in the RA and I am sure the same for any Scooby owner.
As such I have decided not to drive the RA while it's on sale, the last time I did this I got very emotional and about 30 minutes into an amazing drive back from Amersham I said to myself:
"no ******ing way am I selling this car!"
An amazing experience - I think I will always love the Impreza and fingers crossed Mr Brown doesn't trash our country any further I will get back into the fold of Scooby ownership, hopefully next time with an older STi RA for some track work or hill climbing.
Thank you to everyone here, really enjoyed the support and the comedy - will stay on as a ghost but won't be contributing much unless it's spam in the non scooby section.
PS Lewis - your a legend
911 - Thanks for all the support
Bucks Scooby Crew - will wave when I see you lot (but don't laugh at my MPV tin box)
And Mr McRae for being the reason why I took an interest in Scoobies
Adios,
Fz
(sorry for the long post, wanted to sum up what my 1 year plus ownership of what was and is one of the finest and most hardcore Impreza's made).
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07 November 2008, 07:11 PM
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Cracking write up FZ.
It is said news that you are selling up, but if you must for one reason or another, I hope you are sure you are doing the right think this time around.
If I don't drive my Scooby for a week or even two weeks and then I get back in and have a 'play' I say to my self, "look what I have been missing". There is something very special about the Impreza that I am not sure you can put a word to describe it. Makes you feel happy within.
Take care
It is said news that you are selling up, but if you must for one reason or another, I hope you are sure you are doing the right think this time around.
If I don't drive my Scooby for a week or even two weeks and then I get back in and have a 'play' I say to my self, "look what I have been missing". There is something very special about the Impreza that I am not sure you can put a word to describe it. Makes you feel happy within.
Take care
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