RE: Subaru Forester STI: Spotted
Discussion
Yes, it’s here now - waiting for Mot and registration.
Bought at auction as grade 4B with 49k miles. Costing me £6.5k from an importer local to me that does it part time (no warranty). It’s manual too, so rare and a good price for one of them. Autos are plentiful.
Identical one here, albeit in grey and £8k. Has a warranty though.
https://www.quayvehiclesolutions.com/used-cars/sub...
Bought at auction as grade 4B with 49k miles. Costing me £6.5k from an importer local to me that does it part time (no warranty). It’s manual too, so rare and a good price for one of them. Autos are plentiful.
Identical one here, albeit in grey and £8k. Has a warranty though.
https://www.quayvehiclesolutions.com/used-cars/sub...
Edited by rossub on Sunday 20th January 17:32
Nerdherder said:
Any Subie AWD is awesome in frozen over conditions when nearly all other traffic starts sliding around. This one looks ace, but for me an older Impreza would be big enough.
Love the look of the Forester, but not the price! And, yes, I think the Impreza would do the same job for less, and look just as good (imho of course!!).. 
rossub said:
Yes, it’s here now - waiting for Mot and registration.
Bought at auction as grade 4B with 49k miles. Costing me £6.5k from an importer local to me that does it part time (no warranty). It’s manual too, so rare and a good price for one of them. Autos are plentiful.
Identical one here, albeit in grey and £8k. Has a warranty though.
https://www.quayvehiclesolutions.com/used-cars/sub...
Bought at auction as grade 4B with 49k miles. Costing me £6.5k from an importer local to me that does it part time (no warranty). It’s manual too, so rare and a good price for one of them. Autos are plentiful.
Identical one here, albeit in grey and £8k. Has a warranty though.
https://www.quayvehiclesolutions.com/used-cars/sub...
Edited by rossub on Sunday 20th January 17:32
I enjoyed my time with the FSTI so much I am toying with the idea of getting another. Bought a 2005 facelift in 2013. It was a Litchfield 330 and as many know they seem to have suffered far more HG issues than the standard JDM 265bhp imports. My HG went soon after purchase so I had the engine rebuilt with forged internals. Unfortunately I never got to appreciate her for long as only 14 months later she was sold to fund a house move. I have a BRZ for track use but after selling a Legacy Spec B tourer I owned for 10 years in Dec 2018 I do miss the all year round practicality of AWD. I would definitely avoid a Litchfield model but if the essentials have been taken care of since importing (sensibly remapped for uk fuel, undersealed, good maintenance regime etc) they are a great machine and have held there value extremely well.
Although a few importers have advertised models with under 70k recently many seem overpriced looking at there history and condition. Even a late model facelift that has lived in the UK for a few years is almost inevitably going to have ecrued close to 100k by now. OE suspension is likely to require refurbishing/replacing and unfortunately many examples have been ruined by cheap crappy coilovers. Radiators, coolant pipes, window switchgear, fuel pumps, steering pumps and coil packs were the most common failures when I had one but I’m sure owners with higher miles will have experienced a few more ‘common issues’
Although a few importers have advertised models with under 70k recently many seem overpriced looking at there history and condition. Even a late model facelift that has lived in the UK for a few years is almost inevitably going to have ecrued close to 100k by now. OE suspension is likely to require refurbishing/replacing and unfortunately many examples have been ruined by cheap crappy coilovers. Radiators, coolant pipes, window switchgear, fuel pumps, steering pumps and coil packs were the most common failures when I had one but I’m sure owners with higher miles will have experienced a few more ‘common issues’
Edited by Stinkfist on Sunday 20th January 20:10
Sa Calobra said:
SidewaysSi said:
Why people sprout simplistic generalisations I will never know. Seems to be a common theme on Subaru threads on here 
I do like them a lot - quite fancy a Spec C or RA to be honest. And I drive a BMW. Which is far from bland.
Modern German cars. Like white goods/washing machinesI do like them a lot - quite fancy a Spec C or RA to be honest. And I drive a BMW. Which is far from bland.
SidewaysSi said:
Sa Calobra said:
SidewaysSi said:
Why people sprout simplistic generalisations I will never know. Seems to be a common theme on Subaru threads on here
I do like them a lot - quite fancy a Spec C or RA to be honest. And I drive a BMW. Which is far from bland.
Modern German cars. Like white goods/washing machinesI do like them a lot - quite fancy a Spec C or RA to be honest. And I drive a BMW. Which is far from bland.
rossub said:
As much as I love them, you're never going to see as much as 25 mpg and they have a tendency to spit their head gaskets, being the 2.5.
I opted for it's slightly lesser brother, the Cross Sports. Similar looks, 2 litre engine and 220 bhp. Should be finally driving it next month.
SG9-113784_3_vga by Ross Davidson, on Flickr
Presumably it has the 2.0 WRX engine? In which case it will easily remap to to 270+bhp and no dodgy HGs, piston ringlands etc to worry about.I opted for it's slightly lesser brother, the Cross Sports. Similar looks, 2 litre engine and 220 bhp. Should be finally driving it next month.
SG9-113784_3_vga by Ross Davidson, on FlickrKarlMac said:
I love the combination of an all weather rubber mat and a rear strut brace 
I'm committed to a Subaru wagon as the next car, just trying to decide between the Impreza, Legacy or Foz.
If you value handling, an Impreza is significantly better than the forester STi - I have owned both a classic sti wagon and a forester sti and the Impreza would run rings around it. No where near as predictable on the limit as an Impreza and if you jump into it thinking it’s an Impreza (as I did) they can be downright dangerous as they give very little indication where the limit is.I'm committed to a Subaru wagon as the next car, just trying to decide between the Impreza, Legacy or Foz.
TEKNOPUG said:
Presumably it has the 2.0 WRX engine? In which case it will easily remap to to 270+bhp and no dodgy HGs, piston ringlands etc to worry about.
Yes, that’s why I chose it over an STI. Engine, gearbox and TD04 are the same as the Blobeye WRX. It’s a Forester WRX effectively.NicoG said:
A guy at work has a silver one of these that I have found myself lusting over...
but £10-12K for a decade old model. Oooot
I had one for 3 years. Depreciation proof. Never lost a penny on it. Owned by another PH member now. but £10-12K for a decade old model. Oooot
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I wanted one of these to replace my trusty old 5 series when it stopped being trusty and the gearbox failed. I test drove a couple and really enjoyed them.
Then a mate imported the Mitsubishi equivalent which is called the Airtrek Turbo R which can be had for around £5k. Not quite a powerful as the forrester sti , I enjoy the confused faces of people who are into cars and have no idea what it is.
here is one for sale is you want to know what it looks like
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
mine is white.
they mod relatively easily, a neighbour has just upped his to 350BHP by spending abut £3k - needed a bigger turbo , FMIC and additional pipework, runs fine on the stock ECU and is rapid when the turbo makes itself known.
I will scratch the forrester itch when I can afford it.
Then a mate imported the Mitsubishi equivalent which is called the Airtrek Turbo R which can be had for around £5k. Not quite a powerful as the forrester sti , I enjoy the confused faces of people who are into cars and have no idea what it is.
here is one for sale is you want to know what it looks like
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
mine is white.
they mod relatively easily, a neighbour has just upped his to 350BHP by spending abut £3k - needed a bigger turbo , FMIC and additional pipework, runs fine on the stock ECU and is rapid when the turbo makes itself known.
I will scratch the forrester itch when I can afford it.
MDMA . said:
NicoG said:
A guy at work has a silver one of these that I have found myself lusting over...
but £10-12K for a decade old model. Oooot
I had one for 3 years. Depreciation proof. Never lost a penny on it. Owned by another PH member now. but £10-12K for a decade old model. Oooot
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
NicoG said:
A guy at work has a silver one of these that I have found myself lusting over...
but £10-12K for a decade old model. Oooot
I think the reason they have held their value so we'll is there isn't a viable alternative. I used to switch cars every year but I've had the FSTI 4 years now and everything I look at falls short somewhere.but £10-12K for a decade old model. Oooot
RS4 or RS6 doesn't have the ground clearance
M5 estate XFR or C63/E63 estate don't have the 4wd
Range Rover or ML63 don't handle aswell/heavy
A4 Allroad almost perfect bar the lack of power
Those are the logical progressions in my eyes, of course they all cost more but no one makes anything equivalent.
Just to add before people come on and shout that the above cars are better etc I'm not saying they aren't I just saying that the FSTI as a fast load hauler/dog wagon with a decent engine and suspension is a very hard act to follow it would seem.
A Cross Sport and STI Forester are 2 different cars.
rossub said:
Yes, it’s here now - waiting for Mot and registration.
Bought at auction as grade 4B with 49k miles. Costing me £6.5k from an importer local to me that does it part time (no warranty). It’s manual too, so rare and a good price for one of them. Autos are plentiful.
Identical one here, albeit in grey and £8k. Has a warranty though.
https://www.quayvehiclesolutions.com/used-cars/sub...
Bought at auction as grade 4B with 49k miles. Costing me £6.5k from an importer local to me that does it part time (no warranty). It’s manual too, so rare and a good price for one of them. Autos are plentiful.
Identical one here, albeit in grey and £8k. Has a warranty though.
https://www.quayvehiclesolutions.com/used-cars/sub...
Edited by rossub on Sunday 20th January 17:32
NicoG said:
A guy at work has a silver one of these that I have found myself lusting over...
but £10-12K for a decade old model. Oooot
You're paying for the rarity/supply. but £10-12K for a decade old model. Oooot
Performance wise, an equivalent Impreza is better in every respect. Unless you need slightly more room and ground clearance. But then you have more weight and higher CoG = worse performance/handling. So people lower them but then lose the ground clearance.
They're still a very good all round package and their price is testament to their popularity.
Edited by TEKNOPUG on Monday 21st January 13:52
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