RE: Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon | Spotted

[MatthewAlfie]

My stepdaughter and parter have a ‘55 plate to transport their two young children and all their associated gear. Bought cheap knowing it required an engine rebuild (all done) but fabulously rust free. Great fun alternative to the default crossover choice.

[jonny142]

Had a big Smile a few days ago ....... My 'Ledge' Gravel Express spotted around Bristol

[fido]

S100HP said:

Nail on the head there. Much smaller inside than you'd imagine.

The upside of that is it’s very easy to park and drive around town - AWD in a 1 series sized car. I used the back seats mostly for carry stuff.

[mikey P 500]

Enjoying my wrx of same age and similar price, most are modified now, but not always worse for it. Lots of enthusiast owners have preserved some examples better than other cars of similar age, so still possable to buy a good one (would say market is £3k plus for ones worth owning unless very lucky find).

[R400TVR]

The estates are the best. Here's mine

[C.MW]

Getting harder to find a fine example by the day, but something about it makes it just so desirable. The boxer rumble, the ability to take beating with its robust awd drivetrain, the blue and gold colour combo, etc...

[Cambs_Stuart]

thundercolo said:

This article couldn't come in better time! I'm in the hunt for one of these but I just can't make up my mind. I'm torn between the pre WRX model (Turbo, GT Turbo, Turbo 2000... depending on the country), the 2001 bugeye and the 2006 hawkeye. Has to be the wagon, it's my only excuse at home.

This blobeye versión is the one I've always liked the least but I wouldn't mind buying one if it's better than the others.

Considering that there is almost no difference in price between them, which should I buy? Please help me out...

The blobeye or bugeye are the ones to get. There have been a lot of issues with the 2.5 engine in the hawkeyes, and the earlier classics suffer from rust.
The bugeye has better seats and from what I've heard, slight better steering feel. Look out for an SL spec with the PPP fitted.

[greenarrow]

Cambs_Stuart said:

thundercolo said:

This article couldn't come in better time! I'm in the hunt for one of these but I just can't make up my mind. I'm torn between the pre WRX model (Turbo, GT Turbo, Turbo 2000... depending on the country), the 2001 bugeye and the 2006 hawkeye. Has to be the wagon, it's my only excuse at home.

This blobeye versión is the one I've always liked the least but I wouldn't mind buying one if it's better than the others.

Considering that there is almost no difference in price between them, which should I buy? Please help me out...

The blobeye or bugeye are the ones to get. There have been a lot of issues with the 2.5 engine in the hawkeyes, and the earlier classics suffer from rust.
The bugeye has better seats and from what I've heard, slight better steering feel. Look out for an SL spec with the PPP fitted.

Is this one of the models with the chocolate bottom end bearing? I was a huge Scooby fan until I bought a 1998 model and ended up scrapping it due to bottom end failure... it put me off the brand for life I'm afraid...

[Hatchoo]

greenarrow said:

Cambs_Stuart said:

thundercolo said:

This article couldn't come in better time! I'm in the hunt for one of these but I just can't make up my mind. I'm torn between the pre WRX model (Turbo, GT Turbo, Turbo 2000... depending on the country), the 2001 bugeye and the 2006 hawkeye. Has to be the wagon, it's my only excuse at home.

This blobeye versión is the one I've always liked the least but I wouldn't mind buying one if it's better than the others.

Considering that there is almost no difference in price between them, which should I buy? Please help me out...

The blobeye or bugeye are the ones to get. There have been a lot of issues with the 2.5 engine in the hawkeyes, and the earlier classics suffer from rust.
The bugeye has better seats and from what I've heard, slight better steering feel. Look out for an SL spec with the PPP fitted.

Is this one of the models with the chocolate bottom end bearing? I was a huge Scooby fan until I bought a 1998 model and ended up scrapping it due to bottom end failure... it put me off the brand for life I'm afraid...

Your '98 would have been a classic, the bugeye didn't get released in Japan until 2000 with the blobeye following in '02. I don't know what modification were made to the bottom end of the EJ20 engine over that period. I had a '99 WRX that needed a bottom end rebuild, also had piston ring failure. Had no problem with a '54 plate WRX estate, I added over 100k miles to that car, or with an '02 JDM STI. The 2.5 estate I owned had gasket failure that required a top end rebuild. I personally would take the 2.0 over the 2.5 all day, every day.

[gmaz]

Water Fairy said:

Am i the only one thinking the price is a bit toppy?

I sold my 53 plate one in 2011 for £3K (but it did have 136K miles)

[J267cao]

For one reason or another there’s something about smallish estate / hatch four wheel drive cars that really float my boat. They seem to
make me feel secure yet excited at the same
time and a drive in awful conditions was one you could sometimes relish.

I think it all started with me and two friends piling into my souped up mini (too many spotlights, stupid exhaust and about 3hp above standard) scrambling through the welsh countryside (on tyres - mainly all 4 and shoes) and being covered in sprayed gravel watching the RAC rally in the early / mid 90s.

From the age of 17 all I wanted (apart from Steffi Graf) was an Integrale. A winner red evo arrived in 2002. Sadly it didn’t make it past 2003 as a mate wrote it off. In 2007, a 2004 WRX PPP SL arrived. It dealt with me, a family of 4 perfectly (ok, I couldn’t see out of the rear view mirror when fully loaded with luggage and kids’ stuff. It was a great car, not too big, safe (I think) went like stink (e46 m3 only quicker above
75/80ish), a four wheel drive system that did allow power oversteer and full of character. The only think I would have changed were the brakes. For me it felt a little like the Integrale just with more oomph. Loved it. My ex wife sold it with 70k on the clock for £2.5k.

The cars of that period especially in that guise seemed to get the balance right. A chassis designed by an engineer that knew what they were doing, not me fiddling with buttons, an intelligent enough 4x4 system, a characterful turbo charged engine with the rest being left to your driving and nothing else.

[rossub]

J267cao said:

For one reason or another there’s something about smallish estate / hatch four wheel drive cars that really float my boat. They seem to
make me feel secure yet excited at the same
time and a drive in awful conditions was one you could sometimes relish.

Totally agree. You feel really secure driving a ‘proper’ AWD Subaru in the dark on sodden wet and leave covered roads at this time of year.

I said earlier that I couldn’t find a nice Impreza Wagon. So I imported a Forester instead. The grip is so astonishing it can drive upside down....

[R12many]

Here's mine, last of the 2.0's with PPP, sun-roof and leather. I've fixed it many times but I don't hold a grudge and it will die from rust before it ever leaves my ownership!

[rossub]

That’s what I had - 05 in Black, with SL and PPP too (holy grail of Wagons) and stupidly sold it at the time to save on fuel when it first hit £1.20 a litre. Only car I’ve regretted selling in 25 years of driving.

[Hippea]

Torque GT currently have this lovely bugeye STI wagon for sale



https://www.torque-gt.co.uk/wrx-sti-sport-wagon-15...