The "Classic" Imprezas

[scooby1994]

you do realise that there is a 22B on the front cover of that magazine ,not read the article but no way would an RB5 be rated as better than a 22b

[TEKNOPUG]

What mechanical differences are on an RB5?

[Ahbefive]

Because ALL the reviews and owners experiences contradict your views, hence I would assume that you have not driven them.

Why do you suppose that in the article above the RB5 which is (just wheels and stickers) comes out on top of all the rest if it was nothing special? It is more than the sum of its parts. It also apeared in Evos top 100 drivers cars at around number 11 ( above the P1).

[lilwashu]

For the record I have driven them all, so couldn't care less about what a magazine reviewer said almost two decades ago.

Again, if the pretty paint and stickers make you feel better, then that's lovely for you, but you are deluded.

Edited by lilwashu on Thursday 8th June 08:15

[scooby1994]

the magazine article doesnt include type Rs, RAs ,P1s or even STIs.
the RB5 is a 2000 turbo with a short shifter,you could buy a RB5 WR which had a PPP pack but this was an extra add on and had to be paid for,
the RB5 is a lovely car (exept for those driving lights) but it is only trim and dress up bits ,it definatly isnt the best classic impreza ,

[andy97]

scooby1994 said:

the magazine article doesnt include type Rs, RAs ,P1s or even STIs.
the RB5 is a 2000 turbo with a short shifter,you could buy a RB5 WR which had a PPP pack but this was an extra add on and had to be paid for,
the RB5 is a lovely car (exept for those driving lights) but it is only trim and dress up bits ,it definatly isnt the best classic impreza ,

Apologies for opening up the opportunity for bickering! Was hoping to avoid that!

I know it's subjective, but what is the "best classic Impreza" for the criteria I may have then?
I.e not modded, not abused, no dump valves.

Edited by andy97 on Thursday 8th June 09:10

[LFB531]

I would think any unmodded 'Classic' that hasn't been eaten by our climate would be a worthwhile investment and by that I mean you certainly shouldn't lose money!

I owned a tidy enough bog standard 2000yr turbo wagon for a year and when I decided to upgrade to a newer one, no trouble at all getting back the money I'd paid in the first place.

You could certainly spend a lot on a limited edition car but I'm pretty sure demand will always be good for a decent standard one.

[Ahbefive]

scooby1994 said:

the magazine article doesnt include type Rs, RAs ,P1s or even STIs.
the RB5 is a 2000 turbo with a short shifter,you could buy a RB5 WR which had a PPP pack but this was an extra add on and had to be paid for,
the RB5 is a lovely car (exept for those driving lights) but it is only trim and dress up bits ,it definatly isnt the best classic impreza ,

You haven't read the article either then. It does indeed include an sti type-r, 2000turbo and 22B as well as the RB5. I don't think they needed to include every other inferior impreza.

Either way they are all great cars and the OP won't go far wrong with any turbocharged classic impreza.

[scooby1994]

you genuinly believe that the RB5 is the best classic , even better than a 22B or most of the jap imports ,sorry but they aren't

as for buying an Impreza the main thing to look for is rust ,check the rear wheel arches and the rear suspension turrets,the seals on the turrets perish and allow water to run into the arches , they are a double skin that rusts from the inside out,check the jacking points ,they are sometimes crushed and rust pretty badly,check under the battery,the vent lets water in and it sits under the battery tray
stay away from some of the dealers ,they have very bad reputations,go on scoobynet and ask questions,most people on there will give you good advice and quite a few of the members are selling their own cars ,you should be able to get a very nice classic in youre price range.
some jap import classics are a bit hardcore for everyday use ,you can use them every day but they do wear you down
as for limited editions this seems to be a subaru speciality subject ,there are hundreds of them,your best bet is to go out drive a few different imprezas,
they are all brilliant cars and i promise you wont be dissapointed, i have owned imprezas for the last 15years as my everyday car and i wont be moving on any time soon

[Ahbefive]

I don't think that the RB5 is better than the 22B no, but then I haven't driven a 22B and in the article there are several reasons why they preferred the RB5. The RB5 was also the quickest around their track in their test although the article was mainly based around road driving.

Perhaps the 22B does not have such good road manners. I have the magazine somewhere and will try and dig it and scan it if you are interested.

[TEKNOPUG]

TEKNOPUG said:

What mechanical differences are on an RB5?

So should I assume from the deathly silence that the answer is "none"?

[scooby1994]

a prodrive quickshift

[Ahbefive]

&17inch wheels (makes a surprising difference), and STi 5 shell which includes solid rear bulkhead (similar to a rear strut brace & again makes a difference).

With PPP it also adds power, response and some were specced with prodrive springs. Upgraded Alcon calipers from factory if they were specced are also a nice upgrade.

Little differences but they can certainly be felt.

[scooby1994]

wheels and shell are not mechanical,and all the rest are extra upgrades that had to be paid for and were available for most imprezas if you were prepared to pay,they were not fitted to any rb5 as standard
,all jdm imprezas had a solid rear bulkhead

Edited by scooby1994 on Thursday 8th June 19:21

[Ahbefive]

Nope not all JDM imprezas has a solid rear bulkhead at all. V5 and V6 only I believe.

It's not only mechanical features that improve a car. Wheels and shell make a difference as does the quickshift and all the aesthetic features that make a car feel more special which yes include, stickers, interior fabric colour, external paint colour, PIAA driving lights, special edition numbered plaque etc combine to create a homage to a dearly departed rallying legend.

Also the PPP versions are far more prevailant in RB5s. How many 2000turbos do you see with PPP? How many have the sti5 shell and 17inch wheels from new? None.

Like I said, its a great car as are all turbocharged classic imprezas. I'm not here to continue to argue the point with people that have not driven them and wont believe what journalists or owners that have driven them think. Whether you like it and can appreciate it or not they are great cars and command more money than regular imprezas and price wise are more in line with STi cars.

Have a nice day.

Edited by Ahbefive on Thursday 8th June 19:36

[jon clare]

lilwashu said:

Categorising them based on the corresponding Japanese versions is much more accurate than phases, the "minor facelift" on 1998 cars is a completely different interior plus some external tweaks for example.

All of the non-P1 UK limited editions that I can think of are parts bin tarted up standard cars and absolutely not worth any extra money over the normal ones except when you are selling them as "future investments". The RB5, Terzo and Catalunya spring immediately to mind.

Forget the uk examples the jdm cars are where the real sti' came alive

version 1 wrx sti was infact a standard wrx Impreza which was tarted up and mildly tweeked on the production line but from the version 2s where purpose built with the colaberation from Subaru technical international and are very different cars, infact many Subaru enthusiasts would tell you the version 3 MY96 wrx sti with stated 280bhp standard ( many where deemed to have closer to 300bhp ) I just as good if not better than the uk p1

The cars where heavily reworked over the years with things like close ratio gearboxes, electronic diffs , rally roof vents, closed deck engine blocks , forged internals, quick rack steering colums etc etc !!!


I've been into jap cars for over 20 years and have owned a few cars but a version 3 wrx sti was my first true love and recently I've purchased my self a mint 95 version 2 wrx sti 1 owner with 62k not only is it a sound investment but it's a car that provides massive amounts of nostalgia and enjoyment when I take it out



MY ADVICE FOR YOU is like others have said forget turbo 2000s , and P1s ( only because prices are quite high and being a UK car would probably have seen the odd salty winter road so rust can be an issue)

Look for anything from 1995 version 2s up to version 7s the ltd edution cars will rise quickly in value like the 555 v-ltd Aswell as the RA ( race altered ) type R ( 2 door coupes) for your £6-£7 budget you can pick up a clean early car , look out for rust in the rear suspension turrets and rear arches and and nicely running engine, I'd buy off the forum from a enthusiast BUY ONE YOU WONT REGRET IT

Visit scoobynet.com and there's a wealth of knowledge on the forum .

Edited by jon clare on Thursday 8th June 22:51

[scooby1994]

Abhefive ,all jdm classics had a solid rear bulkhead,my 1994 wrx sat on my drive has a solid rear bulkhead,the jdm models are better cars

[lilwashu]

I quite like the Turbo 2000s. It depends on what you are looking for I suppose - I found my V4 and V6 T2000s to be much nicer to drive normally/a bit fast than my V3 WRX, probably due to the less laggy turbos, and a world apart from the V2 STI due to the horrid suspension on that. The STIs are definitely more of an "event" drive.

[tonyb1968]

Ahbefive said:

Toys well and truly thrown out of the pram there.

Plenty of people refer to the years as versions whether you like it or not.

Lol, and any idiot referring to everything as a version is wrong, and thats how you confuse people and pass miss informaton, it causes people to order the wrong parts or have incompatable parts for their cars, so MY is the best method, phase helps when ordering engine parts (along with the EXACT model and year) so please either use use the correct term or dont give out crap information as some guy with a MY00 sport will be ordering parts that wont fit his "version 6"...........

Edited by tonyb1968 on Friday 9th June 09:25

[Ahbefive]

Oh and now resorting to insults. Impressive.