Hi all, hope this is the right place!

I'm looking for something different after my '97 Primera GT suffered a catastrophic clutch release bearing failure (on top of many other problems in the last 3 months). The Prim isn't the fastest thing on the road but the handling is awesome and I'm struggling to find something for around £2,000 that has the same power (150bhp) and equivalent handling.

Yesterday I test-drove a '99 Subaru Forester S Turbo. It's got 146K on the clock and is priced at £1999. It drove well, apart from a slight knock from the front suspension and what felt like a bit of hesitation at low revs (but may have been turbo lag or normal boxer characteristics).

The shop said it would have a full service, inc. fixing the knock if they could identify the cause, as well as a new timing belt. I took a second look today and also noticed a bit of oil around the front of the rear diff - is that normal, or evidence of a problem?

I've got a whole bunch of questions in relation to the old beast:

1) What sort of reliability can I expect from a 150K turbo? I'm guessing that with 168bhp they're a lot less stressed than the Imprezza turbo, so presumably will last a lifetime if looked after. Any quick way to check the turbo condition?

2) Any parts of the car likely to start falling off around 150K? I'd expect to put another 30K on it in the next two years.

3) Is the turbo unit the same as the Imprezza, or is it smaller? If I decide to modify, how much work is involved in fitting the Imprezza turbo? Will I need a dyno remap? How much will a recon turbo set me back?

4) I'm told by the garage that I could expect big power gains from a chip - is this so?

5) What sort of MPG can I expect from a standard car? I do 50 miles a day mostly on wide country roads.

6) Are coil-over kits availble for the Forester? I don't do off-road driving - I'd like to lower it to a more sensible ride height and tighten up the handling. I'm assuming that since the floorpan is much the same as the Imprezza, the handling should be pretty good once the COG is lowered.

7) Does the Forester have the same diff and gearbox as the Imprezza, or is it different? Is it lower geared for more off-road torque, and would that translate to better acceleration on the street, or do the bigger tyres counter the difference?

Any other advice you can offer would be much appreciated. I've got up to a max of 2.5K to spend - I'd have a WRX Wagon in a shot but the fuel economy would be crippling - I spoke to a WRX owner today who told me he got about 200 miles to £50 of fuel, and that was at 2003 fuel prices...

Thanks in advance for your help

 

hi mate dont no all answers but 50mpg from a subaru unlikely and yes will need remap if start changing parts decat turbo so on hope that helps

 

Thanks Bolasti. I wouldn't expect anywhere near 50mpg. I get around 33mpg from the modded Primera. The garage salesman seemed to think I'd get 35mpg+ from the Forester but I thought that might be a bit optimistic...

 

Hi mate
You might get you questions answered on this site,I used to use it alot when i had a forester

SubaruForester.org

 

I've owned a 1999 Forester S turbo for the past 3 years. I bought it with FSH on 105k miles, it's now sitting at 128k miles. I've found it to be a good car, very reliable if maintained properly but £2k is way too expensive!! I bought mine private for 3K.
In the time I've had it I have replaced the starter motor and had to replace the brakes completely all round. It has just developed an oil leak from the rocker cover gasket which is a pain in the ****. As for running costs it was converted to also run on LPG so is fairly cheap but when using petrol it is quite thirsty, I can cover about 260miles on a tank, motorway driving at 80mph. Never really worked it out to MPG though.
I don't like the ABS on it in the snow, seems to kick in too easily and it made me slide into a wall last month at 5 mph which resulted in a smashed indicator and dent to the front wing, I replaced the indicator but the dent is still there.
I'm getting rid of it this week and getting a lower mileage 04 WRX instead for a bit of fun and the dog isn't allowed in!
I've not decided whether to scrap it or sell it yet, Its in Aberdeen with MOT & Tax til July, oil leak from rocker cover, colour green. You can make me an offer if you like or it might go on fleabay?

Cheers
Dave