DaiP

The only thing that's put me off the Focus RS in the past is that they were front wheel drive even though I've never driven one and I have to confess to having my !Removed! kicked by one when I was on my bike. My excuse was that It was on a twisty and bumpy mountain road. I was so gutted I was determined to find something wrong with the bike and ended up replacing the rear shock. Don't think I'll be replacing my STI for one though. I like the old school laggy power delivery from the scoob.

I might be up for this. It's only about an hour away for me. I'll have to check my brothers ACU calendar though because I'm supposed to be helping him with his bike racing most weekends this year and clear it with the big boss first.

Didn't fancy that one much. Think it's got thrush. Sorry!

No. It's a flying fish. At least it was.

Fished this poor fella out from behind my intercooler. Wondering whether it's worth trying to re-straighten the fins.

The BMW is rear wheel drive. The figures quoted by manufacturers are usually in ps at the flywheel. A dyno is going to be at the wheels that's why it's a good bit lower. The US market also have the standard WRX model as well as the STI so it could have been one of those. The difference between the Subaru and the other 2 cars is put your foot down mid corner and the Subaru just grips while the other 2 will be flashing dashboard lights at you and reigning the power back. I do like the 2 series though.

I don't think they're ceramic pads. I could be wrong though. Do you use your car much? I only drive mine once or twice a week and with the lovely welsh climate my discs are usually rusted over after a few days. A couple of applications of the brakes soon clears it. According to the owners manual there is a pad wear indicator warning that makes a scraping or squealing noise. Wouldn't expect your brakes to be worn that quick but the indicator might not have been buried deep enough in one of the pads during manufacture. Also, have you had your wheels off and checked your discs for score marks and had a look between the pads for any small stones that might be lodged in there. Would have thought the garage would have checked that though.

Just had a listen to your car on YouTube and I like. Wouldn't mind hearing one with just the upgraded back boxes as I'm thinking about them for mine. As for the reviews slagging off the interior, it just means more of the budget went into the important bits you can't see. I've had a trawl of the Internet for power upgrades etc. there seems to be a fair bit in the USA but not much this side of the pond. The sensible old git in me says you rarely use the standard power so why bother but then the serial tinkerer in me keeps thinking another 40-50bhp would be nice.

If you can afford it do it. Like the old cliche. Never regret the things you do, just the things you don't do. Mine puts a smile on my face every time I get in it. As for insurance, I put my missus on my insurance and it brought it down, I know it sounds daft but try adding additional drivers to your policy, at your age adding one or more parent might bring it down.

Not sure about the 2 litre, I haven't had first hand experience of it. I don't think all the 1.4's had the oil consumption issues, I've heard of some using no oil to some that were worse than mine and certain engine codes being better than others because at some point there was a breather mod done. The turbo issue on mine became apparent when my missus saw black / brown smoke coming out of the exhaust when she was behind me as I pulled away from traffic lights. After it went in for the turbo the oil consumption was a lot better.

The local Skoda dealer I found ok to deal with, it was when I dealt with Skoda uk directly I had problems. I found their attitude really arrogant and unhelpful. Luck of the draw I guess.

It was the walnut veneer dashboard and picnic tables in the back that sold it to me. And the brown vinyl roof was the icing on the cake

The vrs was pretty good to drive. The DSG gearbox was ok once I got used to it and the car handled nicely for a front wheel drive. Not in the same league as either of the Subarus I've had though or the Escort for that matter. I had a couple of problems with it which put me off. It burned oil like a 2 stroke, so I took it in for an oil consumption test and was told it was within acceptable levels so the garage charged me for it. To cut a long story short, I was proved right in the end and ended up with a replacement turbo under warranty but Skoda uk's attitude throughout was really poor.

I'm ashamed to admit to owning a Vandan Plas Allegro for about a month until it failed its MOT. By far the most uncool car ever. Cars I've owned are: Citroen AX GT MK1 Golf GTI 1.8 Escort RS2000 4x4 Subaru Impreza Turbo Skoda Fabia VRS TSI Subaru WRX STI

Hi from another newbie. To answer some of your questions: My classic Impreza Turbo was around £400 a year to insure, strangely my new STI is less than £240 a year to insure with 12 years NCB and I'm 38 years old. How insurance is calculated is a mystery to me. I wouldn't bother trying to mod a non turbo car, it's not as simple as just bolting on a turbo charger. Not sure about noise levels. My old Impreza was loud, used to wake the neighbours when I worked early morning shifts and noise never got mentioned on MOT's. Just got to watch emissions, had to make sure my car was hot when it had emissions test. As far as I know you can own as many cars as you can afford to tax and insure. '

I've been looking at Rally Armor mud flaps for my 2015 WRX. Has anyone had any first hand experience of these? They look good quality and seem reasonably straight forward to fit from what I've seen on the net. Also, does anyone know if there's any UK retailers that stock them? I can only find them in America.

Thanks for the welcome. I've based my assumption on my old Impreza Turbo being written off on the DVLA website. It hasn't been taxed or MOT'd since August 2013 and it has a VIC marker against it. It would be a shame if it has as it was a really nice clean car when I sold it, I was the second owner and I bought it off my father who owned it from new. The reg number is T591 KBO, I sold it to a guy from somewhere near Southampton in 2012. I wouldn't be interested in buying it back now since I bought the WRX but it would be nice to know what's become of it. I'll post some photos of both my old car and the new one when I get chance.

Hi, I've just returned to Subaru ownership after making the mistake of selling my much loved Impreza Turbo that I'd owned for 10 years a couple of years ago and regretted selling it ever since. After recently trying to track down my old car and discovering its probably been written off, I decided to have a look at the new WRX STI at my local Subaru dealership. Just a week after having a test drive, I signed on the dotted line and discovered I enjoy driving again even if it's costing a small fortune in fuel.