MarkJHarris

Reds. Wooden feel when cold, noisy when used hard and fade within seconds. I'll be putting a set of Brembo pads in after pay day, that's for sure.

Should be ok if the offset is right. The suspension can cope with 7.5" rims and 225/40/18 with no rubbing issues, but with the narrow body to comply with lower tax rules in Japan, the wagon came in WRX form with I think 7x17" rims anyway. Must check my Brian Long book and get back to you.

Most scoobies seem to move to the IOM judging by the swarm of them out on a weekend. Insurance is pretty decent and tax not too bad either, although it is creeping up bit by bit. Again, I'm 40 too and can confirm that it helps insurance, makes no difference to road tax( except you have more chance of affording it) and does indeed affect your back, vision, memory and bladder pressure. State of maturity is optional though- we'd all be driving Hondas otherwise( mines an NSX if I'm forced, mind). At least our hormones don't make us grow up- ladies only curse that is!

Good Man. That isn't the one I saw in Aderdeenshire advertised on Pistonheads for £8,750 is it? Can't have been a dealer car, else they'd have sorted the underbonnet valet, or should have done. Bear in mind, it's relatively easy to clean up the engine bay and undo, wirebrush and paint, or better still replace all those rusty bolt heads. Providing everything else is up to scratch(or not- pun not intended) then you can fit a belt and get the fluids changed with the price reduction you negotiate. Good luck whatever you choose to do.

r1ynb, Personally it's always better to buy from an enthusiast. Compare the two engine bay photos and think for a few seconds which car you'd trust more to buy..... If I wanted another Blue Blob, I'd have bitten Ace's hand off to buy that one. Too painful to look at having lost mine to black ice- so I went for another model and colour, but you couldn't buy better than that one, providing you can stretch to the (worth every penny) higher price of it. Usually it's a truism that you shouldn't buy the first car you see and there's always plenty to choose from of a particular model, but with CLEAN, STANDARD and unmolested 03 Stis Type UKs, it just ain't true. I could only find three similar to mine to show the insurers for a proper valuation adjustment, and to be fair only Ace's car was even close to mileage and condition. Choose wisely.....

Theres a how to on Newage rear struts. My dearly departed Blobby had the same fault and to be honest, strippnig the rear struts, and regreasing as per the guide cured it perfectly. Didn't help it much the following week when the black ice got me......... Fantastic car they are, the later the better as the chassis got upgraded in 04 and 05 with meaningful upgrades.

Can of worms swapping ecu. You'd need the other car's keys for the imoboliser and other bits too. Ecutek solution would deal with the changes to inlet trunking, exhaust fit, etc.

It may well be iron or other metallic contamination surface deposits in the paint surface and if it doesn't feel rough to the touch may well polish out fairly easily. Either way not what you would expect and if you have only had the car a short while certainly something the dealer should take on the chin and sort out

For body metalwork you wouldn't want second hand stuff and as subarus aren't very common, I'd be surprised if factors would even list them. Your local Subaru dealer may be your only option.

What model is yours then? I have a cheapo decat downpipe and a ninja back box for a blob STi available as well as a scoobyclinic full straight through for a 2.5STi. All open to offers. Postage from Isle of Man though.....

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh or uncaring, but I've been there, many years ago.... Just remember the classics and Newage models look like the same car, are both called impreza but that's about all they share in common. Would you swap a mk3 Escort and mk5 about? Total nightmare. I've done lots of messing like this in my youth and roll my eyes at the waste of money I've spent over the years. Never forget, atrophy. All cars turn back into rubber, iron oxide, aluminium oxide, silicon and carbon in the end. Patching up a dog is pi55ing into wind and selling both your cars for a tidy blobby WRX will give you all you need and save a mountain of heartache. Sad but true- the anti corrosion efforts Subaru use are top knotch. If it's rusting, it's a gonner- get shot asap !

Shaun told me the HPI spares place we being relocated and my shell and stuff won't be in till next week at the earliest.... Can't wait as I NEED to play silly buggers with it to get the frustration out of not having a real scooby to play with till next week. I susect my real one will only be a two season car- spring and Autumn. Too frightened to drive it in the winter- and summer is for bikes! That crash must have affected me too much.

It's times like these you really NEED to get the reg number of the car in front and report them. Not only for careless driving, but to your insurance company to recover losses from the damage. They ARE liable, as is the driver of any vehicle that kicks up debris and damages your car.

Oh dear, oh dear....... Perhaps reading this makes me feel my age, or just plain old and grumpy. Scooby Knight, I'm in Douglas and believe me, if I was to keep the full 3" straight through system my STi has on now, I'll be up before Moyle's successor before the end of next month, MOT or not. Hope they're more lenient in Peel, either that or you have the regulation six fingers........ Anyone with a 2.5 New Age want a full system? 'Cause I don't! I love music too much to be honest. Good luck with your Ninja. Shame I didn't read this first, because my last Sti (R.I.P.) had a Ninja back box that would have probably fit yours . I recommend ear plugs for anyone near mine when I'm about to start it! It's unbearable inside so has to go.

Not really a newbie any more but posting here better late than never.... Name's Mark. 40 married with 3 kids and another on the way. IOM resident. Love my motorcycles but got an 03sti inblue just to see what the fuss was about. Wow! What an amazing car that was. Mint and just fantastic! Had a fine two months together then fell victim to black ice on 4 th Feb. Poor scooby went side on into a post and is a write off.... Anyway now just bought an 06 Hawkeye Sti spec D. Very nice indeed and a little bit more subtle, can't wait to spend some time in it.....and no, it isn't going out in icy weather if I can help it! Great site and lots of useful links and info. Thanks.

Yes. I've bought it locally. Reasonable condition ish. Just got the paintwork tidied up and ordered some new tyres for it. Don't like the big exhaust and wild remap so may have to go across and get it done unless anyone local has ecutek software and leads handy....

123.9 here. the reason to retard it back down is my insurance won't be kind come renewal having just written one off, even with protected full no claims and more importantly it's too LOUD! The spec D is a bit of a Q car without the wing, and the full on pipe is just not in keeping, and right now I get on with my neighbours well. A few early starts with that pipe and I suspect relations will deteriate! Not sure how standard she'll end up, probably a sports cat rather than the original downpipe, but boost will go back to original and the standard back half of the exhaust is definitely going back on. with the front half in 2.5" not 3".

I must admit I don't always practice what I preach.... The inner beast gets to me too sometimes, and having just bought a scooby with 362.8bhp, I am dying to find a dry road to try it out before I fit the O.E. Exhaust back on! Petrol costs a fortune on the Island too- with the Scooby I justify it by making every mile a fun one!

unless it's pouring out...... Not much! The injectors are pouring it through the engine at such a rate anyway! For better economy, try moving your seat back one notch- it'll stop you pushing the right pedal as hard- honest it works! Also try that little handle in the middle, the one with numbers on the top. Changing gear earlier and staying off boost is the best way to improve economy. Hope you fix you fault quickly.

I just got my spec D which comes with a pioneer stereo and supposedly better speakers but it still sounds crap. It does appear Subaru haven't a clue about ICE and don't understand any more than "Burrrr hiss burrrr hisss" when it comes to car sounds...... I'm about to rip the stereo and traffic master excuse for a satnav out and start again, so no doubt the speakers will be next. I'll keep in mind the corsa tip, thanks.

Great news. Even though my insurance co and I are having a bit of a disagreement on valuation, I've managed to buy another impreza, this time silver and without the big back wing! Little more discreet this time. I'll try to avoid icy mornings from now on! This one has a better chance though, DCCD and front LSD may make all the difference! Not many Spec Ds about so you shouldn't miss me, then again that's the whole point of them I guess. I still think the Blobeye looks nicer than the Hawkeye but I do fancy the extra soundproofing and leather, sweet.

Well. Here goes.... Engineer's did their usual trick of assessing it from the detailed photo's the bodyshop took for them. I expressly told them it was in absolutely mint condition, had brand new tyres, freshly reconditioned wheels and a brand new rear exhaust system. The engineers' valuation came today at, get this, £8,750!! Now, granted Pistonheads had an identical car, abeit with 50,000miles on it in Aberdeenshire for that figure, but the only other two I could fine were up at £9,495 and £9,995. Three cars were the only ones I could find on Pistonheads and none at all on Ebay that were in similar mileage, condition and totally standard UK spec! Just how many PPP did Prodrive sell??? I've had to accept provisionally, with them sending the partial payment to my finance company to clear that and will submit my evidence of an undervaluation in writing to them. I did that with clenched teeth though! The catch is the Salvage yard here is a mate and will not release the car until I tell him to. It costs £500 to get a car across to the UK BTW!! Not good so far, they acknowledge the fact I put £500 quid's worth of tyres on two weeks ago but say it is merely me keeping it serviceable and can't count as a credit. I'm also not allowed to swap them for part-worns either, damn them! If you have a totally standard car- cherish it, there aren't many about it seems!

Well, Frankly, these cars are barking enough as they are. If I leave it with the extra power, it'll cost the earth to insure, drink fuel and tempt me to be a naughty boy. If I want warp drive acceleration, I just jump on my bike. I don't compete, do drag runs, etc. Also and more importantly, I need it to be quite quiet so I don't wake the kids, wife or neighbours ar 4:45am when I go to work. that means a standard back box is essential. I'll be selling the whole turbo-back exhaust system as soon as it's off the car. (and cleaned!) The seller doesn't have the heatshield off the downpipe though-I might put a sports cat downpipe on to free it up a little maybe. This isn't a selling thread to hyjack so PM me if anyone wants a pipe to suit a 2.5 STi. Back to Baz- get spannering, we need more of this thread, it's superb

I really will miss my blue blobby. It just looked like a proper scooby should. However, I should be able to get the keys to the replacement in a week or so. I'll have one quick blast with it just to see what 360bhp feels like then it will be into the garage to demod it back to standard. Can't wait though.