DMX1988

Firstly as ime a new meber i would like to say hello. So HELLO to you Subaru owners

Now then i shall introduce myself, ime 22, names jason, I work as a lab technition but ime a bricky by trade, also ime a pyrotechnition doing fireworks displays currently own and drive an astra van and a volvo s60 T5.

My question is which model of impreza would you suggest to me. I have allways wanted one since being a young lad from playing the first colin mcrea rally game on playstation 1 !!!!

I have to stay clear of imports as they are considerably more to insure than a uk model, Also an STI is more expensive to insure than a WRX so what model would you suggest for a price bracket of £3,500?

How reliable are they when being honest, fuel consuption doesnt matter afterall its a subaru lol, I have drove a 2004wrx blob eye and loved every second of it, so much when i got out of it the missus thought the sales guy had just blew me off due to me shaking with adrenaline and all hot a flusterd !!!!!!

The volvo is very reliable and fast with little maintanace and it can take some real stick. How do scoobies compare to that, do they require constant fixing due to blew up diffs, snapping half shafts? gearboxes? turbos and so forth.

Ime asking you guys because who else better to ask than the owners themselfs, i am hobbyiest mechanic and can pritty much do anything to a vehicle, ive just rebuilt my van engine with new big ends, pistons and rings, re hone head set and forth so maintanance wise i wouldnt struggle and could stay clear of the garages.

Your thoughts would be most appreciated,

Jay

Loco

iTrader: (1)

welcome matey.

If your heart is set on a scooby, but your only 22, then its prob gonna have to be a WRX model. I have a WR1, which is a 2004 blobeye, and I am completely chuffed with it. I know the WR1 has a bit more go in it, but generally, its a good car model, with a nice agressive look, and handling is unbelievable.

the only problem to consider is selling it. seems a lot of people are having trouble selling their WRX's because there are many other car models in the same bracket that are more eco / cheaper insurance / etc. this can also work massively in your favour when buying, because you can pretty much hammer people down on price. But just a warning that when it comes to re-selling, you may struggle. Other than that, if it looks and feels good, then go for it!

hope that helps!

DMX1988

When i do buy one i wont be selling it unless it turns out to be a pain in the **** with repairs lol, The bugeye in my opinion looks horrid !! much prefer the blobeye but the price of the bugs is looking more in my bracket.

Are there any common faults with the wrx's of the 2001-2004 models of uk spec wrx?

Loco

iTrader: (1)

Many will testify that the rear shocks are pretty god awful. when on a test drive, take it to a car park, put it on hard lock, and try driving round in a circle. do it in forward and reverse. if you hear a kind of knocking sound, then the shocks are in some state of going wrong. mine are doing it, but i had them inspected, and was told that they are still in fairly good condition, but will prob need doing a few years down the line.

apparently really bad ones are obvious when pushing on. the specialist that i had mine inspected at reckons that if they are completely knackered when going quickly round bends, the back end will be all over the shop, and almost uncontrollable.

only fix for this problem is to have coilovers fitted. having replacement standard shocks fitted will only cause the same problem further down the line.

DMX1988

Cheers loco, that issue doesnt bother me too much as i have access to a garage with 4 ramps so i can sort niggly things like that out with ease, ime more concearned with any electrical faults or engine, gearbox, diff problems.

Speaking of Diffs a couple years ago whilst looking into imprezas i read that the wrx doesnt come with limited slip diffs, is this true? and if so can you simply swap them for sti ones?

Jay

gdaines

iTrader: (1)

I have a MY04 WRX Blobeye and servicing has only cost me about £700 over 2 years and 21000 miles so not too bad. Fitted a set of Uniroyal Rainsport 2 tyres too at £400, punctured one when I clipped a curb though and found they were worn on both edges which I hadn't noticed. Was told you should have you tracking checked every 4 months or so which I've never been told before in 25 years of driving. So while the fronts are new, the backs still look hardly used after at least 10000 miles so not bad on tyres if you drive them sensibly.

I agree with Loco about the suspension, I nearly lost it twice in the first fortnight of owning it as the back end is awful if you push too hard. That said I've still not replaced the suspension and it's gone through 2 MOTs so it can't be too bad. I've booked my first trackday in it for March so maybe after that I'll feel differently and the coilovers that I've thought about since buying the car might become an essential purchase.

As a Blobeye seems to be out of your price range the only thing I could imagine would be any different would be mileage related wear and poor servicing if the owner's a bit of a cheapass. Could easily spend a grand if it's tatty and worn out so take your time and look for one that doesn't need work; good tyres and brakes, new MOT, recent service would be a good start, better if it was done at a Subaru specialist too.

Markfey

iTrader: (7)

Welcome.

Get out there and test drive everything. It might be worth waiting a couple of years till you can afford an Sti.

Personally I'd recommend finding a really nice classic uk 2000 with a couple of nice mods I.e bigger brakes, Sti lip, spoiler and well loved. Obviously not one with every Billy bolt on part stapled to the dash and a blow off valve that makes it sound like a double decker bus.

Also research some topics on here about bov's, exhausts and air filters. All of which can totally knacker the car if not set up right.

Hope this helps more than confuses even more. And yes I am very biased when it comes to classic

P.s where are you based?

DMX1988

Cheers fellas some good advice here for me to take on board, Ime in manchester mate. I do like the older imprezas but for some reason it's dearer to insure a pre 2000 impreza as apposed to a post 2000 one. The uk 2000 is dearer for me to insure than a 2003 wrx Maybe this is because i havent yet tried any of the specialist insurers like A-Plan yet.

Something that concearns me allot is the age of a scooby and how many owners its had, in my eyes an older impreza has a higher likley hood of having being thrashed and batterd for 2 reasons,

A, Its been around longer than a newer one for example a 1997 compared to a 2003 theres 6 years between them so potentially allot more abuse.

B, over these past few years insurance has rocketed, speed cameras have become more popular and driving offences have been taken more seriously meaning the **** that used to be able to insure one now cannot so therefore means a newer impreza has a better chance of having been in the right hands.

Hope that makes sense, if ime missing something here please put me straight you guys no best.

Jay

Steve T

iTrader: (14)

My last car was a MY 00 UK classic. Great car and with a few mods alright for a reliable 330 B.h.p. Steve.

DMX1988

What are these uk 2000's like for reliablity? Parts easy to get hold of? and most of all are they a better drive than the newer ones? Because its an older one with less driving assists i would assume you are more connected to the car and more fun to drive?

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

Welcome to Scoobynet. I went from a T5 to a Scooby , I'm now on my third. I've had my current WRX PPP for 5 years, gradually upgrading turbo, injectors, brakes and suspension to my taste. as far as reliability goes, mine have all been great. First 2 had no issues whatsoever. First one covered 27k before I sold it on, second one 35k, again with no issues. Current one had an ECU fault, replaced under warranty as was the Prodrive back box due to surface rust. Fuel is slightly worse than my T5, but only marginally. Change the oil every 6 months, find a specialist and enjoy. Edited to say my first was a UK Turbo 2000

DMX1988

When i do own a subaru it will be well serviced and looked after, people's dream cars are usually ferraris, austin martins, lambos and other crazy expensive cars. My dream car and the only car i ever wanted/want is an impreza, sad maybe but its my life long dream to own one What did you think of your uk 2000 compared to your others?

Jay

Steve T

iTrader: (14)

I had my MY00 UK classic for 5 years with no problems what so ever, even remapped with a Vf 35 turbo Sti 8 intercooler etc. I own a MY 05 Jdm Sti now but still miss my UK turbo. In my opinion the newage cars are better build quality with more toys. (especially the JDM versions), but I,d recommend a late model Uk car to anyone, and yes I think that they are more fun to drive.Steve.

CHOLTON

Surely if the rear is letting go when pushing hard you would be better to sort it before your track day !

As for the bug eyed models , check out NAISOC as there are some crackers on there with aggressive stances ! PowerWrx on here has a really nice white one too

pigSTi

iTrader: (5)

That is all but word-for-word what I say to people about me & Subaru

I have owned 3 classics - Sport 2.0 & Turbo 2000 x 2 and am on my first New Age atm - blob STi.
I can say in all honesty that whatever model you get (perhaps not so much the sport ) Turbo 2000 or New Age you will love every minute of it, every day. They are both great cars and I would quite happily flit between the two, I would like to drive a Type R some day

DMX1988

Thank you lads for the input, if i could find a cheap as if not cheaper to insure uk2000 as opposed to a newer wrx then i think i will go down this route first, it seems a good way into the subaru world. Actually i think it would suit me better as i could turn it into exactly how i would want it, A rally rep i think i need to get a short list of imprezas that will be within my price range and get quotes on them all and see which is cheaper to insure.

Jay

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

OK then. I am now on my 6th Scoob and started off with a UK 2000 Turbo. These are 215 BHP out of the box and are quite bland. I have had a UK Bugeye WRX that I modded to 265 BHP and then a UK WRX Wagon again modded to 270 BHP.

Then I went to a Jap Import (JDM) new shape Legacy Twin Scroll GT Spec B Estate and that was 280 BHP without mods. Followed by a Litchfield STi Forester 330BHP/220 ftlbs torque.

The JDM models are more powerful, stronger internals, gearboxes and better equipped but your age will nail you on insurance. I now have a Classic STi running 310 without any major mods.

Your into a whole new world of car with a Scoob and depending on your budget you can spend a fortune or buy cheap and work up. Servicing is not cheap but a lot you can do yourself if your good with a spanner. Tyres, brakes, wheels, exhausts, filters, ECU's, re-maps etc are just the tip of the iceberg. Don't forget the Cosworth Scoob runs 400 BHP and there's no sign of an induction kit or vent to air dump valve.

Unless your doing a look of fast road and track coilover will not be very comfortable. Some of the fastest road Scoobs use uprated/adjustable shocks and springs (AST as an example).

Be prepared to hear some ****e and bollocks about Scoobs. Take someone with you who knows about them before you buy.

Welcome to SN and beware pslewis

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/index.asp?c=48

Loco

iTrader: (1)

i know your not a big fan of bugeye, but this one looks nice from the photo's:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...48hb?logcode=p

says he won't budge on price, but if he has reduced once, he will probably reduce again, and it may fall in to your price range. white is a lovely colour, and it says engine is un-modified, so will satisfy your insurers...

just a thought

kewe

iTrader: (4)

Hi buddy,

I managed to pick up a blobeye WRX this week for £3.8K so it's not that far out your reach. OK it may be higher mileage at 90K but with a full service history and receipts to back it up it should be good weekend toy

Here's my thread if you want to see some pics:-
https://www.scoobynet.com/scoobynet-...y-at-last.html

DMX1988

Nice car that kewe, bargain ide say lol. Does any of you know if theres any subaru meets that take place not too far away from manchester that i could tag along to? It will be worth getting my face known incase i need a hand when it comes to viewing a scoob

pigSTi

iTrader: (5)

Can't help there mate I'm from down south

DMX1988

No worries mate