Which Impreza wagon for v fast yet stealthy?
Discussion
I'm hankering after more performance as I no longer have my motorbike and my saab 9-5 had it's arse handed to it on a plate today by an STi impreza. So the million dollar question is which Subaru impreza estate would be the fastest I could buy for circa £9-10k (or less are the older 96/7 imports worth a look?).
I'm turning 30 in a month so the insurance companies will start to love me more making the impreza a practical ownership proposition. However I'm not one for attention, so gold wheels and scooby blue paint are out - stealth is the key. Or as stealthy as you can be with that wonderful boxer engine note ringing in the air. Are there any ways to make the saloon more subtle looking?
I'm getting a pretty brutal 22mpg out of the Saab so i figure it can't be any worse with a Subaru!!
I'm turning 30 in a month so the insurance companies will start to love me more making the impreza a practical ownership proposition. However I'm not one for attention, so gold wheels and scooby blue paint are out - stealth is the key. Or as stealthy as you can be with that wonderful boxer engine note ringing in the air. Are there any ways to make the saloon more subtle looking?
I'm getting a pretty brutal 22mpg out of the Saab so i figure it can't be any worse with a Subaru!!
what Saab do you have? If its a 2.3 block you can go pretty damn quickly with the right intercooler, turbo and fueling. I'm not sure any STi imprezas are that stealthy...a Forester STi on the other hand...hehehehe
personally I would have a good look at the Maptun website. Now is a GREAT time to buy performance parts second hand too, as people who were stockpiling goodies to bolt on "in the future" are unloading them cheaply due to the credit crunch.
personally I would have a good look at the Maptun website. Now is a GREAT time to buy performance parts second hand too, as people who were stockpiling goodies to bolt on "in the future" are unloading them cheaply due to the credit crunch.
Hi Wadeski, I have a 2.3 low pressure turbo with a hirsh remap and bilstein suspension (120,000 miles and still going strong), good for 220 odd horsepower and with auto transmission its very smooth but it doesn't set my pants on fire or have a particularly good exhaust note.
I keep seeing the classic impreza Sti wagons and thinking oh maybe without stickers and no gold wheels that would be fun and almost subtle. Or I see some great prices on WRX blob eyes but i get the feeling these aren't well liked in the impreza community nor would it be fast enough for me as standard. In fact i doubt a stock blobeye wrx would have anything on the ancient saab for roll ons, off the lights would be a different matter...
I keep seeing the classic impreza Sti wagons and thinking oh maybe without stickers and no gold wheels that would be fun and almost subtle. Or I see some great prices on WRX blob eyes but i get the feeling these aren't well liked in the impreza community nor would it be fast enough for me as standard. In fact i doubt a stock blobeye wrx would have anything on the ancient saab for roll ons, off the lights would be a different matter...
You should be able to get any version of an Imprez wagon for 10K up to a 56 plate 2.5 (we did)
GB270 are the only ones you may struggle with just yet.
Realistically good aftermarket tuning is likely to be more cost effective (not to mention better) than stock stuff like the PPP pack.
I believe the 2.0 engine is more suitable to be tuned than the 2.5 - I think that's what Ian Litchfield said.
For what they are and cost they are great things to pedal quickly and ours came home with a rotorvator in the back tonight - can't do that in a hot hatch!
GB270 are the only ones you may struggle with just yet.
Realistically good aftermarket tuning is likely to be more cost effective (not to mention better) than stock stuff like the PPP pack.
I believe the 2.0 engine is more suitable to be tuned than the 2.5 - I think that's what Ian Litchfield said.
For what they are and cost they are great things to pedal quickly and ours came home with a rotorvator in the back tonight - can't do that in a hot hatch!
I have a (relatively) 'stealthy' 2005 WRX (with PPP) SL, so leather + sunroof + 261bhp. 25,000 miles on the clock, full service history, whisker over £8k earlier this year. Now would cost well under £8k.
It's the saloon, silver, but the wagon equivalent would cost perhaps a few quid less. Great cars!
It's the saloon, silver, but the wagon equivalent would cost perhaps a few quid less. Great cars!
Get yourself a Black V.7 WRX wagon in nice condition for around £5K-£6K, yank the motor out and sell it along with the cabin and engine wiring loom and ECU, install a V.8 STi motor, V.7 STi loom and ECU, fit some proper headers, uppipe and exhaust along with some other mods that need to be done and then with some proper ECU tweaking you should be looking at c.350-360bhp at the flywheel without having to change the Turbo. The car plus mods should come in at between £9K-£10K. I do all my own mapping so i didn't pay for that
If that isn't practical and stealthy enough for you then i don't know what is.
This is my Road Dyno plot showing BHP at the road wheels, not the flywheel. I'm using the standard VF35 turbo which i've ported hot and cold side including the wastegate.
If you have some time and a few bob IMHO for not a lot of money i think this is the way to go practical and stealthy and it looks completely bog standard on the outside apart from the backbox and the noise
If that isn't practical and stealthy enough for you then i don't know what is.
This is my Road Dyno plot showing BHP at the road wheels, not the flywheel. I'm using the standard VF35 turbo which i've ported hot and cold side including the wastegate.
If you have some time and a few bob IMHO for not a lot of money i think this is the way to go practical and stealthy and it looks completely bog standard on the outside apart from the backbox and the noise
Edited by ScoobieWRX on Wednesday 13th May 08:52
The thing with the packed WRX is that it has 5 gears not 6. I don't think I could do without 6th on a motorway haul so I'd always plump for the STI. I'd agree with the guy who said look at a forester STI. It's a bit of an unknown quantity to most people and still goes like merde of a shovel.
GravelBen said:
How does that cost work out compared to a Ver.7 STi wagon?
I wasn't aware of a V.7 STi wagon. Is it a JDM car??If there is one i would trade in my WRX for one of those and start again if it was a genuine V.7 Newage STi Wagon. At least then it would have the 6spd box, firmer inverted dampers/springs, 10mm wider track and even more scope for some
ScoobieWRX said:
GravelBen said:
How does that cost work out compared to a Ver.7 STi wagon?
I wasn't aware of a V.7 STi wagon. Is it a JDM car??If there is one i would trade in my WRX for one of those and start again if it was a genuine V.7 Newage STi Wagon. At least then it would have the 6spd box, firmer inverted dampers/springs, 10mm wider track and even more scope for some
I've just bought a Jap Import 97 WRX wagon with the gold wheels and blue paint work its just something that i wanted or black but this one came up first.I used to own a Gixxer 750 and really missed the performance when the mrs agreed to let me sell our gas guzzling voyager as the family is now slowly growing up i jumped at the chance to own the iconic IMPREZA OMG was that the right decison i wish i'd bought it instead of the bike.
As You said that flat four sound.....made even louder with the stainless exhaust and apex filter just swung it, people just look around when you give some when the dump valve kicks in...........awesome noise its bike performace as one of my mates put it.
I chose the wagon just for the extra space and its by far the best car i've owned from my point of view its the best thing i've ever done as one chap said the other day 'you own an impreza you'll not want anything else'he chopped his in for a newer honda and has regretted it ever since says it all really.....you know you got to do it lol
As You said that flat four sound.....made even louder with the stainless exhaust and apex filter just swung it, people just look around when you give some when the dump valve kicks in...........awesome noise its bike performace as one of my mates put it.
I chose the wagon just for the extra space and its by far the best car i've owned from my point of view its the best thing i've ever done as one chap said the other day 'you own an impreza you'll not want anything else'he chopped his in for a newer honda and has regretted it ever since says it all really.....you know you got to do it lol
alfa daley said:
ScoobieWRX said:
GravelBen said:
How does that cost work out compared to a Ver.7 STi wagon?
I wasn't aware of a V.7 STi wagon. Is it a JDM car??If there is one i would trade in my WRX for one of those and start again if it was a genuine V.7 Newage STi Wagon. At least then it would have the 6spd box, firmer inverted dampers/springs, 10mm wider track and even more scope for some
Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 14th May 06:49
ScoobieWRX said:
I've just spotted a couple of newage STi wagons on that site but i have to say they look like JDM imports. I can only wish they'd brought those over here as UK cars. Damn shame 
Looks like if i wanted one it would have to be a personal JDM import. Lovely though nonetheless.
Is there any problem with it being an import? Looks like if i wanted one it would have to be a personal JDM import. Lovely though nonetheless.
They probably are JDM cars - that being an NZ site, NZ import laws have traditionally been pretty relaxed though they've toughened them up a bit now. We often got better Subarus then the UK though, for example we've had NZ new turbo Legacies since 1989 and STi Imprezas (including some Type-R versions) since about '97.
Gassing Station | Japanese Chat | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff