mystery machine

To be fair, I've heard he manages to knock together a reasonably realistic snake... (lesson one at "makin' animals fae balloons" college)

That's a great look you've got going there, Colin. Love the mesh grilles - the wheels are a great choice too, particularly with the black. Very coordinated, mate

Nice Does it light up when you hit 7K rpm?

Kudos!

Welcome to the forum - glad you're enjoying the new Scoob

I'm told that's pretty common when lifting-off in lower gears - mine will make a noise similar to the one you're describing if I lift-of soon after accelerating in ST or 2nd, especially heading downhill (i.e. subjecting the gearbox to greater engine braking). I believe it's partly a function of the Scooby's lightened flywheel - less 'dampening' on that side than on most cars. Not sure what it means if you're hearing this noise only in higher gears. No harm in checking the oil level, though.

P.S. Agree with others that the white alloys work very well with the white paintwork

You're welcome, mate - glad to have you here

Geo, your motor is whiter than an American "glamour model's" gnashers Makes me think of this, for some reason... Spangley! Tam.

Blinding example of a much sought-after model Silver alloys would be the biz, but hey - each to his own

Hi Gordon. So does that mean that Kaylz has actually been two people up until now?

Cheers, Chris. The MPG sub-thread started as a comment on John's mods - sound like he does well considering his massive torque gains. However, it's not really a concern for me going from standard 2.5 WRX to standard 2.5 STI. Looks like I might be going for a test drive soon... I'll let y'all know how it went

Cheers for that Iain. John - 22mpg pre-mapping? I'm guessing there wasn't much motorway cruising in there? I measured MPG at the pumps for every fill up until a couple of months ago and, since purchasing, I had averaged a baw-hair below 27mpg. However, a lot of that is bumming along the motorway at a fairly sedate pace (saving petrol for the weekend!).

Don't think that OEM cats help. Certainly noticed an improvement in MPG when I decatted one of my old Vauxhalls... or maybe that was just down to the weight of the bleeding cat...

That's genuinely impressive, especially considering your torque gains. I guess the less-restrictive exhaust helps keep fuel consumption down?

Is that a euphemism? "No", I hear you say, "it's a hill..."

Is it a Blob? ....a Bug? ........a CLASSIC?! Hell, I just can't tell with all that mud caked onto it!!! Just kidding mate, lush STI and some cracking pics - you have a keen eye for composition

Where's Gav when you need him?

Thanks for the offer mate - sounds like a very nice Blob - but it's definitely a 56-plate or newer I'm after so I'd have to pass on that.

Fair enough Cheers also for the offer of trying it out. I'm happy to take your word for it, though - as you're the man with the 'short but fruitful' modding career (which I'm sure will develop into a 'long and even more fruitful' modding career!). Certainly useful to know, should I decide I can't spring for a 'dose of the itchies' (an STI).

Thanks for your post, Colin - it's very interesting to hear other folks' experiences of WRX ownership. Sounds like you are in a similar position to John - significant investment in the car, which you're obviously benefiting from, but I can understand why you'd be reluctant to trade.Like you, I had only the most common knowledge about the Impreza when I bought mine... did my homework, etc, but really wasn't aware of quite how different an animal the STI is (in particular the stronger engine, stronger gearbox, DCCD, wider track, steering gear ratio). I quite naively thought an STI was just a WRX with a different ECU map, six gears, lower suspension, bigger brakes, gold alloys and a feck-off great spiler! (turns out that's the GB270 - minus the gold wheels and sixth gear). You lives and learns If I'm being frank, I wouldn't go as far as to say that these things are strongly annoying me - more of a niggling at the moment, but one that might develop into dissatisfaction. I 'spose like all motors, the longer you own one the more you become aware of its limitations/weaknesses. Just so appears that most of these niggles are addressed by the STI model... However, in the big scheme of things, I still reckon that the standard WRX is hugely capable B-road bomber - maybe I'm just being greedy Och aye - and it's sounding more and more like the STI is the very boy for me... just need to work out if it's the right decision for me wallet!

Thanks for the info, mate - interesting site.Their JDM STIs are way more expensive than SH UK models though, so I'd have to rule that out. Cheers all the same

Pardon my ignorance - I know that JDM stands for 'Japanese Domestic Market' - but what are the major differences between that and the UK model? JDM doesn't have a 2.0 block by any chance? (that would rule it out for me). What about a tracker?Also, are all the JDMs imports by definition? Thanks.