Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000 MY99 - a journey
Discussion
I picked up this completely standard 1999 uk-spec GC8 "classic" Impreza in September 2013 with 130k miles on it. Like many young men born and bred in Essex who reached legal driving age in the 90s, I always lusted after one and prices had finally plummeted enough for me, in my early 30s at the time, to buy one. I picked this one up for the princely sum of £1,500. It was showing early signs of rust on the arches but otherwise mint. A real bargain and I was over thr moon with it.
The Turbo 2000 was the watered-down, least impressive spec-wise of the classic imprezas, but still a fantastic car and a nice compromise for daily driving. And that's what I did with it for 6 years. In that time I wrote it off twice (first a careless low-speed prang on a roundabout which barely scratched the modern city car I dinged but completely stoved in the front of the impreza, the second a rear tyre blowout on a corner which had me spinning into a curb with both ends and adding circa 20 degrees of positive camber on the rear offside wheel whilst removing the front bumper). Fixed it up my self both times. I've welded the rear arches and sills twice (a common rust point on these) and taken any opportunity to upgrade instead of replace.
In 2019 it was promoted to weekend fun car when I acquired a bmw 535d for a daily (since departed and very missed). Today it sits on just over 199k miles.
There's not much of the original car left now. The biggest upgrade has been the engine - now running a forged 2.1 "stroker" built and installed by TDR in Warwick and bigger turbo (IHI VF34) with all the supporting upgrades (including a much larger "newage" top mount intercooler shoe-horned in). Currently running a very safe 322bhp and 353ftlb to help the known-to-be-weak 5-speed gearbox survive. At some point I'll stump up for a full 6-speed conversion and max out the turbo (should be good for 360bhp on this build). It would need the extra power to off-set the extra weight of the 6-speed.
Chassis-wise I've reverted to oe-spec dampers (kyb) having run stiffer dampers from the JDM STI model and hating the harshness. Springs are copies of those fitted to the P1 which was optimised by Prodrive for uk roads. On the kyb dampers they are perfect for Welsh b-roads (which is where I use it most).
Front brakes are an aftermarket Brembo kit running 330mm discs which are an improvement over the stock 4-pots but still only merely good as opposed to great. They stop the car well enough, but pedal feel has never been great on this car. I understand this to be a feature of classic imprezas. Rear brakes are 2-pot brembos from the newage impreza.
It has a bunch of whiteline and hard-race goodies to sharpen the handling - stiffer rear arb, adjustable rear lateral links, top mounts, anti-lift kit and some poly bushing.
I've settled on 17" Revolution Millenniums in gold which I wrapped in Nankang NS2R. I was somewhat concerned at how heavy this wheel and tyre combo is, but it did not adversely affect the handing, so happy days!
Interior-wise I fitted sti seats from the newage - they fit me better and whilst they sit slightly higher I'm only 5'9" so it's not an issue. I fitted a rear half cage for some roll-protection which required removing the rear seats - don't think I'd ever had someone sit in the back so no great loss. I carpeted it out for that "club-sport" look haha!
At some point she'll need a respray, but for now I opted for a love-or-hate rally replica kit. It's a pretty close match to the Burns 99 Monte-Carlo rally car and I think it looks epic!
When I picked it up in 2013
Now:
The Turbo 2000 was the watered-down, least impressive spec-wise of the classic imprezas, but still a fantastic car and a nice compromise for daily driving. And that's what I did with it for 6 years. In that time I wrote it off twice (first a careless low-speed prang on a roundabout which barely scratched the modern city car I dinged but completely stoved in the front of the impreza, the second a rear tyre blowout on a corner which had me spinning into a curb with both ends and adding circa 20 degrees of positive camber on the rear offside wheel whilst removing the front bumper). Fixed it up my self both times. I've welded the rear arches and sills twice (a common rust point on these) and taken any opportunity to upgrade instead of replace.
In 2019 it was promoted to weekend fun car when I acquired a bmw 535d for a daily (since departed and very missed). Today it sits on just over 199k miles.
There's not much of the original car left now. The biggest upgrade has been the engine - now running a forged 2.1 "stroker" built and installed by TDR in Warwick and bigger turbo (IHI VF34) with all the supporting upgrades (including a much larger "newage" top mount intercooler shoe-horned in). Currently running a very safe 322bhp and 353ftlb to help the known-to-be-weak 5-speed gearbox survive. At some point I'll stump up for a full 6-speed conversion and max out the turbo (should be good for 360bhp on this build). It would need the extra power to off-set the extra weight of the 6-speed.
Chassis-wise I've reverted to oe-spec dampers (kyb) having run stiffer dampers from the JDM STI model and hating the harshness. Springs are copies of those fitted to the P1 which was optimised by Prodrive for uk roads. On the kyb dampers they are perfect for Welsh b-roads (which is where I use it most).
Front brakes are an aftermarket Brembo kit running 330mm discs which are an improvement over the stock 4-pots but still only merely good as opposed to great. They stop the car well enough, but pedal feel has never been great on this car. I understand this to be a feature of classic imprezas. Rear brakes are 2-pot brembos from the newage impreza.
It has a bunch of whiteline and hard-race goodies to sharpen the handling - stiffer rear arb, adjustable rear lateral links, top mounts, anti-lift kit and some poly bushing.
I've settled on 17" Revolution Millenniums in gold which I wrapped in Nankang NS2R. I was somewhat concerned at how heavy this wheel and tyre combo is, but it did not adversely affect the handing, so happy days!
Interior-wise I fitted sti seats from the newage - they fit me better and whilst they sit slightly higher I'm only 5'9" so it's not an issue. I fitted a rear half cage for some roll-protection which required removing the rear seats - don't think I'd ever had someone sit in the back so no great loss. I carpeted it out for that "club-sport" look haha!
At some point she'll need a respray, but for now I opted for a love-or-hate rally replica kit. It's a pretty close match to the Burns 99 Monte-Carlo rally car and I think it looks epic!
When I picked it up in 2013
Now:
Love it.
How are the arches?
I bought a scabby high mile P1 for a scarcely believable £3500 in 2012 or so (while they were still unloved) and did something fairly similar. 2.5 forged, RCM450, 6-spd, big AP’s.
Few things from my experience:
1. You’re doing the right thing on KYB’s - I tried a few sets of coilovers and was never happy, went back to KYB’s for the gnarly highland roads they are perfect
2. The 6-spd box might be stronger, it’s not nicer to use
3. Try and stick to a single plate clutch, I needed a twin for the torque from the 2.5 and it was a noisy b
h
4. I went up in power in stages. 300-ish as 2.0, 375 with a 2.5 20g, 440 with the RCM450. The RCM450 is a brilliant turbo that made more power everywhere than the 20g and had a lower boost threshold but I think the 375 was a nice level for a fast road car. It’s easy to get sucked into the “more power = more better” thing
I had a Syvecs ECU with 3 maps - no boost, low boost and mad boost and the low boost one with around 380 was probably nicest.
How are the arches?
I bought a scabby high mile P1 for a scarcely believable £3500 in 2012 or so (while they were still unloved) and did something fairly similar. 2.5 forged, RCM450, 6-spd, big AP’s.
Few things from my experience:
1. You’re doing the right thing on KYB’s - I tried a few sets of coilovers and was never happy, went back to KYB’s for the gnarly highland roads they are perfect
2. The 6-spd box might be stronger, it’s not nicer to use
3. Try and stick to a single plate clutch, I needed a twin for the torque from the 2.5 and it was a noisy b
h4. I went up in power in stages. 300-ish as 2.0, 375 with a 2.5 20g, 440 with the RCM450. The RCM450 is a brilliant turbo that made more power everywhere than the 20g and had a lower boost threshold but I think the 375 was a nice level for a fast road car. It’s easy to get sucked into the “more power = more better” thing
I had a Syvecs ECU with 3 maps - no boost, low boost and mad boost and the low boost one with around 380 was probably nicest. Stuballs said:
Looks exactly like the one I had in 2000, my first ever brand new car. I bought it from Bell & Colvill and the registration was W159 PPD. I did a bit of searching for it a few years ago and I think it has long since been scrapped.The bright button was a constant source of bemusement.
Lefty said:
Love it.
How are the arches?
I bought a scabby high mile P1 for a scarcely believable £3500 in 2012 or so (while they were still unloved) and did something fairly similar. 2.5 forged, RCM450, 6-spd, big AP’s.
Few things from my experience:
1. You’re doing the right thing on KYB’s - I tried a few sets of coilovers and was never happy, went back to KYB’s for the gnarly highland roads they are perfect
2. The 6-spd box might be stronger, it’s not nicer to use
3. Try and stick to a single plate clutch, I needed a twin for the torque from the 2.5 and it was a noisy bh
4. I went up in power in stages. 300-ish as 2.0, 375 with a 2.5 20g, 440 with the RCM450. The RCM450 is a brilliant turbo that made more power everywhere than the 20g and had a lower boost threshold but I think the 375 was a nice level for a fast road car. It’s easy to get sucked into the “more power = more better” thing I had a Syvecs ECU with 3 maps - no boost, low boost and mad boost and the low boost one with around 380 was probably nicest.
Love a P1. Really wanted a 2-door but by thr time I could afford one the prices had gone silly. How are the arches?
I bought a scabby high mile P1 for a scarcely believable £3500 in 2012 or so (while they were still unloved) and did something fairly similar. 2.5 forged, RCM450, 6-spd, big AP’s.
Few things from my experience:
1. You’re doing the right thing on KYB’s - I tried a few sets of coilovers and was never happy, went back to KYB’s for the gnarly highland roads they are perfect
2. The 6-spd box might be stronger, it’s not nicer to use
3. Try and stick to a single plate clutch, I needed a twin for the torque from the 2.5 and it was a noisy b
h4. I went up in power in stages. 300-ish as 2.0, 375 with a 2.5 20g, 440 with the RCM450. The RCM450 is a brilliant turbo that made more power everywhere than the 20g and had a lower boost threshold but I think the 375 was a nice level for a fast road car. It’s easy to get sucked into the “more power = more better” thing
I had a Syvecs ECU with 3 maps - no boost, low boost and mad boost and the low boost one with around 380 was probably nicest. Arches are rust-free since I redid them 2 years ago. That time I cut out 95% of the rust and de-ox treated what I couldn't get to. Then I slapped on a load of epoxy primer before painting it. Not a professional job but it's solid and looks good enough.
Lots of people (including TDR) have said the same thing about the 6-speed. The ratios of the 5-speed are perfect and I really don't want to change. If it was an option, I'd consider a ppg gearset but straight cut gears would obvioulsy be noisy.
I do feel like a bit more power would be nice. 350-400 would be the sweet spot for this car I think. I'm currently looking at ecu options. Whilst it's currently running an Apexi power fc (old skool!) which runs well enough (although is a bit iffy when very cold), I'd like properly switchable maps so I have the option of running 95ron when I'm touring.
I've just booked my first track day at Brands on 16 Aug. Never been on track in a car before (but done loads of bike days). Will be interesting to explore the capabilities in more controlled environment (well, more controlled than Welsh B-roads).
Stuballs said:
Lefty said:
Love it.
How are the arches?
I bought a scabby high mile P1 for a scarcely believable £3500 in 2012 or so (while they were still unloved) and did something fairly similar. 2.5 forged, RCM450, 6-spd, big AP’s.
Few things from my experience:
1. You’re doing the right thing on KYB’s - I tried a few sets of coilovers and was never happy, went back to KYB’s for the gnarly highland roads they are perfect
2. The 6-spd box might be stronger, it’s not nicer to use
3. Try and stick to a single plate clutch, I needed a twin for the torque from the 2.5 and it was a noisy bh
4. I went up in power in stages. 300-ish as 2.0, 375 with a 2.5 20g, 440 with the RCM450. The RCM450 is a brilliant turbo that made more power everywhere than the 20g and had a lower boost threshold but I think the 375 was a nice level for a fast road car. It’s easy to get sucked into the “more power = more better” thing I had a Syvecs ECU with 3 maps - no boost, low boost and mad boost and the low boost one with around 380 was probably nicest.
Love a P1. Really wanted a 2-door but by thr time I could afford one the prices had gone silly. How are the arches?
I bought a scabby high mile P1 for a scarcely believable £3500 in 2012 or so (while they were still unloved) and did something fairly similar. 2.5 forged, RCM450, 6-spd, big AP’s.
Few things from my experience:
1. You’re doing the right thing on KYB’s - I tried a few sets of coilovers and was never happy, went back to KYB’s for the gnarly highland roads they are perfect
2. The 6-spd box might be stronger, it’s not nicer to use
3. Try and stick to a single plate clutch, I needed a twin for the torque from the 2.5 and it was a noisy b
h4. I went up in power in stages. 300-ish as 2.0, 375 with a 2.5 20g, 440 with the RCM450. The RCM450 is a brilliant turbo that made more power everywhere than the 20g and had a lower boost threshold but I think the 375 was a nice level for a fast road car. It’s easy to get sucked into the “more power = more better” thing
I had a Syvecs ECU with 3 maps - no boost, low boost and mad boost and the low boost one with around 380 was probably nicest. Arches are rust-free since I redid them 2 years ago. That time I cut out 95% of the rust and de-ox treated what I couldn't get to. Then I slapped on a load of epoxy primer before painting it. Not a professional job but it's solid and looks good enough.
Lots of people (including TDR) have said the same thing about the 6-speed. The ratios of the 5-speed are perfect and I really don't want to change. If it was an option, I'd consider a ppg gearset but straight cut gears would obvioulsy be noisy.
I do feel like a bit more power would be nice. 350-400 would be the sweet spot for this car I think. I'm currently looking at ecu options. Whilst it's currently running an Apexi power fc (old skool!) which runs well enough (although is a bit iffy when very cold), I'd like properly switchable maps so I have the option of running 95ron when I'm touring.
I've just booked my first track day at Brands on 16 Aug. Never been on track in a car before (but done loads of bike days). Will be interesting to explore the capabilities in more controlled environment (well, more controlled than Welsh B-roads).
Switchable maps are great when it’s hard to find 99 fuel in rural places.
I fitted all the white line stuff too. Didn’t like the front arb (can’t remember the size) so went back to a new standard one which I much preferred. Lots of people moan about the anti lift kit affecting steering feel but it either didn’t bother me or I didn’t notice 😂
Agree with you on brakes. My p1 had the optional alcons which were a huge improvement over the standard 4 pots but I still wanted more so fitted AP’s and a reservoir brace. Stopped well but still not great pedal feel.
I had an Evo VI after the P1 and it whooped the Subaru for steering and brake feel but I didn’t bond with it the way I did with the Subaru.
I still look at GC8’s and would love another (I had a uk2000 wagon and several fozzies as everyday cars) but nice ones are hard to find these days!
Stuballs said:
Lefty said:
Love it.
How are the arches?
I bought a scabby high mile P1 for a scarcely believable £3500 in 2012 or so (while they were still unloved) and did something fairly similar. 2.5 forged, RCM450, 6-spd, big AP’s.
Few things from my experience:
1. You’re doing the right thing on KYB’s - I tried a few sets of coilovers and was never happy, went back to KYB’s for the gnarly highland roads they are perfect
2. The 6-spd box might be stronger, it’s not nicer to use
3. Try and stick to a single plate clutch, I needed a twin for the torque from the 2.5 and it was a noisy bh
4. I went up in power in stages. 300-ish as 2.0, 375 with a 2.5 20g, 440 with the RCM450. The RCM450 is a brilliant turbo that made more power everywhere than the 20g and had a lower boost threshold but I think the 375 was a nice level for a fast road car. It’s easy to get sucked into the “more power = more better” thing I had a Syvecs ECU with 3 maps - no boost, low boost and mad boost and the low boost one with around 380 was probably nicest.
Love a P1. Really wanted a 2-door but by thr time I could afford one the prices had gone silly. How are the arches?
I bought a scabby high mile P1 for a scarcely believable £3500 in 2012 or so (while they were still unloved) and did something fairly similar. 2.5 forged, RCM450, 6-spd, big AP’s.
Few things from my experience:
1. You’re doing the right thing on KYB’s - I tried a few sets of coilovers and was never happy, went back to KYB’s for the gnarly highland roads they are perfect
2. The 6-spd box might be stronger, it’s not nicer to use
3. Try and stick to a single plate clutch, I needed a twin for the torque from the 2.5 and it was a noisy b
h4. I went up in power in stages. 300-ish as 2.0, 375 with a 2.5 20g, 440 with the RCM450. The RCM450 is a brilliant turbo that made more power everywhere than the 20g and had a lower boost threshold but I think the 375 was a nice level for a fast road car. It’s easy to get sucked into the “more power = more better” thing
I had a Syvecs ECU with 3 maps - no boost, low boost and mad boost and the low boost one with around 380 was probably nicest. Arches are rust-free since I redid them 2 years ago. That time I cut out 95% of the rust and de-ox treated what I couldn't get to. Then I slapped on a load of epoxy primer before painting it. Not a professional job but it's solid and looks good enough.
Lots of people (including TDR) have said the same thing about the 6-speed. The ratios of the 5-speed are perfect and I really don't want to change. If it was an option, I'd consider a ppg gearset but straight cut gears would obvioulsy be noisy.
I do feel like a bit more power would be nice. 350-400 would be the sweet spot for this car I think. I'm currently looking at ecu options. Whilst it's currently running an Apexi power fc (old skool!) which runs well enough (although is a bit iffy when very cold), I'd like properly switchable maps so I have the option of running 95ron when I'm touring.
I've just booked my first track day at Brands on 16 Aug. Never been on track in a car before (but done loads of bike days). Will be interesting to explore the capabilities in more controlled environment (well, more controlled than Welsh B-roads).
Switchable maps are great when it’s hard to find 99 fuel in rural places.
I fitted all the white line stuff too. Didn’t like the front arb (can’t remember the size) so went back to a new standard one which I much preferred. Lots of people moan about the anti lift kit affecting steering feel but it either didn’t bother me or I didn’t notice 😂
Agree with you on brakes. My p1 had the optional alcons which were a huge improvement over the standard 4 pots but I still wanted more so fitted AP’s and a reservoir brace. Stopped well but still not great pedal feel.
I had an Evo VI after the P1 and it whooped the Subaru for steering and brake feel but I didn’t bond with it the way I did with the Subaru.
I still look at GC8’s and would love another (I had a uk2000 wagon and several fozzies as everyday cars) but nice ones are hard to find these days!
Lefty said:
Brilliant, have fun!!
Switchable maps are great when it’s hard to find 99 fuel in rural places.
I fitted all the white line stuff too. Didn’t like the front arb (can’t remember the size) so went back to a new standard one which I much preferred. Lots of people moan about the anti lift kit affecting steering feel but it either didn’t bother me or I didn’t notice ??
Agree with you on brakes. My p1 had the optional alcons which were a huge improvement over the standard 4 pots but I still wanted more so fitted AP’s and a reservoir brace. Stopped well but still not great pedal feel.
I had an Evo VI after the P1 and it whooped the Subaru for steering and brake feel but I didn’t bond with it the way I did with the Subaru.
I still look at GC8’s and would love another (I had a uk2000 wagon and several fozzies as everyday cars) but nice ones are hard to find these days!
Yeah based on feedback from others I left the front arb stock and just upgraded the rear to 22mm. I've tinkered so much with it over the years but I think I've found a setup I like. Across country on bumpy Welsh back roads it leaves most things for dead. Switchable maps are great when it’s hard to find 99 fuel in rural places.
I fitted all the white line stuff too. Didn’t like the front arb (can’t remember the size) so went back to a new standard one which I much preferred. Lots of people moan about the anti lift kit affecting steering feel but it either didn’t bother me or I didn’t notice ??
Agree with you on brakes. My p1 had the optional alcons which were a huge improvement over the standard 4 pots but I still wanted more so fitted AP’s and a reservoir brace. Stopped well but still not great pedal feel.
I had an Evo VI after the P1 and it whooped the Subaru for steering and brake feel but I didn’t bond with it the way I did with the Subaru.
I still look at GC8’s and would love another (I had a uk2000 wagon and several fozzies as everyday cars) but nice ones are hard to find these days!
I have a brake stopper to go on but not sure if it's worth the hassle to fit. I just had to replace all the rear brake pipes and fitted braided lines on the back and flushed the whole system.that helped a little but serious gains will require spending a lot of money. I'll see how it performs in the track day.
Good classics are very hard to find now. Mine has very little residual value in it what with being a cat d and all the mods (not to mention my amateurish welding and rattle can job on the rear quarters). But it's a driving tool for me that gets well used for the type of driving I enjoy and I'll probably never sell it.
Scoobydrew95 said:
Just trying to think if it's one my neighbour owned, which he sold around that time. Was from Gravesend but obviously Hastings is a little further on!
Do you have many further plans for it?
Yeah defo wasn't Gravesend. It was either Hastings or Folkestone.Do you have many further plans for it?
No immediate plans. Just going to enjoy driving it and going to some shows.
This is very spooky....I have a MY00 version which I did the same....it was my daily, then garage queen with KYBs, VF34, FMIC, Defi dials etc etc, but with the original engine and gearbox.
Sadly I 'lost' my garage and it's been under a cover for the past 10 years waiting for me to finish upgrading it and getting it back on the road. One day when other things in life aren't distracting me too much it'll get a 2.1 (or 2.3, not sure) with helical/straight cut gears
A while back....standard wheels and orange bumper inserts are back on it now
PS, Brake stopper kit made a world of difference for me....
Sadly I 'lost' my garage and it's been under a cover for the past 10 years waiting for me to finish upgrading it and getting it back on the road. One day when other things in life aren't distracting me too much it'll get a 2.1 (or 2.3, not sure) with helical/straight cut gears
A while back....standard wheels and orange bumper inserts are back on it now
PS, Brake stopper kit made a world of difference for me....
I had a brake stopper on my newage WRX and it really helped. One of the best VFM mods I did. I keep looking for one for my legacy, as it's brakes aren't very good...
It's interesting comparing gearboxes, I've currently got a 6 speed in my 3.0 Subaru and that really works with the engine, but I was really happy with the 5 speed in my impreza too.
Anyway, really impressed with what you've done. I always keep an eye out for a good classic, but so many have got rust issues, which are well outside my skill/budget to fix.
It's interesting comparing gearboxes, I've currently got a 6 speed in my 3.0 Subaru and that really works with the engine, but I was really happy with the 5 speed in my impreza too.
Anyway, really impressed with what you've done. I always keep an eye out for a good classic, but so many have got rust issues, which are well outside my skill/budget to fix.
wol said:
This is very spooky....I have a MY00 version which I did the same....it was my daily, then garage queen with KYBs, VF34, FMIC, Defi dials etc etc, but with the original engine and gearbox.
Sadly I 'lost' my garage and it's been under a cover for the past 10 years waiting for me to finish upgrading it and getting it back on the road. One day when other things in life aren't distracting me too much it'll get a 2.1 (or 2.3, not sure) with helical/straight cut gears
A while back....standard wheels and orange bumper inserts are back on it now
PS, Brake stopper kit made a world of difference for me....
That Is spooky! VF34 seems like the perfect turbo for a classic on the road, unless going twin scroll and running better heads and/or 2.5l.Sadly I 'lost' my garage and it's been under a cover for the past 10 years waiting for me to finish upgrading it and getting it back on the road. One day when other things in life aren't distracting me too much it'll get a 2.1 (or 2.3, not sure) with helical/straight cut gears
A while back....standard wheels and orange bumper inserts are back on it now
PS, Brake stopper kit made a world of difference for me....
2.35 build is the dream but it's next-level expensive. If I won the lottery I'd build a type R with a 2.35 and all the goodies imaginable!
Good to know re brake stopper. I'll try to find time to fit before my track day.
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