Mr Knight

First post and first thread, howdy all!!

I joined Scoobynet as I was looking for a UK owners forum with plenty of activity and would hopefully offer up the information I am chasing.

I have been in the market for a newish car for a little while now after hitting 21 and getting more than a little bored of driving a Corsa for 4 years I have had more than a little drama finding a replacement (because my derv Corsa is just so orgasmic to drive ) including looking through EP3 Type R's, Astra VXR's, Mini JCW's, Focus ST's etc etc.

Anyway, after a chat on the phone with the saucy sounding but possibly pirahna faced lady from my Insurance regarding quotes I asked for a figure on what it would take to insure an 07 Hawkeye STI and an 08 Hatch STI to which point she soon replied "It would cost £4k to insure you on the 2007 model, however the 2008 Hatchback would cost less than £2k.........."

So here I am chasing up buying advice on an 08 Scooby STI

I am aware that they seem to commonly suffer some kind of detonation issue due to the mapping?

Also does anyone have any other known common faults found in models of this year? Things to watch out for when viewing/test driving?

Any info is much appreciated

rob84

iTrader: (5)

Welcome to SNet,

the reason the hatch is cheaper to insure is because there arnt as many around as the 07 sti's so arnt that well known for being stolen or smashed up from what I'm aware.

Make sure the car has had the ringland fracture download completed if you are keeping the car std, if not then get it remapped asap. Plus also set aside a good few £K's incase its been ragged to death by the previous owner and needs a new engine in the near future.

Other than the above they are relatively trouble free

sparkey67

i,ll second what rob says !!

mines got 55k on clock had engine rebuilt by rob after ringlet failure under warrantry
& spot on now , dosent seen to b alot around & done stand out like 07 etc so u dont get hassle , they r totaly differnet cars to older models really nice car to drive

Mr Knight

Ringland fracture download? ECU reflash I take it?

I know the Hatch is not too old so obviously some possible issues won't show yet but are there any little issues that have shown yet?

Thanks for the reply.

rob84

iTrader: (5)

yes there was a download from subaru to eliminate the issue.

Mines done 57,000 miles and the only issue it had was an engine at 30,200 miles

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

The reason the hatches are cheaper to insure is that everyone mistakes them for a Focus/Kia/Rover 25, so NO-ONE WANTS TO NICK THEM, let alone buy them. LOL

Mr Knight

When was the download released?

rob84

iTrader: (5)

early on in 2008 if i recall

Quinvy

That's very insulting to the Ford Focus which is a fine looking car in my humble oppinion.

Agree with your analogy in as much as nobody would want to steal the very ugly sti hatch.

riiidaa

iTrader: (2)

Ugly or not, it seems a great opportunity for a 21 yr old to get sub £2k insurance these days

bushiwarrior

the reason its cheaper to insure is partly down to it being more pedestrian friendly and other safety features eg more airbags etc

Mr Knight

The fact its a 300bhp hatchback should still be enough to send shivers through an insurance company

StrikE

iTrader: (3)

Good to see the antiques roadshow attending again!
08 Hatches are fantastic cars, practicality with decent power & up to date interior.
Some people don't like them in the same way people thought the world was flat...... same mentality!

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

I think your insurance quote will be incorrect, it will probably cost the same for both, as both are in the 40+ insurance category and you are 21 (if they insure you at all that is as most companies wont touch anyone under 25 on one of these cars).
Going from a corsa to a subaru is a bit of a jump, parts, insurance, fuel etc, for example I was chatting to my local dealer yesterday when mine was in for a service, a pollen filter is now £25 quid an oil filter is now £12+ and IM really are not helping the matter by increasing the price parts every other week.

I can give you a good comparison on costs as I run an Astra H CDTI 1.9, compared to the scoob, I use a full tank of fuel (similar size to the scoobs) well id have a bit left tbh, so a full week of there and back, is 40 ish litres of diesel, same journey is 90ish litres of super unleaded.
Your in town MPG will be around 16-18mpg in a scoob, on a run your looking at mid to high 20's, you may hit 30mpg or if you go really slow, low to mid 30's.

Delve into it a little deeper, you may be shocked by the running costs, hence why most people run 2 cars when they have a scoob, normally a cheap diesel or small engined petrol for work, and the scoob for weekends.

Tony

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Ah yes, the old "antiques" reasoning.

So..........
400bhp classic weighing 1240kg (320bhp/tonne)
or a 300bhp Fugly weighing 1510kg? (198 bhp/tonne)

That extra quarter of a tonne sure does make it a better car..........LOL

Now, remind me again, Impreza: shopping trolley or raw rally car?

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

That's what I did, 30k a year mileage is a in a scoob!

TX.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Now come on, that is cheating, if you have a uk classic its 1240kg(ish), but with 400bhp I can say hand on heart, its going to be well into the 1300kg region after you have added all the extra weight of parts that are needed to stop it exploding
Bigger wheels add weight, uprated clutch adds weight, bigger brakes add weight, that bigger gearbox adds weight, that front mount adds weight etc, id say you were not far off that "lardy" hatch now

Tony

paulbu

A 400 bhp classic ! I must have missed that one. Subaru didn't tell me that they were producing Imprezas with twice the bhp than the one that they supplied me with.

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

i wasnt a fan of the hatch but take a look at rob84s one.
i have seen it on a local forum and ive got to say id love it, the mods on it enhance the look so much.

StrikE

iTrader: (3)

LOL

So...... ok this is 2012

Do me a favour, go into the bathroom, look in the mirror and give yourself a hard slap back into the new millennium

In the close twisties the hatch pisses all over the classics, bugs, blobs & hawks & a standard hatch with the elephant payload....... me so that would be a half ton more in weight

chopperman

But you forgot to factor in the weight savings from parts that have fallen off or rusted away

urban

iTrader: (1)

The hatch is a great car mate - despite all the haters on here would have you believe

Much nicer to drive than the previous models and it also handles much better in my opinion too
If you can, look into getting the 330S model
Fantastic Recaro seats, good sat nav, and its also keyless which is great

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

But it LOOKS LIKE SH!TE.

P1Fanatic

Insurance wise Im sure the hatch was cheaper than a Hawkeye STi last time I checked.

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

2008 hatch is cheaper than a 2007 hawkeye... just checked on admiral.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

I did the same, there is very little in it.


2007 sti 1379.94
2009 sti 1278.18


Tony

Note the above is for a 43 year old driving for 20+ years at my sisters post code (which is pretty good), do you think a 21 year old will be anywhere near that?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

The extra insurance over the first £500 is to guard against paint damage after people have been sick over it

Or damage caused by people laughing themselves silly and beating on the panels as they do

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

not a fan then? lol

mickp

iTrader: (1)

Four attempts to express his opinion on this thread, so i guess not

One of a rare breed that has trouble stating a view but can't move on. The Hatch has this ability to keep pulling them in

Wait for the fifth post

StrikE

iTrader: (3)

330s is a slightly better option but you will find them harder to source & they cost a few £1000 more.

Worth it for the gadgets tho.

Recarro seats


Keyless entry with push button start


The little black square on the door handle is the push button vehicle entry/exit, or use the remote buttons.


I am sure the classic had those refinements as standard!
Didn't they?

If not i am sure a bottle of this stuff will come in hand