Classic Impreza sti
Discussion
I'm looking into buying a classic Impreza, MR2 turbo, RX7 or s15. I'm looking into each one before deciding which one I want/can afford.
Has anyone owned/had experience with the classics? I'd go for an STI or an STI type R if I can find one.
I'm interested on expected running costs, maintenance costs and generally if people think they're worth the premium they now hold.
Has anyone owned/had experience with the classics? I'd go for an STI or an STI type R if I can find one.
I'm interested on expected running costs, maintenance costs and generally if people think they're worth the premium they now hold.
They are great cars and worth their money as a toy but hardly a daily driver. Depends on your usage. Rust is the killer of tgese and the newage blobeye/hawkeye fare much better in this regard whilst maintaining the same characteristics so I'd be tempted by a 2005STI widetrack for similar money.
I have owned imprezas in the past and driven an STi type-R, as long as you get a good one you won't regret it but rust really is the thing.
Cambelt service every 4 years is around £600 depending on what else needs doing. Brakes and tyres are reasonable prices. Subaru oem parts can be a bit pricey but the cars are generally tough and reliable.
I have owned imprezas in the past and driven an STi type-R, as long as you get a good one you won't regret it but rust really is the thing.
Cambelt service every 4 years is around £600 depending on what else needs doing. Brakes and tyres are reasonable prices. Subaru oem parts can be a bit pricey but the cars are generally tough and reliable.
Elatino1 said:
They are great cars and worth their money as a toy but hardly a daily driver. Depends on your usage. Rust is the killer of tgese and the newage blobeye/hawkeye fare much better in this regard whilst maintaining the same characteristics so I'd be tempted by a 2005STI widetrack for similar money.
I have owned imprezas in the past and driven an STi type-R, as long as you get a good one you won't regret it but rust really is the thing.
Cambelt service every 4 years is around £600 depending on what else needs doing. Brakes and tyres are reasonable prices. Subaru oem parts can be a bit pricey but the cars are generally tough and reliable.
I'd purely be using it as a toy, a second car for my days off and maybe the occasional track day.I have owned imprezas in the past and driven an STi type-R, as long as you get a good one you won't regret it but rust really is the thing.
Cambelt service every 4 years is around £600 depending on what else needs doing. Brakes and tyres are reasonable prices. Subaru oem parts can be a bit pricey but the cars are generally tough and reliable.
I did look into the newer cars but wasn't sure if the older ones had more of a special feel to them. I'm looking at import cars only as these have usually been undersealed when imported or looking to import my own.
I'm glad the maintenance isn't too bad, I'd only be doing up to 3000 a year in it anyway so I shouldn't really pile on the miles or wear the mechanicals out too excessively.
Yep, rear arches and the back end of the sills on the classics. If you can see any signs at all of rust on the arches, even when the seller says "there's a scab but it's definitely not rotten", treat it as if it needs a replacement arch. They rot from the inside out.
That said, they are great cars. The classics are very raw, the Newage are stiffer but heavier and a bit more usable everyday. Widetrack Blobeye has solid rear subframe bushes and can be bouncy on uneven roads. The Hawkeye went back to rubber and rides better, but UK cars come with the dreaded 2.5 engine.
The thing with classics is that the gearboxes will give up once you hit around 350bhp so be very clear what you want from the car. A six speed upgrade will cost you £2k - £4k depending on which gearbox setup you get, whether you do it yourself etc.
Cambelts are dead easy to do yourself on all of them. STI's have a more rear biased torque split, varied by year and DCCD or non DCCD and WRX's have a 50/50 split and are a bit more prone to understeer.
That said, they are great cars. The classics are very raw, the Newage are stiffer but heavier and a bit more usable everyday. Widetrack Blobeye has solid rear subframe bushes and can be bouncy on uneven roads. The Hawkeye went back to rubber and rides better, but UK cars come with the dreaded 2.5 engine.
The thing with classics is that the gearboxes will give up once you hit around 350bhp so be very clear what you want from the car. A six speed upgrade will cost you £2k - £4k depending on which gearbox setup you get, whether you do it yourself etc.
Cambelts are dead easy to do yourself on all of them. STI's have a more rear biased torque split, varied by year and DCCD or non DCCD and WRX's have a 50/50 split and are a bit more prone to understeer.
TroubledSoul said:
Yep, rear arches and the back end of the sills on the classics. If you can see any signs at all of rust on the arches, even when the seller says "there's a scab but it's definitely not rotten", treat it as if it needs a replacement arch. They rot from the inside out.
That said, they are great cars. The classics are very raw, the Newage are stiffer but heavier and a bit more usable everyday. Widetrack Blobeye has solid rear subframe bushes and can be bouncy on uneven roads. The Hawkeye went back to rubber and rides better, but UK cars come with the dreaded 2.5 engine.
The thing with classics is that the gearboxes will give up once you hit around 350bhp so be very clear what you want from the car. A six speed upgrade will cost you £2k - £4k depending on which gearbox setup you get, whether you do it yourself etc.
Cambelts are dead easy to do yourself on all of them. STI's have a more rear biased torque split, varied by year and DCCD or non DCCD and WRX's have a 50/50 split and are a bit more prone to understeer.
Cheers for the great reply! Raw is what I'm after, I'd like something that feels like I'm driving it rather than just sitting in it while it does the work.That said, they are great cars. The classics are very raw, the Newage are stiffer but heavier and a bit more usable everyday. Widetrack Blobeye has solid rear subframe bushes and can be bouncy on uneven roads. The Hawkeye went back to rubber and rides better, but UK cars come with the dreaded 2.5 engine.
The thing with classics is that the gearboxes will give up once you hit around 350bhp so be very clear what you want from the car. A six speed upgrade will cost you £2k - £4k depending on which gearbox setup you get, whether you do it yourself etc.
Cambelts are dead easy to do yourself on all of them. STI's have a more rear biased torque split, varied by year and DCCD or non DCCD and WRX's have a 50/50 split and are a bit more prone to understeer.
Would you recommend the classics over the new age or vice versa? I would say I'd be happy with the standard power but I think I'd end up tuning it beyond or to 350hp so I'd end up having to swap the gearbox for extra longevity.
I did drive a JDM Hawkeye STI and was impressed, it felt really capable but I didn't get a long enough drive to see if I liked it. I'd definitely go for a DCCD car as I really like the idea, I was told to always leave it with the rear bias though as they tend to drive far better with it like that.
It boils down to personal preference, but having tracked a widetrack Blobeye STI and a Classic WRX, the newage was just so damn heavy to me. I took it to Blyton and found myself having to constantly move out of the way of Clios and the like. It was a great all rounder, but I wanted a lighter car.
TroubledSoul said:
It boils down to personal preference, but having tracked a widetrack Blobeye STI and a Classic WRX, the newage was just so damn heavy to me. I took it to Blyton and found myself having to constantly move out of the way of Clios and the like. It was a great all rounder, but I wanted a lighter car.
That's what I'm worried about with the new age cars. I love rally cars and clearly the Subaru's are just that, but I am after something lighter and more nimbleElatino1 said:
A heavy fully laden newage does feel a bit heavier but my Spec C RA feels pretty much as light as my old classic but the chassis feels stiffer.
They are all great cars no doubt but even 4years ago I was chasing rust around my classic which in the end made me get rid.
They're still a bit heavier, at least over an RA or similar. The downsides mainly are the small tank and the price premium IMO, but defo the best place to start if you want a newage track car, money permitting. Just be careful you don't end up with the motorsport edition with crappy brakes They are all great cars no doubt but even 4years ago I was chasing rust around my classic which in the end made me get rid.
TroubledSoul said:
It boils down to personal preference, but having tracked a widetrack Blobeye STI and a Classic WRX, the newage was just so damn heavy to me. I took it to Blyton and found myself having to constantly move out of the way of Clios and the like. It was a great all rounder, but I wanted a lighter car.
I'd love to see a clio try and keep up with mine. Not sure why you are asking that question when they are perfectly capable track cars.
My impreza is far quicker around a track than my Megane R26 as well as most other cars (on an average track day) and Renaultsports are quite common on track days. In the wet the impreza flies past pretty much everything.
My impreza is far quicker around a track than my Megane R26 as well as most other cars (on an average track day) and Renaultsports are quite common on track days. In the wet the impreza flies past pretty much everything.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 10th April 11:32
Had four Imprezas and loved them all but agree the track is not their forte and the same goes for any AWD car imo. The sure-footedness that makes AWD cars fantastic for the road makes for an inert drive on track. Of course you can go relatively fast but fun on track is about adjustability and car control. I’d rather be going slower in a FWD or RWD but having more fun while doing so.
plenty said:
Had four Imprezas and loved them all but agree the track is not their forte and the same goes for any AWD car imo. The sure-footedness that makes AWD cars fantastic for the road makes for an inert drive on track. Of course you can go relatively fast but fun on track is about adjustability and car control. I’d rather be going slower in a FWD or RWD but having more fun while doing so.
You weren't at the limit if that's the case. It's certainly a lot higher speed than a clio to find it, but you can chuck an Impreza about and have it beautifully balanced.Gassing Station | Subaru | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff