Impreza RA/R32 GTR or Evo 4/5 for weekend/track use?

[leemarkadams]

Been looking for a while for a car to throw around country lanes at the weekend and also use for trackdays.

I was looking at a variety of things such as VX220s, Elises, etc..but after going in a friends UK model 98 Impreza Turbo I was very imprexxed as to waht you get for the money.

It has got me thinking of looking at a Jap car for weekends and track day use, as they are very well priced at present.

I would really want to spend up to £5K, and it would be a second car and not used everyday.

I am thinking of either:

1. Impreza Turbo STI RA.
2. Evo Lancer 4 or 5.
3. Skyline R32 GTR.

The Impreza would be cheaper to buy, but would it be most suitable for track use. I would try to avoid one tat is too modified, as I am 36 years old!!

Any thoughts welcome

Lee

[ScoobieWRX]

They are all very awesome vehicles. nice choices!!

However for £5K you could get yourself a pretty reasonable Scooby RA in very nice condition. I am biased though being a scooby owner. Just love the character and the way they drive. Nothing like it!!

Evo 4/5 again probably pick up a really nice one for a bit more than £5K, more hardcore than the Scooby, sharper too and more track focused but the scooby always felt better planted on B-Roads. I've driven both now on B-Roads and prefered the Scooby. Just my choice, not saying the scooby is a better car.

Skyline, not my department. You see plenty of them at track days, look lovely, very tuneable although GTR owners i know have to pay top dollar for parts, fabulous bit of kit though!!

You have got some tough choices there. I only wish i were in your shoes with £5K to spend, although i would probably spend it on more mods for my Scooby. Good luck!!

Modding performance Jap cars is just like eating Pringles......Once you start you just can't stop!!

Edited by ScoobieWRX on Sunday 14th December 12:07

[Wadeski]

I would be a little bit careful with that budget, especially if you want to track something. I'm sure people who own these cars and track them will come along to tell me I'm talking bks and they are impeccable, but here is my two cents from driving and considering all of these:

£5k is right in Evo 4 territory, but they will some miles on them and if you break it its likely to be expensive to fix. And if you are caning it around on a track, breakages are more likely than you might expect for any of these cars. As a weekend toy though, its a good bet, especially if there are good roads near you. The same applies to the Scooby.

Personally I wouldnt look at a five grand skyline GTR - they are really NOT cheap to run and its a bit of a risk, especially if you intend the car to have a fairly 10/10ths life! An R33 GTST or similar RWD, single turbo skyline is within budget, but its a heavy old barge for a track sg. Yes you can make a lot of power on it, but doing that isnt particularly cheap either, and heavy car + abuse = wear and tear. If you have a few grand on hand to fix things if luck turns against you, by all means get a Skyline they are a great car. But if you dont...

For a five grand fun car I would look at a modded MR2 Turbo or turbo'd MX-5. Lightweight, powerful, and serious fun to drive. Just be careful in the wet .

The market for MR2s has dived recently, you can get a mint 300bhp+ rev4 MR2 for less than your budget. No back seats on the MR2 or the MX-5, however!



this one, with 320bhp, just sold for three grand. List of proper mods as long as your arm (intercooler, suspension, exhaust, fuel pump etc)

Edited by Wadeski on Sunday 14th December 12:30

[leemarkadams]

Thanks for the replies, must say I am swaying towards either an Impreza STI (RA?) or an EVO.

The MX5 and MR2 do not appeal to myself at present.

The silly thing is you can buy an STI for about £3K....yes it will not be the nest, but then I would ave loads of cash left to sort out any niggles etc...and if I bend it on track it is not a great loss!

So, I guess it is keep looking time.

Lee

[GravelBen]

Go for an STi-RA

(folk who say Evos are sharper have generally only driven regular Scoobs rather than RAs)

[ScoobieWRX]

GravelBen said:

Go for an STi-RA

(folk who say Evos are sharper have generally only driven regular Scoobs rather than RAs)

Yeah yeah!!...

[RFSA 180]

I would pick the scooby, purely because it will be cheaper to run. EVO/GTR servicing is more frequent than the scooby and more expensive (I used to have an Evo VI).

Of course, depending on how good a driver you are you could take the RWD skyline GTS option. They are cheaper to buy and the engine is the same...and hence, has the same potential...the potential to destroy your mind in a sideways frenzy of rice rocket awesome.

[GravelBen]

The GTR and GTS-T engines are decidedly not the same.

GTR: RB26DETT 2.6 twin-turbo
GTS-T: RB20DET 2.0 single turbo (R32)
RB25DET 2.5 single turbo (R33)

And even the R32 is a fair big bigger and heavier than a Type-RA Impreza.

[RFSA 180]

GravelBen said:

The GTR and GTS-T engines are decidedly not the same.

GTR: RB26DETT 2.6 twin-turbo
GTS-T: RB20DET 2.0 single turbo (R32)
RB25DET 2.5 single turbo (R33)

And even the R32 is a fair big bigger and heavier than a Type-RA Impreza.

Yes I knew that, I just presumed that nobody would buy a 2.0 as that is gay, very gay. Furthermore, you can buy a twin turbo GTS. And furthermore, pie, drunk, the.

[GravelBen]

RFSA 180 said:

GravelBen said:

The GTR and GTS-T engines are decidedly not the same.

GTR: RB26DETT 2.6 twin-turbo
GTS-T: RB20DET 2.0 single turbo (R32)
RB25DET 2.5 single turbo (R33)

And even the R32 is a fair big bigger and heavier than a Type-RA Impreza.

Yes I knew that, I just presumed that nobody would buy a 2.0 as that is gay, very gay. Furthermore, you can buy a twin turbo GTS. And furthermore, pie, drunk, the.

If you knew that then why say the opposite?

Not much wrong with the old RB20DET either, a bit lacking in low-down torque compared to the bigger lumps but the lighter weight of the R32 helps make up for that.

Any twin-turbo GTS has something other than the original engine in it. You probably "knew that" already but the GTS is NA, in the case of the R32 its the RB20DE DOHC lump with about 155bhp.

Drunk? Yes perhaps that would help explain your posting...

[ShadownINja]

Depends on how you want the power distribution, I'd have thought. On the road, if I just want to get from A to B without a second to spare, I'd take the Lancer Evo (I assume you meant Lancer rather than a German or Italian Evo ). As it's for track work... with the R32 GTR, you just pull the leads out of the 4WD controller and you've got proper RWD. I know this because the leads fell out of my old 650bhp one... on a snowy M25.

Edited by ShadownINja on Monday 22 December 07:41

[cptsideways]

Get the lightest one!!

Scoob will be cheapest to run, lots of character, nice noise, very light & I'd have one on the standard size wheels & tyres with some sticky rubber sublime & a near standard exhaust for trackdays though the RA had a pea shooter as standard which might have to go.

EVO will be ok but I find them rather charecterless, buzzy things. Handling grip levels are immense but that means less fun on the road.

GTR Supecar running costs, buy as near to a standard one as possible. Not the most durable things! RB stands for Rattly Bearings

[GravelBen]

ShadownINja said:

Depends on how you want the power distribution, I'd have thought.

STi-RA is 36:64 rear biased with adjustable centre difflock if you want it to handle more like a normal Subaru.

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 22 December 08:14

[ShadownINja]

GravelBen said:

ShadownINja said:

Depends on how you want the power distribution, I'd have thought.

STi-RA is 36:64 rear biased with adjustable centre difflock if you want it to handle more like a normal Subaru.

I was hoping nobody would state this. Saves me having to tell you it's not 0:100.

Edited by ShadownINja on Monday 22 December 09:10

[GravelBen]

ShadownINja said:

GravelBen said:

ShadownINja said:

Depends on how you want the power distribution, I'd have thought.

STi-RA is 36:64 rear biased with adjustable centre difflock if you want it to handle more like a normal Subaru.

I was hoping nobody would state this. Saves me having to tell you it's not 0:100.

Its never 0:100 static split no. But with the centre diff set to open they do behave in a remarkably similar fashion when you break traction. (Nature of an open diff letting power go through the spinning end and all that)

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 22 December 09:45

[ShadownINja]

GravelBen said:

ShadownINja said:

GravelBen said:

ShadownINja said:

Depends on how you want the power distribution, I'd have thought.

STi-RA is 36:64 rear biased with adjustable centre difflock if you want it to handle more like a normal Subaru.

I was hoping nobody would state this. Saves me having to tell you it's not 0:100.

Its never 0:100 static split no. But with the centre diff set to open they do behave in a remarkably similar fashion when you break traction. (Nature of an open diff letting power go through the spinning end and all that)

I've always wondered why that specific model couldn't have 0:100. It isn't quite the same, I've been told, in terms of the way it handles beyond the limit.

[RFSA 180]

GravelBen said:

RFSA 180 said:

GravelBen said:

The GTR and GTS-T engines are decidedly not the same.

GTR: RB26DETT 2.6 twin-turbo
GTS-T: RB20DET 2.0 single turbo (R32)
RB25DET 2.5 single turbo (R33)

And even the R32 is a fair big bigger and heavier than a Type-RA Impreza.

Yes I knew that, I just presumed that nobody would buy a 2.0 as that is gay, very gay. Furthermore, you can buy a twin turbo GTS. And furthermore, pie, drunk, the.

If you knew that then why say the opposite?

Not much wrong with the old RB20DET either, a bit lacking in low-down torque compared to the bigger lumps but the lighter weight of the R32 helps make up for that.

Any twin-turbo GTS has something other than the original engine in it. You probably "knew that" already but the GTS is NA, in the case of the R32 its the RB20DE DOHC lump with about 155bhp.

Drunk? Yes perhaps that would help explain your posting...

Sorry, very sorry, you aggressive little man. Perhaps you should stop sitting on a spiked dildo while being online.

[TotalControl]

RFSA 180 said:

GravelBen said:

RFSA 180 said:

GravelBen said:

The GTR and GTS-T engines are decidedly not the same.

GTR: RB26DETT 2.6 twin-turbo
GTS-T: RB20DET 2.0 single turbo (R32)
RB25DET 2.5 single turbo (R33)

And even the R32 is a fair big bigger and heavier than a Type-RA Impreza.

Yes I knew that, I just presumed that nobody would buy a 2.0 as that is gay, very gay. Furthermore, you can buy a twin turbo GTS. And furthermore, pie, drunk, the.

If you knew that then why say the opposite?

Not much wrong with the old RB20DET either, a bit lacking in low-down torque compared to the bigger lumps but the lighter weight of the R32 helps make up for that.

Any twin-turbo GTS has something other than the original engine in it. You probably "knew that" already but the GTS is NA, in the case of the R32 its the RB20DE DOHC lump with about 155bhp.

Drunk? Yes perhaps that would help explain your posting...

Sorry, very sorry, you aggressive little man. Perhaps you should stop sitting on a spiked dildo while being online.

Wasn't really an aggressive post, or at least thats not what i feel when i read it. He's only correcting your mistakes. Sheesh, 7 posts and already causing friction!

[Smifffy]

Calm down chaps.

To be honest I don't think you could go wrong with either the RA or the Evo. I'd probably not go for the Skyline due to weight? (munch brake discs?) although not having owned one I couldn't say for sure.

I'd leave the RA standard if you're going to track it. Maybe change the exhaust for a more free flowing version and upgrade the brakes but stop there. You want reliability from the engine so leave the boost/turbo alone.

I drove an Evo VI Makkinnen when I bought the P1 and it was sublime - I also thought the exhaust was droney but as a driving experience it was excellent. How reliable they are on track I don't know.

[GravelBen]

Some weights:

STi 1260-1300
STi-RA 1180-1250Kg depending on year (older=lighter)

R32 GTS-T 1320
R32 GTS-4 1450
R32 GTR 1500
R33 GTS25t 1370
R33 GTR 1530

Evo IV/V/VI RS 1260
Evo IV/V/VI GSR 1350

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 22 December 21:08