'99 Subaru Impreza Turbo

[getawayturtle]

Just bought this yesterday, I've always wanted one since I was a little kid.
I've got lucky with this one, bodywork is in really good shape, huge spec with absolutely loads of work done to it, along with the history and paperwork to back it all up.

Only got pictures from the ad for now:





Spec list:
VF34 Turbo
STI top mount intercooler
3 port boost solenoid
Jolly Green Monster remap
K Sport 8 pot front calipers with 330mm discs
New age WRX rear calipers with larger discs
EBC Bluestuff NDX pads
Samco intercooler pipe & hoses
Walbro 255lph fuel pump
Eibach springs & Camskill shocks all round
Short shift gearchange
Oil temp & boost gauges
Whiteline droplinks
Whiteline 24mm adjustable rear ARB
Afterburner Raptor exhaust
Had the Prodrive performance pack, but all those parts have been replaced now

The end result is 326hp and 293lb/ft, lots of fun!!

Definitely wanting to keep hold of this one.

Edited by getawayturtle on Thursday 20th November 22:25

Edited by getawayturtle on Sunday 28th December 03:55

[getawayturtle]

[getawayturtle]

HonestIago said:

Looks a great example with some nice mods! I like the colour coded side skirts/bumper trim, makes such a difference vs the OE black plastic. I'll definitely get mine painted when I get my arches fixed/full respray done.

I personally would remove that front lip but that's just me!

Thanks I'm in two minds about the front lip, not sure whether to keep it on or spray it.

Edit: Just had a quick gander at your wagon, tasty!

[getawayturtle]

HonestIago said:

My own feeling is that the big front lip needs 18" wheels and/or a bigger scoop to look right, stupid as that may sound!

What's the mileage on yours and any sign of rust on the arches? I'd advise tetra-sealing them immediately if something similar hasn't been done. When I bought my classic 2 years ago the arches looked pretty much perfect but after one winter in NE Scotland they were showing rust pretty badly.

103k, and no signs of rust whatsoever, not yet anyway. Tetra-sealing? Tell me more!

Is that just a brand of underseal?

The underside is in good shape but undersealing hasn't been done. This car will be my daily driver so definitely considering getting it done soon.

[getawayturtle]

Altrezia said:

That looks excellent. They're great looking when not covered in tat.

Thank you, it was depressing looking through the market and seeing all the barried up shagged ones out there!

[getawayturtle]

Thanks for the kind comments chaps

As for the exhaust, it's probably going to stay. And yes, it's very loud!
Produces a lovely note though, will try get a video on here at some point.

[getawayturtle]

HonestIago said:

It's just a brand of underseal I think (Dad recommended it).

Give the car a thorough wash and scrape out any muck/dirt from the rear arches and hose them clean. You then need to leave the car in a dry garage and/or use fan heaters/a hairdryer to get the inside metal bone dry. Once you're certain there's no moisture, apply several coats of the sealant on the inner lip of the arches. Doing this has definitely slowed the rate of corrosion on mine, I just wish I'd done it soon as I bought the car.

Thank you, I shall add that to my to do list, sadly I don't have a garage, or even a driveway! Fan heaters and extension leads will be the way forwards

[getawayturtle]

Baryonyx - the only trouble with the exhaust noise is it's so damn addictive!!
A fact that will soon become apparent at the next V-power fill up

You're right about the feel of the controls, I've found the clutch & gearchange much heavier than on previous cars, but I've got used to it now and I like it. The steering feel is nice, reminds me of how my BMW 328 felt, in a good way.

Bluehawk - Definitely do it, you'll have a blast!

Chris77 - Cheers

BorkFactor - I found mine perfectly comfortable on the 3 hour trip from near Heathrow up to Shropshire, my interior doesn't rattle much or anything like that. As for the noise, I wouldn't be able to make a fair comment with the humungous exhaust on it To be fair I didn't find it bad, can hear the distinct burble very clearly but I wouldn't have called it intrusive, and there was none of this horrible loud exhaust droning. MPG wise, it's not as bad as people have said. Did the 150 mile motorway trip on £15 in my 1.7 diesel Astra, the Subaru was about £25 for the same journey using V-power. That involved a fair bit of enthusiastic driving too! At 70mph the revs sit at about 2700 IIRC.

[getawayturtle]

Mastodon2 said:

Looks fantastic OP, what a car. That exhaust must sound an absolute treat.

Thank you. IIRC, did your EP3 Type R used to have a really loud exhaust on it?
Did you ever get much flack for it off neighbors etc. ?

I have an exhaust bung but I'm debating if it's worth the hassle of fitting/removing it all the time.

[getawayturtle]

Had a more thorough look through the cars history - 28 service stamps at dealerships and specialists, at 105k!

Got some more snaps, the car coated in a thin layer of motorway muck, and taken at night time of course!

Edited by getawayturtle on Saturday 29th November 13:50

[getawayturtle]

[getawayturtle]

militantmandy said:

Superb! Once my Aero dies I think it'll be Scooby time. I'll be used to the fuel costs by then too.

Thanks Do it, they're a lot of fun. The fuel isn't too bad, I'm getting around 300 miles per tank, £60 to fill it. Depends what you're used to of course!

[getawayturtle]

andymc said:

without being nosy how much are these to buy now?

Depends what you want really, standard classics in good condition seem to be around 1800-2500.
Can pick up honest ones with some body issues from £1400. Imprezas priced under that tend to have some issues and little if any history/receipts. As for modified examples in good nick, obviously they can vary. Seen some for 4k and over. I've noticed the green & silver wagon variants seem to be the cheapest of the lot.

Of course at this time of year there is always chances to get bargains on ebay etc.

[getawayturtle]

danjama said:

Here's a hint - it's not. Keep it off. They can deal with it for a few seconds!

Edited by danjama on Saturday 29th November 18:27

If only I listened, can't get the fker out now

[getawayturtle]

militantmandy said:

About 25 is what I'm currently getting! My pal had a 300 ish brake classic wagon. It's a fantastic thing but in nowhere near as nice condition as yours appears to be in. He paid 1100 for it though which in retrospect seems like a very good buy.

Very glad to see yours isn't body kitted, slammed and cambered to within an inch of its life like so many you see around.

I'd say I'm getting around 25 mpg. £1100 for a 300hp scoob, what a bargain!! Fwiw, I paid 3k for mine. I originally set a budget of 2k for a car which I would slowly mod up, but saw this one in the ads and just had to snap it up.

Rang the seller and he said someone was coming with cash in full the next morning. I have no idea how true this was, but I didn't want to chance it. It took some convincing, ended up at the sellers house at 11pm with the cash after a 3 hour car journey Didn't even dare to haggle with him at that point!

Slammed and cambered scoobs make me sad, whats the point Each to their own and all that, but it's such a waste!

[getawayturtle]

militantmandy said:

Sorry I should have said. The car was totally standard when he bought it. He spent something around 2-2.5k on wheels, tyres, suspension, front mount intercooler, turbo rebuild, map, exhaust etc etc. Car still looks pretty standard though.

We drove all the way from Edinburgh to Shorpe to get his and it was the first one he saw! I think when you get the Subaru bug you get it bad!

Ah! Still a decent price. How long did that journey take?
My uncle recently travelled down from Aberdeen to Grimsby which isn't too far from Shorpe, a calamitous journey which took 12 hours!

PaulG40 said:

God it looks sooo good in those photos! I love the dark blue with gold alloys! Great car OP!

Thank you very much!

RB Will said:

I guess it had the PPP from the factory but I think (if memory is working) all the parts of the kit have been replaced/ upgraded. Think the Prodrive Pack normally involves an intercooler, exhaust, fuel pump and remap?

If you want a quieter exhaust I run a full Roger Clark system on mine (3inch al the way through with 4 inch tip) and its got enough noise without being silly. think it was tested at 92db at a trackday. my standard BMW was 89 and my old impreza with a blitz exhaust hit 112!! though managed to get that down to 98 with a Miltek.

best sounding one though was the standard system with a decat and magnex oval backbox.

You may have a point, I think the PPP has been reduced to the sticker on the boot lid now

And thanks for the exhaust info!

The main problem in terms of noise was cooling down the car when I get home after 12am, loud rumbling for everyone to hear for 1-2 mins. But I've just started cooling it out on the main road in a lay by and tip-toeing the car home for the last minute of the journey. Should be fine I hope as I'm usually off boost for most the journey anyway

[getawayturtle]

danjama said:

Happens to the best of us. Needle nose pliers should get it out with little fuss?

I hope so, that or I'm going to shove my jack handle in there and see if I can pull it out

Fonzey said:

Stunning example, good job!

I love my newage, but a tidy classic like this always turns my head.

Thanks, appreciate it Loving your blobeye sti, looks the dogs testies. Bet it's pushing out a fair whack too.

[getawayturtle]

Baryonyx said:

Mastodon's EP3 was really loud (it was local-ish to me so I heard and saw it on a few occasions). He didn't get any grief off his neighbours, but then he is lucky enough to have a garage down his street for it where he kept the car. You could hear it coming from a mile off though, if he was coming past mine you'd hear the car as it came down onto the other side of the valley. The noise wasn't particularly bassy or droning though, one thing you have to consider with the Impreza is that uneven gas pulse that gives it the characteristic burble is really obvious, some people find it really irritating and hard to ignore. If you've ever followed a loud Impreza down a tight little street and heard the way the soundwaves from it's exhaust resonate and echo, you'll know what I mean.

The questions of 'what will the neighbours say?' was something I considered when I got an exhaust made up for my 106 Rallye. I wanted it louder than the standard Peugeot exhaust, but not so much my neighbours would go nuts when I came home from work at 3AM after a late shift, or when starting it up at 9PM on a winter's night to defrost and demist it!

Then after all that, just make sure it's loud because they sound too good to be strangled. And they are every bit as exotic and worthy as any British V8 sports car that rattles and wakes up the neighbours day in, day out, so do it justice!

That loud was it?

I think you have a point, it would be rude to quieten the car Shame I don't have a garage or a drive, so it's always going to be out on the street. Best off to enjoy it and not to worry I guess, if someone runs their key down it I'll just get it fixed. I'm lucky my immediate neighbour doesn't give a st as he has a fking loud Harley Davidson

[getawayturtle]

RB Will said:

If you are not absolutely ragging it home I wouldn't worry about letting it idle.
I used to do it when I got my first one too after hearing the warnings about seized turbos etc but quit it after a few months. Chatting to the Subaru dealer even they didn't recommend doing it and didn't do it with their own cars.

The only time I worry about it now is after a track session I will give it a couple of mins sat in the paddock with the bonnet up and engine running. Any other time even on fairly spirited drives it just doesn't get hot enough to worry about.

14 years of Impreza ownership and so far (touch wood) no turbo failures.

Thanks I'll probably just forget about idling it then when I haven't been pressing on. Before I bought the car I was thinking of turbo timers, but seeing as I have a good oil gauge anyway, they don't seem worth bothering with.

[getawayturtle]

Fonzey said:

Cheers. It's actually going in for new turbo, headers, injectors, FMIC, clutch and some other bits later today - should be a hoot!

Excellent Do you have a thread for the car somewhere? Would be good to see the progress.