mfnick

Proper gutted I missed this. Especially since there was a AMG there, love the sound of them! But I didn't be home from work until 8:45 :( Sorry guys. Ill try my best to make sure I get to the next one. Ash - I did ring Martin today though. Hopefully getting it in next Saturday, need to ring him again next week to make the booking. Decided to get the major 60k service (its on 64k) done too since I'm changing all the oils already. It was done 4 years ago according to the previous owner (at the 70 months time) but unfortunately don't have a receipt for that, only a stamp so decided its better to be safe than sorry.

Wow I didn't know the STi uk had forged internals too. That's awesome news, makes me feel a bit more comfortable about chasing extra power now. And it's a weekend car mainly so not being as useable everyday doesn't bother me too much. I agree switchable maps would be a good idea though. Ill have a chat at the meet or when I get it in for oil changes. Thanks!

Awesome. Ordered! Thanks :) And Jay, yea that would be mint thanks. Have to say I'm surprised by that with SC since I've heard mostly positive things. But yea, would definitely like a 2nd opinion now. Ill get the gearbox oil changed anyway though. May as well do the diff oil while I'm at it too. :)

What kind of additive would you recommend?

Dental floss also works great for removing badges for future reference. Used it to remove badges on my old cars and some of my mates' Personally I prefer the Impreza with the badges but each to their own. :)

Yeah that's fair enough, but which parts would you recommend upgrading? And I drove it :) I know what you're saying about being a passenger but that felt quite a bit more brutal even driving it. Haha I need that meet with Ash to happen sooner!

Welcome! I do love these. I would have one in a heartbeat if I could afford it. I hear a lot of people buy them (well the GT86 anyways since these are nigh on impossible to find) but are disappointed by the lack of power and decide the idea of it was better than the reality unfortunately. Which would explaintp the low mileage re sales -that aren't dealer ones. Have to admit if I got one I'd have to supercharge it. 197bhp wasn't enough i my CTR so it certainly wouldn't be enough in one of these I don't think. But I'd want to keep the n/a style of power delivery so supercharging over turbo IMO for these. But around 250-300bhp and RWD plus those looks do it for me :) Here's one of the few I saw at JAE, looks great in the metal! Also have you seen the STi one? Looks even better. Book a test drive and see what you think and see if the lack of grunt bothers you. Can't hurt can it? :)

Right, I'm thinking of upping the power a bit. 332 is all well and good but I've just got it in my head its has to be 350+. And after a ride in my mates 380bhp Evo 9 I'm wanting just that little bit more of a kick. :) First of all is it safe to have these running 350 and over on stock internals? From the research I've done there's a lot of conflicting info, what's your guys experience? And any parts I should uprate or change for new as a precaution when chasing that bit more power? Like the oil pump? Ill be getting some gauges I think to monitor boost, oil temp and pressure so I can quickly and easily see if anything isn't working quite right at that level. And lastly what's the best way of going about getting some more powwweeeerrr? As mentioned it has a 3 port boost solenoid, K&N drop in panel filter, exhaust system with down pipe de cat and ecutek ecu remap. With my civic it was as simple as bolting on some breathing mods and getting it mapped. I'm not 100% sure how to go about it on this, upping the power on turbo engines seems to be quite a different job. It'll be a while before I actually do this since I've only just got it, got some things to pay off and need to save up. But I want to start planning it, looking for and pricing parts, find out just how much it'll cost etc. Thanks in advance! :D

Well, I got this checked out by the guys over at Scoobyclinic since that's where I got the cambelt done. Turns out its a gearbox bearing so nothing to do with that anyway haha! Just a bit of a coincidence. But they told me not to worry about it yet. It's quiet (he couldn't hear it at first) and only happens when labouring it a bit. Nowhere near as bad as some others they have in which are still running fine at much higher power and the cost of stripping the gearbox and sorting it (well over £1000!!!) isn't worth it while its like this. Bit gutted but hey ho. Not going to change anything really, ill just make sure to put a bit of money away for if/when it becomes a problem.

Hi mate, I tried but the sound didnt pick up in the video. Ill try again when I get chance. Oh, and just done some more research on the clunking noise on the Coilovers and it seems its a very common complaint with BCs so not too worried about that now. Especially since mine isnt anywhere near as bad as some peoples from what im reading. Just worried about the grind now. Yea I'm hoping to go to that meet so ill have a word.

Thanks for the advice on the brake stopper mod. Just been reading up on it and does sound very promising. Will get one of those before spending a fortune on lines, discs, pads etc. I have got used to them now but definitely don't feel as confident in them as Id like.

Hi guys, after a little help please. Recently I've just noticed a metallic grinding noise when putting my foot down while under 2k revs - mainly in fourth when accelerating past 30mph. And when just lifting off completely and letting the car roll at slightly higher revs. Doesn't make it any other time and even just cruising at those revs it's fine, only when accelerating. I'm thinking it might be a heat shield but not sure. I also only noticed it a couple of days after getting the cambelt changed. Might be a coincidence but who knows. Any ideas? Also when making manoeuvres at very low speed - basically stopping at starting, say like a 3 point turn I keep hearing a odd clunking noise. Sounds like its from the rear suspension which I hear is a common fault but its had Coilovers put on it all round (was one of the things I checked on purchasing) so I'm not sure it's that. Again, any ideas please? Thanks

Thanks Miggs. Yeah I've seen a couple in the metal now too. They do look absolutely fantastic. But due to the prices and he fact I really don't want to roll my arches think I might have to give them a miss. Also got quite a lot of people saying how much they liked my current ones over the weekend at JAE and from a lad at Scoobynet I got talking to while getting some work done this morning. Plus I'm co,ing round to them now too. They definitely look a lot better in the metal than the pics. Might do them a different colour though. Possibly Bronze, anthracite or gloss black. Can't decide what though. Any of you any good with photoshop ;) lol

Nah, I agree. The more common something is the more I go off it. Plus it's made the price skyrocket. But those Rota's are something else. Especially in black. But I'm also not keen on rolling my arches so I'm probably not going to go with that style since they're are normally 9" wide from the ones I've seen. I've not got the cash yet anyway so will worry about that closer to the time. & Gambit, don't worry mate, Ill be taking plenty of pics ;) Are any of you lot going? Will pop over and say hello if you are.

Thanks man! Im hoping its dry tomorrow, going to go for a proper drive if it is now that I'm back home and see how it handles some of my favourite roads. Then give it a good wash, polish and wax ready for JAE this weekend. :)

8th October sounds good to me, I'm in.

Hey guys, I've finally picked her up! Started a thread for it here - http://uk.subaruownersclub.com/forums/topic/2353-mfnicks-blobeye-impreza/ What do you think?

Finally picked it up on Friday. Absolutely loving it! Always wanted a Impreza STi and the Blobeye is my favourite of the newage models so had to be the one to get. Managed to find a really nice condition one with only 63500 on it from 2003 :) . Had to be blue too ;) Better pics will follow, these were quick ones with my Phone. Not had a proper blast in it yet. Went straight to see my bro's for the weekend after picking it up (my nephew now thinks its the coolest car ever :) ). But done some 'point and squirt' driving in it and the acceleration is something else! Cant wait to see how it handles in the dry when pushing on. Its had a fast road geo setup already done, the old owner said he'd had it set to be quite neutral with the ability to slide the back end out a bit. Need a big open space to test. Surprised just how comfy it is too, although it has got coilovers fitted. Current spec: Boost Solenoid BC coilovers with Fast Road geo setup 2 point strut brace Full exhaust system with down pipe cat delete K&N Filter Remap to 332bhp and 330ftlb Ugraded discs and EBC pads all round. As for my future plans, im going to get a front splitter (seen a couple with them and finishes the front off nicely). I'm going to change the alloys I think, not keen on these really. Not looked into them a great deal yet but from my small amount of browsing I'm loving the Rota's I'm seeing. Some of the Revolution ones I've seen are very nice too. Also seen a few with de-ambered and black headlamps which I really like so looking to source some of those at some point. Going to look into upgrading the rest of the braking system too as they feel pretty spongy and don't really slow the car until you push on the pedal pretty hard - although I am getting used to this. Might get a proper induction kit too. Will get it mapped with this just to eek that tiny bit more power out and get some overrun pops and crackles mapped in too. Apart from that all my money will be spent keeping it in as good condition as possible, keeping it well maintained and to continue to increase its handling capabilities.

Well, as promised here's a pic of it from the ad! http://imageshack.us/f/835/zc9l.jpg/ This wait is killing me haha!

Thanks Gambit! Pics will follow as soon as I've picked her up. I tried taking some after viewing it but after inspecting the car, the test drive, seeing the paperwork and just having a good chat to the current owner it'd gone dark. And my phones camera is rubbish in the dark. I'll post one of the ad pics later. :)

Thanks guys. Turns out I don't need to even look at those now anyway. Just been to see one, '03 plate, not much over 63000 miles, blue Blobeye STi uk with a couple of choice mods mapped to 332bhp. It was mint and bloke who owned it seemed like a really top lad. Deposit paid :D Won't be picking it up for a few weeks - was over my budget (decided it was worth it for mileage, mods and condition) and need the money from my sale first so gave him a healthy deposit to remove it from sale while I get it together. Going to be a loooooooong 3-4 weeks. Still, extremely happy!!! Can't wait!

Hi, thanks mate! :) Yea. I'm browsing all sales on all sites at the moment haha. I had a few lined up to view this weekend but some have sold already! Still got a couple still to see though. Yea, I keep hearing that about the PPP, but ive noticed the price difference between one with and without isn't much really (usually less than the cost of a licence and remap on standard) while ive been looking so thinking I am as well get one with so I can go a bit longer without splashing more cash modding it as soon. But we'll see. I have been looking at some already modified which look good and wold be ideal since itd save me the trouble for a while. One has 350bhp, but I've heard the stock gearbox and internals can give at that so I'm a bit wary of buying that one. Another has 340bhp on a refurbed vf35 plus it has a switchable map so I can run 265 for normal driving which sounds great. Only problem is it has over 90k miles. But it has had loads of work done (wear and tear stuff) with receipts so should be ok. Better to have one you knows been looked after than one without much history eh? Anyway, I'm rambling. Thanks for the welcome. I would like to ask though I keep reading differing views on. Is it a big problem if it has mods (exhaust and air filter) but no proof of a remap? I've read that it can cause problems but there's a really good one that fits my spec perfectly but like I say, it has mods but no info on any mapping? Just how bad is it to have one modded but not mapped? Should I leave it well alone? Depending on how much i can haggle him down i can budget to have it remapped myself within a month but could the damage already have been done? Thanks!

Hi guys and gals. Currently/used to own a Civic Type R Facelift EP3. Just sold it this weekend (he's picking it up at the end of the month) and got the cash together to finally get myself a Impreza STi. A car I've wanted for as long as I can remember. Found this site on google and your car sale thread is fantastic where it lists all the ones for sale. Saves some messing about on ebay. I also on Scoobynet, but good to have access to as many different opinions and as much info as possible so thought I'd join here too. Plus it's a bit too big over there and very easy to get lost in all the noise. Just in case anyone's interested I'm after a Blobeye STi Type UK with FSH and proof of cambelt change(s). Must be WR blue! Preferably with PPP but been told many times not to get too hung up on that so looking at standard ones too. If it's a standard STi with a aftermarket stainless exhaust and remap all the better. Anyway, that's me. Howdo :-)