I don't have any friends who are clued up on the range of Subaru's so am coming here for some educated opinions.

I'm looking to move on from my well looked after Panda 100HP and aquire a Subaru WRX wagon/estate, my budget is ~£8k. I'd love to buy a Forester STI however they're just out of my price range, especially given the insurance on imported cars and my age (21).

This leaves me with the following options:

• 2002-2005 2.0L Bugeye/Blobeye (Insurance: ~£800, Price: £3-5K, Tax: £300)
• 2005-2007 2.5L Hawkeye
  • Standard Model (Insurance: ~£1000, Price: £5-7K, Tax: £500)
  • GB270 (Insurance: ~£1000, Price: Price: £7-8K, Tax: £500)

I like the look of all of the above equally, so that isn't of great concern. I'm looking to keep the car stock.

Any opinions of the overall best option for me to proceed would be greatly appreciated as I'm finding it hard to decide on what's the best option and keep changing my mind .

 

£5k will get you a really nice late Blob wagon, with the more reliable 2.0l. Keep some money aside to fix any immediate issues and any servicing that maybe due. Look for one with PPP otherwise they are quite slow as stock.

 

@ £8k your not far off forester sti money, save for the car you really want.

or if not i would go for a low mileage blobeye wrx wagon but bear in mind that even the youngest ones are now 13 years old so give it a good service and have a rolling road session to make sure everything is behaving as it should.

use decent fuel
dont scrimp on service items (plenty of specialists on here who can tell you what you need)

 

Thanks, I've seen some well looked after examples, albeit higher than I'd like mileage (~90k+, but to be expected given its age I suppose). Not many have the PPP, though. Could you suggest some primary indicators of 'really nice' condition that I can look out for when browsng the market?

You make a good point, there are some great condition FSTI's for ~£9K. However after having a look on the internet the average insurance premium is £400, and that's for 'low-risk' drivers. I think I should pursue a quote with some recommended insurers that I've seen on this forum to get a solid idea of finances before I discount the idea.

Is having a rolling road session a common practice before buying a performance car such as a Subaru? i.e. Is it reasonable to request to see the outcome of a rolling road session before purchasing the vehicle?

 

Blob sl, leather seats, remap and exhaust and you`ve got high 270`s hp, good economy compared with an STI. Look for full history, enthusiast owned example.
Check arches, and around the rear screen for rust, and inside the hatch door on the seams. Great all round load lugger.
Edit; rear shocks often knock on Blobs

 

My wagon will be up soon when I get I get a standard seat back in the drivers position and an alignment test Blobs are great, wagons are useful

 

 

Hi.
If you do need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line.
I had a Panda 100HP for 6 years. Great car and still miss it.
Regards,
Dan.

 

Thanks for the thoughts all. On further consideration stretching to buy a FSTI would leave me a little too little to play with.

Is it common practice/reasonable to request a rolling road session (at your own expense) before buying a performance car such as a Subaru?

I saw an immaculate 40k mileage blobeye SL on Autotrader the other day but I couldn't make my mind up as to whether it was worth their asking price (£7K) before it was gone . The extra luxury offered by the SL does appeal to me, so given your advice I'm keen to wait around on the market before I find a decent one (and stay away from the 2.5L's ).

Is the PPP something that can be retrofitted or does the car have to have had it fitted from factory? I'm concerned that if I limit my search criteria too much to Blob SL PPP I'll never buy anything!

Thanks Dan, I may need to get back to you in a few years when I move on to a Forester!

 

Not exactly a common model a Bug STI wagon, not likely to find one for sale in the uk, dam cool car though 🙂

Edit. One for sale on piston heads.

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...=newsnow.co.uk

 

 

I spotted that one yesterday, too. Looks in near perfect condition and low-ish mileage. I'll need to find out what the insurance will be on one of them, though, no doubt it'll be extortionate as it has 'sti' in the name!

It sure does, although the advisories/failures in the MOT history are a little worrying. I can't help but feel that I should spend more on a better condition example, even if it is less of a bargain.

 

Bigger, better built, more power, better spec and space. Tax £245. But I am biased.

 

 

I'll need to get an insurance quote on the Bugeye STI, although I suspect the buzzword 'STI' will send it past sensible levels!

I'm interested in the legacy spec-b, though. They seem a little more luxurious than the standard imprezas, how do they weigh up on insurance? That legacy you posted from Prodrift looks like a good example, I don't have an idea of the market, though - Is that a fair price?