Honest opinion on Impreza WRX 2001 Bug Eye Version
Discussion
V8Wagon said:
Yeh, STi would probably be better! The Subaru wasn't on the radar to be honest.
Seen a one owner WRX with 85k on it for £2200 near me, and I'm twitching.
what are your requirements - judging by your other thread, this is potentially going to be your second car? Seen a one owner WRX with 85k on it for £2200 near me, and I'm twitching.
and I know the feeling
theres a cheap track car I have my eye on at the moment, but my car is pretty much already stripped out ready for tracking and worth only peanuts if I were to sell it 
To be honest, I think the WRX is quite suitable for our roads. You can drive it harder, for longer, whereas an STi is effortlessly fast. The WRX will see off pretty much anything on our roads as it is. Drive the car and see. On every occasion I've driven a WRX it's felt like quite enough car for me to enjoy. Hence why I am planning on an Impreza as my next car.
My parents have had both a bugeye WRX and a Hawkeye STI (still have it). My dad's opinion is that the bugeye was one of the most enjoyable cars he's owned to drive on the road, but doesn't enjoy the STI as much despite it being a much more capable car.
I would go as far as to say that the bugeye WRX was the best of the Imprezas, with the nice stiff new age chassis but none of the complexity associated with later/STI models.
I would go as far as to say that the bugeye WRX was the best of the Imprezas, with the nice stiff new age chassis but none of the complexity associated with later/STI models.
I got a 2005 Blobeye estate this week - obviously the same car underneath. Personally I don't hate the bugeye looks, and if it's cheap enough selling on won't be a problem.
As for the car itself ,mine is a Prodrive and it's pretty rapid ,to be honest. The handling is very planted and four-square ,it feels eminently capable and has given me nothing but confidence and grins so far although I've yet to really stretch it (or myself as it's one of those cars that gives you the impression hat its limits are much higher than yours!)
People claim that they understeer, mine feels really quite rear biased particularly on the throttle mid bend or on the 2nd lap of a roundabout. I don't know if that's the effect of 40 extra horses though. There's no doubt it's AWD, but it certainly doesn't understeer like some haldex FWD derived effort. It is on Eagle F1's which may help too.
Make sure it's had a cambelt (50k miles or 5 years IIrC, it could well be due/overdue its second one and you'll want tensioners to be one too). Knocking at the back could be arb linkages or topmounts (mine has this and I need to investigate) ARB is cheap to fix ,top mounts aren't at £170 a pair.
I'd imagine the WRX should feel strong but not luridly fast, I'm loving mine, the power seems to balance the mechanical grip and chassis poise nicely and I can't help but think if I'd gone for a WRX (I was looking at those too) that I would have been left wanting more. Realistically you're looking at £1,000 to bring a WRX up to prodrive levels of performance, and being as mine was on at the same price as non prodrive examples the choice was clear.
They're not great on fuel, I've been told to expect 27ish mpg in gentle use! I can stomach that and it's not M5 levels of thirst but then it's not M5 levels of performance either.
Have a drive and see if you'll get on with it! The estates shed a bit of the image of imprezas IMO, and are very handy and versatile. I needed it for the dog and baby, and I needed sub 5 secs to 60 for me!
As for the car itself ,mine is a Prodrive and it's pretty rapid ,to be honest. The handling is very planted and four-square ,it feels eminently capable and has given me nothing but confidence and grins so far although I've yet to really stretch it (or myself as it's one of those cars that gives you the impression hat its limits are much higher than yours!)
People claim that they understeer, mine feels really quite rear biased particularly on the throttle mid bend or on the 2nd lap of a roundabout. I don't know if that's the effect of 40 extra horses though. There's no doubt it's AWD, but it certainly doesn't understeer like some haldex FWD derived effort. It is on Eagle F1's which may help too.
Make sure it's had a cambelt (50k miles or 5 years IIrC, it could well be due/overdue its second one and you'll want tensioners to be one too). Knocking at the back could be arb linkages or topmounts (mine has this and I need to investigate) ARB is cheap to fix ,top mounts aren't at £170 a pair.
I'd imagine the WRX should feel strong but not luridly fast, I'm loving mine, the power seems to balance the mechanical grip and chassis poise nicely and I can't help but think if I'd gone for a WRX (I was looking at those too) that I would have been left wanting more. Realistically you're looking at £1,000 to bring a WRX up to prodrive levels of performance, and being as mine was on at the same price as non prodrive examples the choice was clear.
They're not great on fuel, I've been told to expect 27ish mpg in gentle use! I can stomach that and it's not M5 levels of thirst but then it's not M5 levels of performance either.
Have a drive and see if you'll get on with it! The estates shed a bit of the image of imprezas IMO, and are very handy and versatile. I needed it for the dog and baby, and I needed sub 5 secs to 60 for me!
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