Wrx PPP wagon - taking me a while to find

Wrx PPP wagon - taking me a while to find

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Cactussed

5,301 posts

219 months

Tuesday 8th January 2013
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That's an interesting read. although I suspect you could achieve much the same with an exhaust and remap as you said. Its simply whether you fancy paying for the quasi factory spec or not I suppose?

_Batty_

12,268 posts

256 months

Tuesday 8th January 2013
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Cactussed said:
That's an interesting read. although I suspect you could achieve much the same with an exhaust and remap as you said. Its simply whether you fancy paying for the quasi factory spec or not I suppose?
A lot of insurance companies don't list the PPP as 'factory' and when you mention the modded pipe to the intercooler, they can get a bit 'jumpy'.


Zaim

142 posts

211 months

Tuesday 8th January 2013
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I've always thought the PPP was just offered from the dealer and was thus warranted. This far into a WRX life I would agree a PPP is desirable but then a well looked after WRX with the required mods would make similar if not more performance. Then there's the recommendations of decating the headers and upgrading the fuel pump, etc.

However you could also keep a look out for a bugeye STi wagon as you get more than just an uprated engine and it makes circa 280bhp as standard. Or even an STi Forester.

Cactussed

5,301 posts

219 months

Tuesday 8th January 2013
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I need to remember that its just a station car after all is said and done. Not a weekend toy, so not worth going for the sti I don't think.

ScoobieWRX

4,863 posts

232 months

Tuesday 8th January 2013
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WRX won't leave you disappointed believe!! Very capable and very quick!!

IMHO in wagon guise it's a much better looking vehicle than the 4dr and handles better. Out of the box 0-60 time is very similar between the WRX and the STi too.

Buy one, you'll be chuffed you did smile

Cactussed

5,301 posts

219 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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When living in Oz, Dad had 2 of them from new (a bug eye and a hawk eye) so I've spent some time in them (hence the purchase decision).

the other thing I'm struggling with is a decent buyers guide. I found some good references to corrosion on the front subframes and A-frames, but I'm struggling to find anything comprehensive in one place...

Also, values seem to be a bit all over the shop?

rb5er

11,657 posts

178 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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ScoobieWRX said:


IMHO in wagon guise it's a much better looking vehicle than the 4dr and handles better.
Looks is always a subjective opinion, but "handles better" ?????? Where do you get that from?

ScoobieWRX

4,863 posts

232 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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rb5er said:
ScoobieWRX said:


IMHO in wagon guise it's a much better looking vehicle than the 4dr and handles better.
Looks is always a subjective opinion, but "handles better" ?????? Where do you get that from?
Wagons have a stiffer body.

rb5er

11,657 posts

178 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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ScoobieWRX said:
Wagons have a stiffer body.
Where on Earth did you hear that? And even if true (I`m sure its not) why would that automatically make it better handling? Plentyof cars are better handling than plenty of much more rigid cars.

They feel EXACTLY the same to drive.

ScoobieWRX

4,863 posts

232 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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rb5er said:
ScoobieWRX said:
Wagons have a stiffer body.
Where on Earth did you hear that? And even if true (I`m sure its not) why would that automatically make it better handling? Plentyof cars are better handling than plenty of much more rigid cars.

They feel EXACTLY the same to drive.
They aren't the same to drive. There are subtle differences and the body on a wagon is 120% stiffer than 4dr cars. This will allows your chassis and suspension to work better.

rb5er

11,657 posts

178 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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ScoobieWRX said:
They aren't the same to drive. There are subtle differences and the body on a wagon is 120% stiffer than 4dr cars. This will allows your chassis and suspension to work better.
They really are EXACTLY the same to drive. I`d love to see where you get that the body of a wagon is over twice as rigid, any informative links?

I hate to say it but that is pure BS. By your reckoning the wagon is what they should have been rallying all those years?

Any proof for this statement at all ????

And again a stiffer body does not automatically make a better handling car at all, as anyone that has owned a classic and a newage will know wink

ScoobieWRX

4,863 posts

232 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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rb5er said:
ScoobieWRX said:
They aren't the same to drive. There are subtle differences and the body on a wagon is 120% stiffer than 4dr cars. This will allows your chassis and suspension to work better.
They really are EXACTLY the same to drive. I`d love to see where you get that the body of a wagon is over twice as rigid, any informative links?

I hate to say it but that is pure BS. By your reckoning the wagon is what they should have been rallying all those years?

Any proof for this statement at all ????

And again a stiffer body does not automatically make a better handling car at all, as anyone that has owned a classic and a newage will know wink
I've driven hundreds of newage cars and from experience i much prefer the way a wagon rolls. They feel more planted mid corner, and on rough and undulating country roads they drive very tight.

I like the turn in too, i find 4drs tend to wash out at the front just a bit too easy. A wagon for me over and above a 4dr every time and for lots of relevant reasons.

If you don't agree with what i say that's fine. I read about the body being 120% stiffer a long time ago and i don't remember where i read it. It's not bullst. I will find the info and post it up when i do.

Both cars not only feel slightly different to drive but in my experience the wagons handle better, and it's noticeable. There is also extra bracing under the rear passenger seats and extra built in rollover protection at the rear of the roof on the wagon that the 4dr doesn't have. That all adds up to a more rigid body so i don't doubt the info i'd read.

Before you dismiss something as bullst please go out and disprove it. Equally, just how many newage wagons and 4drs have you driven?

rb5er

11,657 posts

178 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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ScoobieWRX said:
If you don't agree with what i say that's fine. I read about the body being 120% stiffer a long time ago and i don't remember where i read it. It's not bullst. I will find the info and post it up when i do.

Before you dismiss something as bullst please go out and disprove it. Equally, just how many newage wagons and 4drs have you driven?
Sorry it is bullst as I said. It seems you are getting mixed up, I`m sure it was just a mistake rather than really attempting to spin lies but the facts are the facts. The bugeye/newage cars are 120% stiffer than a classic impreza, the wagon is not stiffer than the saloon. A quick google search shows that. Even thinking that 2 cars that are the same and yet one is over twice as stiff seems a bit silly.

And I have driven lots of Subarus in all guises for many years having working in a car supermarket that sells them as well as many friends being owners of imprezas.

Before you say something you should check its true and don`t get antsy in pantsy if someone pulls you up on it.

I can find plenty of articles relating to the newage being 120% stiffer than a classic but not a single one to say a wagon is stiffer than a saloon. Easy mistake to make but don`t continue to stick by your guns when your "facts" are obviously wrong.

ScoobieWRX

4,863 posts

232 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
quotequote all
I map these things for a living and i have driven hundreds of them in anger. In my experience a wagon drives better than a 4dr for the reasons i have stated. I'd be more than happy to put that into practice any time you like.

Newage cars are stiffer than classic, and by 120%. Maybe i did get the % mixed up but im sure i read some time back that sportwagons have a much stiffer body than the 4dr cars, and i'll find the info. This is something that also extends to the NewGen cars where the hatchback is stiffer bodied than the latest 4dr.

The fact there is extra bracing to the floor pan and roof on a wagon bares this out. Equally A-B pillars may be identical with both cars but C-pillars on the wagon are much wider and that would make the rear 1/4 stiffer again. Both cars weigh virtually the same too, just a few kilos heavier for the wagon which i put down to the extra bracing and rear body metal.

I'm not in a tizzy about anything but i do hate being called a bullstter when there was no bullst intended.

rb5er

11,657 posts

178 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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ScoobieWRX said:
I'm not in a tizzy about anything but i do hate being called a bullstter when there was no bullst intended.
I know you did not intend to mistake your facts, but they certainly were mistaken.

I could also point out many reasons why I think a saloon is stiffer, smaller rear opening, no large open area at the rear, loads of extra structure around the booted area etc etc but without ANY evidence for either I think we can be pretty certain that they are likely just as stiff as eachother.

If you think they handle vastly different then I can only put it down the placebo effect, (you are looking for it to handle better) or different tyres/geometry etc etc as it is not something I have ever felt before or heard mentioned before in real life or on the internet.

Of course feel free to prove me wrong with any links or literature that you can find that says that they are very different cars to either drive or in a structural sense as everything I can see points to them being the same but with a different bodystyle.

WeirdNeville

6,000 posts

221 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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The evo article I linked above notes subtle differences in wagon/saloon handling. I took it with a pinch of salt. I just needed somewhere to put my dog.

rb5er

11,657 posts

178 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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WeirdNeville said:
The evo article I linked above notes subtle differences in wagon/saloon handling. I took it with a pinch of salt. I just needed somewhere to put my dog.
Evo said: The five-door feels subtly different to the saloon; a little softer-edged, a touch more inclined to understeer where the saloon errs more towards neutrality. A little more body roll, a tad more loading of the chassis; it's not ultimately as sharp as an Evo (or an STi) but it's a friendlier place to be.

First I have heard of them feeling at all different and the reverse of what Scoobiewrx was saying, hmm.

ScoobieWRX

4,863 posts

232 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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WeirdNeville said:
The evo article I linked above notes subtle differences in wagon/saloon handling. I took it with a pinch of salt. I just needed somewhere to put my dog.
I have to say i get the opposite from a factory standard wagon over a 4dr. I find 4dr scoob to be a tad lively under very hard braking and a bit more understeery in the corners. Doesn't feel as well planted either on bad roads. Maybe it is the way i drive and what i subconsciously expect from each car but i'm not consciously aware that i drive these cars differently to each other.

I'm more bothered about how the cars are performing at the time rather than how they are handling but often, and specially on roads i know extremely, well i do tend not to press on as confidently in a 4dr as i do in a wagon and i get that from the way a car generally drives before i decide to get on with it.

I concede that tyres will play a large part in the handling department on a factory standard setup and it has to be said tyre quality, manufacturer, type, tyre pressures all come into play.

Clearly we all interpret stuff in different ways but i can't deny my driving experiences on the whole and for me it has to be a wagon.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

60 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-SUBARU-IMPREZA-Wago...

This one looks keenly priced. I'm not going to be able to get down to it but someone might be close. Seller only has 3 feedback and looks to have been on eBay for 5 minutes which seems odd. Might be worth a look though.

TB

Cactussed

5,301 posts

219 months

Wednesday 9th January 2013
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That looks pretty spot on I think!
Apart from looks, is there much difference between a bug eye and a hawk eye?