Sunday 30th October 2016

Mazda Eunos Roadster/Subaru Forester STI: PH Fleet

JDM habit runs deep in the Trent family; could yet prove to be a rather costly addiction for all

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At what point do you decide whether a much loved but slightly tatty member of the automotive fleet merits a significant investment? Or should just be enjoyed as-is, taking a palliative approach maintenance as the inevitable looms? Put bluntly, is considering an expensive respray for the Eunos a sound investment in its future and 'keeper' status? Or burning money to create the four-wheeled equivalent of mutton dressed as lamb?

Tempting, but not tempting enough...

With my brother I've just been tyre-kicking another 90s JDM hero in the shape of a Mitsubishi Evo IV. This was inspired by a temptingly cheap one for sale at a motorhome dealer round the corner. And, yes, alarm bells were already ringing. Advertised at £4,995 the keenness for the chap to talk deals before I'd even opened my mouth suggested he'd let it go for rather less. But it was impossible to ignore the fact it'd need at least a couple of grand spending on it just to get it up to standard. The combined total of that and purchase price, as it goes, is about what you'd spend on a freshly imported example from Japan with no rust, dodgy mods or other scars following a decade of UK ownership/ragging.

As always, when buying a car it's always sound advice to go for the best you can afford rather than burn money bringing an old snotter up to the same standard. But what if you already own - and have a significant emotional attachment - to the old snotter?

The paint looks alright from here!

Hence a trip down the M1 to well-regarded MX-5 bodywork specialists Deepcar Autobodies in the hills north of Sheffield. Or, to be entirely accurate, the more scenic route over Holme Moss, this seeming a more Eunos-appropriate way of making the journey than sitting at a camera-enforced drone on the motorway. The kind of journey that instantly makes spending a multiple of the car's value on getting the paint sorted an entirely logical course of action...

In classic car terms my Eunos is a '20 footer' in that, from such a distance, it looks pretty good. Though there's no rust (thankfully) up close the illusion is harder to carry off, paint that's more patchwork quilt than overcoat, the scars of that rear-end repair I didn't notice in my excitement of buying it and a couple of dings and scrapes picked up along the way adding up to the need for a proper job. And that's what Deepcar will do. For about twice what the car is worth. Thankfully the work of Dave and his team is sufficiently in demand that he won't be able to touch it until March at the earliest, giving me a 'cooling off' period as I ponder whether it's actually a good idea or not. Impressive as it was I don't think I'm up for the full Pit Crew Racing conversion like the one rolled out of Deepcar's workshop as I arrived. A nice demonstration of the quality of their work. But I'll stick with the standard looks, ta.

Well it's an idea...

Meanwhile the other JDM car on the fleet is coming up to a year in my hands and is therefore in with local Subaru specialist Richard Henry Motorsport for an MoT and service. Added incentive for this came in the form of a dead speedo and refusal to rev beyond 3,750rpm, this apparently caused by the malfunction of the module installed to convert it from km/h to mph. An easy fix apparently but while it's in for the service it'll also be getting new discs and pads all round, braided lines going on while that's being sorted out. Easy enough you'd think but apparently seized bolts are an occupational hazard with the Brembo calipers on Subarus and even after an extended soak in penetrating oil, by the law of sod, seven out of eight came out fine. The final one is being helicoiled as I write. This will mess with my OCD but is, I guess, the pragmatic solution.

There is some 'good' news; apparently my '05 Forester uses the older 100mm PCD hubs rather than the 114.3mm ones on 2005-on Imprezas, meaning the replacement discs are significantly cheaper. Money saved that can, once again, be diverted to my continued (and long overdue) exhaust upgrade deliberations. Man maths. Ain't it a wonderful thing...

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FACT SHEET
Car: 2005 Subaru Forester STI (JDM import model)
Run by: Dan Trent/the long suffering Mrs Trent
Bought: December 2015
Mileage: 122,843km (at purchase)
Purchase price: £9,500
Last month at a glance: In for a service; discs, pads and broken speedo on to-do list

Previous reports:
Dan scores himself one of his all-time dream cars
Living the Subaru lifestyle dream
Dan versus JDM wind deflectors (with a little help from Sticky Stuff Remover)

FACT SHEET
Car: 1993 Eunos Roadster (JDM import model)
Run by: Dan Trent
Bought: January 2011
Mileage: Enough to justify pending expenditure? Probably not...
Purchase price: £1,250
Last month at a glance: Break out the rattle can!

Previous reports:
The answer to everything?
More exhaust noise? Don't mind if I do...
Skidfoolery at Silverstone on the eco tyres
Er, more skidfoolery at Silverstone on the eco tyres!
Hibernation? Not for this Eunos!
Sell it? Nah, I'll just drive it, ta
Spring comes along and heating mechanism packs up
Skids on hold as LSD bites the dust
Eunos out of hiding and expenditure looms

[Sources: FB Tuning]

[K2iss]

I'd love to have the Forester, seems like the perfect car for moving the dogs around, and have fun when alone in the car. Looks great in black too. Somehow with its boxiness, it looks less dated in design than the Imprezas of the same era.
Not sure my OH would be able to cope with the fuel bills though. Do you get anything above 20MPG?