After a sad farewell to the Trophy, and a car that really will be hard to replace I knew that a move away from the Clio was needed simply because I haven't the heart nor the energy to start again with another Clio constantly comparing it to the Trophy just didn't interest me.
I wanted a Japanese Import because I have very fond memories of my Toyota Glanza V sourcing rare parts/modifications from Japan, and even with that tiny CT9 turbo they really are a blast to drive, I miss it now!
The shortlist:-
* Honda Integra Type R DC5
* Subaru Impreza 'Bugeye' WRX STI S202
* Subaru Impreza 'Classic' WRX STI Type RA
I ruled out the 'S202' early on mainly because my budget just coul'dnt strech to the money that they command, which is a shame because out of the box they are awesome machines! This was followed by the 'DC5' a car I have always wanted, but after much thinking I decided that a change from FWD would be fun.
So as I'm sure you've already worked out... I bought a Classic Impreza!
I have always loved the original Impreza as a kid watching the WRC when it was at it's most exciting before they just filled the stages with Ford Fiestas... When I was at school I used to race RC cars and my first kit was a Tamiya TL01 Chassis based on a 1999 Impreza which I wish I still owned! A friend of my dad bought a P1 when they were brand new and I'll never forget that passenger drive as a teenager, being the first time in a 'Scooby' it blew my mind!
So onto the new car, new project!
A 1995 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type RA
For those that want to know what makes the RA special here's a link to that covers some of the specifics: http://www.type-ra.com/subaru-impreza-my95-wrx-type-ra-sti-version-1/
Personally for me the Type RA is the perfect Classic Impreza and ticks many boxes, and a car I hope will make a perfect toy on and off the track!
I drove all the way to Wales yesterday to view the car and bought it from a lovely chap called Matt who was an absaloue gent to deal with. Here's his classified add which will give you a good indication of the RA's history and current spec:-
*********
For sale is my much loved and cared for Sti Ra,
The car is in superb condition and has been thoroughly maintained in my near three years of ownership, too my knowledge the car has only ever been owned by enthusiasts since its import into the country in May 2008 and the condition reflects so.
Feather white (colour code 230)
DCCD
Roof vent
This model fitted with electric Windows and air con
The car currently sits on just over 57,000 miles and was last M.O.Td on September 25th this year so has nearly 11 months remaining.
Two Keys along with 2 Clifford Cat 1 Alarm Fobs
The cars usage really has been minimal over the course of my ownership and believe the car will be better suited to someone who can use it more.
I have all the M.O.T certificates for the car since its import and registration and have a comprehensive folder full of receipts for work that has been carried out.
Below is a list of work and modifications that have been carried out on my car,
Most recently I have had the front bumper resprayed and the car polished, at the same time I had the sills and arches sealed ready for winter,
When I returned with the car I gave her a full wax using soft99 fusso coat,
May 16 - The car was taken to Enginetuner in Plymouth where she was fitted and mapped with the latest Alcatek ecu fitted with high and low boost options and anti-lag both switchable via the console nearest to the handbrake,
Before the car was mapped she was fitted with a few upgrades:
FMIC
440 injectors that have been cleaned and tested by Lateral Performance along with their adapter kit
New age coil packs
Later map sensor from 99 model Impreza
Apexi power intake system
CDF turbo blanket
Temp sensor fitted to FMIC pipe work, original recirculating valve kept via some silicone hosing which is nice as the atmospheric noise isn't to my taste.
The car made a healthy 312 Bhp and pulls really nicely.
March 16 - I took my 4 pot calipers to Godspeed Brakes who are just down the road from me to have them refurbished and painted in black from the previous red which look much better, so new Pistons were fitted, I also fitted new grooved 294mm discs and Kevlar pads from them alongside some new HEL brake hoses, brake fluid was replaced with some Dot 5.1.
May 15 - The car took a trip to API engine performance in Warwick as the car had a slight notch into third gear,
The gearbox was rebuilt, a lightweight flywheel was also fitted alongside a new clutch kit and brand new diff oil,
The car is fitted with some Defi-link gauges along with control unit,
Oil pressure, oil temp and turbo boost, all working fine,
Front and rear whiteline anti roll bars
Front and rear whiteline droplinks
OMP WRC steering wheel and boss kit which feels really nice and brings the steering wheel a bit closer which I prefer,
Full decat 3" cobra exhaust system fitted with updated up-pipe fitted Dec 13
Original Subaru floor mats in great condition
HKS turbo timer
17" revolution millennium wheels fitted with Vredestein sessanta tyres which have covered less then 1000 miles, wheel alignment and wheel balance carried out
Sept 14- cam belt kit and aux belts replaced and fitted
Spark plugs recently replaced with NGK PFR,
oil regularly changed.
When the car was imported in 2008 the car was given a FA52 number plate which bugged me as it didn't coincide with the cars age, I paid for a certificate of conformity from Subaru and sent this off to the DVLA who then gave a more age related number plate to its date of manufacture 9th March 1995.
I could go on for ages and have probably missed some bits out, I have receipts for bolts, washers, wipers etc so could go on and on,
To sum up the car is in superb condition and is mechanically sound with some tasteful modifications, it's does have the odd mark here and there and is not in showroom concourse condition which you would expect from a car that is 21 years old,
She also comes with all the original parts plus a set of new age sti alloys in gunmetal, tyres would need replacing however but included if wanted
In my ownership I have tried to maintain her to the best of my ability and I believe the condition reflects this
********
I'm over the moon with the RA, and the drive back from Wales was epic! A big thanks to @loggyboy who went with me to view the car.
There is lots of things I want to do with the car, but at the moment I just want to enjoy it!
Here's a few photos that Matt had taken for the advert:-
The only thing I'm not a 100% on is the cut out front bumper. I can appreciate the form over function, as the original top mount intercooler is very restrictive, and it has been done professionally at a bodyshop rather than a dodgy hacksaw job. It does look bloody purposeful though! If I do decide to revert it back to an OE style bumper firstly I'll need to source and RA bumper, but I will keep the intercooler and try to make it fit...
Today at work we got the car over the MOT inspection pit and I'm happy to report it's bloody clean with no hidden nightmares! The only fault we could find was a minor leak coming from one of the rear diff seals, and unfortunately the downpipe/de-cat is in a pretty poor state compared to the rest of the exhaust which is in fantastic condition the downpipe however has two holes that have blown threw. There isn't any decent metal left to carry out a repair so fortunately as it is only a bolt on part I'm going to be buying a stainless steel 3" downpipe/de-cat very soon!
Thanks for reading this massive post! Updates to follow!
Cheers,
Rob.
I wanted a Japanese Import because I have very fond memories of my Toyota Glanza V sourcing rare parts/modifications from Japan, and even with that tiny CT9 turbo they really are a blast to drive, I miss it now!
The shortlist:-
* Honda Integra Type R DC5
* Subaru Impreza 'Bugeye' WRX STI S202
* Subaru Impreza 'Classic' WRX STI Type RA
I ruled out the 'S202' early on mainly because my budget just coul'dnt strech to the money that they command, which is a shame because out of the box they are awesome machines! This was followed by the 'DC5' a car I have always wanted, but after much thinking I decided that a change from FWD would be fun.
So as I'm sure you've already worked out... I bought a Classic Impreza!
I have always loved the original Impreza as a kid watching the WRC when it was at it's most exciting before they just filled the stages with Ford Fiestas... When I was at school I used to race RC cars and my first kit was a Tamiya TL01 Chassis based on a 1999 Impreza which I wish I still owned! A friend of my dad bought a P1 when they were brand new and I'll never forget that passenger drive as a teenager, being the first time in a 'Scooby' it blew my mind!
So onto the new car, new project!
A 1995 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type RA
For those that want to know what makes the RA special here's a link to that covers some of the specifics: http://www.type-ra.com/subaru-impreza-my95-wrx-type-ra-sti-version-1/
Personally for me the Type RA is the perfect Classic Impreza and ticks many boxes, and a car I hope will make a perfect toy on and off the track!
I drove all the way to Wales yesterday to view the car and bought it from a lovely chap called Matt who was an absaloue gent to deal with. Here's his classified add which will give you a good indication of the RA's history and current spec:-
*********
For sale is my much loved and cared for Sti Ra,
The car is in superb condition and has been thoroughly maintained in my near three years of ownership, too my knowledge the car has only ever been owned by enthusiasts since its import into the country in May 2008 and the condition reflects so.
Feather white (colour code 230)
DCCD
Roof vent
This model fitted with electric Windows and air con
The car currently sits on just over 57,000 miles and was last M.O.Td on September 25th this year so has nearly 11 months remaining.
Two Keys along with 2 Clifford Cat 1 Alarm Fobs
The cars usage really has been minimal over the course of my ownership and believe the car will be better suited to someone who can use it more.
I have all the M.O.T certificates for the car since its import and registration and have a comprehensive folder full of receipts for work that has been carried out.
Below is a list of work and modifications that have been carried out on my car,
Most recently I have had the front bumper resprayed and the car polished, at the same time I had the sills and arches sealed ready for winter,
When I returned with the car I gave her a full wax using soft99 fusso coat,
May 16 - The car was taken to Enginetuner in Plymouth where she was fitted and mapped with the latest Alcatek ecu fitted with high and low boost options and anti-lag both switchable via the console nearest to the handbrake,
Before the car was mapped she was fitted with a few upgrades:
FMIC
440 injectors that have been cleaned and tested by Lateral Performance along with their adapter kit
New age coil packs
Later map sensor from 99 model Impreza
Apexi power intake system
CDF turbo blanket
Temp sensor fitted to FMIC pipe work, original recirculating valve kept via some silicone hosing which is nice as the atmospheric noise isn't to my taste.
The car made a healthy 312 Bhp and pulls really nicely.
March 16 - I took my 4 pot calipers to Godspeed Brakes who are just down the road from me to have them refurbished and painted in black from the previous red which look much better, so new Pistons were fitted, I also fitted new grooved 294mm discs and Kevlar pads from them alongside some new HEL brake hoses, brake fluid was replaced with some Dot 5.1.
May 15 - The car took a trip to API engine performance in Warwick as the car had a slight notch into third gear,
The gearbox was rebuilt, a lightweight flywheel was also fitted alongside a new clutch kit and brand new diff oil,
The car is fitted with some Defi-link gauges along with control unit,
Oil pressure, oil temp and turbo boost, all working fine,
Front and rear whiteline anti roll bars
Front and rear whiteline droplinks
OMP WRC steering wheel and boss kit which feels really nice and brings the steering wheel a bit closer which I prefer,
Full decat 3" cobra exhaust system fitted with updated up-pipe fitted Dec 13
Original Subaru floor mats in great condition
HKS turbo timer
17" revolution millennium wheels fitted with Vredestein sessanta tyres which have covered less then 1000 miles, wheel alignment and wheel balance carried out
Sept 14- cam belt kit and aux belts replaced and fitted
Spark plugs recently replaced with NGK PFR,
oil regularly changed.
When the car was imported in 2008 the car was given a FA52 number plate which bugged me as it didn't coincide with the cars age, I paid for a certificate of conformity from Subaru and sent this off to the DVLA who then gave a more age related number plate to its date of manufacture 9th March 1995.
I could go on for ages and have probably missed some bits out, I have receipts for bolts, washers, wipers etc so could go on and on,
To sum up the car is in superb condition and is mechanically sound with some tasteful modifications, it's does have the odd mark here and there and is not in showroom concourse condition which you would expect from a car that is 21 years old,
She also comes with all the original parts plus a set of new age sti alloys in gunmetal, tyres would need replacing however but included if wanted
In my ownership I have tried to maintain her to the best of my ability and I believe the condition reflects this
********
I'm over the moon with the RA, and the drive back from Wales was epic! A big thanks to @loggyboy who went with me to view the car.
There is lots of things I want to do with the car, but at the moment I just want to enjoy it!
Here's a few photos that Matt had taken for the advert:-
The only thing I'm not a 100% on is the cut out front bumper. I can appreciate the form over function, as the original top mount intercooler is very restrictive, and it has been done professionally at a bodyshop rather than a dodgy hacksaw job. It does look bloody purposeful though! If I do decide to revert it back to an OE style bumper firstly I'll need to source and RA bumper, but I will keep the intercooler and try to make it fit...
Today at work we got the car over the MOT inspection pit and I'm happy to report it's bloody clean with no hidden nightmares! The only fault we could find was a minor leak coming from one of the rear diff seals, and unfortunately the downpipe/de-cat is in a pretty poor state compared to the rest of the exhaust which is in fantastic condition the downpipe however has two holes that have blown threw. There isn't any decent metal left to carry out a repair so fortunately as it is only a bolt on part I'm going to be buying a stainless steel 3" downpipe/de-cat very soon!
Thanks for reading this massive post! Updates to follow!
Cheers,
Rob.
