RS Grant

I'd go for the EVO mate... being a WRX, your Impreza will cause problems once you start to tune it and with the money you spend on a new gearbox and associated items to try and keep it 'reliable', you could have a stonking EVO running an easy 400/400 without any hassle apart from having to buy an expensive clutch to handle the power. M3 is grown up and a class above the jap stuff, however, on backroads the E46 is meant to be a bit unsettled according to John Banks (who knows what he's talking about) and I can see where he's coming from going by the dynamics of my old dears 330d M-Sport which seems to crash over bumps and doesnt feel at home pushing on down the twisties. Cheers, Grant

I also tried the G.Mac way and it kept snapping... here's my effort: Cheers, Grant

Nice one Jim... knew you couldn't resist!! Cheers, Grant

Hahaha, brilliant video, it sounds mean as hell... like you say... for the brief bit of WOT, he must have felt like he'd got a bargain. Cheers, Grant

I've been fannying around for a while and am very close to just biting the bullet and buying a DSLR... the 1000d seems to tick a lot of boxes and gives decent bang for buck, where abouts did you get yours from mate?? Cheers, Grant

He paid mental money for that 911 (if you mean the Red one?) about a year ago mate, was on Pistonheads for about twice the price of other similar 911... I used to work there too (in Sales with Honest Bob, Colin (left) and Russ (left)), the phrase "his train set" was used quite a lot!! Cheers, Grant

........the Civic TypeR didn't last long then mate?! Hope you get it running well, cause that will go like a missile with the spec list. Might be worth booking it in with Andy for a check-over and make sure its all mapped properly and safely?? Cheers, Grant

Yea, likely to be JRW's personal one... had been sitting in the corner of the new car compound (unregistered) since they were launched, maybe they were just moving it to join the rest of his collection. Cheers, Grant

I'm a big Audi fan... and the B7 RS4 is one of my faves. Cheers, Grant

On warmer days, or after being stuck in traffic for a while.. the car isn't likely to hit the level of boost its meant to, so theoretically could be quieter and less aggressive on spool up as the ECU knocks things back a bit due to the higher ACTs? Cheers, Grant

I thought the Hawkeye STi book power was c280bhp... mine put out 302bhp @ Wallace with just a backbox and green panel filter. Even standard, the 2.5 STi is a really powerful car... and makes a brilliant base for mods. Edit: lol @ the bag of crisps comment. Cheers, Grant

Trade in price on a Type UK STi would be c10-11k I reckon.. and selling privately, to actually GET a sale at the moment, I would say that you should stick it in around 13k. Just my opinion, not sure how the EU Import thing would effect things with a trade-in as some dealers are a bit wary of these... however I think it'd make little or no difference to a private sale. I think that Westra is looking for a Hawkeye STi and has an Audi A3 3.2 Quattro at the moment which your dealer might prefer as a part exchange, if you're still fancying a B7 RS4.. Cheers, Grant

Would that have been when the car was used in Getaway in Glasgow?? Haha... I jest, however CB radios does kinda conjour up those images for me. Cheers, Grant

If faced with a choice of them holding a knife/bat, standing at my bedside, demanding keys at 4am... or just breaking in and taking them then I'd choose the latter. End of the day its crap, but at least they were in and out without disturbing you or other members of your family which would have made things far worse and harder to deal with. I also hope you dont get to see the car again, as I said on PF, it'll be in a sorry state once they've finished with it. Cheers, Grant

Yea I agree.. car is lovely, but looks like the price will be 15500... to be honest, I'd pay 14700-14800 for it tops. Any more and you're into T20, Import STi money which are a little more special. Cheers, Grant

I notice it more on start-up on mine.. with the full de-cat, there is a puff on startup from stone cold. I never notice anything (and neither does anyone following me) when driving on or off boost. Cheers, Grant

Gaz did you own a Reddish Blue Wagon before?? Cheers, Grant

Yup, mine blows through a wee bit as well... nothing mental, but certainly enough to warrant regular checks. Cheers, Grant

If the people selling are keen to get their car sold, then they need to put it up for an attractive price... guy on Scoobynet has been trying to sell his White Hawkeye STi which is completely mint for months, he's got it up for £15500 now without a single viewer. My car went cheaper than normal because I'd done a deal to get a replacement and needed the Scoob gone before that happened. I was also lucky that I bought wisely, I'd have never bought a new Scoob without the massive discounts available at the time and the stonking p/x price I got for my MY99. The result of that is that I'm not upside down on the finance side of things which a LOT of Subaru owners will be facing at the moment if they bought 'normally' with normal margins and discounts. This isn't a problem if you are planning to keep the car for a reasonable length of time, but with finances being the way they are just now a lot of people are trying to get out early and looking at losing a few grand in negative equity, hence the dreamy top end prices. Col, I did do a check on webuyanycar.com and it was grim reading!! Cheers, Grant

Bit narrow... but they'll fit... and dont think they'll cause you any sort of problems. Cheers, Grant

What are the gearboxes like in these cars... are they precise like a Scoob/Honda, or more like a random slack throw?? I've always had a severe dislike to french cars after an impluse purchase of a 205GTi taught me a lesson about eBay'ing when bored. With the impending departure of the SpecG then I'm considering a cheap track toy to tool around Knockhill a few times over the summer and I don't think I can ignore a car thats been raved about in every review I've read. Cheers, Grant

Hmmmm, now what was it you said to me when I "cosmetically enhanced" my car Cal.... oh yes, that was it.... "You sir, are a tart" Right back'at'cha buddy!! Cheers, Grant

Cossie will be staying in the owners hands and the underside is going to be prepares so that the car can be entered in Modified Concours competitions at the shows this year... ...to be honest, I'd had my heart set on this one because it was as mint as mint could be, but was spec'd to around 400bhp, had APs, 18" Racelines, Mint Interior, Concours Exterior.. will actually be featured in Fast Ford, the magazine guys are choking to get hold of it once the engine is run in and its been mapped up. Appreciate the offer though mate. Haha, I agree guys... its a shame and it appears that the SpecG doesn't want to leave, various deals have been agreed, but its always managed to keep its place in my garage. Think this time is a wee bit different though, cause the deal has been done and the ball seriously in motion now. So failing the new owner taking pity on the sight of a full grown dundonian man crying on his empty driveway ...it shall end up over Falkirk way in the next fortnight probably. Cheers, Grant

...well as most of you know, the reason I was selling the SpecG was to buy a particular Escort Cosworth that I'd wanted for a long time and had been trying to sort a deal out on for just over a year!! The woeful side of this is that the deal has now fallen through, but in the meantime, I have done a deal to move the SpecG on in preparation for the new arrival. Cheers, Grant

Bought from Rare Rims a few times and never had a problem... however, been to Skidz in Falkirk as well and no complaints there either. Cheers, Grant