Discussion
I've had a lot of cars over the years but one of the ones I regretted selling was my STI type UK. I have been thinking about getting another classic Impreza and really fancy a P1 but am also drawn to a WR1 (a bit more modern and still a limited edition). Also not completely ruled out an RB320.
Thoughts from anyone who's been in the same position?
Thoughts from anyone who's been in the same position?
I am on my third Impreza and they have all been UK models. To be honest I am not interested in the import models. All are great models whether an import or UK car but the flip side is both can be ruinous if you don't get a good one. Personally I do not care if someone thinks imports are better or not, it’s down to simple personal preference for me.
After a few years out of Impreza ownership I decided to buy another a couple of years back. I was after a P1 but they were out of my price bracket for a decent one so I bought a WR1. The colour split opinion amongst the Subaru community when it came out but I always liked it. To be honest the WR1 is very similar to a later UK STI with the Prodrive performance pack with DCCD. I prefer the interior as it is black instead of blue seat inserts and door cards. The performance is slightly better the the above mentioned car but most drivers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference (me included). Personally I think the WR1 is a bit of a bargain, which the crazy secondhand car market has not caught on too yet. There were only 500 made and I believe there are only approximately 380 left, which makes them rarer than a P1 and many other Subaru special editions. I do not think there is much love for a WR1 as many see it as ‘only’ an STI with a different paint job. Truth is they are rarer and the work Prodrive worked on the model with the extras make it a very good car improving on the already excellent STI.
After a few years out of Impreza ownership I decided to buy another a couple of years back. I was after a P1 but they were out of my price bracket for a decent one so I bought a WR1. The colour split opinion amongst the Subaru community when it came out but I always liked it. To be honest the WR1 is very similar to a later UK STI with the Prodrive performance pack with DCCD. I prefer the interior as it is black instead of blue seat inserts and door cards. The performance is slightly better the the above mentioned car but most drivers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference (me included). Personally I think the WR1 is a bit of a bargain, which the crazy secondhand car market has not caught on too yet. There were only 500 made and I believe there are only approximately 380 left, which makes them rarer than a P1 and many other Subaru special editions. I do not think there is much love for a WR1 as many see it as ‘only’ an STI with a different paint job. Truth is they are rarer and the work Prodrive worked on the model with the extras make it a very good car improving on the already excellent STI.
Edited by wolfie28 on Tuesday 21st May 17:10
Edited by wolfie28 on Tuesday 21st May 17:15
Edited by wolfie28 on Tuesday 21st May 17:15
wolfie28 said:
Personally I think the WR1 is a bit of a bargain, which the crazy secondhand car market has not caught on too yet.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but personally I don’t agree. Edited by wolfie28 on Tuesday 21st May 17:10
Edited by wolfie28 on Tuesday 21st May 17:15
Edited by wolfie28 on Tuesday 21st May 17:15
They have already always had far higher prices than standard models and there are actually quite a lot of them left. Plenty of those have low miles as well because people have looked after them in the hope of higher future prices. So they’re not actually that rare - always a number to choose from on the market.
You can buy a wide track Spec C (also limited numbers) for the same price as a WR1 and I know which I’d be taking.
wolfie28 said:
All are great models whether an import or UK car but the flip side is both can be ruinous if you don't get a good one.
On the contrary, I can’t think of another car that has equivalent performance to an Impreza that has such reasonable running costs. Just keep on top of servicing as you would any car, and ensure you use the fuel that the car was mapped for, and it is very unlikely to throw up a big bill. I’ve had four and none of them ever incurred a significant, unexpected cost other than a couple of gearboxes on my ‘93 RA (classic ‘boxes can be a weak point). Other than that they are simple, durable cars which are easily DIYable or if you prefer to use a specialist there is a well-established network in all corners of the country.rossub said:
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but personally I don’t agree.
They have already always had far higher prices than standard models and there are actually quite a lot of them left. Plenty of those have low miles as well because people have looked after them in the hope of higher future prices. So they’re not actually that rare - always a number to choose from on the market.
You can buy a wide track Spec C (also limited numbers) for the same price as a WR1 and I know which I’d be taking.
I knew you would chime in about imports v uk cars. The debate about this has been covered over and over again and to be honest it’s boring. The op asked a question and owning a WR1 I have tried to help as best I can. I guess people will always defend their cars as they think they are better than others and like to put them down. As I said all Impreza’s are great cars no matter the origins.They have already always had far higher prices than standard models and there are actually quite a lot of them left. Plenty of those have low miles as well because people have looked after them in the hope of higher future prices. So they’re not actually that rare - always a number to choose from on the market.
You can buy a wide track Spec C (also limited numbers) for the same price as a WR1 and I know which I’d be taking.
plenty said:
On the contrary, I can’t think of another car that has equivalent performance to an Impreza that has such reasonable running costs. Just keep on top of servicing as you would any car, and ensure you use the fuel that the car was mapped for, and it is very unlikely to throw up a big bill. I’ve had four and none of them ever incurred a significant, unexpected cost other than a couple of gearboxes on my ‘93 RA (classic ‘boxes can be a weak point). Other than that they are simple, durable cars which are easily DIYable or if you prefer to use a specialist there is a well-established network in all corners of the country.
I totally agree as I’ve owned 3 for many years and they have been extremely reliable. A battery and a neutral position switch is all that’s failed. When I said ruinous l meant the more serious issues such as rust, engines and gearboxes; however the last 2 are reliable apart from the 2.5 litre engines on the later models. Just check the car out as much as you can and you should be fine and enjoy miles of great driving. wolfie28 said:
I knew you would chime in about imports v uk cars. The debate about this has been covered over and over again and to be honest it’s boring. The op asked a question and owning a WR1 I have tried to help as best I can. I guess people will always defend their cars as they think they are better than others and like to put them down. As I said all Impreza’s are great cars no matter the origins.
Fair enough.. I'm certainly not saying the WR1 is a bad car, as it's not. I just think they're expensive compared to alternatives from the same make.The WR1 will cost more to buy but will also retain more of its value when it comes time to sell.
I actually preferred the handling of my non-widetrack blob to my widetrack hawk, which I attribute to the more rear-biased torque split of the DCCD fitted to the blob (as per the WR1 setup).
I actually preferred the handling of my non-widetrack blob to my widetrack hawk, which I attribute to the more rear-biased torque split of the DCCD fitted to the blob (as per the WR1 setup).
Both are Prodrive cars, but dont leave the JDM's out, tbh they are better spec and a better drivers car. I know you have asked about these 2 specific cars, the P1 has issues with its MAF sensor so ensure it has a newer green marked one, the rear arches rot badly, that means you need to get it on a ramp and see how bad it is underneath. WR1's also have rust issues if they have not been looked after, its not as focused as a JDM and really you need to find a well maintained and unmodified one if you want it to maintain its value. Evo Magazine did a track test with 4 cars, this included the P1 and WR1, the other 2 were a Spec C and a Litchfield type 25. No one got near the factory figures Mike Wood set in the WR1 (lots of debating on Scoobynet for that one including Mikes replies), if you can find the artlicle its worth reading, I wont give the result away unless you really want to know 
I would buy a freshly imported or recently imported JDM car over owning the UK equivelent model any day of the week.
Mitigating any potential rust issues is a huge justification in itself, but there are many other plusses... not least the fact that the Japanese are well known for keeping their best models for their domestic market, while we usually get the watered down versions.
I am not a Subaru owner, but i have owned several JDM and UKDM Japanese cars, these days I only buy clean recently imported JDM cars after too many years messing around chasing rust...and none of these scoobs are getting any younger, which means you will be dealing with rust sooner or later on a UK car unless it's been garaged through winter.
Mitigating any potential rust issues is a huge justification in itself, but there are many other plusses... not least the fact that the Japanese are well known for keeping their best models for their domestic market, while we usually get the watered down versions.
I am not a Subaru owner, but i have owned several JDM and UKDM Japanese cars, these days I only buy clean recently imported JDM cars after too many years messing around chasing rust...and none of these scoobs are getting any younger, which means you will be dealing with rust sooner or later on a UK car unless it's been garaged through winter.
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