Subaru Impreza WRX Ej20 JDM - practical family wagon?
Discussion
Morning all!
So, life in my MX5 and Sandero was good. But, when life changed and a child was added to the mix, not being able to go out in the nice car as a family was a bummer. I went looking at the usual family stuff, a couple of Insignias, some Volvos etc, they were nice - but made me feel i was missing the point a bit.
It took a lot of man maths - but i decided to fulfill a bit of a pipe dream and bought an Impreza WRX Wagon. Having a very supportive wife also helps...
After seeing a few- I decided to plump for a newly imported JDM WRX from Hurst Cars in Bedford. Having seen a few of their cars on various forums, they seemed well thought of and seeing some of the cars in the workshop and from talking to the owner and his mechanics - everything stacked up. So a deal was done on a Blue Wagon.
I was a bit sceptical about the condition until i saw it in person. But, in reality- the car looked as good as the photos. And crucially it was rust free and appeared to have been well looked after, fresh cambelt, fresh service etc. Ticked all the boxes. After a quick drive, a deal was done.
On the day of the pick up - i rocked up in the MX5, did the deal and then went cheerful about my way. I've never really got it - but when you've bought a car you really wanted- there really is nothing like new car day is there?
Cue shameless dealer photo...
The drive home was uneventful, and other than having to use my phone for Radio (top tip kids, JDM Radio's don't work in the UK and it's about this point that you'll realise that your once proud CD collection is now far to scratched to play properly). So she was tucked away for the evening.
So, life in my MX5 and Sandero was good. But, when life changed and a child was added to the mix, not being able to go out in the nice car as a family was a bummer. I went looking at the usual family stuff, a couple of Insignias, some Volvos etc, they were nice - but made me feel i was missing the point a bit.
It took a lot of man maths - but i decided to fulfill a bit of a pipe dream and bought an Impreza WRX Wagon. Having a very supportive wife also helps...
After seeing a few- I decided to plump for a newly imported JDM WRX from Hurst Cars in Bedford. Having seen a few of their cars on various forums, they seemed well thought of and seeing some of the cars in the workshop and from talking to the owner and his mechanics - everything stacked up. So a deal was done on a Blue Wagon.
I was a bit sceptical about the condition until i saw it in person. But, in reality- the car looked as good as the photos. And crucially it was rust free and appeared to have been well looked after, fresh cambelt, fresh service etc. Ticked all the boxes. After a quick drive, a deal was done.
On the day of the pick up - i rocked up in the MX5, did the deal and then went cheerful about my way. I've never really got it - but when you've bought a car you really wanted- there really is nothing like new car day is there?
Cue shameless dealer photo...
The drive home was uneventful, and other than having to use my phone for Radio (top tip kids, JDM Radio's don't work in the UK and it's about this point that you'll realise that your once proud CD collection is now far to scratched to play properly). So she was tucked away for the evening.
Whenever you buy a new car, or at least a car that's new to you - there are always a few details that need to be sorted out.
First think for me was to get rid of the old JDM head unit and replace it with something a bit nicer. Trying to keep things reasonably period correct looking - i dropped in an Alpine double DIN unit.
It think it looks heaps better - it give me all the usual modcons, bluetooth, phone etc. But keeps with the general time period of the car, us I could change the colour of the lights to match the dash lights. I paired it up with one of Alpine's awesome 4x50watts RMS inline amplifiers and everything sounds much better. I managed to hide the amp in the dash, just behind the heater controls - so visually, none the wiser.
First think for me was to get rid of the old JDM head unit and replace it with something a bit nicer. Trying to keep things reasonably period correct looking - i dropped in an Alpine double DIN unit.
It think it looks heaps better - it give me all the usual modcons, bluetooth, phone etc. But keeps with the general time period of the car, us I could change the colour of the lights to match the dash lights. I paired it up with one of Alpine's awesome 4x50watts RMS inline amplifiers and everything sounds much better. I managed to hide the amp in the dash, just behind the heater controls - so visually, none the wiser.
Fantastic top family wagon 
great pictures. Nice JDM car to, the UK Hawkeye WRXs with EJ25s aren’t as strong as I’m sure you are aware (though somewhat over exaggerated by the internet) and of course it will be supreme in winter conditions. What’s the back like for childseats?
We have a Outback 3.0R as the family bus, our first Subaru, they are really well put together, feels like it will outlast the Golf R it replaced despite being 12 years and 80k miles it’s senior & £17k it’s junior
. Switchgear and such like is all so robust, not horrendous to work on either. Would like an Impreza to go with the Outback though the Mrs still associates them with Burberry cap brigade and has a dim view on them, working on that..
Would recommend putting it in to Southwest rust proofing (or somewhere suchlike) later (just seen the clearcoat images) Ours is going to Southwest for some remedial work and protection in Jan. PH link here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
great pictures. Nice JDM car to, the UK Hawkeye WRXs with EJ25s aren’t as strong as I’m sure you are aware (though somewhat over exaggerated by the internet) and of course it will be supreme in winter conditions. What’s the back like for childseats? We have a Outback 3.0R as the family bus, our first Subaru, they are really well put together, feels like it will outlast the Golf R it replaced despite being 12 years and 80k miles it’s senior & £17k it’s junior
. Switchgear and such like is all so robust, not horrendous to work on either. Would like an Impreza to go with the Outback though the Mrs still associates them with Burberry cap brigade and has a dim view on them, working on that..Would recommend putting it in to Southwest rust proofing (or somewhere suchlike) later (just seen the clearcoat images) Ours is going to Southwest for some remedial work and protection in Jan. PH link here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
jwwbowe said:
Fantastic top family wagon great pictures. Nice JDM car to, the UK Hawkeye WRXs with EJ25s aren’t as strong as I’m sure you are aware (though somewhat over exaggerated by the internet) and of course it will be supreme in winter conditions. What’s the back like for childseats?
We have a Outback 3.0R as the family bus, our first Subaru, they are really well put together, feels like it will outlast the Golf R it replaced despite being 12 years and 80k miles it’s senior & £17k it’s junior. Switchgear and such like is all so robust, not horrendous to work on either. Would like an Impreza to go with the Outback though the Mrs still associates them with Burberry cap brigade and has a dim view on them, working on that..
Would recommend putting it in to Southwest rust proofing (or somewhere suchlike) later (just seen the clearcoat images) Ours is going to Southwest for some remedial work and protection in Jan. PH link here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thanks! great pictures. Nice JDM car to, the UK Hawkeye WRXs with EJ25s aren’t as strong as I’m sure you are aware (though somewhat over exaggerated by the internet) and of course it will be supreme in winter conditions. What’s the back like for childseats? We have a Outback 3.0R as the family bus, our first Subaru, they are really well put together, feels like it will outlast the Golf R it replaced despite being 12 years and 80k miles it’s senior & £17k it’s junior
. Switchgear and such like is all so robust, not horrendous to work on either. Would like an Impreza to go with the Outback though the Mrs still associates them with Burberry cap brigade and has a dim view on them, working on that..Would recommend putting it in to Southwest rust proofing (or somewhere suchlike) later (just seen the clearcoat images) Ours is going to Southwest for some remedial work and protection in Jan. PH link here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Yes I had heard about the fragility of the ej205 - suspect it's not that bad, but if you've got the choice, right? But what drew me to the Ej20 was that you can still hear the burble with the standard exhaust. For all the mid range torque it gained, the 2.5 seems to have lost the noise in standard spec sadly. Agreed though, there are times where it can feel a bit yobby - which i think personally is when they're badly modified, but keeping it tasteful should help. I suspect getting rid of the tints will also help immeasurably...
But car seats, yes. So, the isofix baby seat didn't work. The first seats are just too big to make sitting in the front passenger seat a comfortable place to be. So a belt in car seat fits much better. Honestly, was a bit disappointed with that, but hey - baby won't be in the baby seat for too long. A proper child front facing child seat will save that longer term
And reasonably practical...
Edited by munk on Sunday 14th November 12:09
Something that's really common on all Impreza's is that the rear window panels peel and lose their paint. They're made of stainless steel- so it's a wonder any paint every stays on frankly. As you can see from the pic below, my passenger side window panels were looking manky and letting down the car.
So, i whipped them and all the window frame trims off.
I gave them a rub with some set and dry and attacked them with a tin of Hammerite satin black.
For a little bit of effort and very little money, i think it looks loads better.
So, i whipped them and all the window frame trims off.
I gave them a rub with some set and dry and attacked them with a tin of Hammerite satin black.
For a little bit of effort and very little money, i think it looks loads better.
Edited by munk on Sunday 14th November 13:49
The next little job was to change the wheel nuts and give the centre caps a blow over. The wheels had been painted at some stage (not bad from afar, but up close - far from good), they are fine for the time being - but the centre caps were flakey and grotty from numerous previous owners attempts to paint them.
This is what I mean about JDM cars having some odd choices of modifications. An erstwhile standard car, with a rag-tag band of mix and match tuner style studs? No thanks.
I popped out the centre caps and stripped the paint back fully and painted them with boggo silver wheel paint from b&m The wife's nail polish remover was an inspired choice that I'd fully recommend to anyone attempting the same. Firing up the eBay account netted me some nice new studs.
Better, a lot better.
This is what I mean about JDM cars having some odd choices of modifications. An erstwhile standard car, with a rag-tag band of mix and match tuner style studs? No thanks.
I popped out the centre caps and stripped the paint back fully and painted them with boggo silver wheel paint from b&m The wife's nail polish remover was an inspired choice that I'd fully recommend to anyone attempting the same. Firing up the eBay account netted me some nice new studs.
Better, a lot better.
The next job on the list was to sort out somewhere for a phone to sit. If you've ever driven and Impreza you'll know that the windscreen is massive - which is a huge feature! So it would be a shame to spoil the view.
I've had really good experiences with Brodit Pro Clips in a couple of other cars, so the choice was easy. It just clips in between the two panel gaps and sits there, they are super stable. You can still operate the vent fully. In my case it also covers a patch where the paint has been rubbed - so a bonus! I've found an adjustable holder that I've been using in my Dacia for a couple of years. Fits my Google Pixel and work blackberry - which is positive. Would highly recommend. Only downside is that you need a specific holder - so it turns into a 40 quid investment. But it's just one of those things that makes so much sense when you've done it - that you forgive most things.
I've had really good experiences with Brodit Pro Clips in a couple of other cars, so the choice was easy. It just clips in between the two panel gaps and sits there, they are super stable. You can still operate the vent fully. In my case it also covers a patch where the paint has been rubbed - so a bonus! I've found an adjustable holder that I've been using in my Dacia for a couple of years. Fits my Google Pixel and work blackberry - which is positive. Would highly recommend. Only downside is that you need a specific holder - so it turns into a 40 quid investment. But it's just one of those things that makes so much sense when you've done it - that you forgive most things.
Edited by munk on Sunday 14th November 23:38
One of the first impressions a car makes is the gear knob. I'm probably going to get a lot of stock for this, but my car came fitted with a Sti classic gearknob. It was worn, lumpy and a little bit gross.
While i was at it, i figured i could kill two birds with one stone. I really enjoyed driving the car, but the gearshift was like stiring porridge. Coming from the MX5 where the gearshift was rifle bolt direct, i found the gearshift really disappointing. It was sloppy and easy to miss the 2/3 shift. So an eBay short shift kit was bought and fitted.
I was really surprised, for not a lot of money it shortened up the shift across the gears and the new bushes tightened things up nicely. I topped it off with a new OEM (ish) shift knob. Amazingly happy with this - should have done it immediately!
While i was at it, i figured i could kill two birds with one stone. I really enjoyed driving the car, but the gearshift was like stiring porridge. Coming from the MX5 where the gearshift was rifle bolt direct, i found the gearshift really disappointing. It was sloppy and easy to miss the 2/3 shift. So an eBay short shift kit was bought and fitted.
I was really surprised, for not a lot of money it shortened up the shift across the gears and the new bushes tightened things up nicely. I topped it off with a new OEM (ish) shift knob. Amazingly happy with this - should have done it immediately!
Edited by munk on Sunday 14th November 14:58
What a fantastic car. Really like the work you've done already.
I had a Blobeye WRX wagon a few year ago, it was a brilliant thing. In the end I had to sell it as the rear room just wasn't enough for bigger children.
From memory the JDM WRX's are more powerful (250 hp?) than the UK version.
I had a Blobeye WRX wagon a few year ago, it was a brilliant thing. In the end I had to sell it as the rear room just wasn't enough for bigger children.
From memory the JDM WRX's are more powerful (250 hp?) than the UK version.
R12many said:
How do those window trims come off as I need to do mine?
It's not hard. You need to pull off / pull out the rubbers, unscrew the whole top door strip. There are two panel clips under the window panels. The whole lot can come off as one. You will have to break / cut the spot weld to remove the window panels themselves from the door strip. Like anything Subaru, it's like it's made of Lego. It's all super simple and self explanatory once you get going. Fyi - invest in some plastic trim removers. Also, if you're going to remove the rubber seals on the tops of the window panel and door trim - buy some Bostick and a couple of micro clamps, otherwise mask them up. Cambs_Stuart said:
From memory the JDM WRX's are more powerful (250 hp?) than the UK version.
Yes, that's the one. Fairly comparable to a 265bhp PPP, but a bit revier. I downloaded an acceleration app last week and had a quick go, it would be rude not to.
I absolutely don't believe it, but i reckon it's a solid 6-6.5 second car.
Ah Subaru, it's a good thing you're fun to drive - it really helps forgive a whole range of sins. Chief amoungst which has got to be the build quality. Don't get me wrong, it's not exactly falling apart - but almost 20 years has not been kind. The plastics are the kind that would have been rejected by most plant pot manufacturers - and dear god, it's like driving in a biscuit tin filled with gravel.
This last week has been all about rattle chasing. So I'm a big fan of MVStewards threats here - his 500bhp fiesta is a fave. But, a threat that really caught my eye was where he set about rattle hunting in a VW Golf. Shamelessly copying this - I ordered an unnecessary amount of Tessa fleece tape from Amazon and a bucket of spare trim clips from Halfords and set about levering off most of the interior trim.
The first step was to remove all of the panel clips and tape up the receiver slots. There was a huge amount of slack in how the trims fitted, the slips slotted in place - but just rattled around in their slots. Little wonder.
Next, I taped up the panel clips on both sides.
Putting the two together - there was no slack / movement.
A pic of a completed panel.
Sadly I forgot to take photos when refitting, but each clip hole was treated to a layer of fleece tape, any retaining clips were removed and treated the same.
What a difference, there are still some rattles - but a huge amount better. The car feels newer and is a much nicer place to be. A really good way to spend 15 quid (and the better part of my weeknights).
This last week has been all about rattle chasing. So I'm a big fan of MVStewards threats here - his 500bhp fiesta is a fave. But, a threat that really caught my eye was where he set about rattle hunting in a VW Golf. Shamelessly copying this - I ordered an unnecessary amount of Tessa fleece tape from Amazon and a bucket of spare trim clips from Halfords and set about levering off most of the interior trim.
The first step was to remove all of the panel clips and tape up the receiver slots. There was a huge amount of slack in how the trims fitted, the slips slotted in place - but just rattled around in their slots. Little wonder.
Next, I taped up the panel clips on both sides.
Putting the two together - there was no slack / movement.
A pic of a completed panel.
Sadly I forgot to take photos when refitting, but each clip hole was treated to a layer of fleece tape, any retaining clips were removed and treated the same.
What a difference, there are still some rattles - but a huge amount better. The car feels newer and is a much nicer place to be. A really good way to spend 15 quid (and the better part of my weeknights).
Not a lot of work has happened on the Subaru recently. But that has meant more time for driving. Really enjoying it so far - it's really easy to drive, really sure footed. Currently averaging about 26mog, which compared to my wife's 1.4 Tipo at 33mpg- is not that bad! Obligatory photo on the New Forest.
Finally got around to the most important thing of all...
Finally got around to the most important thing of all...
Edited by munk on Sunday 12th December 00:24
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