samjessop29

hi there im new to this forum so go easy on me

ive always loved imprezas and have been offered 2.0l non turbo sport for a good price and its insurance friendly being a non turbo

having never owned a scooby what are the things i need to look out for on the sports?

what are the pros and cons?

and are they really underpowered compared to other 2.0 16v engines?

cheers, sam

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

good cars,very reliable
only downside will be mpg but nowhere near as bad as a turbo, but they are 4wd so to be expected.
not to underpowered really compared to other n/a 2.0 engines. sound better though having flat four rumble.

Essexdon

Dont expect a rocket, a friend had one and struggled to keep up with other 2.0 cars Focus and Vectras etc. They are thristy for a 2.0, can sound and look great thou. Just dont take anything on lol.

Slugmeister

Hi Sam,
I have owned 6 Subaru's all Impreza based, three were Forresters and the other three were the saloon and 5 door Impreza. All were non turbo models. There are few things that go wrong with an Impreza, but brake calipers are expensive, as the pattern parts might not fit!
As regards power and fuel consumption, there is enough bhp for keeping up with traffic, fuel consumption is lower than the turbo, say 25-30mpg. Adding 10-20% methanol makes it a more interesting drive, but make sure the brakes and suspension are in a good state. On the plus side there is no turbo lag, but 130-150 PS is not in the high power league. In the snow the non turbo is preferable!
The Parkers website has all the facts and figures. The four wheel drive system makes you think two wheel drive is dangerous!!

samjessop29

thats good news then

just wondering what you guys thought of this -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-SUBAR...item20bff8d427

CREWJ

I get 36mpg out of mine easily on a motorway journey.

It's not the fastest thing in the world but it's great in the twisties when set up.

samjessop29

what the most bhp people have got out of them? and ive been driving a 1.2 for the last 2 years it going to be a big difference in power :P

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

I don't care what others say about sports, they are crap. Boring to drive, slow and poor fuel consumption compared to other cars available.
If you can't afford the expense of a turbo then I really would look elsewhere, there are far better cars out there that are insurance friendly. The sport really is not a good introduction into Subaru ownership.
I bought a 51 plate bug sport last year for the wife, transformed it into a WRX lookalike as the mrs really wanted one. We had the car 3 months I believe !!
My advice would be to wait until your able to own a turbo model chap, I really think you will be dissapointed with a sport.

Slugmeister

Imports can be a pain for parts, insurance companies do not like them!
Cornwall, especially Hayle is close to a lot of salt spray, so corrosion can be an issue!
Cars are generally older in Cornwall, cause there is little money about! I left the area in 1979 after the mines went with Maggies free market policies!
Have a good look at it, and under the bonnet. Also get an insurance quote as an import.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Seconded. Better cars for the money, all the disadvantages of a proper Scoob with none of the advantages.... can't see why anyone in their right mind would by one to be frank!

NOSSY_89

I actually owned a classic sport lol. The engine was rebuilt and I think but not 100% sure got approximatly 150bhp instead of the standard 125bhp. It was quick for a non turbo 2.0 and no word of a lie was quick off the line due to it being so light. Fuel consumption was absolutly crap mate and it definately lacked power in top end rev range.

My Mum had a classic STI and I was allowed to drive it so I can say it was different. There is no comparison


The reason I went for a sport first was because no one would insure me on a STI. The 4WD is another reason. Not many cars in the UK are setup like that. If you are getting it cheap then why not just be sure to check out a turbo later lol.

imprezajon

iTrader: (2)

get yourself over to imprezasport.net. you may get a more un-biased reply regards to owning a sport version, rather than "they are crap" because it is not a wrx or an sti model.

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

They are crap because -

125 bhp
0-60 in 11 secs
25 to the gallon if you drive like grandmother
Top speed of 115 mph
Boring and uninvolving to drive
Look even more boring in standard trim (you must not make it look like a turbo without informing insurance)
Expensive to insure considering dismal performance

Need I go on ???

Let's compare it to a Astra Coupe which can be had for similar money-

1.8 16V
125 mph top speed
0-60 in 8.5 secs
Will see 30 to the gallon easily
Look far better
More fun to drive
Better equipped
Far cheaper to insure


No your right, the sport is the best bet........

chopperman

I had never been in one until a couple of months ago. I must say it was quicker than i expected.
Check for rusty sills and arches.

richgreenscooby1

iTrader: (2)

You have to start somewhere dont you , why all the negative points about a sport ??? so what they are slower , its a awd so when his mates are in there punto's and clios etc with winter fast approaching i know which one i would have more fun in ..

Ive got a turbo and the missis has her bugeye sport , i actually like driving it , ive got it to 143bhp last dyno run , and thats just with messing with heads etc ..

At the end of the day a subaru is a subaru turbo or non turbo , you with have a laugh , join a club , and prob end up loving it ...

so get it brought ...

Pramas

i had a cavalier sri when i was a young lad, 130bhp wow lol ! but it was sub 8 sec 0-60 and i thought i was the bomb , surely a 150bhp sport would be comparable which isnt bad tbh, yes the turbo will always be the 1 but if your 18 you will never get that
just to add, forget about max speeds, u will never ever see them unless mr plod is on ur ***

chopperman

Yeah well said !

Not everybody wants monster power, some just want the scoob looks and awd.

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

Why would you want AWD ??? We hardly live in the north pole do we. And don't say for handling purposes because that's just a joke...

The reason why these young lads want sports is to make them look and 'sound' like their dream STI. Firstly it will never sound like a turbo and secondly (and most importantly) ring your insurance company up and explain how you have added alloy wheels, side skirts, rear wing, different front bumper, turbo bonnet and fancy exhaust system. They are not that cheap to insure to start with (group 13 I believe) and when the insurance company add all the non standard mods on you'll be almost at UK turbo quotes.

Pramas

well even though i have a sti i wouldnt agree that the awd isnt useful, i live in the north and the last few years the snow has been horrible. Ive seen alot of expensive bmws and mercs etc stuck while £500 bangers fly passed them. Guess if depends where u live, but i do agree with the pont about not making a sport look like a wrx or sti, absolutly no point.

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

Yep fair point regarding the AWD. Could be useful depending where you live.

NOSSY_89

I got the 0-60 at 8 seconds don't know how unless I timed it wrong. But when I was doing research different sites stated different times and consumption. I saw 20mpg at a push. I'm unbiased and had a sport as my daily car for about a year.

Insurance company asked me if it had any mods I said its a sport make that what you will lmaooo.

It was a full STI replica. Bumpers, bonnet, sccop, sideskirts, spoilers, tints alloys, breaks, engine mods, exhaust and badges. But if they said anything would have said it had sport so assumed that was all standard, I don't know much about cars lamooooooooooo.

Brun

I pretty much agree with everything Matty has said. Just don't see the point of the running costs when you would get your **** handed to you by a Fiesta ST or similar.

Pramas

only problem with that is until you hit some1 or they hit you, then you boned and the police chip in with a no insurance charge

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

0-60 in 8 secs ??? Must of been a very steep hill and strong back wind,

Regarding your STI looks, if you had been in an accident you would not of been insured. Insurance companies don't fall for the "I thought It came out of the factory like that sir ".

NOSSY_89

I Know lol but that was when I was younger lol. The sport was the thing that started it all, the way a Subaru is. Yeah it didn't have stupid amount of power but was fun to drive and pushed my skills.

I rember I had an argument with my now ex fiance so wans't in the best of moods.

Hit the queens way tunnels and had two porches in front of me showing off, over revving and dangerous over taking. I take these tunnels day in and day out so knew where the twists and turns were. I decided to put my foot down and over take. Even they pooed themselves and slowed down on the turns. I pushed the car to 112mph till it ran out of puff. I was accelerating in and out of corners and didn't touch the brakes.

I know it was stupid but like I said I was younger back then. I haven't attempted anything like that in my Blob and probably wouldn't want to risk it.

The only reason I'm telling you guys this is to explain how good the car can be and how you can push the car. I also think it improved me as a driver.

If I had to choose between a newly passed type car like an astra or corsa or the sport. I know which one I would choose. The Scooby.

If anyone is thinking of having a moan at me because of the way I was driving then please don't. Like I said, and I know it isn't an excuse but had a major argument with the ex fiance and I know it was stupid how I was driving.

Pramas

weve all been young once and i was a bit daft in sri so i wont critise but age bring expereince and i wont do that now but hey
Awd is rather awsome , watch when the snow hits hits and the £30k cars cant move but a 500 quid banger goes passed

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

So you beat two Porsche's in a 125bhp sport.
And to think, I've spent the last 18 months making my STI 400+ when I could of just bought a non-turbo
Are you sure they were Porsche's and not VW beetles.

NOSSY_89

I rember when I bought my sport a few days later the snow hit and I decided to drive to work lol. It was like it didn't make a difference to the car at all. Yeah you had to break slightly earlier but hardly any wheel spin and you felt comfortable hitting 30mph. The car was holding its own against those massive jeep type 4x4. When some people see snow they panic. I haven't driven anything other then a scooby in snow so don't understand why lol. This year if it does snow I don't think I will take the Blob out because there are some really stupid drivers out there.

Pramas

just to add in here, any 1 ltr car doing 80mph will pass a 400 bhp scooby doing doing 75mph, i remeber a top gear program stating that lol, last i check it was true too

NOSSY_89

Mate it wasn't a straight line it was corners and I was being stupid. There are also many other factors involved like those drivers didn't know the road etc. I'm not going to argue with you on this because I will agree turbo is what you need. Why do you think I'm driving a 300bhp+ Blob. But what this topic is about is someone wanting a sport. I think a Sport is better then nothing.

I NEVER said a SPORT that is unmodded is out right FASTER then a SUPERCAR.