johnmacdonald

Good to hear from you. Had our 2.5 Hawkeye 2.5 PPP since 2007 and it hasn't blown up so far! As for being ugly, I totally disagree (obviously) - in fact I believe it to be one of the best for looking good. Some people do talk some b******t.... John

Very interesting. Here's a view of the Caterham race spec car. Since upgraded with lsd, more power, low profiles, etc.

Good to have you back! John

A Westfield eh? Know all about similar machines having built a twice championship winning Caterham for my son-in-law. That was character building - particularly getting it passed by those lovely VOSA officials!!

Excellent machine and spec. Have seriously considered following the same route, but our owned for 9 years 44.000 miles 2006 WRX 2.5 PPP continues to impress. However, the time will come! John

Glad you are enjoying your WRX PPP. Power surge through the gears is quite amazing... Don't know if you are considering some mods, but the most satisfying on ours was the replacement of the huge, restrictive centre resonator with a Scoobyworld sourced straight through Afterburner pipe with an integrated performance silencer. Noise not intrusive in the car, but definitely produced reasonable rendition of the famous flat 4 burble from the Prodrive back box! Gets better as it and the back box age. John

Hawkeye with PPP? Excellent choice with amazing torque. Enjoy... John

Welcome aboard Chris. Your opinion of the STi will be shared by many. So far have owned five Imprezas - four of them being Prodrive enhanced. Give yours the best oils and keep within the rev limiter and it will last for years! John

When the Subaru extended warranty expired (after about 5 years), I took out a Subaru recommended warranty with a firm based in Harlow - can't remember their name. At about 25,000 miles, the front struts failed and they refused to pay a penny on the basis of "wear & tear". Unless you are prepared to pay the huge cost of a warranty to include wear & tear, would agree with ccrien's suggestion to open a Scooby emergency account!! Basically, our five Imprezas owned since 1998 have cost very little in failures... John

An enjoyable half day on Tuesday at Langley Park Rally School in deepest rural Essex. Started with three laps of the gravel track in a totally uninspiring 4WD Mini WRC recee car and later a knackered, but hugely enjoyable full rally spec boneshaking Astra GTE 16v. Day concluded with a demo drive in a rally prepared Suzuiki Swift and then couldn't resist it, a £30 two lap of the extended circuit in a Prodrive 2.5 Hawk World Rally Car (bought secondhand for £100,000). 110 mph on loose gravel in charge of a 20 odd year old - in my 66 years on this planet, I have never experienced anything like it. Sadly all to quick to really recall, but awesome. Boss man said the young man could be a top class WRC contender, but sadly, as always, no financial backing. Driving back home in our wonderful Prodrive WRX it reminded how slow the Mini and Astra were!! John

Now have KYB UltraSR gas struts all round. Very happy - planted ride, but not uncomfortable (by Impreza expectations!).

Enjoying fabulous summer weather for a week's holiday here in Barnham Broom, Norfolk (not so far from Norwich) , and unlike our native east Hertfordshire, good to see (and hear) a good selection of active classic and new age Imprezas. Well done Norfolk...

They knock a lot. Annoying, but not dangerous in the medium term. See previous threads under the technical forum (suspension).John

Welcome. And you are of the home town of Prodrive! John

Welcome aboard! having owned five Imprezas since 1998, can only recommend the brand... John

Does anyone know if after fitting the new rear struts, I will need to have the alignment checked? Thanks in advance... John

Thanks Tony - I'm sure you are right! Going back to before 2006, never had any problems with previous classic Sport, Turbo or my RB5 - I assume that they redesigned the rear suspension for the new age models or KYB manufactured a whole load of faulty goods? Several opinions suggest the Ultra SRs will last longer - so far, they have been perfect on the front and I do believe they offer a more planted ride. However, if they last more than 20,000, will be quite happy bearing in mind annual mileage of about 5,500!! John

The WRX has only covered 43,000 miles, but the OEM replacement rear struts have failed again and after only 20,000 - really noticeable on the way to and return from the Prodrive 30th. Have received new KYB Ultra SR gas struts (already have them at the front) from Camskill and will be fitted soon. Must say the the level of expertise and knowledge at Camskill is fantastic, excellent prices and very reasonable next day delivery charge. Hopefully the SRs will last longer... John

When the secondary air pump, relay and one of the air valves failed,as a SIDC member, my Subaru dealer gave me 10% off parts costs - thus saving £83.00 off list price. They always give 10% off parts. just one of the potential benefits of membership. Did try to obtain a quote this year form Keith Michaels - had an acknowledgement, but then nothing!

It won't make any difference whatever you use. Our WRX, with rally style mudflaps and weekly washed with Meguiars finest doesn't prevent a dirty rear end. Only option is to give the rear bumper and boot a regular quick wash with clean water to preserve its modesty!

Have owned four 2.0 turbos, plus current Wrx 2.5 PPP. No issues, but as suggested previously, it has been properly looked after, best quality engine and transmission oils and never near the limiter! Main attraction of the 2.5 is fab torque, particularly with PPP...

Will try to attend (last event very enjoyable, plus excellent meal at Prezzo, Buckingham on the way back home! ). Will we need to book a space?

Common problem!

Hi and welcome! Our current WRX 2.5 PPP owned since 2007 has proved to be superb. However, the previous STi 2.0 widetrack PPP was something else. Frantic is an understatement! John

Enjoyand welcome along! John