mystery machine

This is correct. (But I too have been on the sherbet ).

Braw!

Guy must think he's working for NASA!

I was thinking more of this 'Andy'...

This is a trick question. It's actually a female SIDC member who, at the age of 23, flew to a clinic in Peru and "did a Hayley"... They really should've twigged when he started asking to wear the kilt to school every day

Here's a Hawkeye STI, Scooby dealership, 28K miles, 12 month warranty and '06 registered so might be in lower tax band: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...201002350256323 £14K - so just within your budget a bit more 'on the money' than the one quoted earlier? (condition-dependant, of course).

"this has to be the Evo equivalent of the guy on the mustang forum who changed his engine oil then rinsed the block out with a hose pipe! and seized the engine." I remember reading that one - hilarious but tragic at the same time (if it was genuine!)

Lovely mod - big improvement, 'specially with the red paintwork Makes me want to go out and do something about my Hawkeye's "Lexus style" tail lamps...

And perhaps I'm misreading something, but: Must've been an awfae stretch pulling those 18" tyres over four 19" rims...

Exterior styling by Amstrad's hi-fi division?

Cheers for the info - do you know where I could read up on some details of this, Gav? I was never convinced by that "2.5s have equal-length headers" talk... No point in looking to Grieves for a better deal, in other words?

Cool

Interesting, thanks for posting

How did you end up producing steam, John? Anyway - as others have said, a good flush and a refill - get yourself some anti-freeze from a Subaru dealer if you want to ensure you have the right stuff (the subject of coolant types and engine compatibility is an absolute minefield!). Hope you get that sorted, mate.

I have to disagree, certainly on the price of the Hawkeye - 06-plate, 38K miles and they want £14.5K? I bought my Hawkeye STI last summer, also from a Scooby franchised dealer - late 56-plate, 11K miles - £16K. It was therefore effectively a year newer than the above when purchased, and had the manufacturer's warranty extended to 1 year. They gave me 1K above book price for my trade-in (the usual phoney sales incentive ), so I reckon the car could've been had for around £15K cash. Unless they're willing to knock a good chunk off that asking price, I wouldn't bother with that one. JMO...

Aye, I've seen that same info repeated on various forums... ... and I've also read posts that vehemently refute these claims, stating that the equal headers are used only on JDM cars to complement the twin scroll turbo If anyone has any hard evidence to back-up either theory, then I sure would be interested in reading it

The Blob in your advert is the later revision of Blob STI - the flared rear arches being the giveaway

Thanks for correcting that - looks like the info on the government website is out of date! Ovv - 23 March 2006 is still the registration cutoff date for 'cheaper' road tax

You're very welcome. It's all info I've gleaned from various reviews over time - although there may be other items that I've missed Regarding road tax - if the vehicle was first registered before 23 March 2006 (i.e. 55-reg or early 06-reg), then you will pay £245 a year for the pleasure of driving on Her Majesty's crumbling highways... Happy hunting! Edit: Corrected road tax price.

Some points to consider http://forums.sidc.co.uk/index.php?showtop...t&p=1333818

I would say "Hawkeye all the way", but then I am biased However, if you do decide do go for a Blob, make sure it's one of the later ones - well within your budget and the later Blob STIs have the following over the earlier ones: DCCD - effectively allows you to control the front/rear torque split, to a degree Wheels have larger 114.3 PCD Wheels are wider Hubs are larger Wider track Longer wheelbase Retuned suspension geometry Retuned spring and damper rates Aluminium rear lateral links Bigger anti-roll bars Cannon mount-type on steering gearbox Steering kickback damper Front limited-slip differential is now helical type Yaw rate sensor I'm not sure exactly where the transition took place (54 plate?), but you can tell a newer Blob STI by the slight flaring of the rear wheel arches (the Hawkeye STIs all have the flared arches). The Hawkeye has these features over the late Blob (apart from the obvious restylings): 2.5L engine - broader & flatter torque curve, but cast pistons - perhaps less suitable for large performance upgrades than the 2.0L's forged pistons? (seem to be OK for at least 340bhp, based on anecdotal evidence! Welsho - how much were you pushing when yours went 'pop'?). Gear ratios - taller to suit the 2.5L, but still quite 'short' in the big scheme of things - matched perfectly to the engine IMO! F/R torque split is now 41:59 - was 35:65 in the Blob, but DCCD will hold a rear bias for longer than before (that's in 'Auto' mode - you can go permanent 41:59 in 'Manual' mode ) Xenon headlamps - these perform brilliantly, but I've heard they're expensive to rebulb Aluminium bonnet (lighter, but not sure if the overall car's any lighter) Roof spoiler There may be other differences, but that's all that springs to mind... So I wouldn't rule out a Blob - in fact, aesthetics & engine aside, most of the important mechanical changes actually occurred between 'early Blob STI' and 'late Blob STI'. Also, for whatever reason, the 2.5s just don't have the same sweet burble as the 2.0s The prospect of having a newer car, 2.5L engine and the looks were enough to swing it to Hawkeye for me, but YMMV Cheers.

Tell me aboot it...You need only talk about going for a drive in this weather and your motor becomes magically coated in several layers of road mung

It might not be a Scooby, but... Approx 300bhp, rear wheel drive and a finely-balanced chassis... ...it's a serious drivers' car - this ain't no Mini cabriolet! ...oh yeah, and a well-seductive exhaust note I'd happily drive one, and I haven't set foot in a hairdresser's for years (but that's another story ).