mystery machine

I can't help you with sourcing the parts, but just wanted to welcome you to the forum and wish you the best of luck getting everything sorted

Sorry to hear about the bother, mate - hope you can get the Scooby all square again soon.

maye be able to get a gazzibo or something up but isnt the same i guess.

Wish I'd been similarly enterprising and bought a job-lot of plastic snow shovels back in July.. if only I'd paid heed to the old fable about the 'industrious mouse', etc

You need to buy a cheap 'runabout' second car to stop you getting bored of that STI (it really works!)

What are you thinking of replacing it with?

Let the wife out of the boot

And if that wasn't bad enough...

The sound is a bit like hitting a big pot with a wooden stick

...he's got her mashing up a cauldron of soup in there

Just kiddin', John - sounds suspension-related to me, but let us know how you get on

Looking spangley, Craig

I'm hoping to give mine its first proper wash of the year this weekend - taken it to the jet wash for a hosing-down a few times over the last month, but it's just not the same...

Moan the spring!

I had to jump the STI a couple weeks ago. Jumped cars many a time before, but was a wee bit concerned about damaging electronics etc in a modern car, so followed these handy instructions from the AA:

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/break...-jumpleads.html

Both cars still seem fine!

Hi Richard - welcome to the forum

Hi Shandy,

Hello and welcome to the forum, glad to have you here

The GXes have to be criminally underrated motors (outside the Scooby fraternity) - surely a great buy for anyone who wants a fine-handling car with fantastic grip and reasonable engine performance - without the higher insurance/fuel/tax/maintenance costs associated with the turbocharged models

Cheers.

P.S. I had a cracking run up through Callander on Sunday in the Scoob - long sections of great twisty road and not a soul around!

I don't want to get into a classic v newage debate because what's the point in that? My dads bigger than your dad etc.

You're quite right, Steve - it's not a debate I'd get into either - just passing on some objective info. You pays your money, you takes yer choice

Good luck with whatever you end up with going for, looking forward to hearing about it and seeing some Stevie Nicks

Something that's not often mentioned in the "classic vs newage" debate, and perhaps worth considering if you're driving on public roads (esp with passengers who are also family members), is crash performance.

It isn't always easy to obtain objective data in this area, but the Australian 'USCR' ratings are interesting because their assessment is based on the outcome of real-life crashes:

"Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) help you identify safer second hand cars.

The ratings illustrate the likelihood of a driver being killed or seriously injured once a crash has occurred. The car's handling, drivability, distance driven and the driver's behaviour have no influence on the results presented.

The latest UCSR are based on statistics collected from car crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2005, where someone was killed or seriously injured. Over two million police reported crashes are analysed in the latest UCSR."

Impreza 1993-2000: 2/5 stars

Impreza 2001-2007: 4/5 stars

I'm not suggesting that this should be the last word when choosing a vehicle (who would ever ride a motorbike if it was ), but it is an interesting consideration to make when comparing these two similar (in the big scheme of things) cars

Howdy

Best driver, in almost every respect:

Most reliable: Vectra SRi 150 - great dash, stereo & ergonomics too

Prettiest: Calibra SE4 - pearlescent blue paintwork with cream leather interior

Best value: MkII Astra 1.3L - had 165K miles on the clock when sold and never gave me any major grief

Worst (in every department): Early '80s Nissan Sunny - spent more time in bits than it ever did on the road

This has happened to me twice - once with the WRX last winter, and again this year with the STI.

My advice is to leave them well alone - they'll return to position perfectly after thawing (whenever that may be!).

Total waste - just disgusting

Hi Kenny,

That's apparently quite a common fault with your model/age Impreza (i.e. raw fuel smell in cold weather) - some info here on the 'official' fix:

http://bbs.scoobynet.com/showpost.php?p=76...mp;postcount=24

Cheers.

Personally think it'd look best with a 'mid-level' classic spoiler, but if it's a choice between 'high-level' or 'nowt', then I choose high-level

Aye - any opportunity to raise revenue through taxation...

What troubles me more deeply is that the electorate seem to tolerate - support, even - many of the tax hikes that are implemented in the name of environmentalism (road tax, petrol duty)

Honestly, if the government were really so interested in 'saving the planet', would they have concocted a scheme like the car scrappage allowance? Consider the impact on the environment from the manufacture of thousands of new cars, bought to replace older items, many of which might have been perfectly servicible...

Expect more of the same if/when the tories take the helm again

Pleased to make your acquaintance

Hello and welcome to the forum

Tasty classic you have there - very nice

Did you buy your Scoob from Kaim Park Garage? I don't have any history on the car - just asking out of curiosity

Not sure I agree that point.....

Surely if you wind the hub up or down on the strut the geometry of the control arms is going to change?As a minimum I'd expect that to effect toe in / out.

The BC instructions also say that when adjusting ride height you need to loosen the two bolts which attach the strut to the hub, that will certainly effect camber!

Aw shucks - sounds like I've been misuninformed again

Next you'll be telling me that I shouldn't be using Ragu to flush out my engine oil...

LOL! Aye yer a witty man Tommo!

Ta John

I especially appreciate that as I'm more accustomed to being referred to as something that rhymes with 'witty'

I think that was just the way they came out of the box, which looks good, but im going to lift them up about 20mm at the weekend as the roads round here are s**** to say the least & im no wanting to loose my front splitter.

That's the beauty of the BCs, isn't it - that you can adjust ride height without affecting geometry or ride quality.

After my warranty's gubbed, and when the Subaru shocks start to knock again (as they inevitably will), I plan to go the BC route too.

Also thanks to Bobby C for his hospitality & for the use of your big sissors to cut my flaps & save them trailing on the ground all the way home.

I have it on good authority that Kerry Katona suffers that very same afflication

Lethargy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which is kind of ironic, given all those exclamation marks

So you say!

Well put it this way, I've never said that I would turn up for a meet and then not turned up, so I have a clean record so far...

Well, when I say 'clean', I mean clean for a meet-dodgin', charity-avoidin', OT-postin', modification-fearin' gabshyte