Litchfield Type -25.
Discussion
After several weeks of deliberation, I'm down to choosing between two cars. One is a Noble M12 3R, which I have previously owned and missed since I sold it and I'm getting the bug again. (Consider the 3R a better road car than the M400). The other is the Litchfield Imports Type -25 (new model).The car itself is fantastic, but maybe some of you can allay some of my concerns.
Image: The A-line spec. is very discreet with no big spoilers, no lairy paint etc, wopuld that be enough to get it away from the Scooby "bit chavvy/ boy racer thing" ( no offfence meant to any owners).
Resale:Obviously a limited market, but what do we think?
Entertainment : When you're not caning these cars,is there a lot of car left i.e. when poodling what is there to enjoy?
Price: Can't get my head around a £40K Impreza.(Thats nearly 1 year old RS4 money which also appeals, as I love V8's.) Should I instead take it from the angle that point to point it's probably one of the quickest cars out there and in fact its a totally re-engineered car,not a Scooby or am I kidding myself!
This type of car, having driven a few have never appealed before,but the Litchfield Type -25 is sensational. I don't need the 4 seats ( wife has the family car)so the Noble has a head start there along with the excitemant factor, but would be a pain on some days when conditions aren't ideal.
Whatever I go for it would be en everyday car.
Look forward to people views!
Image: The A-line spec. is very discreet with no big spoilers, no lairy paint etc, wopuld that be enough to get it away from the Scooby "bit chavvy/ boy racer thing" ( no offfence meant to any owners).
Resale:Obviously a limited market, but what do we think?
Entertainment : When you're not caning these cars,is there a lot of car left i.e. when poodling what is there to enjoy?
Price: Can't get my head around a £40K Impreza.(Thats nearly 1 year old RS4 money which also appeals, as I love V8's.) Should I instead take it from the angle that point to point it's probably one of the quickest cars out there and in fact its a totally re-engineered car,not a Scooby or am I kidding myself!
This type of car, having driven a few have never appealed before,but the Litchfield Type -25 is sensational. I don't need the 4 seats ( wife has the family car)so the Noble has a head start there along with the excitemant factor, but would be a pain on some days when conditions aren't ideal.
Whatever I go for it would be en everyday car.
Look forward to people views!
Thanks for the reply dotdog. I know what you mean about the Noble, thoroughly enjoyed ownership of the car, but at the time it became a garage queen so I sold it.Now whatever I buy will be an everyday car (counts against the Noble).I have no interest in dust-ups, just making very quick disreet progress and the Type-25 "A-line spec is perfect for that. Just wondering if it's going to be/feel special enough in everyday use.
shadowninja said:
Not sure what one of these looks like. Never heard of them. Anyway, one thing that'd worry me on a £40k Japanese car - residuals. You'd get back less on these than you would on an RS4 even if it is a rare Impreza. Look at the P1 - low teens now and it's only 3 years old(?).
ah! www.type-25.co.uk/
415bhp. Sounds good. Still question resale.
ah! www.type-25.co.uk/
415bhp. Sounds good. Still question resale.
Resale does concern me a touch but having spoke to them at length they assure me every secondhand one gets sold relatively quickly, albeit in a limited market, and having watched their website for months that appears to be true.There's an old model on their website at £25K, and that was £34,000 new in late 2004.......not bad.And it's one of those rare occasions where I've not had to listen to bullshit, they appear to be trustworthy, and their name in Scooby circles is excellent.
I've driven the RS4 and it's superb, but my wife has a CLS and it might be a bit too similar/( in a refinement/luxury way/ cosseting sort of way).
The stumbling block for me on the Noble was/is the bloody awful detailing and it's something I'd have to address for everyday driving (calling Noblemods!)and the fact that sometimes I felt a bit self-conscious driving it, maybe I'm getting old!
Already driven the Litchfield Type-25 at Xmas the car is simply astonishing! I've been down the 2 car route before i.e everyday car and Noble, and it didn't work because there was always a reason NOT to take it,weather, speed bumps,steep drives, dodgy area etc.The Nobles are however getting seriously cheap this time of year,and thats whats tempting me back as much as anything. A lot will probabaly depend on what sort of deal I can crack with either car. Thanks for everyones responses.
peterpeter said:
vixpy1 said:
Is a great car.. yes?
would i buy one.. no
You can have a used 996 turbo for 40K
Or you can get a 22B and stick a 2.5 with 450bhp in it
would i buy one.. no
You can have a used 996 turbo for 40K
Or you can get a 22B and stick a 2.5 with 450bhp in it
didnt we talk about this on sat. night???
sjc...Id go for the Licho...in fact I probably will soon myself.
So PeterPeter, a plan.! Give wife and I a Pistonheaders discount for our cosmetic dentistry and I'll put in a good word with Iain and Tim at Litchfield o.k.?
shadowninja said:
Not sure what one of these looks like. Never heard of them. Anyway, one thing that'd worry me on a £40k Japanese car - residuals. You'd get back less on these than you would on an RS4 even if it is a rare Impreza. Look at the P1 - low teens now and it's only 3 years old(?).
ah! www.type-25.co.uk/
415bhp. Sounds good. Still question resale.
ah! www.type-25.co.uk/
415bhp. Sounds good. Still question resale.
I'm sure P1's would be coming up to 6 years old now not 3, and the driving experience doesn't resemble at all, any Scooby/Evo I've driven in performance, handling and just as importantly ride comfort and tramlining.
Bloody Hell thats a great advert for it! One little problem is as you say a "full house" Type-25 is £44K and for that you can get a 1 year old RS4. I might be willing to sacrifice a teeny bit of outright performance then for a better place to sit, more obviuos resale etc? The demo they had has been sold and I was hoping to save a few quid by having that so it's going to have to be a new one if at all.
The decision is so tight between the Type-25 and another noble it might simply come down to whatever deal I can strike.
The decision is so tight between the Type-25 and another noble it might simply come down to whatever deal I can strike.
Gazboy said:
£45k on an Impreza? I couldn't do it.
I assume you haven't driven it? It's astonishing, like nothing I've driven before and in A-Line spec looks just like the cooking family version, totally stealth.
Gazboy said:
What is it that you don't like about the R34GTR btw?
Unforunately, the styling, the old interior,the image just not me at all, until the Litchfield I had no interest in any Jap 4 wheel thingies.
Gazboy said:
The 996TT or C4S or mk1 GT3 could be contenders also? What about an M3 CLS? New Corvette? NSX? Monaro VXR500?
996TT image,styling,interior,found it boring to drive (albeit quick), don't like big bills.
C4S As above but without the (albeit quick) bit!
Can't bring myself to even think about a BMW and although the CSL is apparently great it's a 2 pedal car which is a no-no for me.
Corvette, LHD only and look at my penis.
NSX, are now we're talking,had a long chat with Chiswick Honda (had 2 CRX's in the 80's/90's),but, interior very dated, can't switch passenger airbag off for car seat, and I'm gonna find it a bit slow.........lovely though.
VXR500.I had one of the first HSV GTS-Rs brought over in 2001 (410BHP) and it was the best car I ever owned (had it 4 years) It's just been sold in the classifieds again by the present owner. I've driven 9/10 Monaro's and TBH there's something that doesn't quite click after the HSV. They feel much heavier and the rack is slower and having driven the VXR500 to me , it felt a bit crude after driving an RS4.Oh and the supercharger whine got on my nerves and it didn't feel anywhere near 500BHP quick. a standard new VXR 6litre at £26K now though is a good car for cracking money.
Gazboy said:
£45k throws up a hell of a lot of options.
It does! Also out of the equation is the Gransport, nearly as disappointing as the std 4200 and it's 2 pedals again. Sl55AMG 2 pedals,Paramount XKR 2 pedals.
If I was into borrowing money for cars I'd get the V8 Aston, no question........but I'm not!
No offence to any owners of the above cars, only my experience/ opinions.
So it's Type -25, 3R or RS4. Nope I'm not paying near list for a 1 year old car so it's still the Type-25 or the Noble.!
Bugga why didn't that come out in individual quotes, now it looks a bloody mess!
Edited by sjc on Saturday 27th January 17:08
Formatting fixed by Gaz.
Edited by Gazboy on Saturday 27th January 18:55
scoobiewrx said:
I think the type 25 is one of those cars that will always be in demand to the very discerning buuyer. It is as rare as rocking horse droppings and will always be so. Much rarer than anything else you can get for the money. I wouldn't look at it as an Impreza either.
If Subaru were really smart they would have thought of making something along the lines of the Litchfield before Litchfield did, and to be fair you have never ever driven an Impreza that drives anything like or is as well sorted as the Litchfield.
As soon as i have the cash together i will buy one and i haven't even test driven one yet....but i know it's that good i would pay for it before i test drove. I would like a bit more BHP out of it as well so there must be some extra tweakes they can do. I would have said 500 very relaible BHP was available, and probably a bit more!!
The smart money is on the Litchfield and i doubt it will depreciate that much, and in fact i feel it would be a good investment!!!
If Subaru were really smart they would have thought of making something along the lines of the Litchfield before Litchfield did, and to be fair you have never ever driven an Impreza that drives anything like or is as well sorted as the Litchfield.
As soon as i have the cash together i will buy one and i haven't even test driven one yet....but i know it's that good i would pay for it before i test drove. I would like a bit more BHP out of it as well so there must be some extra tweakes they can do. I would have said 500 very relaible BHP was available, and probably a bit more!!
The smart money is on the Litchfield and i doubt it will depreciate that much, and in fact i feel it would be a good investment!!!
At last! someone who "gets it". It's nothing like an Impreza, and rarer than any of the other cars mentioned. Thats why most people buying them already have hyper/supercars etc.
Gazboy:-The GT3 mentioned is lovely but its an 8 year old Porsche with big bills on the horizon against a brand new car, I hate big bills (been lucky so far) and I'd get a 550 if I wanted an older car anyway.I've done a LOT of homework on how these things depreciate and I'm not as scared as I was, see previous post for examples, and for more power there is an intercooler mod to 450BHP, (£1500 + vat).Thats the last thing it needs though!
Peterpeter, don't know too much about the GP tuner edition other than they were built for the Tuner Gp success and they had one on their website at £34995 that sold.
sjc said:
Gazboy said:
£45k on an Impreza? I couldn't do it.
I assume you haven't driven it? It's astonishing, like nothing I've driven before and in A-Line spec looks just like the cooking family version, totally stealth.
Gazboy said:
What is it that you don't like about the R34GTR btw?
Unforunately, the styling, the old interior,the image just not me at all, until the Litchfield I had no interest in any Jap 4 wheel thingies.
Gazboy said:
The 996TT or C4S or mk1 GT3 could be contenders also? What about an M3 CLS? New Corvette? NSX? Monaro VXR500?
996TT image,styling,interior,found it boring to drive (albeit quick), don't like big bills.
C4S As above but without the (albeit quick) bit!
Can't bring myself to even think about a BMW and although the CSL is apparently great it's a 2 pedal car which is a no-no for me.
Corvette, LHD only and look at my penis.
NSX, are now we're talking,had a long chat with Chiswick Honda (had 2 CRX's in the 80's/90's),but, interior very dated, can't switch passenger airbag off for car seat, and I'm gonna find it a bit slow.........lovely though.
VXR500.I had one of the first HSV GTS-Rs brought over in 2001 (410BHP) and it was the best car I ever owned (had it 4 years) It's just been sold in the classifieds again by the present owner. I've driven 9/10 Monaro's and TBH there's something that doesn't quite click after the HSV. They feel much heavier and the rack is slower and having driven the VXR500 to me , it felt a bit crude after driving an RS4.Oh and the supercharger whine got on my nerves and it didn't feel anywhere near 500BHP quick. a standard new VXR 6litre at £26K now though is a good car for cracking money.
Gazboy said:
£45k throws up a hell of a lot of options.
It does! Also out of the equation is the Gransport, nearly as disappointing as the std 4200 and it's 2 pedals again. Sl55AMG 2 pedals,Paramount XKR 2 pedals.
If I was into borrowing money for cars I'd get the V8 Aston, no question........but I'm not!
No offence to any owners of the above cars, only my experience/ opinions.
So it's Type -25, 3R or RS4. Nope I'm not paying near list for a 1 year old car so it's still the Type-25 or the Noble.
Edited by sjc on Saturday 27th January 17:08
Formatting fixed by Gaz.
Edited by Gazboy on Saturday 27th January 18:55
thanks Gaz! Cyber face you're on my wavelength! I can't bring myself to spend £40K on one,middle30's would be ideal, but the Cosworth Type -25 has only been out months so there are no secondhand ones around.They do it in Spec C and A-line ( my favourite)guise both have the 2.5. A standard jdm spec C has the 2 litre. At £40K it's a bit too close to 1 year old RS4 money.Still dithering!
It wouldn't be the Audi badge that made me get the RS4, I've driven one and it's a bloody
great car, nearly got one last year but at the time it was a bit small for what I needed, although thats changed now.
Regarding the old model Type-25, still very good but it felt a bit more like a tuned Impreza than I'd like.I think it's the Cosworth engine that gives the new car its real character and made it feel sufficently different from other Scoobies to A- nearly justify its price and, B-realy make me think about it!
great car, nearly got one last year but at the time it was a bit small for what I needed, although thats changed now.
Regarding the old model Type-25, still very good but it felt a bit more like a tuned Impreza than I'd like.I think it's the Cosworth engine that gives the new car its real character and made it feel sufficently different from other Scoobies to A- nearly justify its price and, B-realy make me think about it!
peterpeter said:
sjc said:
It wouldn't be the Audi badge that made me get the RS4, I've driven one and it's a bloody
great car, nearly got one last year but at the time it was a bit small for what I needed, although thats changed now.
Regarding the old model Type-25, still very good but it felt a bit more like a tuned Impreza than I'd like.I think it's the Cosworth engine that gives the new car its real character and made it feel sufficently different from other Scoobies to A- nearly justify its price and, B-realy make me think about it!
great car, nearly got one last year but at the time it was a bit small for what I needed, although thats changed now.
Regarding the old model Type-25, still very good but it felt a bit more like a tuned Impreza than I'd like.I think it's the Cosworth engine that gives the new car its real character and made it feel sufficently different from other Scoobies to A- nearly justify its price and, B-realy make me think about it!
andrew,
are you looking to do track days in your next car?
tif
Do you think I should do them before I get my teeth done then?
ScoobieWRX said:
MilnerR said:
ScoobieWRX said:
I'll wait till i get the Litchfield
A litchfield was on my list, I just couldn't quite justify spending 40k on a car. However my next car will almost certainly be a type 25, just got to start putting a bit of money to one side. The type 25 is the STi that subaru should have built. Mine drives pretty well so I can't imagine how good a Type 25 must be. A car you can go to the shops in, have a family holiday in and then blast past a £120k supercar in. Absolutely!!
Yep me too. I've thought lomg and hard about this over the last 6 weeks or so ( don't make rash decisions me!)and I can't bring myself to spend £40K on it. The car is bloody good but at that level the price is a Psycological (spell?) barrier. At 35 grand it would be much more tempting, but I don't s'pose you'd then get the Cossie engine that gives the car so much character.So anyway when they've been out a year...........................
vixpy1 said:
sjc said:
but I don't s'pose you'd then get the Cossie engine that gives the car so much character.So anyway when they've been out a year...........................
Its just a 2.5 subaru engine, which happens to have been built buy Cosworth, any good engine builder would build you a 2.5 for far less money, which is just as good.
Wouldn't disagree ( although it's in fact designed, developed and built by Cosworth) but it wouldn't have the kudos of a "signed" Cossie engine , and having driven it back to back with the previous Type-25 350 brake 2.5, it really does make the car.
Beemer-5 said:
ScoobieWRX said:
vixpy1 said:
ScoobieWRX said:
I don't think it is a lot of money for what you're getting
I do
OK...enlighten me..why do you think it's a lot of money, and could you get exactly the same results, to the same quality of a fully specced Litchfield, for less money.
What other comparable vehicles are out there with the same practicality and turn of speed both bottom end and top end. I'm not talking about looks either as that really is subjective, but pound for pound on par with the Litchfield.
A 56-plate Evo 360 for £27,000 would be better value.
Drove the EVO 360 the day before I drove the Type-25. Not in the same league at all.
As I said, not in the same league.A totally bespoke re-engineered allrounder compared with a production car that I could never have as a day to day car with its on/off throttle ,poor ride, rubbish noise, nasty interior,silly service intervals and image.(No offence meant to owners all IMHO!)I've driven both virtually back to back and there's only one I would consider owning.Those who are talking about "you can get an engine with a zillion HP for blah blah so its crap value" are totally and utterly missing the point of the whole car.You'll only "get" the car by driving it. Oh, and if we're talking tuning, another 50BHP is £1500
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