RE: Subaru Impreza WRX and STI: PH Buying Guide
Discussion
I had a beautiful 1999 Impreza Turbo 2000 which I sold this summer back to its previous owner. I owned it for a year and a half and it cost me hardly anything. Sold it for a small profit as tidy original standard examples hold their value. Was on 73k miles. God knows why people want to stick an ironing board spoiler and a drain pipe exhaust on the back? My only mod was tein springs and geometry fast road setup. 0-60 was about 5.6 seconds and it was such a fun confident car to drive around. Being silver and in standard guise it didn't draw much unwanted attention which is good. You only knew what it was if you're into cars.
Edited by Prohibiting on Monday 30th November 18:15
Daston said:
KimJongHealthy said:
- S3 has only 3 doors and haldex.
- S5 weights 1800kg.
- XFR weights 1900kg and comes with auto gearbox.
None of those cars was designed to go sideways on a bumpy and wet B road, comparing apples to pears..
True but my reasoning was 2 of them are from what is seen as a premium german brand so prices are always higher than what you expect. The other is a luxury saloon with 450+ bhp. I just expected the STI's to be a little lower in the price bracket as Jap stuff nearly always depreciate pretty badly, or have prices started to climb a little. - S5 weights 1800kg.
- XFR weights 1900kg and comes with auto gearbox.
None of those cars was designed to go sideways on a bumpy and wet B road, comparing apples to pears..
Edited by KimJongHealthy on Monday 30th November 13:08
Can see the bob eye as being my next car but what puts me off is I get the impression a track day would kill it. Seem to see many imprezas needing a rebuild or have had one. Is there something specific that needs doing such as a baffled sump or oil cooler to help with its reliability on track?
Another huge Imoreza fan here. I bought a Prodrive RB5 expecting to use it for 6 months over winter and I've now owned it over 6 years.
I've spent a lot on the car and it's now been converted to a twin scroll and makes 355bhp.
The car is amazing to drive on a British b-road regardless of the wether and is an absolute weapon. I actually found the standard 247bhp car a little to capable because it's so stable and the grip levels are so high. When the car went over 320bhp it became far more lively and playful on the throttle. The noise it makes was also dramatically improved although now it doesn't have the Impreza burble because of the twin scroll.
I plan to buy more!
I've spent a lot on the car and it's now been converted to a twin scroll and makes 355bhp.
The car is amazing to drive on a British b-road regardless of the wether and is an absolute weapon. I actually found the standard 247bhp car a little to capable because it's so stable and the grip levels are so high. When the car went over 320bhp it became far more lively and playful on the throttle. The noise it makes was also dramatically improved although now it doesn't have the Impreza burble because of the twin scroll.
I plan to buy more!
Beware of high mileage motors. Things can get expensive very quickly past 100k - my experience is in US, but I don't think that changes anything. I ran an '04 STI from new, no mods and only lightly thrashed, regular dealer servicing. All good to 130k, then misfire on #4 cylinder - burnt exhaust valve, so head off and rebuilt. This is common enough that its the first guess from a tech on reporting a misfire. I know a couple of others who've had the same experience - happens on any turbo motor. My motor finally failed at 170k - I later learned it was a worn thrust bearing that failed, dropped oil pressure and took out turbo & cams.
irf said:
Can see the bob eye as being my next car but what puts me off is I get the impression a track day would kill it. Seem to see many imprezas needing a rebuild or have had one. Is there something specific that needs doing such as a baffled sump or oil cooler to help with its reliability on track?
Yes, there are plenty of stories of being temperamental about track work. Mostly around oil issues.You also have to keep in mind the bearings on a boxer are a lot smaller than an inline engine. There are even reports that not pre-filling the oil filter at a change leads to trouble. So whilst they may not be an unreliable unit, any drop in lubrication performance (or knock) quickly becomes terminal.
Common wisdom is that you'll want to at the very least know what it's up to, so oil pressure and temperature gauges are always recommended. I'd also say water temperature as the dash one is vague as hell.
They have known oil control issues in long high G corners (made worse if you go for sticky tyres) Snetterton and Mallory probably cropping up the most.
I have an old bug for track days. It's done 130K miles and I have prepared myself for loud knocking noises one day.
However, I've done a bit of work on it to keep it serviceable:
1) Sump baffle plate - absolute pig of a job to do on the garage floor with the engine in place. If I ever do it again, I'm taking the engine out.
2) Low temperature thermostat - easy
3) Reprogramed radiator fans - it's in the map
4) Kevlar timing belt
For next year I'm going to pop an oil cooler on as I was definitely getting spikes. There's a water to oil heat exchanger but this is as much about warming the oil as cooling it.
Konan said:
Yes, there are plenty of stories of being temperamental about track work. Mostly around oil issues.
You also have to keep in mind the bearings on a boxer are a lot smaller than an inline engine. There are even reports that not pre-filling the oil filter at a change leads to trouble. So whilst they may not be an unreliable unit, any drop in lubrication performance (or knock) quickly becomes terminal.
Common wisdom is that you'll want to at the very least know what it's up to, so oil pressure and temperature gauges are always recommended. I'd also say water temperature as the dash one is vague as hell.
They have known oil control issues in long high G corners (made worse if you go for sticky tyres) Snetterton and Mallory probably cropping up the most.
I have an old bug for track days. It's done 130K miles and I have prepared myself for loud knocking noises one day.
However, I've done a bit of work on it to keep it serviceable:
1) Sump baffle plate - absolute pig of a job to do on the garage floor with the engine in place. If I ever do it again, I'm taking the engine out.
2) Low temperature thermostat - easy
3) Reprogramed radiator fans - it's in the map
4) Kevlar timing belt
For next year I'm going to pop an oil cooler on as I was definitely getting spikes. There's a water to oil heat exchanger but this is as much about warming the oil as cooling it.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my question, appreciate it.You also have to keep in mind the bearings on a boxer are a lot smaller than an inline engine. There are even reports that not pre-filling the oil filter at a change leads to trouble. So whilst they may not be an unreliable unit, any drop in lubrication performance (or knock) quickly becomes terminal.
Common wisdom is that you'll want to at the very least know what it's up to, so oil pressure and temperature gauges are always recommended. I'd also say water temperature as the dash one is vague as hell.
They have known oil control issues in long high G corners (made worse if you go for sticky tyres) Snetterton and Mallory probably cropping up the most.
I have an old bug for track days. It's done 130K miles and I have prepared myself for loud knocking noises one day.
However, I've done a bit of work on it to keep it serviceable:
1) Sump baffle plate - absolute pig of a job to do on the garage floor with the engine in place. If I ever do it again, I'm taking the engine out.
2) Low temperature thermostat - easy
3) Reprogramed radiator fans - it's in the map
4) Kevlar timing belt
For next year I'm going to pop an oil cooler on as I was definitely getting spikes. There's a water to oil heat exchanger but this is as much about warming the oil as cooling it.
Owned 4 Imprezas:
98 WRX
98 JDM STI
04 JDM STI
98 22B
Only sold the last one in Nov 2014, and miss it terribly. Am actively looking to replace that car, and have come up with only a few choices.
22B
S202
Spec C or Spec C Type RA
Litchfield Type 25
For what its worth, the last 2 are more realistic as far as "normal" road cars. They're not too extreme to own.
There are the odd Litchfields around, and they are possibly the best / most resolved versions of the car available.
But that B! Hard to resist. I know its old school classic. I know its way out of the ballpark cost wise. I know newer cars have better tech. But theres just something about it.
98 WRX
98 JDM STI
04 JDM STI
98 22B
Only sold the last one in Nov 2014, and miss it terribly. Am actively looking to replace that car, and have come up with only a few choices.
22B
S202
Spec C or Spec C Type RA
Litchfield Type 25
For what its worth, the last 2 are more realistic as far as "normal" road cars. They're not too extreme to own.
There are the odd Litchfields around, and they are possibly the best / most resolved versions of the car available.
But that B! Hard to resist. I know its old school classic. I know its way out of the ballpark cost wise. I know newer cars have better tech. But theres just something about it.
A good guide! But, the information on the spark plugs needing to be changed every 10K is NOT true. For the EJ20 and EJ25 it's every 30K miles or 3 years, as recommended by Subaru and many specialist garages. No harm doing it any earlier, other thank knocking your bank balance ~£100.
I've owned my Hawkeye STi for nearly two years now, it's never missed a beat. Only thing I've had to replace is a wheel bearing which isn't common. My engine is on 50K miles, isn't forged, and is still going strong
Admittedly the previous owner replaced the headgasket with a cosworth item, ARP head studs, and a lower temp oil thermostat.
Replacing one of the cat's with a straight through will really unleash the burble, as well as pops and bangs! In terms of bang for buck, they're pretty damn good. Modifications are easy and have great results. I uprated the discs, pads, braided lines, and fitted a brake stop, all highly recommended. Their value is going up recently too, so a great time to buy!
I've owned my Hawkeye STi for nearly two years now, it's never missed a beat. Only thing I've had to replace is a wheel bearing which isn't common. My engine is on 50K miles, isn't forged, and is still going strong
Admittedly the previous owner replaced the headgasket with a cosworth item, ARP head studs, and a lower temp oil thermostat.Replacing one of the cat's with a straight through will really unleash the burble, as well as pops and bangs! In terms of bang for buck, they're pretty damn good. Modifications are easy and have great results. I uprated the discs, pads, braided lines, and fitted a brake stop, all highly recommended. Their value is going up recently too, so a great time to buy!
Konan
Not even KYB know the right fitment !! - had three go's before they sent the correct fiment and that was after advice from their 'technical' dept.
"29 Nov 2015
You guys mention Camskill for replacement shocks. They no longer do 'parts' - just tyres. Really annoying as they were by far the most straight forward when it came to getting the right bits!
Other people sell KYB but their sites frequently list the incorrect part for the car, to the point they'll list Saloon parts for the Wagon. On top of this, I *think* there are 3 distinct types of rear shock. Two non-inverted types, but you need the later ones (and bump stop, as mentioned) if you're going to fit them to an 05 onward car as the top mount changed.
Best go to the KYB catalogue and Google exact part numbers now."
Not even KYB know the right fitment !! - had three go's before they sent the correct fiment and that was after advice from their 'technical' dept.
"29 Nov 2015
You guys mention Camskill for replacement shocks. They no longer do 'parts' - just tyres. Really annoying as they were by far the most straight forward when it came to getting the right bits!
Other people sell KYB but their sites frequently list the incorrect part for the car, to the point they'll list Saloon parts for the Wagon. On top of this, I *think* there are 3 distinct types of rear shock. Two non-inverted types, but you need the later ones (and bump stop, as mentioned) if you're going to fit them to an 05 onward car as the top mount changed.
Best go to the KYB catalogue and Google exact part numbers now."
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