advice on P1purchase
Discussion
hello all, I am a newbe to the Jap chat and was after some advice. I am thinking of getting a P1 having had a TVR. Can anyone let us know things like how often are the servicing, what are the costs with services, how often do they go wrong(sorry TVR habbit 
)just general stuff I should be aware off.
I am giving myself a year to see if it is feasible but any advice would be greatfully appreciated.
)just general stuff I should be aware off.I am giving myself a year to see if it is feasible but any advice would be greatfully appreciated.
The engines like to go pop at 40 - 60k miles.
http://bbs.scoobynet.com/forum.php for more information. Think they make you register to use the search function.
http://bbs.scoobynet.com/forum.php for more information. Think they make you register to use the search function.
Theres a P1 owners club, (might be p1oc.net?) They were at rallyday on the weekend, impressive, as all the cars looked exactly the same. Only thing I don't get is, the P1 was meanna be the daddy of the classic scoobies? So why on earth did they still have those shoddy top mount interwarmers?
www.p1woc.co.uk is the link you'll be needing with that intended purchase 
The sti 5/6 is a "better" car, but the P1 is the daddy of uk classic imprezas. 60k is indeed pop time, so make sure it's been rebuilt or remapped before/after that time.
The sti 5/6 is a "better" car, but the P1 is the daddy of uk classic imprezas. 60k is indeed pop time, so make sure it's been rebuilt or remapped before/after that time.
Dicky said:
have been looking and the p1 is stunning but after the talk of re-builds after 40 odd thousand miles I may now be pondering a WR1. had enough re-builds with my TVR!!!
A WR1 is a really nice car, but £19k for a 3 year old Car which amounts to a STI with all the Prodrive pack added and in a limited toothpaste blue. Where a 04 Plate STI can be had for around £13k. If you really want a top notch Scooby and have the money then a sensible choice that gives you everything you want is to get a JDM 2.5 STi RA-R Spec-C. Superlight Scooby that is SuperQuick for about £30K, the next choice of JDM might be an S204 and then and S202. Failing any of those my UK car choice would be the 22B 
or WR1 4dr
I hear great things about the P1 when it's running reliably, and it's a two door but rebuilds after not a lot of miles seemms to be the norm, and that sounds like an expensive hobby to me.
My ultimate choice would be the Litchfield Type25 but that's another story altogether
or WR1 4dr I hear great things about the P1 when it's running reliably, and it's a two door but rebuilds after not a lot of miles seemms to be the norm, and that sounds like an expensive hobby to me.
My ultimate choice would be the Litchfield Type25 but that's another story altogether
I had a P1 between TVRs. Thought it was the worst car I have ever owned. Expensive to service, the alcon brakes breaked, the engine blew etc and it even started to rust. I got rid. I always felt like a tw@t as well - what with all the spoilers etc... Oh and it felt gutless compared to the Cerb. OK it was awesome on the B Roads but it felt like the car was driving me.
Edited by Gazzab on Sunday 30th September 22:28
They are both completely different cars. The cerbie is beautifully agressive in looks, sound and straight line go, but when it comes to B roads i'll take the Scooby any day 
I don't agree about the spoilers...some people say they look poncey and all that but in all honesty they are there for good reason and i'd rather drive the scooby with front and rear spoilers than without.
I don't agree about the spoilers...some people say they look poncey and all that but in all honesty they are there for good reason and i'd rather drive the scooby with front and rear spoilers than without.
I had a P1 for 5 years, owned a Griff 500 for a year and test drove the Type 25 last week.
The P1 in my opinion is the most complete car I have ever driven. The chassis is stunning, with beautifully judged fast road damping. I personally stiffened the rear anti roll bar to dial out a bit of the understeer & uprated the fuel pump.
Yes - the engines do go bang after 40k miles or so. Mine went after 43k miles and was replaced under warranty (which is no longer available on the P1). I understand the problem is to do with the original mapping on the Japanese cars when imported to the UK. A new Sti short engine isn't that expensive however and gives pretty bullet proof internals. You may want to tweak it to 330 bhp or so whilst doing this.
I'm selling my M5 to go back to a P1 now. If you're thinking of buying one then go for one which has been rebuilt or have a few £k sat in the bank for when it happens (it will). Also look for one with the Prodrive brakes (330mm) but be aware that new disks & pads will cost £1k through a main dealer.
For me the Type 25 was too raw - too noisy. I tried the one at £28k on Iain Litchfield's site right now and although there's no doubt it's the fastest thing I've ever driven, it's boomy in the extreme and very unpleasant on the motorway. I also felt the power and turbo dominated the whole experience, it made it feel unbalanced as a driving experience and didn't "flow" in the same way the P1 did. The P1 interior is also much nicer and I prefer the 2 door body shape.
There's a 22b on sale at the moment on one of the scooby sites with 21k miles on it. But at £22k it's a little steep and many items are no longer available for the 22b. (Small details like the engine block)
Running the P1 wasn't so cheap - but for the performance it was a bargain really.
You can see the summary here: http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...
The P1 in my opinion is the most complete car I have ever driven. The chassis is stunning, with beautifully judged fast road damping. I personally stiffened the rear anti roll bar to dial out a bit of the understeer & uprated the fuel pump.
Yes - the engines do go bang after 40k miles or so. Mine went after 43k miles and was replaced under warranty (which is no longer available on the P1). I understand the problem is to do with the original mapping on the Japanese cars when imported to the UK. A new Sti short engine isn't that expensive however and gives pretty bullet proof internals. You may want to tweak it to 330 bhp or so whilst doing this.
I'm selling my M5 to go back to a P1 now. If you're thinking of buying one then go for one which has been rebuilt or have a few £k sat in the bank for when it happens (it will). Also look for one with the Prodrive brakes (330mm) but be aware that new disks & pads will cost £1k through a main dealer.
For me the Type 25 was too raw - too noisy. I tried the one at £28k on Iain Litchfield's site right now and although there's no doubt it's the fastest thing I've ever driven, it's boomy in the extreme and very unpleasant on the motorway. I also felt the power and turbo dominated the whole experience, it made it feel unbalanced as a driving experience and didn't "flow" in the same way the P1 did. The P1 interior is also much nicer and I prefer the 2 door body shape.
There's a 22b on sale at the moment on one of the scooby sites with 21k miles on it. But at £22k it's a little steep and many items are no longer available for the 22b. (Small details like the engine block)
Running the P1 wasn't so cheap - but for the performance it was a bargain really.
You can see the summary here: http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...
My wife has had her P1 for 3 years (and had a Catalunya before that). Over the same period I've had 4 TVRs so have a good basis for comparison.
Got to agree with Smiffy, the P1 is probably the most complete car I've ever driven. Its our practical car and will happily perform that role but is seriously quick when you want it to be - it will easily take the local B-roads 10 or 20mph faster than my current Tuscan.
Servicing is every 7500 miles or 6 months which is reasonable when compared to Evos and the like, especially when you find a good independent to look after it for you. Other than normal consumables only problems have been MAF and Lambda sensors going awol leading to lower performance. Fuel consumption (if you care) is better than the TVRs at 25+.
We've done 30k miles in 3 years and are now just approaching the magic 60k marker without any signs of engine trouble [hastily looks for large pieces of wood, rabbit's feet, etc.]. I'm not going to say it won't happen as there are too many examples of engines going bang but it does seem to be more prevalent in cars that have been tweaked. If we were looking to buy one now we'd look for one that's standard under the bonnet.
Biggest drawback are the brakes. Even having upgraded the disks and pads they still don't give the same bite and confidence as a TVR. Again, as Smiffy says, its worth looking for one with a brake upgrade - although this will often require 18" wheels as the bigger kits won't fit under 17s. Oh, and they're too quiet with the standard exhaust!
I'm sure you could find a newer STi for less money than a P1 but we've never got used to the new shape. We did drive them back to back a few years ago and the brakes on the STi were much better.
As has been mentioned above go and check out p1woc, they're a really friendly bunch and not afraid to admit the short-comings of their cars - you'll find a realistic rather than rose-tinted view from them.
Although we mull it over every so often we've never found another car that would tempt us to change the P1.
Simon
Got to agree with Smiffy, the P1 is probably the most complete car I've ever driven. Its our practical car and will happily perform that role but is seriously quick when you want it to be - it will easily take the local B-roads 10 or 20mph faster than my current Tuscan.
Servicing is every 7500 miles or 6 months which is reasonable when compared to Evos and the like, especially when you find a good independent to look after it for you. Other than normal consumables only problems have been MAF and Lambda sensors going awol leading to lower performance. Fuel consumption (if you care) is better than the TVRs at 25+.
We've done 30k miles in 3 years and are now just approaching the magic 60k marker without any signs of engine trouble [hastily looks for large pieces of wood, rabbit's feet, etc.]. I'm not going to say it won't happen as there are too many examples of engines going bang but it does seem to be more prevalent in cars that have been tweaked. If we were looking to buy one now we'd look for one that's standard under the bonnet.
Biggest drawback are the brakes. Even having upgraded the disks and pads they still don't give the same bite and confidence as a TVR. Again, as Smiffy says, its worth looking for one with a brake upgrade - although this will often require 18" wheels as the bigger kits won't fit under 17s. Oh, and they're too quiet with the standard exhaust!
I'm sure you could find a newer STi for less money than a P1 but we've never got used to the new shape. We did drive them back to back a few years ago and the brakes on the STi were much better.
As has been mentioned above go and check out p1woc, they're a really friendly bunch and not afraid to admit the short-comings of their cars - you'll find a realistic rather than rose-tinted view from them.
Although we mull it over every so often we've never found another car that would tempt us to change the P1.
Simon
Edited by Yellow Griff on Tuesday 2nd October 23:04
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