my old an new cars: focus st and rb5.

[rb5230]

Hi guys, I thought I would put my newest car into readers cars as it is currently my favorite bit of pistonheads, also a couple of pics of my old Focus ST-3 which I had before for about 2 and a half years.

I bought my Impreza RB5 WR Sport in November and so far just upgraded the sound system to an Ipod/usb compatible alpine unit with hands free kit so I don`t get any more points for using my phone.









The Impreza has a few dings which you probably don`t see in the pics but as the panels are so thin they are so easily dented, I would love to get them done at some point along with stone chips so probably need to just get the whole car painted, which is a pretty expensive job so will have to wait for now.

Edited by Ahbefive on Monday 20th March 11:37

[joshG]

Ive always been put off subarishis due to the chavvy image these days but that looks very cool looks so clean

[ScottishSamurai]

That is a very very tidy Subaru. If you keep that standard, I imagine it will be worth a lot in a few years! Also, I thought the ST-3 was the facelift?

[rb5230]

Thanks guys, to be honest when it comes to image i am not bothered. I see plenty of "chav" sorts in new bmw`s/range rovers etc so am happy to be driving a car that ticks all the boxes that a huge car just would not for me.

The ST3 was the later spec pre-facelift version with the black headlights, which is easily my favorite out of the bunch. I am not so keen on the proper face lifted shape.

I will be keeping the Impreza standard bar the brakes and just tidying it up a bit as and when I feel the urge although it is currently already in fantastic condition. I just want to refurbish the wheels and one day get the bodywork perfect etc as I am a fussy git.

Edited by Ahbefive on Monday 20th March 11:39

[BoRED S2upid]

Love the RB5 i'd be keeping that pristine for a long time, better than money in the bank! not a big Focus fan.

[wy906]

May I ask roughly how much you had paid for the RB5? It seems that good ones like yours are getting very rare.

Good work!

[rb5230]

wy906 said:

May I ask roughly how much you had paid for the RB5? It seems that good ones like yours are getting very rare.

Good work!

Thanks again. Well they are pretty rare anyway with 444 being built and less than half of them being WR Sports and a lot having been written off or scrapped.

The car has 73k on the clock with full Subaru specialist service history. I did look at a fair few before buying this one (over a year of searching) and there were a lot of ropey or modified examples around.

To be fair the pics do well to hide the few dings and tiny marks about the paintwork which I would like to get done at some point, but after several months searching I did end up buying by far the best condition one around and with the most comprehensive service history and without rusty arches etc.

Edited by Ahbefive on Monday 20th March 11:43

[wy906]

rb5230 said:

thanks again, well they are pretty rare anyway with 444 being built and less than half of them being wr sports and a few having been written off.

Thanks for the reply.

There is one at the classified listed for only £5k with full history which I think is excellent value and I’m very tempted.

It claims to be a totally standard car but it hasn’t got the WR Sport pack, which is a shame. Is this a major minus point?

I’ve had a look at the rb5oc.co.uk, and it mentions WR Sport pack benefits the following:

- Prodrive High wing (similar to the new STi 5 but with the brake light on the wing rather than boot lid)
- New ECU, exhaust, and air filter
- Inter-cooler piping

I guess they can be retro-fitted should one wishes, and probably not all that important.

I’ll go and ponder...

[spaceship]

Both excellent cars.

How does the Impreza compare to the Focus, in terms of handling, performance, looks?

[rb5230]

wy906 said:

rb5230 said:

thanks again, well they are pretty rare anyway with 444 being built and less than half of them being wr sports and a few having been written off.

Thanks for the reply.

There is one at the classified listed for only £5k with full history which I think is excellent value and I’m very tempted.

It claims to be a totally standard car but it hasn’t got the WR Sport pack, which is a shame. Is this a major minus point?

I’ve had a look at the rb5oc.co.uk, and it mentions WR Sport pack benefits the following:

- Prodrive High wing (similar to the new STi 5 but with the brake light on the wing rather than boot lid)
- New ECU, exhaust, and air filter
- Inter-cooler piping

I guess they can be retro-fitted should one wishes, and probably not all that important.

I’ll go and ponder...

Well I can honestly say I really would heartily recommend one. I looked at a P1,a Terzo and a few 2000 turbos before I decided I wanted an RB5. I drove a non-WR version that was advertised as standard and if felt very quick but had a dump valve so obviously it was not standard as advertised, who knows what mods it had to accompany it. That too was advertised as FSH but had about 10 stamps in the book. Being over 10 years old they should now be on 20 stamps and the 3rd cambelt, as services are at 7500mile or 6 month intervals with a cambelt every 3 years or 45k miles whichever is soonest. Another I went to see with alleged FSH had 7 stamps and nothing for years and was sporting blacked out windows and looked like it had seen better days.

Every one I went to see before this one had large gaps in their service history or were due or overdue a cambelt service (which with tensioners can be quite expensive) and yet were advertised as FSH.

I don`t think the WR pack makes a huge difference but I do prefer the unique rear wing to the standard one on the RB5 as fitted to other 2000 turbos, although all the bits can be retro fitted if you are lucky enough to find the parts (the WR sport dials I have seen on ebay for £150 and the rear wing can be very expensive if you can find one), but an ecutek remap will give more power than the WR pack.

I would buy on history and condition and hope to find a WR Sport. They are a great bunch on the RB5 owners club too and are always spotting the new ones for sale.

Good luck if you decide to go for it, and don`t be tempted to buy the 1st one you see as the quality can vary massively but you will probably just want one there and then once you have driven it.

Edited by Ahbefive on Monday 20th March 11:45

[rb5230]

spaceship said:

Both excellent cars.

How does the Impreza compare to the Focus, in terms of handling, performance, looks?

Thanks. Obviously the focus is a more heavily built car which is made to be very comfortable and refined, as a result it does feel much less nimble than the RB5. The Focus soaked up the bumps in the road very well even with 18 inch wheels whereas the suspension on the Impreza is a much more sporty ride with less roll but still very compliant.

The Focus got great reviews when it was released by all the motoring press and really is a brilliant car and I have only ever heard people on this website say otherwise, which leads me to believe that perhaps they have never driven one. I think the focus ST`s main problem is/was that they were produced in quite a high quantity making them not very exclusive and set up to be more of a comfortable cruiser than a focused (no pun intended) performance car.

The Focus being heavy was a very surefooted car but obviously the Impreza being 4wd and about 200kgs lighter wins on traction, has stiffer suspension and it feels an event when driving it. It really is quite manic most of the time which makes it so much fun. They are both cars which make a lovely noise.

I would say they both feel similarly paced cars once rolling but obviously the Impreza has the off the line advantage, but where the focus ST had no turbo lag the RB5 can be caught off boost if in the wrong gear where the focus would pretty much pull cleanly in every gear. This is not to say the RB5 is laggy though, it really is not, it is just a case that the ST seems to have instant grunt low down that every turbocharged car I have driven has lacked.

So basically for comfort and long distances the Focus would be a clear winner but for fun, agility, all weather capability, exclusivity, character, and a sense of occasion the RB5 really is very hard to beat.

Edited by rb5er on Thursday 19th February 17:17

[wy906]

Many thanks for the info., most helpful. I haven't registered with rb5oc.co.uk yet so couldn't browse their 'for sale' forum, cheers.

Good P1s are out of my price range; RB5s seem to tick every boxes, and more exclusive than normal Scooby classic.

Thanks again.

[Probein]

Lovely motor. Just bagged myself an rb5 too - superb car. Have fun!

[rb5230]

Probein said:

Lovely motor. Just bagged myself an rb5 too - superb car. Have fun!

Good stuff you will love it.

Edited by rb5er on Thursday 19th February 17:17

[thebigmacmoomin]

Im liking both cars.

I would like to make the jump from a Focus ST3 to am Impreza too. Have to wait till im 25 in Jan. Im after a WR1.

[rb5230]

And yesterday I replaced my Citroen ZX work hack (can be seen in one of the pics)which just needed too much work for the M.O.T. Replaced by this Subaru Legacy 2.5 GX Lux, which so far I am very happy with other than yes its very gold. Comfortable and with lots toys the gold has grown on me a bit though.

I doubt its to every ones (or any ones) taste but it seems a damned lot of car for the money, AWD, climate control, heated leather seats, cruise control, 2x electric sunroofs (sunrooves??), 4x electric windows, CD player with USB port etc etc. I would like to take off the towbar but I know it keeps rubbish drivers from parking on my bumper.

Edited by rb5er on Thursday 19th February 17:21

[rb5230]

Just an update:

So after a week of having my legacy I found out the head gaskets were weeping oil... great.

Anyway the dealer gave me a couple hundred quid to help me out getting them done which was better than nothing and I was never going to ever be bothered to try taking them to court over it. I have now had the head gaskets done along with all other engine gaskets,a new clutch and a cambelt kit including tensioners and now it is running nicely, not a cheap job but my local mechanic did do it for a very reasonable price indeed (£850) considering Mr clutch who are pretty cheap at clutches quoted £500 for just the clutch.

Happy motoring again.

Edited by rb5er on Thursday 19th February 17:23

[SR06]

rb5230 said:

thanks guys, to be honest when it comes to image i am not bothered. i see plenty of "chav" sorts in new bmw`s/range rovers etc so am happy to be driving a car that ticks all the boxes that a huge car just would not for me.

the st3 was the later spec pre-facelift version with the black headlights, which is easily my favourite out of the bunch, i am not so keen on the proper facelifted shape.

i will be keeping the impreza standard bar the brakes and just trying to tidy it up a bit when funds permit. i just want to refurb 3 of the wheels and one day get the dings done etc.

Badge snobbery makes my p1ss boil! Hence why I happily went from B7 RS4. To a Corsa VXR.

Nice toys!

[rb5230]

SR06 said:

rb5230 said:

thanks guys, to be honest when it comes to image i am not bothered. i see plenty of "chav" sorts in new bmw`s/range rovers etc so am happy to be driving a car that ticks all the boxes that a huge car just would not for me.

the st3 was the later spec pre-facelift version with the black headlights, which is easily my favourite out of the bunch, i am not so keen on the proper facelifted shape.

i will be keeping the impreza standard bar the brakes and just trying to tidy it up a bit when funds permit. i just want to refurb 3 of the wheels and one day get the dings done etc.

Badge snobbery makes my p1ss boil! Hence why I happily went from B7 RS4. To a Corsa VXR.

Nice toys!

Thanks, I do like those Corsa VXR`s. Bet its a laugh to chuck about and probably underrated because its a Vauxhall.

Edited by rb5er on Thursday 19th February 17:24

[jimblive]

Nice to see another WRsport on here, looks good.