ven Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hi there,i am ven,had a subaru now for a few months and enjoying it . Long story short,before kids i had a few performance cars from Fiesta Turbos to Saphire Cosworths and 200sx s14a etc etc etc . Then i needed something a little bigger due to little ones........... No people carrier for me so bought a shogun v6. Had this for around 8yrs,bought it with just 57k on the clock and sold with 120k all FSH and every MOT. Spent a heck of a lot in mods,winches to rock slider,body lifts,suspension lifts etc etc ........pretty much the opposite to performance cars. Was great for family stuff and green laning/pay and play sites(lots of youtube vids). Also for towing the caravan...... So a part of the family as some of you guys will know having a motor for years. I got fed up of the 12mpg at best,also started to be a little relentless on repairs too so i wanted something a bit newer and more reliable with age. Had to be Jap or German,ideally 4wd (or AWD) and ideally 4 doors for ease with a young family. Looked at evos but cost/repairs and all the electrickary would prove a potential major expense in the price range i was looking not to mention part costs. So we are down to the only other brand imho and of course Subaru. I am a newb to the brand so i did not look to into the Sti options nor the PPP etc . I just wanted a standard car and thats what i found,1 owner from new and FSH from SUbaru. Call to the garage its lived at,MOT checks on line and all come back good. As i got it Swapped the orange reflectors for more discrete ones I also swapped the orange repeaters for clear at 1st Better imo than orange but still too pronounced,so smoked now Swapped the standard head unit(will be changing again for a full screen one) Swapped the pretty new Subaru air filter for a K&N Was not too happy about the quiet flat 4 burble,wanted it a little louder but not too intrusive,so off with the standard back box Got the nice burble sound now so happy,may replace centre section and one of the two cats at some point ...............dont know yet. http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l612/venn105/car/D52E23E4-35AB-493F-88B2-AD24080D4D6C_zpsz8olu23y.jpg Thats pretty much it for now,not sure and undecided on what to do next. Thought about changing the down pipe and removing a cat,re-map to a sensible 260-280hp ............maybe. I guess i dont want to risk any reliability issues long term and it is pretty nippy compared to a 2.5t truck Not only that,speed restrictions till 2017 at least on the m60 and i guess no where to open it up much, does not make me rush into anything right now. Been looking at either re-furbing the standard wheels or just buying some more. As the boots are pretty good on it (pilot sport 3) i may just get 4 x 17" rims and stick with that size over 18" rims. Maybe 35 off set to bring a little more out to the arch as look too narrow as it is,do prefer a wider track. Must say 27mpg ish is great compared to 12mpg :D oh and i can overtake now too..........now and then ;) :) Tips ideas welcome for sensible and safe improvements and anyone around the Manchester area for a potential re-map is greatly appreciated. Comment good / bad welcome Cheers all ven :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stants Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hello welcome, looks nice and clean, nice headlights worth a few bob, we have a member from your neck of the woods who is having his forester mapped in jan/Feb maybe worth speaking to him regarding it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ven Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hi ,thank you for the welcome,yes that would be great,probably be around end of Jan at earliest for me,maybe Feb. Not sure if i will be getting rims 1st or map...........decisions decisions I just dont want to risk any reliability if makes sense as i need it daily. The headlights were already on it when bought,i still have the original ones stored. I guess they are a Marmite mod,some love/hate........... I quite like them so will be staying for now but have found a few VW owners in work love the bugeye as it is(reminds them of the beetle). I will be leaving the suspension as is too,more so due to the roads around here and compared to the 4x4 it handles like a dream anyway I find the 215/45/17 soak up the bumps fine so not sure about going larger and lower profile(have done on previous cars and end up pot hole dodging...........cba with all that again) must be old age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay762 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Wotcha and welcome - nice Bug you have there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ven Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Thanks Jay :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steveuk260.Esq Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Yes m8 215 are good profile. If you want to get better cornering you can go 225. And its a sweet looking motor in superb condition by the looks of it well done. And Welcome to SOC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Sapphire Cosworths One of my 1st dream cars along with the Escort Cossies. And very nice look Scoob nice to see some pictures up 1st too :) you must have looked at other posts , and welcome to S.O.C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ven Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Cheers guys for the welcome and kind words :) Yes ,well i had a 2.0S capri(loved that) at 18,soon traded it for a Fiesta xr2 ,that thing flew..........(well you know what i mean). 6 months on boredom and Fiesta turbo time,loved the bucket seats,fat steering wheel and modded by turbo systems iirc. Had the boost gauge and also a switch,rolling roaded at 133hp at the wheels without the boost switch flicked. Had a straight through 3" system.......loud was not the word! I am now 20yrs old,after few issues i started looking at other motors. Test drove some silly 360hp stage 3 ,3 door cosworths which were simply unbelievable in comparison to what i had known. Not wanting to risk any extreme modded stuff again after melting a piston on the Fiesta(all repaired under warranty as sold modded) I then i looked at an Astra gsi and clocked the sapphire cosworth in the corner in gunmetal,39k on the clock ,full leather and 8k (back in 1995 on a G 89 plate) .Had the standard ford radio and amp ,everything mint! love at 1st drive !Test drive and remember the guy telling me not to drop it down a gear,just leave it in 3rd or 4th and floor it...........i was use to the small(crap) 1.6 turbo of the fiesta and having to drop a cog. It did not feel as quick with the size over the fiesta,but it soon clocked 120 with ease. Unfortunately i only owned it for 9 months,rolled it on the a6 due to hitting a load of mud on the road. At the time they were building an equestrian centre and lets just say i was not the only one to have an accident. I approached a left hand bend and started to turn right,hitting a lamp post,rolling down an embankment,through some concrete posts(upside down) and rolled up the other side. 7 weeks off work,broken collar bone and whip lash in abundance........ When i viewed the car at the salvage place all smashed up,boot squashed in,rear seats pushed into fronts,both front seats looked like / \ facing in..........i was lucky compared to the poor guy in a Cerbera parked next to it. All blood over the drivers seat,same road,hit a lamp post,crushed the fibre glass car and severed a main artery............passenger walked away! Then i went 4x4 with a cavalier gsi4x4............that was a money pit !!! From transfer box,wish bones,head gasket........i will never buy a vauxhall again.......ever! I digress a lot but this wrx although admittedly not that quick compared to the sti version or modded ones,its brought back those cosworth memories of past. Hard to explain,but back in the day the cosworth rwd standard was around 200hp(the 4x4 was 220 ish) and 1200kg/1250kg,so not much in it 0-60 ish today. I do like the sure footedness of 4wd,the ability to give it some in the bends in the wet over rwd (lets be honest its wet more than its dry in the UK) But the cosworth was a more luxurious drive,maybe the leather seats etc and the extra bit of room. Certainly did not sound as nice as the flat 4 B) So just mods now without falling into the ever spending trap of not being happy Without going too far(might as well get an sti) i will be sensible and aim for 260-280hp overall . My concerns are pushing it and turbo gaskets failing(happened on my s14a) and of course brakes requiring updating. Guess time will change things as always ;) If i can have a 2 or 3yrs cheap running of a WRX then i would be tempted for a newer sti (pre 06). Already had an offer to buy from my MOT guy,took it out,looked around and said he will buy it come time. He worked on Subarus for about 8yrs before coming to my local garage,so must be worth a pass next MOT 2 keys,2fobs,has the standard thatcham cat 1 alarm and imob,and also another thatcham cat 1 imob Took me a while to find the keypad but i am a newb :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Nice touch wood only crashes I've had has been when my mates been driving ;) But I always wanted an Xr2 I did get to drive a G reg Xr3i when I was just 14 my mates Dad used to let us take it and we even used to drive back from the pub in it with is old man !Removed! up and we would have had a pint or two as well :o How times have changed :) He's what happened to one of our members cars a few weeks ago. I'm sure must have been ice though Not easy to crash the Scoobs http://uk.subaruownersclub.com/forums/topic/11079-graphic-warning-stus-scoob/ Wait for the snow real fun then :D Mind you if you have had an AWD Cossie I'm sure you will know what I mean :D Should be able to push 300bhp maybe 350 easy enough anymore than that though it's start's to get a bit dig deep in the pockets or get an STI ;) but 280 isn't a bad number either :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ven Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Yes how times have changed,its amazing what seemed awesome back in the day to be so under whelming today though :( Holy........... that is bad,i would be completely gutted ,glad the owner is OK as could have been far worse if anyone had hit them!! My cossie was the rwd=fun and a55 twitching times no flooring it out of junctions any way ,well unless you wanted to do a quick 180 and go the other way........... I do like my rwd though,loved the 200sx and had that at around 260hp,real nice drive and looked well on 18" rims. In fact i tend to modify every car/truck i have had!! Just this time i want to keep it semi sensible or i may as well have gone for an sti. Maybe this is my warm up into subaru ownership ;) No lowering for sure(speed bumps and stiff enough suspension for me) . My thoughts at the moment are if to keep the oe rims and get them re-done in a mat anthracite or just buy new....... What would you do? :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowthruster Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hi and welcome very nice motor you got there :)Capri's.....ive had a few in the past...Memories :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ven Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hi there,thanks,yes the good old capri,i just wanted a 2 litre . My 1st car was a 1.3gl escort with xr3 pepper pots (remember them :o ) iirc my insurance at 18 was £930 !Removed! party . But one thing i will say to this day,its still one of the most comfortable motors to drive,had the 2.8i interior,arm rests just fell perfect for the elbows..........It was a long drive with the 4sp box to Minehead one time but B) memories............ I remember changing the starter motor and you could literally stand in the engine bay,the 2.0L engine was lost. It was very nearly a 3.0 v6 too on and S plate,as i was going to do a straight swap,sort of senses came around and went for the 2.0S in black on a B plate. Open diff,so just span a wheel..............of course in the wet with 80 very tired ponies under the hood you really had to try My regrets were not having lots of pics,today we take for granted phone cameras(damn i sound old,honest i am not that old). Back then all inconvenienced with an actual camera and then having to get it printed......... :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowthruster Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I had 1.6 laser,then 2.0 laser then 2.0gl,then a mark2 3.1,god that was awesome,sounded great even had a bonnet scoop and starsky and hutch paintwork!!Always wanted a 2.8 but never got one....Like you say how times have changed :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ven Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 I have a pic you may like from a friend at work :) Capri !Removed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I have no problems with RWD had an m3 for awhile that loved wet leaves didn't do much for my underwear though caught me out a few times. Now that is one nice capri I'll see if I can get my mate to post some of his cars he's had some beauts including a cossie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ven Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Very nice!! wow,stunning example!! I remember back to the cav gsi buying time,i made the mistake of sitting in a mallard green escort cosworth and falling Hard to explain,maybe being 20 ish,but the sense of awesomeness sat in it.............just a great place to be. Chunky side skirts ,everything beefy and the huge whale fin through the back window............18k iirc back in 1996(think a K reg).Well out of my price range.........still is even more so now!! m3..........love them,loved the LHD older 2.3 too,great classic motor. The misses had a 523 for a few years as a family bus till.......... Nice 2.5 straight 6,would not say rapid by any means,certainly different league to the m3s,but fun all the same. I find the 5 series drive so nice,soak the bumps,proper mile muncher...........then there is the m5 B) (older v8) Would love one of those for a weekend toy :D 2 things i like with BMs,RWD and cam chains.........(well unless you need to replace the m3 one!!! ££££) Yes i am a petrol head,guess its in my blood............ :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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