Not wanting to go for aftermarket suspension, just wanting to replace like for like.

I have a 2004 WRX STI blobeye (not widetrack).

Looking at the Sachs: £118/ea https://www.carparts4less.co.uk/p/sachs-shock-absorber-635800200
Or maybe the KYB. £177/ea https://www.carparts4less.co.uk/p/kyb-shock-absorber-635800092
CP4L have another discount code so i can get an extra 17% off.

I wonder if the KYB is the same that Import Car Parts sell?
https://www.importcarparts.co.uk/parts-info?id=12689&cat=96&sub=183&sec=349&var=69&dc=0&gen=&searchKey=&searchPart=

Why not aftermarket? with the right selection they can be a great improvement over the standard ones.

27 minutes ago, Tidgy said:

Why not aftermarket? with the right selection they can be a great improvement over the standard ones.

Just want to keep it as stock as i can.

Ah fair enough, there's alot of myths around aftermarket suspension and coil overs being too hard for the road etc with correct setup (spring rates etc) they are fine for road use. I have flex Z on my daily

I have KYB Ultra i think which is what i was recommended to retain stock setup.

I am with @Tidgy on coilover myths though, recently tried a car on coilovers setup for road use and it was great. From the outside you wouldn't notice a difference anyway so if my shocks start playing up again I will probably just move to coilovers next time.

Not sure if this is 100% correct, but wasn't the deal with the "Type UK" setup for the Impreza to do with optimising for the UK roads.  You lose that with coilovers surely?

No idea on that one - someone else might be able to answer. 
I have always been told the UK Spec is just a slightly watered down JDM spec.

Others will probably have a list of brochure differences but suspension setup wise it’s not going to like it was out the factory anymore now. 
I have had mine on the original setup and changed to KYB Ultras when that gave up. On my 18” wheels I wouldn’t say it’s the smoothest ride in the world. Not awful by any means but have been looking to take the edge away with smaller wheels for sometime now.

If you’re on 17s maybe it’s very different - never had mine on 17s so cant comment.

Someone suggested coilovers instead set up for road use and set up right for use I think it would be superior to stock. 
 

If I end up changing will let you know. 

Not necessarily, it all depends on how much you spend, the potential adjustment on a set of coilovers is considerably more than the stock setup if you go for a better quality option. I would not spend £300 - 400 on a set of coilovers vs stock setup as that stands a very high risk of buying something that will rust very quickly and return a very harsh ride. however when you get upto £1500 mark you have variable damping and the ability to balance the car on each corner to get an equal distribution of weight, decent damping will give a great ride even on UK roads.

For what you are looking for KYB would be ideal, have used them for many years as OEM replacement items - most recently on my lads Mitsi colt and will be using them on a 1989 Toyota Camry shortly 👍

@Jay762 that’s exactly what I was advised. If you’re willing to spend the money then coilovers are the better option. 
If not then stock is the way to go, seeing as I have never and probably never will see a track it made sense to me to go down the KYB Ultra route. Been solid for a few years now and I have no complaints. 
I suspect the ride quality has a lot more to do with the wheels/low profile tyres than anything else. 

6 minutes ago, Jamina said:

@Jay762 that’s exactly what I was advised. If you’re willing to spend the money then coilovers are the better option. 
If not then stock is the way to go, seeing as I have never and probably never will see a track it made sense to me to go down the KYB Ultra route. Been solid for a few years now and I have no complaints. 
I suspect the ride quality has a lot more to do with the wheels/low profile tyres than anything else. 

I wonder if the Sachs ones are any good.  I think they've got an ok name, but whether or not the ones for the Impreza are any good or not is anyones guess.

14 minutes ago, Jamina said:

If you’re on 17s maybe it’s very different - never had mine on 17s so cant comment.

Yep, on the classic gold, standard 17" wheels

3 hours ago, Jamina said:

I suspect the ride quality has a lot more to do with the wheels/low profile tyres than anything else. 

That, again is a contributing factor - the lower the profile the stiffer the tyre wall the less give there is the firmer the ride however the suspension form a damping persective if of basic quality will be 'crashy' whenever hitting a bump and can also tend to bounce across the road as opposed to soaking up the changes

4 hours ago, AirGordon said:

Not sure if this is 100% correct, but wasn't the deal with the "Type UK" setup for the Impreza to do with optimising for the UK roads.  You lose that with coilovers surely?

uk setup is pretty soft and also bisualy pretty high, so you get a better ride, but not as good if your pushing on. It's a catch 22 and a case of finding the right balance to suit you.

4 hours ago, Tidgy said:

uk setup is pretty soft and also bisualy pretty high, so you get a better ride, but not as good if your pushing on. It's a catch 22 and a case of finding the right balance to suit you.

I've come from a TT running 19" wheels and hard suspension... Kinda enjoying something softer. 😂

Ah decent set of coils will be fine