advice,views and info on buyin a wrx subaru?

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DAVID 96 GLANZA V

Member +
im interested in buyin a 1990's wrx/wrx sti in the near future and lookin for advice on
Reliability and what to look out for?
Is wrx more owner friendly and cheaper to run than wrx sti? Is there much diference in power?
What are power figures for wrx and wrx sti?
Ive heard people say subaru wrx sti engines need rebuilding every 80,000miles and that wrx engines dont?
Do jdm versions need remapping to irish 95 octane petrol?
basically id like to know which is the sounder investment wrx or wrx sti and which year or model to get? Im on a tight budget and dont plan on modifying and cant afford troubleshooting with engines,boost creep and fuel cut etc. Just want a nice quick subaru with just a mean soundin cat back exhaust for weekend driving that i dont have to worry abot
 
scottydouk

scottydouk

Member +
wrx will be around 215-240bhp depending on version, sti around 280bhp due to higher boost level as standard, turbo, intercooler and ecu, so sti will be more in fuel, but saying that all scoobies are expensive on fuel, cant have it all fun, speed and good on mpg, if only we could. lol. drive it off boost and be very good, on full boost and going for it you can watch fuel gauge drop.

my opinion would be go for a claassic. need to find one with as much history as poss, especially regular oil changes! wrx would be slightly better as wont of been worked as hard as a sti due to the more boost pressure etc but any car could go wrong at end of day.

i run one of my scoobies at 350bhp with standard internals for couple of years with many track days etc and never had a problem then i rebuilt for big power.

dont drive a scooby with standard internals etc and hold them at 140mph, thats when will go wrong, quick burst to top speed but dont hold it there and will last.

a uk car would be better for our fuel 95, but always better to run 99octane from shell/tescos, just runs so much better and no pinking. scoobies can be mapped though for different fuels.

need any more advise i have had 4 different scoobies now and if need any work doing i know them inside out.

ps will be selling one of best looked after scoobies soon, 1998 5door wagon, silver, standard except decat pipe, import, 300bhp, two mature previous owners, fssh from new, t+t, 131k, etc etc £2500.
 
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DAVID 96 GLANZA V

Member +
thanks for helpful reply man! Much apreciated! My senses are teling me to get the wrx and not the sti! Which classic year wrx is best to get for power and overall? as they changed practicaly every year acording to wikipedia
 
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starletburkie

Member +
a mate of mine has 2 of them, a wrx and a sti type r and personaly i dont like them! soft engines and neither of them are fast and about 5mpg! the sti got burnt by a sir full stop.:eek: just my 2p
 
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scottydouk

scottydouk

Member +
1998 has the better interior and external looks but smaller turbo than earlier cars. depends how much want to spend really. 1995ish with the td05 turbo makes 350bhp with some mods so go for that, cheaper to buy and makes good power.
 
Foggy

Foggy

Member +
Dont like them and there very cheap for a good reasons. 1. Thirsty car you would be doing well with 20mpg regardless weather wrx or sti.
2. engines are soft. 3 95% are jap imports and will need remap not many places sell 99 octane over here. 4. There a c**t to work on and anything goes wrong it usually isnt cheap. 5. There is better cars out there that cost less like a mr2 turbo
 
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Glanza24

Member +
Im with foggy on this one. I personaly get an mr2 turbo or if your feeling like payong for tax and insurance a supra both cars tuned would see off an scubby! Just my 2 cent
 
GT-TD04

GT-TD04

Supermoderator
Depends on the model of the EVO. Now im not sure if its just a myth as some EVO owners say,but EVO4's and below are meant to suffer from crank walk. Either way they're like an Impreza,if they aren't looked after and modded (more boost etc) they are like any car,they dont last as long under the stress,just EVO4's and below and impreza's (i heard the newer ones are more reliable since the bug eye? ) seem to suffer more from it.

When i was looking to get into the 2ltr Turbo range of cars i was looking at evolutions and WRX/STI's and i joined their owner forums (i suggest you do the same :) ) and read up on them and they do seem to have alot of horror stories,too many for my liking and seeing as i couldnt afford the newer WRX or EVO onward i looked for something else. Oh and an evo your looking at 17MPG taking it handy.

Celica GT4 ST185 and ST205 are both good cars,better MPG than the other two and are tuneable to 300FWHP without touching the turbo or fueling dramatically.Plus they handle very very well. I just dont like the look of them.

Silvia's were out of my price range,the nice ones anyhow.Same with skylines.

Mr2 - I love the look of them.You get over 30MPG (not much) if you tip around.same tuneability as the GT4.decat,cat back,uprated SMIC,MBC at 1-1.2bar and an air filter would see 300FWHP,just get the fueling checked.They do handle grand,its just if you push it into the corner and dont follow through you WILL get caught out,slow in hard out is the way,or commit yourself all the way,so get your speed right.And i cant stress enough that tyres,good ones,are a must on these cars.


Oh and Glanza24, have a look- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fVsH0TH4o
 
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