Hi guys, looks like a great community you have here!
Well as per the title I'm a Newbie to scoobs, I have reasonable knowledge of other jap brands but I'm afraid Subaru is one I know very little about!
Tbh, I'm a bit of a Toyota nut, have had various models, my last two being a starlet Glanza v, and my current a 95 supra n/a manual.
I don't know why but I really fancy a scoob, basically I'm in the Market for a bugeye wrx, I don't do trackdays and most of my driving is basic commuting, so I want a wrx due to the lower power levels but still with a bit of boost for some smiles from time to time!

Went to see a real dog at the weekend, was in dark blue and was pretty beat up but managed to get the dealer let me take it for a spin and I was real impressed, exactly what I'm after!

Anything I should look out for in particular on the wrx? I've seen alot of advice for the Sti and jdm models but no so much for the uk wrx!
I know the rear brakes are prone to seizing, as the one I drove was making some nasty noises!

Also as a commuter what kinda mpg am I likely to expect? The supra is a guzzler and I often barely pull 20ish to the gallon, I'm hoping for mid 20's on a light commute daily, or am I asking too much there?

Sorry for the essay guys!
Rich.

 

Hello and welcome mate
Apart from looking at your local dealers, keep an eye on the for sale section here or on www.SIDC.co.uk and also Pistonheads.
You might be right with the mpg...depending on how you drive it!
I'm a blobeye driver so don't know the ins and outs of the bug.
Good luck

 

Hi and welcome

I have a 52 plate bug wrx wagon, Had about a yr and I can only go by what ive had to do in that time. Check front and rear drop links and suspension as they tend to knock after a while. Make sure it has as much service history as poss and check for timing belt changes. General things such as disc and pads (rears can stick) other than that its been a cracker and no major faults. Getting parts togerther ready for remap shortly.
I manage mid 20`s mpg commute about 10mils and 30+ on motorway if not trying to break records lol

Hope you find a good un fella

Rich

 

Nice one, that's about what I expected mpg wise.. Thanks for the pointers on what to look for.
What kind of spec should I expect from a y / 51 plate wrx? There's a guy locally who has a rally blue one with leather seats, and full Subaru service history but has the rally graphics on it (which is a bit too loud for my liking!)
Also what diffs are fitted to the wrx? Are they lsd? ( my apologies I'm a noob to awd!)

 

The rally decals could work in your favour. Most sellers don't want the hassle of removing and most buyers don't want them so you could knock them down on price. That said whenever I've met someone with rally decals plastered over their car they have been young chavs

 

Not sure re diffs i`m sure another tech guy will be able to help out there post on tech forum, Regarding the 51 plate, I dont like rally graphics so personally i`d stay away from it but as pink floyd said not many ppl do like it and could mean you have abit more bargining power.
As long as its fsh and all mileage matches up and timing belt have been changed at the right service intervals plus all fluids have been of good quality and changed reg then you cant go far wrong.

As you`ll well know buying a secondhand car is a gamble. You either get a good un or bad un and its luck which 1 you end up with. Alll you can do is stick to any usfull info passed onto you and hope for the best.

 

Some great info, cheers.
I'm interested in a local one it 118k miles on it, but has one owner from new and has full subaru service history... It's got a cracking spec with the prodrive performance package, ( if anyone could tell me what this includes that's be great!) prodrive suspension package and in the colour I want but I'm still a little put off on the mileage... Why do you guys think?

 

If it's been maintained properly, the mileage shouldn't be an issue, I bought my first scoob with 98k on it FSSH, and 40k (and decat etc etc) later it still hadn't missed a beat! The alarm started playing up on it tho.

 

As said if maintained to a high standard then miles dont really matter tbh, I`m not sure exactley what the ppp package inc but as far as I know it covers exhaust,ecu,boost solenoid, intercooler and hoses, suspension and obviously higher bhp as standard it can also inc upgraded brakes, wheels and interior.
I`m sure someone will prove that ive either missed something off that list or added too much but ha ho thats the point of it been a open foram.

Good luck with your search fella

ps - Its a buyers market and a sellers worst nightmare at the min so take your time and dont rush into anything buy the car you really want, loads of subaru bargins out there at the min !!

 

Just another quick question, can a uk wrx be run safely on normal unleaded? Or does it have to go on super?

 

IT CAN RUN ON THE STANDARD STUFF BUT IT WONT RUN TOO WELL TBH, SOZ CAPS, Mine even runs bad when it has 97oct used in it.
Shell V-Power or tesco 99oct is all i`d use.

 

TBH it's not worth the risk. spend the extra on decent fuel and save on engine rebuilds

 

Is the blobeye more economical than the bugeye? As autotrader seems to think so!
I was under the impression they were basically the same underneath?!

 

Both about the same I'd say, as you say they are mostly the same underneath with just a few tweaks.

 

where abouts are u mate, im toying with putting my bug wrx up for sale

 

I have a bug WRX JDM, my first scoob. I love it, Personally i would be careful when your looking for one it took me about 2 month to find the right one. I went for the JAP model over the UK one as the engines stronger, more BHP, more toys etc.. I get shocking MPG as mines due a remap but i'm waiting on some more parts. I think you'll pick up a bug next to nothing as its a buyers market and nobody seems to be selling them. Like i originally said do not rush this, there are alot out there that have been used and abused be sensible the standard the better.

 

Ok cool thats what I thought tbh.

Well there's a nice fssh y plate with one owner from new with 118k on it local that has the ppp, or there's a couple of similar spec models that are standard with less miles but with more owners that are a little bit more expensive, on the face of it which would you go for?

 

At 118k on the clock mate the history has to be impeccable.

 

Yeah it's got full Subaru service history, I know that with my supra i was less concerned with mileage as mine had fsh since import, but I'm relying on you're advice so is 118k gonna be a ticking bomb?

 

I don't know enough about these cars yet mate, one of the experienced guys will chime in soon enough. My personal opinion is that any car over 100k will have to have been very well maintained with a stack of receipts. Make sure it has been serviced every 12 months or 10'000 miles without exception. Don't be fooled by this idea some people have that if they only drive 6000 miles in three years it only needs one service..........

 

118k is alot, my has 64,000 but its an import. If it was me I'd keep looking one with come out of the wood work. Its just frustrating until it does.