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It passed with no advisorys, not bad for a 25yr old car 😊 Admittedly it's only ever had 2 advisorys in its life and I asked him to put them on 🤔🤪... so I could tell the wife I needed to buy "necessary upgrades ,so it doesn't fail next year " 😜😂😂

Been kinda following this the past couple of days mate and buying a scoob is no different to buying any other 2nd hand car they all come with some problems also all these people who are trying to put you off have any of them ever owned and ran one of these cars? If not i would take what they saying with a pinch of salt, scoobs are really reliable cars as long as you keep on top of servicing and any other wear and tear items such as brakes etc and they are no more expensive in parts than any other manufacturer the 2ltr engine is a cracking engine so as long as you don't mind changing the oil every 5-6k then it'l all be ok, like the lads have said previously check for any rust especially around rear arches, sills and strut towers, get your hand in about the lip of the rear arch as all the s**t gathers there, make sure you warm up the engine before any spirited driving and then letting it cool down properly when you come to park up, what one was it that's in scotland and where is it about 👍

Hello, Its a long time ago but i'm showing the first pictures from my scooby. December he will be 19 years old! Last weeks we take him rust free and put a Bilstein Coilovers set. Next week spraying and he's ready! Last pictures is how is now

I'm new. Well, I'm old really. Bought a sad tired looking ol'Legacy 2.5 estate 141k, off eBay 2 weeks ago for £900. Actually cost me £600 after my banger was written of and I got £300 more for it so put £50 towards it. I couldn't test drive it as the lad was 19 and had a black box fitted. It needed a complete full service including all oils, diff, engine, brake and trans needed a flush twice as it was thumping into third, now cured. New plugs and filters. New pads and belts. New cambelt kit on order. New tyres, Goodyear all seasons. I bought a used door, wing and front bumper from a breaker in wallsaw last Sunday for £160 as it matched mine. Mine had been in a bump and had been rattle canned and badly filled. The used panels are the same colour. The door was from a saloon so the window is being removed to fit. All good fun eh. This is my 7th Subaru. P reg 555 LTD estate, 98 Forester STB, Mk3 Legacy B4 twin 4 Door, Mk3 Legacy B4 twin estate, 54 WRX,

Doesn't take long, either use hydraulic press or bush forcing screw tool set . With bush forcing screw tool set and air hammer we can do some bush replacement without removing suspension arms fully thus saving time and parts needed . If can't get them out in one, push rubber out first, then cut wall of metal sleeve with air hacksaw or recip sawsaw and tap it out, decent air hammer super useful here . It takes me about 2hrs max remove rebuild and fit front pair lower arms, cheapest option is the pattern arms around £66 and just bolt on but quality not good enough for my liking on cheaper whole arms want use that route . It a must for safety, end result drive feel and long life thus better long term value use better quality only for suspension repair . Those horizontal mounted rear bushes don't last long, awful design when used on rovers decades ago and euro trash used it too, older design subaru front arms rear bush way better but not as cheap make 😕 too many accountants and not enough engineers in modern manufacture 😞

You will need to get the fault codes read. All dealers, some independent garages will be able to read the codes, as could you with Freessm program, laptop and suitable connecting cable. There is also a way to read the codes directly off the car by connecting connectors but I'm not sure of the process. Then, armed with the code well be better able to determine the problem.

Could not stop him posting questions and now i am impatient to know if he bought one, lol.

Aw yeah if I had read your post properly I’d have seen that 🤣 duh subaru drivers eh hahaha

You can get the alternator bolt and the wee bit it screws into from import car parts fairly cheap mate easy to replace anaw

The bugeye had been neglected by previous owner, all exhaust gaskets needed changed for a start, one hadn't even been put in. Constant fault finding did my head in, this one is a whole other ball game so far thankfully. Well looked after, any mods were done properly

Hi mate looks a cracker you’ve got there I feel your pain I had a bugeye which was a bit of a nightmare, still loved it anyway but lol

Good news that, you have several months now to decide what next. If you're going to keep the car several years, it might be worth leaving the Nokians with their chunky tread for winter use and buy a cheaper set of tyres for the warmer weather, maybe find a cheap set of wheels for the winter season so your best wheels don't see salt? We tried a set of very well priced Japanese made Falkens (501 IIRC) on one of daughters two Civics, they are lasting well and she reports really good wet grip, she really puts her cars through the mill so if she says they are gripping well that's good enough for me. I have two sets of tyres on wheels for our SG9 XT, a set of Cooper Winters in 16" flavour, made in England which surprised me, and a set of 17" Fulda Sport Contacts thingies for summer, i can't knock the Fuldas for grip which is quite amazing in the wet but the downside is too much road noise and a crashing ride, they have plenty of meat left but seriously considering a set of those Falkens for quieter more comfortable summer use. Both sizes used are on the door label as suitable, and like yours for snow tyres as low as Q speed rating is allowed, like yours my winters are H rated, the Fuldas V or W, the 16" provide a much softer ride as a bonus, so good in fact i've considered ditching 17" altogether and going to 16" all year.

OK. I've had a second response from insurer following my "escalation" of the issue. They said they would need to speak to the underwriter and have come back with the following: "Winter tyres are absolutely fine and will be covered under your policy. The tyres must be used in the correct driving conditions and be suitable for your vehicle." So, it looks like I am covered and insurance co. have seen sense. Thank goodness for that. Although a slight question mark remains come spring time ? Thank you for all you comments & support. Here's picture of the Nokian shod Forester pulling a trailer of logs off-road to celebrate:

Yes mate let it heat up then drive normally for a bit so the oil temp and gearbox and diff oils get up to temp before booting it. Depends on what for mate I’d be happy getting like brakes etc at a normal but good mechanic. But anything like timing or more in-depth stuff I’d want a specialist. A lot of subaru owners do basic servicing theirselves there’s so many how to guides for these motors. With the cat it depends on what has went wrong could be 02 sensor on my last wrx I had a leak at down pipe which caused the code. Don’t worry about it too much any engine in any car can blow up if it’s not looked after. Just wait til you drive one though not a lot like them for the price out there. Buy with your head cause you will most likely fall in love with the driving experience lol

hi mate as long as they have been properly looked after they can be very reliable cars. Ideally you want one unmodded but that’s not easy to find these days. If it’s been modded say past a cat back and hasn’t been mapped I’d be suspicious. I’d personally stick with the pre 06 models for the reasons siluro outlined. Rust is a major factor on many Subaru’s that don’t live in garages and are used through the winter. Checking rear arches, sills front radiator support etc. Servicing is a big one too make sure it’s had regular oil changes etc etc, timing belt should be done at the mileage your looking at but scan paperwork cause it’s every 50,000ish miles or 5YEARS. Awesome cars but, I’ve had two wrxs an 02 and my current 04. Biggest issues I had was corrosion cause they were/are kept outside. Parts for them aren’t crazy expensive insurance is very reasonable for what the car is and there is a great community and aftermarket that supports the brand.

I hear you fella, i'm the opposite to yourself as i fix hgv's every day so sometimes i just get a bit sick of looking at engines, gearboxes and all the other parts that go with it but i do still love tinkering with the scoob when i have the chance and i haven't had too heavy a week at work and my old bones aren't aching haha 😂😂, i've decided to put the repair panels for mine on the xmas list and the mrs says she will get the arches for me which is nice of her 👍

Wow👍👍👍what a good job just love to have the time and the knowledge to do mine good job mate👍👍👍👍👍

Cheers mate that info was really helpful and has help me make my mind up on a rebuild! I haven’t got the equipment or knowledge to rebuild myself I can remove it and send it away to be done. Don’t suppose you could suggest anyone or place I could send it could you? Cheers again mate! Gary

Well japshow seems like a distant (soggy) memory and the scooby is now sorn for the salty season. Did take it out for a final blast before it went into hibernation 😊 as I know I'm going to miss it ,due to not having the bug sti as a daily anymore and now having a boring a4 20t petrol for a winter hack 🙄😏 The engine has done nearly 60k since I built it and is due a cambelt kit soon , so although it's fairly easy to do the cambelt institu .... I did buy those v4sti heads to refurb over the winter 🤔 So might get those done over the winter, pull the engine early next year and see how if it snowballs into a bottom end refresh 🤔🙄🤪😊 So seeing as I won't be driving it for a while , I took some pics of the inside for a change lol

Hi welcome....is this any good

Hahaha,... we driving on the rightside of the road.

Hi all, Proud new owner of a WRX 300 Blobeye. Absolutely in love with the car. Got it for a steal. 121k on the clock and never missed a service or been played with 👌. Only thing I will say is, it could do with an STI wing!

Hi folks, Been looking for a Type R this past 6 months. I have not found anything as of yet but I have seen this highly modified example. It has been for sale a long time. Just wondering why it has not sold yet? https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/subaru/impreza-sti/type-r-one-off-rare-opportunity--immaculate-car--very-high-spec/9621289

Wotcha and welcome !!

welcome, give me a wave when you see me. 😄

Should be good fun alright - sticking with the Arashi turbo for now and going to rotate it and push it as far as it goes. Scott's been talking to turbo technics about it already so will do that for now. Then next year when it's all run in etc. I'll most likely slap a bigger one on there as the engine is built for it already so it'd be a shame not to! Got the brembos on Sunday with disks and pads - what a difference they'll make. Got the short shifter, alloy radiator and fog light with an air feed in it as well so it's all coming together now. ICP order going in today as well 👌

1998 Subaru selling as a rolling shell project, can send details and pictures to anyone interested?

I had used the AutoGlym kit (from Halfords using S.O.C. discount card) but read about using bicarb toothpaste These lights on my lads colt had already been subject to the kit treatment but still had a touch of 'cepia' about them so I thought I would try the toothpaste I did one and then took photos of each to have a direct comparision Before After So - Worth trying a tube of tootpaste before spending £25 or so on a full kit

Now you have polished off all the UV protection these will turn yellow quicker. You need to re add the UV protection if keeping car for a long time. You can use transparent vinyl wrap to replace this. Spraying with clear coat can reduce lights performance but will work. When the wrap looks bad just replace it no need to polish again.

The 2 little straight ones and the "Z" shape one are for the timing belt casings, think the oval one is for the turbo oil drain pipe

Clutch slave cylinder refurb completed Before Prepped for paint Post paint ready for installation also replaced OEM rubber hose with HEL braided item Assembled, installed and bled

Hi Brack, Juddian, thanks for the advice. It's appreciated. I'd already seen a few videos from "softroadingthewest", which were very helpful, especially the build walk round. Certainly worth considering. I've also been looking into the Outback - theres a few videos up on youtube as well - and I reckon I might go in that direction - especially the H6 engined one, Juddian. After many hours trying to make my way through the maze of getting insurance in Canada it seems it might be easier and cheaper to buy a vehicle here, ship it over drive round for a year and ship it back! The problem with the Canadian insurance is lack of any no claims on Canadian roads so quotes are likely to be in the region of £4k. RoRo shipping to Baltimore is in the region of £600 each way and I'm waiting on a response from a US insurance broker recommended on the Overland Association website. It also takes the pressure of finding a vehicle - I can take my time getting just what I want over here., rather than feeling railroaded into buying something there. Thanks again for the help

Haven't updated this in a while - a LOT more work has taken place - some pics below....currently buying everything (almost there) to rebuild again with a fully forged hybrid 2.5 STI RCM Block with 2.0 STI AVCS heads, arashi td-05 20g - it's all fun and games!

I was told that HIDs might have to be a factory standard to pass MOT? Did some research and it seems LEDs are the way to go now which are supposedly just as good but can’t find which LEDs are right for an 03 STI Anyone got any ideas? ta

Thanks Savage Bulldogs will message JTinnovations straight away👍

The Nokian Weatherproofs are a few weeks old now and a great. So much more grip than the Pirelli's that were on it before and which understeered/slid so easily on sharp bends. I've not been able to get the Nokians to break traction in the wet yet but I've not gone totally mental. I do like to get a feel for where the limit is on each set of tyres I use. tread pattern looks like a typical winter tyre, lots of "sipes" ( crinkly slits in treads) to allow standing water to get out of the way. I went for the "H" rated tyres which are rated at up to 130mph. Since the car's top speed is given as just 114mph, I can't see this being an issue for insurers. The tyres are also rated XL for heavy load, with lots of plies, so I'm guessing pretty robust. Very happy with them and price from Giga tyres as per above links. Thanks Mr B.

Not a huge amount - dressing and servicing some of the rusted parts, clutch master cylinder today, want to look at surge tank tomorrow..

KYB japan excel G and matching KYB springs (can get custom springs via springcoil.co.uk for special requirements. Struts are £50 each , and pair of springs £80-90 when use non SLS struts you MUST use non SLS spring or ride height still be low as spring rates differ between SLS and non SLS If want KYB part numbers/links give me year of forester/image of vehicle . Parts are cheap and fitting very simple .

Why not try moving your existing reverse light bulb across to check if it is live - dont know your model but I take it it is not your rear fog light on the opposite side? I have purchased LED REV light upgrades from this supplier with no issues https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2X-NEW-2019-50W-W16W-T15-UPGRADE-HP-CREE-XBD-LED-WHITE-SIDELIGHT-BULBS-ALL-CARS/152727360306?hash=item238f429332:g:Um0AAOSwYPJdr4jd

Up for sale is my clean SF5 Forester sti. I imported the car a year and a half ago. It has only seen about 1000 UK miles as it is my pride and joy and rarely comes out the garage. It has never seen rain or bad weather in this country and is immaculate underneath. Car has MOT till 16th April 2020. The car has rare Work Emotion wheels costing £800 and dunlop tyres all round. I have just given this car a full service as of october 2019 and replaced a wheel bearing. Car is standard JDM model has not been tuned in any way delivering 280bhp. This car is faultless in every way has no knocks or rattles no warning lights on either. This is a very clean example of this rare car. I am not open to swaps however i am open to reasonable offers. £7000 ONO. 01899229165. awennis16@gmail.com 01899229165

Hi guys got this random email with links connected to it I never clicked on the PDF file that was attached as my email address had skelpt it into the spam bucket and I hadn’t heard or contacted the guy.

Brilliant Stuart looking forward to seeing your progress and getting a run together when its ready 👍

Not anymore. They go by the latest test so if it fails you have no mot. If it passes and you are within s month of the due date the mot is valid from 1 year for your current due date Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

It is from the oil cooler o ring ,there is 2 or 3 o rings. Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk

Yeh the turbo a joy unless do mpg calcs 🙂 Coming up to time of year you really start loving a Forester . I'll post links to front arm bushes and balljoint, know which ones they are as common failure due to crappy design on later models (earlier design of rear bush way better) pic just so we 110% .

Done it . 1 hours job . So incase anyone else has to change ones . Hear is how to do it . Remove intercooler Remove the rear engine support arm Jack up car Undo centre section of exhaust Put Jack under gearbox Undo both gearbox brackets off car so gearbox can drop . ( only drops about 6 inches but it is enough ) The nps is on the top black plug and wire facing downwards not the one facing forwards that's the rev light switch white plug and wire . Cut a 19mm spanner so about 4 inches use open end crack it off and undo . Reverse is all backwards . Easy job . (Not as easy as 5 speed though lol ) Avcs now working again . Happy days

yeh don't scrap the oem arms, worth keeping or selling . If you need bush part numbers PM ne pic of arm as a rule of thumb just about all arm bushes, lower ball joint and drop links front and rear are around £20 mark each . japanpart and NTY do patern arms (I don't use them unless oem arms damaged , choice of bushes is huge from firstline, adl, febi bilstein, delphi, febest, japanparts, fai, moog, 555, etc etc .

I run a 1999 N/A 2.0 Legacy as my every day car, and as said above, you won't get much in the way of horse power. However, the suspension set up is basically the same as the turbo models but softer with thinner anti-roll bars etc. I've replaced all the rubber bushes on mine with aftermarket ones designed for the Impreza Turbo of the same age, so while it may be slow the handling is lovely and sharp on the corners.

It transpires the steering rack was already a 13.1 ratio so spruce up and refit old bushes with replacement Perrin items Brackets before cleaned Painted Painted and Perrin bushes installed Back in situ post all threads been chased and dressed Rose joints greased to prevent the rust that had built up returning, antiseize on threads stainless steel bolts and nuts plus split washers to lock all in place

Relocated the Toucan unit from where it had been glued into the centre console but the glue gave way as there was no support across the rear to the right vent housing with an alloy bracket to ensure it can take being pressed without breaking free In the future I will fill the hole and paint where the vent wheel went Before After