Hi. Just joined, some questions......

[Nails]

Hi All,

I will be totally honest, I am a bit of a honda fanboy and am in the process of trying to source a Honda Integra Type R (DC5). I drove one the other day and it did not quite live up to my expectations, it may have been the example I drove that was at fault, so I have not given up on the idea as such.

However, the other day it occurred to me I had never really considered a Subaru Impreza STI. I drove a 2002 WRX once, I test drove an Accord Type R the same day and in my opinion the Accord was far superior in every way so I bought one of those and never looked back. 

The STI appeals to me as it is in a different league performance wise.

One of my main questions for you guys is that, is a 10-15 year old STI going to be a reliable car? I will be using it as a daily, but have access to my girlfriends car for days where I don't fancy taking it to work. I reckon I will do 8-10k miles a year. 

I don't know much about Impreza's really so any advice would be welcome. My budget is around £9.5k.

Thanks 

 

[Jay762]

Wotcha and welcome - like any performance motor, look after it with regular servicing, warm up an cool down cycles etc and it will be reliable.

Your budget will get you a variety of motors, widetrack blobeye sti, nice hawk STI, a sharkeye STI hatch (not quite as focussed a drive as standard but with a different steering rack and some chassis tweaks it sorts it right out) or a very tidy classic - this is a very focussed tool

I suggest you take a drive in each and see which suits your driving style.

Buyers guide - what to look for

 

[Jay762]

@Seminole81 as an experienced Honda aficionado would you care to comment??

[Tidgy]

Welcome.

You looking for raw performance or performance with some refinement?

[Nails]

16 minutes ago, Tidgy said:

Welcome.

You looking for raw performance or performance with some refinement?

Good question. Performance with some refinement sounds better for a daily, but I am used to driving mildly modified cars with lowered suspension etc.

[Tidgy]

Classic is raw performance, where as new age is a tad more refined. how many miles a day do you do? what sort of driving, back roads/motorways?

[Nails]

1 minute ago, Tidgy said:

Classic is raw performance, where as new age is a tad more refined. how many miles a day do you do? what sort of driving, back roads/motorways?

Commute is about 20 miles each way, 7 miles motorway, with the rest A & B roads. I would probably only use it 3 or 4 days a week for work and at the weekend. I reckon 10,000 miles a year. 

I have seen a couple of examples that look quite nice:

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/subaru/impreza-sti/subaru-impreza-41t-wrx-sti-type-uk----2005/6852526

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/subaru/impreza-sti/wrx-sti-jdm-twin-scroll/5984572

 

[Jay762]

The steering rack on the JDM model is an improvement over UK however equal length headers mean less of a distinctive rumble - not the end of the world but both models will be very usable every day motors

[Tidgy]

Personally i;d go for the later model of the 2. If you can find a 2005 JDM then best of both

[Seminole81]

Well, the Subaru has more power than a DC5 obviously. The both handle really well, and the STi is a actual performance car, more so than the Type R's. They're different in each respect, but the general characteristics are the same. They both handle well, etc. I was a bit like you and as a ex Honda person, I can honestly say that I love my hawkeye STi, and mines pretty much stock. I don't think they're as bullet proof as Honda's engine wise, but if you look after them then they should be alright. If you're worried about the engine, then definitely go for a 2L blob and not the 2.5 hawk which is known to have more issues. You've got a decent budget so you could get something like a blob STi and then set it up on some nice coilovers if it doesn't have them already and get a tune. JM Imports have a 55 plate JDM STi in white at the moment with a canny few mods done to it already, but it's a bit more expensive at £12k asking price (it's white and lovely looking, seen it first hand.)

[Jay762]

here it is

http://jm-imports.co.uk/index.php/2006-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-6-speed-manual/

[Tidgy]

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/subaru/impreza-sti/imprza-sti-spec-c/5050530

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/subaru/impreza-sti/wrx-jdm-sti-twin-scroll-hawkeye/7085178

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/subaru/impreza-sti/jdm-wrx-sti-spec-c-twinscroll/5248584

 

few others there, 

 

[Seminole81]

White 😍😍😍

[Nails]

Thanks for all the responses guys, my budget is 9.5k but that will rise slightly month on month. It looks like a UK car might be my best bet, especially as apparently you lose some of the noise with the JDM cars. Next stage is to try and drive one to see if I like them enough to buy one!

[Sirspidey]

Next stage is to try and drive one to see if I like them enough to buy one!

 

Wrong thing to ask here lol. You'll love one, very addictive. That sort of money would get you a nice blob sti. Good luck in your search

[Seminole81]

Haha, you'll really like it compared to a Honda. Loads more torque and they handle very well. You'll love it. I fell in love and wanted mine straight after test driving, but I had to convince my wife first haha! Definitely stick with a STi or Spec D or something with that for price range, few extra performance goodies 😉 You could get a Blob or Hawk for that price fairly easily. Enjoy the hunt!

[Seminole81]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222505615880 

nice 1 owner hawk, completely stock so it'd be your baby