RE: Turbo Forester is back, officially
Discussion
GC8 said:
From a performance perspective, an Forester is an Impreza: its little more than a cleverly designed Impreza high capacity estate, whereas the Legacy is a larger model.
If you want a car which isnt performance orientated then yes, the Legacy Outback is similar, but larger.
Or go for the twin turbo gtb all the speed, the same 4x4 and quieter/less wind noise than the foester.If you want a car which isnt performance orientated then yes, the Legacy Outback is similar, but larger.
GC8 said:
When did yo ulast see a reasonably new turbocharged Legacy though? Theyre pretty poor anyway, with sequential turbos complete with a massive boost gap in between them!
I had one back in the 90's. The manual was ok in that it was another 20bhp over the auto and you could avoid the lag. The auto was crap.Neither would keep up with either a PPP or STi Forester ... would be left for dead
I have a 2003 Forrester turbo, the 177bhp one. I've never owned a car which is such a hoot to drive. When the road is wet and slippy you can get the back end to wag its tail as the power goes from the front wheels to the rear ones.
It leans going into a corner and then just hangs on. It was amazing in the snow and I've covered more miles in it (45 of the 125,000 miles) than any other car.
The only downsides are the wind noise from those pillarless doors, the terrible body rigidity (mine has the giant sunroof option, which doesn't help) and the lack of rear legroom.
But, coming off a roundabout and taking it from 20mph to 60mph in second gear is an absolute laugh-riot. I will be sad to see it go.
It leans going into a corner and then just hangs on. It was amazing in the snow and I've covered more miles in it (45 of the 125,000 miles) than any other car.
The only downsides are the wind noise from those pillarless doors, the terrible body rigidity (mine has the giant sunroof option, which doesn't help) and the lack of rear legroom.
But, coming off a roundabout and taking it from 20mph to 60mph in second gear is an absolute laugh-riot. I will be sad to see it go.
GC8 said:
A highly speculative price from NewEra, but thats their thing...
With the exhange rate as it is Im surprised that anyone still bothers. When I imported cars from Japan sterling was worth 210-240 Yen - now youre luck to see half that.
Newera's prices are higher than most purely down to the condition the cars they sell are like brand new. With the exhange rate as it is Im surprised that anyone still bothers. When I imported cars from Japan sterling was worth 210-240 Yen - now youre luck to see half that.
Daniel, I imported many, many cars from Japan, all bought at auction and all top grade. I knew exactly how much any of their regular fare cost in Gd4 / 4.5 as well as the auction costs, cost of transportation, de-registration, storage and loading. I am/was also familiar with the cost of shipping, landing and clearing here in England.
Their cars are and always were extremely expensive.
Their cars are and always were extremely expensive.
I've had my 2003 Forester XT auto for nearly 4 years now, going from 40k to 90k miles. I get 25-29mpg on Vpower but I'm in the sticks so no sitting in traffic. I wangled 2 years Subaru warranty when I bought it and had a MAF sensor and one rear shock replaced with no quibbles. I've paid for new arb links all round, £169 fitted at the main dealer. Other than a pair of front discs and pads from Blueprint which I did myself, that's it. I suspect a wheel bearing may be on the way put now. It's still on the original exhaust. I'll probably keep it for a few years yet unless the main mechanicals start to get dodgy of which there is no sign. It feels as sorted to drive as when I bought it. I run Geolanders in the summer, better than everything else I tried, and a set of steel wheels and Vredstein Wintrac extreme from November to March.
If I ever sell it will be to get another newer, old model or a 3 litre Outback.
If I ever sell it will be to get another newer, old model or a 3 litre Outback.
beergibbon said:
Sshhhhhhh Pistonheads, don't tell everyone about the FSTI or my car won't be a sleeper any more! A new exhaust and remap and I have 340bhp / 360lb ft, which is more than enough. Removed the horrible pink stickers from the front though.
Yes indeed, not a fan myself of the front pinkies and mine were removed likewise !You don't by an FSTi for its looks you buy it for its sheer abilities on the road. If there's not enough room in an Impreza for you then this is the one to have. If you must have the looks, have a MUCH fatter wallet and want similar performance WITHOUT the practicality now then buy a Mercedes A45 AMG
IMO (having owned both)the XT is a much more accomplished sleeper though and all UK spec Forester SG XT's (224BHP)with a few cheap suspension tweeks will still have you grinning like a loon
CONS) Pistons are soft and head gasket failure on higher mileage 2004-2007 FSTi's are pretty common and its a costly engine out jobby to repair
Search Subaruforester.org (European section) for symtoms and experiences of failure and rebuildsAll JDM (Jap Domestic Market) FSTi cars are NOT undersealed so if it hasn't been done then there will be lots of surface rust underneath and its recommended to get it sorted rapido
You will have to run it on minimum 97 Ron UK fuel or higher
ADVISE) Buy one registered before April 2006 and its a few hundred pounds cheaper to tax (£280 compared to £480)
STRANGE ONE) Rear ARB on pre face lift models (2004-2005) are 19mm and face lift models 17mm
I have a 2005 Litchfield import with their 330BHP performance upgrade pack
BEWARE importers who will be happy to sell WITHOUT mapping for UK fuel
Edited by Stinkfist on Wednesday 21st August 13:22
Edited by Stinkfist on Wednesday 21st August 13:37
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff