Moving On To A Subaru Maybe

[starwarz]

Seriously Considering buying a GC8F or GC8G STI or a regular WRX Impreza 2001-2004, never really looked twice at Subaru before but im kind of over the skyline and 2 door coupe scene,

and from what i can tell WRX's are an awesome package of performance and practicality and the STI WRXs look the goods. Just wanting to know peoples opinion more so behind

the GC8 Impreza both STI and non STI (definitely Turbo models though). If you guys have any opinion and stories about this particular model of car please share.

This is the Subbie im talking about for those who dont know.

[RB25 SKYLINE]

u will regret it i think,i was a die hard subaru fan for years until i did alot of research and discovered they arnt that great unless u are willing to spend alot of cash to improve alot of things.overall the sti model is much better than the wrx.the weak points of the wrx non sti model is:weak driveline (gearbox and diffs etc).the engines themselves on both models arnt real reliable and do struggle if ur wanting to run more power.they over heat easy and love blowing head gaskets.the improvements that alot of people do to the non sti models is replace it with sti components which arnt cheap.alll in all if u want a 4 door get a 4 door skyline.a much more reliable car,cheaper to modify,and much stronger all round.if u want 4 wheel drive buy a gtr.just my 2c

[mad082]

gearboxes are only weak if you like dump the clutch a lot. they are a lot better in the newer ones than the very early models.

if i was to get one it would be one of the second gen ones after they got rid of the bug eyes (2002 onwards), but i do still have a soft spot for a tidy first gen.

[starwarz]

u will regret it i think,i was a die hard subaru fan for years until i did alot of research and discovered they arnt that great unless u are willing to spend alot of cash to improve alot of things.overall the sti model is much better than the wrx.the weak points of the wrx non sti model is:weak driveline (gearbox and diffs etc).the engines themselves on both models arnt real reliable and do struggle if ur wanting to run more power.they over heat easy and love blowing head gaskets.the improvements that alot of people do to the non sti models is replace it with sti components which arnt cheap.alll in all if u want a 4 door get a 4 door skyline.a much more reliable car,cheaper to modify,and much stronger all round.if u want 4 wheel drive buy a gtr.just my 2c

A lot of WRX non sti's are being advertised with STI driveline parts so makes sense the term 'glass gearbox' is popping up a lot.

Didnt know the EJ20 suffered from overheating and blowing gaskets, some guys are reporting 250-400,000 KM on them and still going strong i feel like it a massive grey area.

Looks like i might be leaning towards an STI if i go GC8. Atm Im on the fence about skylines, had a chat with a couple of mates one night after work and

most of them seem to be moving on to 4 door cars (Evo's, Foresters, XR6T, BMW M5's etc) but still retaining that performance we all like. Kind of opened

my eyes a bit and got me thinking whether i should be sticking to coupes when there are some excellent 4 door examples that offer the same thing.

I dont know if i want a 4 door skyline not really my taste having owned a coupe and feeling like i need a change, i figure if i really like skylines that much i will eventually

come back to own another.

[JGTC]

have a R34 25GT ('98) and recently bought a '04 Forester XT with the EJ25 turbo

i find the RB motor so much more refined in terms of noise/lifters etc can't speak for all nissans but going from a R-chassis to a EJ-chassis (forester shares the basic chassis with the WRX - please correct me if im wrong) just the overall balance driving wise / interior finish / in-cabin noise the Skyline i think has it beat even though its 6 years older

the Subaru's strengths is its all-wheel drive (allbeit trumped by ATESSA) - this makes the car faster in all weather conditions as well as sticky to the road during wet conditions - the forester is also very utillitarian in its setup interms bootspace / various accessories / seats fold down etc - also as a stock standard package they are excellent to drive - they are tuned slightly higher than nissans from the factory iirc

previous owner also installed a adj blow of valve and a 3' turbo back exhaust with a muffler instead of a cannon - the noise when its on boost mixed with the induction noise is pretty much why i bought the car - it is a tad obnoxious which is why i rate it

as previously stated they don't tollerate abuse too well, but so long as your not launching it there are guys getting 3-4-500,000kms out of them over here and in the states

from what i've read the EJ20 is a more solid motor than the later EJ25 with the esp with the EJ207 STI having fully forged pistions where as the later model EJ257 STIs have semi-forged ones

if it was my money i'd go a GC8 Version 5 2-door STI or a Version 6 4-door STI - or if you're going modern a '06 GDB STI with the 6-speed gearbox are a treat - the key really is to try find one with a fastidious owner not some oink who's abused it

IMO they have so much more charisma over an EVO

pics because pics;

Edited December 10, 2012 by squareznboxez

[Absent]

Have you considered an evo?, I'd suggest taking 7-9 for a test drive it might change your mind but if you love the look of an STI then go for it

[Frosty]

annnnnd BAN! haha

on a side note if it looks like this ill let it slide!

[warps]

Nothing wrong with Rexes - I've owned them as my main daily for the last ten years. In fact I traded my R32 for a WRX and have never looked back.

The horror stories are true only if you abuse them. I tracked my 02 WRX in totally stock form and never had a problem. Try doing that with a GTR.

Evo's are another good option

Just be prepared to shop around for a nice clean unmolested one. I'd say the biggest problem with used WRX's (or skylines, evos etc) is the dickhead owners who abuse them and don't maintain them.

[eightsixboy]

I've owned 3 subies over th years, a modded 03 sti, a heavily modded rs liberty and a stock b4 liberty, and I wouldn't buy another subie unless it was just to be a stockish fun daily. They have to many weak links, the gc8's have weak boxes, small driveshafts and small rear diff, the sti versions are still only 5 speed with altered ratios and the same r160 diff, the bugeye on versions are to heavy for 2.0 so I wouldn't bother, only the 05+ wrx's are worth buying due to the 2.5.

For the price of a decent sti you can get a very nice GTR, even then if your going to buy an sti your better of getting the 05+ which has dccd, but there still around the 25k mark.

The thing I found with subies is there very easy to get semi fast and decent handling for cheap on the street but once you start tracking or thrashing alot they just break, put on some sticky tyres and you'll start breaking boxes and shafts alot, and the cost of upgrading to a 6 speed in a gc8 or similar is just not worth it, to do it correctly you'll be looking at 4k+, then you have to factor in upgrading the rear diff etc.

There great cars but they really arn't built as well as skylines in terms of strength and outright potential, they'll be quicker 0-100 then a skyline in most cases but thats about it, plus understeer gets boring real quick, just stick with your skyline

[starwarz]

Have you considered an evo?, I'd suggest taking 7-9 for a test drive it might change your mind but if you love the look of an STI then go for it

I have always liked the STI over the evolutions based on aesthetic attributes which you can say is superficial, some people like the looks of the

EVO and some the STI depends on taste, hence why im not really considering an EVO atm. But i have sat in a evo 8 and they are rockets on rails.

Edited December 11, 2012 by starwarz

[eightsixboy]

Whats your budget?

[starwarz]

All good reads and from what i gather the GC and GD are indeed weaker in the box and

drivelines then Evo's and GTR's, but thats if your droping the clutch and thrashing as some of

you have said.

[starwarz]

Whats your budget?

Atm around 20k, though im not in a hurry to buy

Edited December 11, 2012 by starwarz

[eightsixboy]

All good reads and from what i gather the GC and GD are indeed weaker in the box and

drivelines then Evo's and GTR's, but thats if your droping the clutch and thrashing as some of

you have said.

It all depends on your goal for the car, if you wanna tear up the track or get more then 170awkw then avoid a normal wrx, go an evo or atleast an sti, you can get bugeye sti's for alot less the 20k now, same with evo's.

If its just a daily then really any wrx will do, engines/boxes are basically the same with only minor changes from 99 on, only major change was going to a 2.5 in the 06 on.

[mad082]

yes if you track them they will break, but so will skylines (oil starvation issues, and blown ceramic turbos).

i also wouldn't say the ATTESSA system is a better AWD system than the subaru system as they are very different. the ATTESSA system is a rwd system that can engage the front wheels when the rear wheels lose traction. the subaru system is a constant awd with 50/50 split (which makes for good slides on a wet skidpan). evo's are a more fwd biased awd.

[starwarz]

180awkw is plenty for me........., im not looking at creating a monster. Though dont take

my word for that i might be given the mod bug. I went down to IS motorsport, with a friend to pick

up his brother S15 with a newly installed starter motor, and a silver GD with the IS Motorsports sticker was sitting in the

car park. Very immaculate Impreza, nothing crazy i should have asked for some info on the car/model while i was there but i didnt think

of it at the time

[koe]

evos and subs are built for rally.

I know there was a lot of fans back in the days when some time attack cars came out.

Never have made any records in no where.Just rally.

So if you want to rally then go for those evos and subs out there.

If not?

Go for a rwd.

way more fun to drive.

awd is boring.

[Iron Chef]

evos and subs are built for rally.

I know there was a lot of fans back in the days when some time attack cars came out.

Never have made any records in no where.Just rally.

So if you want to rally then go for those evos and subs out there.

If not?

Go for a rwd.

way more fun to drive.

awd is boring.

lolwut? If you find AWD boring, you're not driving it hard enough.

[Chris Rogers]

lolwut? If you find AWD boring, you're not driving it hard enough.

indeed. only reason I sold my wagon was the cost of repairs. $4500 on a gearbox and $1k to do the water pump got a bit much.

[Akshunhiro]

Take it from me. My first performance car was a WRX (GDA) which I chose over the GC8 due to the better chassis. If I had my time again, I would've gone with an Evo 7-9.

WRX's have too many weak points and are too difficult to get power from.

I spent a fortune on mine and only netted 220kw at all four with 19psi of boost.

I decided to go WRX over Evo as the symmetrical AWD appealed to me for weight distribution. I didn't like the E-W mounting of the Evo.

Had my WRX for 2 years and hung out with the Evo Oz crew (Rexnet guys aren't as social). Had a heap of fun and found out just how much better the Evo is.

Normally I'd scoff at electronic aids but the Evo's AYC, ASC, ACD & S-AWC make it unbeatable in the twisties (which was what I was into at the time).

There appears to be more aftermarket support for the Evo too so upgrades are easier to find and cheaper to buy in comparison to the WRX.

Do some research on Evo Oz. I've learnt that the 5MT's are stronger than the 6MT's (opposite to WRX) and the AYC/ACD pump is a bitch to bleed!

I still have a soft spot for WRX's, must be that boxer note but probably wouldn't buy another.