RE: Subaru Impreza WRX PPP: PH Carpool

RE: Subaru Impreza WRX PPP: PH Carpool

Monday 13th October 2014

Subaru Impreza WRX PPP: PH Carpool

PHer seeks to bring back a bit of burble to his life; Impreza wagon does just that



Name: Chris Thomas
Car: 2003 WRX Impreza Sports Wagon PPP (Prodrive Performance Pack)
Owned since: March 2014
Previously owned: Mk1 Mazda Eunos S Special Honda S2000 (early model with no traction control), 987 Boxster S

Petrolhead tendencies run in the family...
Petrolhead tendencies run in the family...
Why I bought it:
"Having only ever owned two-seater RWD sports cars and now in my 30s, I decided that a fast wagon was an itch that needed to be scratched, not to mention saving some money for a wedding and convincing the missus the next car I bought would be sensible. I've always admired a speedy load lugger and had my heart set on a B5 S4 estate. However, my friend has the saloon (albeit his car is far from standard) and I felt our group's stable was missing something a bit different. Growing up in East London/Essex the familiar thrum of the boxer four was almost as common as birdsong but seems to have become rarer in recent years. I missed that sound and craved it in my life again! After years of normally aspirated engines it was time to get me some turbo power!

"A brief tour of Scoobynet and PH indicated that the residuals on the Blobeye Impreza wagons were pretty much at rock bottom. After a few enquiries for cars that looked a bit shoddy, I lucked out when PHer MGZTV8 mentioned he was selling his PPP wagon (in WRX Blue and with STI gold wheels) due to his missus not allowing a stable of four cars - his loss was my gain but his grief was tempered knowing the Scooby was going to a good home. The drive back from Preston was done with no stereo on just listening to the engine noise. I still send the previous owner pics of the car's adventures to date."

Good for racking up the loyalty points
Good for racking up the loyalty points
Things I love:
"The warble of the engine and the burble of the Prodrive exhaust system. I deliberately went for a car with the PPP pack as it takes the power output up to circa 260hp. Prodrive was never sure of the exact figure per car but it certainly feels like there are 260 horses there. The whizz of the turbo spooling up and the 'push' back into your seat is also fun.

"Just going out for a blast in the countryside puts as big a smile on my face as any of my previous cars, probably more! It's also nice to get a nod or thumbs up from other enthusiasts - there just aren't that many wagons about.

Fast wagon for essential 'lifestyle' living
Fast wagon for essential 'lifestyle' living
"Finally, it's nice to own a car I can put all our stuff and two bikes in for when we go on holiday. In fact we had three mountain bikes in the back (with the seats dropped) and room for more when we were in Wales."

Things I hate:
"The stereo, it's awful, utterly woeful, especially coming from the Bose of the Porsche but then the noise on full chat makes up for it! Oh, and the cloth seats, although they are comfortable and hug you in, STI ones are desired. Besides that the only real hatred is from the missus towards the 'garish gold wheels' and big bonnet scoop which was taken from an STI by the garage the last owner purchased it from. I like them though as they feel in line with the heritage of the machine."

Costs:
"Well my customer loyalty points at the local garage have gone up but in general the fuel consumption is about the same as the 987 Boxster S (25mpg) and actually better on a run (30mpg+); adding Octane Booster does seem to help with the consumption too.

In its element on recent  Scottish roadtrip
In its element on recent Scottish roadtrip
"£450 was spent on STI Brembo front calipers, uprated discs and pads and another £150 on a thicker rear ARB and solid drop links. These have transformed the car's handling and stopping power and really inspire confidence when pushing on. The grip developed by the 4WD system is something to behold when put up against my previous cars."

Where I've been:
"All over the South of England and up to Wales for a long weekend. The drive back from Wales was probably the wettest conditions I have ever experienced yet the Scooby never missed a beat or gave any hint of loss of grip. I have planned and arranged a Scottish Highlands road trip for my car club in September and am eagerly awaiting getting the wagon up into its natural habitat!" [Since submitting his Carpool Chris has reported in that this took in Fort William, Applecross, Glencoe and Ullapool - it performed, he says, "Splendidly well!" - Ed.]

Brake upgrade from STI worthy upgrade
Brake upgrade from STI worthy upgrade
What next?
"There is an STI turbo up-pipe winging its way to me which should allow the turbo to breathe a little better and liberate an extra 10 or so horses. I have toyed with the idea of pushing for 300hp but I think the work done by Prodrive originally is more than enough whilst still allowing the car to be a comfortable family hack. I may look at coilovers at a later date but, again, don't want the ride to be compromised.

"After the up-pipe a fast road geo set up will be enough to satisfy my needs. In terms of cars, well, it depends what comes after the wedding. I quite fancy an STI widetrack but I've also got my eyes on an Alpina estate. Long live the fast wagon!"


Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!

 

Author
Discussion

MGZTV8

Original Poster:

591 posts

148 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
Well, as Chris has mentioned this was my old car and probably THE best of the 4 Scooby's I've owned.

What more can I say?

Miss it terribly but couldn't have gone to a better owner.

Keep up the good work mate and enjoy it!!!

mikesalt

108 posts

132 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
Good to see the brake upgrades being installed on the drive, not sent off to the garage to have this sort of thing done beer

treetops

1,177 posts

157 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
How much are these now - £1500?

crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
I'm trying to do as much as I can myself, that way I know it's done properly (albeit under the watchful eye of our tame mechanic friend PH tag 'MrGristle')....the Boxster was a no-go due to limited access to the engine etc. so I'm taking full advantage with the Scooby.

Those bloody stones are a killer on your back and knees though! lol

dapearson

4,252 posts

223 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
I had an 02 bugeye in mica blue (too dark IMO) 5 years ago. I always wanted a WR blue 03-05 PPP wagon. I test drove one a couple of years ago with the intention of buying it but the seller and its history weren't up to scratch. That was the best i could find so i gave up.

Jealous!

Ved

3,825 posts

174 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
Smart work work. Nicely written and I have to say, a magnificent (and pretty rare!) car you have.

What I like most is that you've done the mods in the right order and are sympathetic to the brand and the car. I wouldn't bother taking it to 300 as you're better off getting a Forester STI if you want that and the practicality. Keep it as is, add some better front speakers and a head unit, and it'll be a great friend for a very long time.

Enjoy!

Zed Ed

1,103 posts

182 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
great car; still miss mine

crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
treetops said:
How much are these now - £1500?
You can get them that low but I'd check it over thoroughly and expect to have to do work.

Expect to pay btw 2.5k and 3.5k depending on condition and mileage.

It's a lot of car for the money....it would murder my old 987 S in terms of 0-60 (the Porsche would step into it's own after that), so your 'bang for buck' is pretty good!

davidcharles

400 posts

193 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
up pipe (or down pipe) was one of the best upgrades i did on my old Skyline, the turbo's spool up quicker and stronger and added some extra gruff to the exhaust note...well worth the few hundred quid

leedsutd1

770 posts

185 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
I had 5 saloon"s 2 bug eye 3 blob eye in the past ,and agree the standard brakes and stereo are terrible ,although one of the cars had the PPP pack fitted at the main dealer when it was a year old ,power upgrade to 260 ,the bigger exhaust and better brakes ,the brakes were a lot better. one thing to watch for is worn shock absorbers ,they at the time I needed some about 6 years ago very expensive, and I tried lots of suppliers. They do like fuel when using all the turbo power ,think that was the only down side

Cactussed

5,292 posts

212 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
Our bugeye version of this is sort of up for sale. Not bothered doing anything about selling it as we are still coping with the new baby, but if anyones interested, feel free to get in touch. I will reply at some point, if not immediately.

TEKNOPUG

18,844 posts

204 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
I’m thinking of getting one of these at the end of the month, now that we’ve moved to deepest Cotswold’s. Ideally a late 2005 Blobeye model, with the SL trim. However, they are quite strong money for good ones and I imagine they have a way to drop still, especially if I am only keeping it for 6 months or so. A Bugeye fits nicely in the 3-4k bracket and there seem to be a few decent ones about at the moment. Not too bothered about PPP as I’d get the basic mods and a live remap done on a standard car.

I’m even considering a classic – an STi wagon falls comfortably in budget – not sure whether they are more compromised on drive/performance/comfort/reliability compared to a newage? I suspect just buy on condition and I shouldn’t be disappointed?

crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
TEKNOPUG said:
I’m thinking of getting one of these at the end of the month, now that we’ve moved to deepest Cotswold’s. Ideally a late 2005 Blobeye model, with the SL trim. However, they are quite strong money for good ones and I imagine they have a way to drop still, especially if I am only keeping it for 6 months or so. A Bugeye fits nicely in the 3-4k bracket and there seem to be a few decent ones about at the moment. Not too bothered about PPP as I’d get the basic mods and a live remap done on a standard car.

I’m even considering a classic – an STi wagon falls comfortably in budget – not sure whether they are more compromised on drive/performance/comfort/reliability compared to a newage? I suspect just buy on condition and I shouldn’t be disappointed?
The SL's are holding their value well.....once you start looking at cars beyond '03, the prices rise quite dramatically.

It's true, you can mod the car and map it easily past the PPP, I just went for it as it felt like a purer connection to the Impreza heritage i.e. Prodrive.

I've only been out in a classic.....felt that little bit more raw, but if you want the SL spec then the original is not the one to go for. Main thing to look out for on the classics is tinworm!

Gregor69

10 posts

118 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
Nice write up. I became the proud owner of a red 2005 Impreza wagon back in June. Standard apart from few suspension tweaks and remap by Andy Forrest, putting out around 280bhp. Absolutely love it, and have to agree about the sound, I still find myself driving around with the windows down. If you do a lot of biking a towbar mounted rack is a great idea, makes life a whole lot easier.

Motormatt

484 posts

217 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
These are great cars, I had an '04 saloon with the PPP pack from new, moved it on in '07 and I still miss it.

It did 30k per year for work and also took in several track outings and a European road trip that included a few laps of the 'ring. The brake upgrade is a worthwhile addition, although the standard ones never let me down, I had the fronts smoking more then once!

To answer the question about power and torque, this is taken from the official Prodrive Package Development document I was given with the car:

"The improved performance is produced through a carefully
developed combination of matched exhaust and engine
management modifications. This combination of enhancements
boost peak power to 265PS at 6,000rpm (previously 225PS at
5,600rpm on the standard engine) and deliver an impressive
348Nm of torque at 3,200rpm, an improvement of 16% on the
maximum torque of the standard car.
With the Performance Package fitted, the Impreza WRX has
more torque than the peak of the standard road car from
2,750rpm right through to 6,250rpm"

0-60 4.8
0-100 14.1
Standing Qtr 13.7

If you're interested in all the geeky stats, PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send you the PDF. It includes before and after dyno read outs and a full before and after in-gear time chart, along with lots of other stuff that only the most seriously afflicted PH'ers will find interesting.

It should go without saying that these need to be run on 97 RON to get the best from them.

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I did smile

TEKNOPUG

18,844 posts

204 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
crispyshark said:
The SL's are holding their value well.....once you start looking at cars beyond '03, the prices rise quite dramatically.

It's true, you can mod the car and map it easily past the PPP, I just went for it as it felt like a purer connection to the Impreza heritage i.e. Prodrive.

I've only been out in a classic.....felt that little bit more raw, but if you want the SL spec then the original is not the one to go for. Main thing to look out for on the classics is tinworm!
TBH, it's only really the heated seats that I want from the SL (the sunroof would be nice too). Can they easily be retro-fitted - ie: is all the loom present and they are just plug'n'play?

I wouldn't turn down a PPP'd car - certainly the mechanical parts are very good. Just the generic ecu is always going to be a compromise, especially after so many years, when components have been changed/worn etc, compared to a live map. More expense though of course.

I could buy a late SL but then I'd feel I had more of an investment in the car and I'd end up spending more on maintenance/fixes and be more concerned/careful driving, than if I had an older, cheaper version.

MGZTV8

Original Poster:

591 posts

148 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
Chris,

Fancy a Range Rover?

Reading all the comments is making me want to have it back.

I'm sure we can come to some arrangement smile

rastapasta

1,846 posts

137 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
nice pair of 29er's in the back man

usualdog

229 posts

162 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
I run a 2004 WRX PPP saloon daily driver. Previous owner did some mods and fitted coilovers but in the 18 months I've had all I've done is change the oil a couple of times, pads and put (quite a lot of) v power in it. It's worth next to nothing, but in the real world, there's very little that's faster from A-B but when I look at how much I'd have to spend to go faster, it makes so much sense. And the only car I've owned that sounded better was an Alfa 75 V6 but that's another story.

Edited by usualdog on Monday 13th October 17:28

Konan

1,817 posts

145 months

Monday 13th October 2014
quotequote all
I picked my '05 PPP wagon up a couple of years ago with just 17K on it. Now coming up on 57K.

New shocks at 30K ('05 plate has the failure prone inverted type.. I replaced them with '03 ones)

Standard front callipers are prone to sticking on. Had them refurbished with stainless pistons.

The PPP was good (had a standard one beforehand), but I added a straight ported up pipe and replaced the primary cat with a 200Cell Prodrive STi item and then had it mapped again. Got the spool down a few hundred RPM and torque @ 2K5 up 50%... which makes it quite a lazy drive for a turbo.

Only thing I will say is that's a rubbish estate thanks to the hatch coming down at an angle! Just because it sits on the boot floor don't expect to be able to shut the lid.

It's sort of a hatch-plus-a-bit.