MadMark

RB5320 - Will keep my eyes peeled for you! Look out for a Black 03 with an "ML" Plate ....

Jza

I live in sunny Leicester - they cant afford those nice cars here!!!

Jza

smb1

Haven't got the new shape.......yet!! so am in my trusty classic at the mo. and waitin to put a decent post on ere, but no-one seems to be tryin it on in my area yet!!! though i have seen a Noble knockin about.....think i might just pull over fer that one!!!

madmark.....how come 'only just' re the 147 GTA, didn't think it was that quick and certainly not in the twisties!

[Edited by smb1 - 12/17/2003 10:07:50 AM]

OllyK

smb1 - where are you from? If you are near Nottingham, it well be our chairman's. Bugger comes in to work in it sometimes

smb1

Near lytham st annes, lancs......maybe he blasts up from nottingham once in a while!!!!! wouldn't take long in a Noble would it!!

OllyK

Nope wouldn't take long if you can find clear roads!

Can't be too many of them knocking about, only seen 2 on the road so far.

Little Clanger

On a bit of a serious note, I have read a lot of mags, road tests, performance statistics over the past months. AutoCar released a 100 road test special a couple of weeks back with the "Final" EVO - Scoob showdown as apparently the Lancer EVO is being ditched next year by Mitsubishi. The write up said that the big problem with Subaru is that they havent moved on with the times. Our cars certainly aint slow but everyone else has started to produce better, faster cars that close the gap with the scoob / EVO. If you look at whats out there, the Scoob just doesnt wipe the floor with as many performance cars as it could in the nineties. I have an 03 STi8 and although very quick standard, there are a lot of quite common cars on the road that will give it a good run for its money and an almost equal number that will cane it. These cars aint supercar prices either so they are available to a much wider audience. The WRX sees the problem more so. It may not be enough to say its a lot of car for less than £20k because it isnt seen as the formidable Impreza any more, and you may not need to be as brave / rich as you were in years past to take one on.

I consider myself a good quick driver (but may not be as good as I think), but now I think long n hard before I try and rag a decent motor because quite simply, the opposition has just got better, and there is a lot more of it out there too. Figures in a mag just dont do it any more. Its out there where it counts. The scoob needs a quantum leap forward to get the nineties impact once again but I dont think they have many places to go, and retain their current market. If the price of the car reflects its improvements, those with the dosh may find it a little too boy racerish to want it.

catalunya199

you beat all them cars which is good but i beat a 03 wrx the other day on the dual carriageway he was in front as well pulled over and we both went for it,at about 110mph i went past him i was well chuffed but i heard the new wrxs are only 235 bhp new.although mines about 260 bhp i was carrying top weight with full petrol tank,my mate and stuff and dragging the 18" wheels as well.

as stated earlier though that is a good list of cars you have beat

stanmo

iTrader: (1)

I wonder how many of those cars would be around if the Impreza
hadn't appeared on the scene in early/mid 90's ?

It's true that the benchmark has been raised so far that to pull off a similar feat when the Impreza first came out is virtually impossible.

I doubt even a 400+ bhp 4wd impreza, with prodrive ATD for less than 20k would do that. I'd still buy one, of course

alwong

I drive the 01 WRX and tried to be clever until..

I raced a Porsche Cayenne turbo and at the time i never thought anything of it. To me it was the new huge Porsche 4x4. We went along the dual carriageway and he decided to undercut myself and 3 other vehicles. So i decided to do the same to him. This kind of annoyed him. I thought, if i drop it down a gear and floor it I would be away. To my horror he was just waving at me asking me to move out the way. I decided to move as he was basically sitting in my back seat!! He flew past me just laughing. I've checked there stats. 0-62 5.6secs. Top Speed 165mph. 4.5 Litre V8 twin turbo (450BHP)

smb1

hmmm...just not on is it when a 4x4 is takin the mick, credit to porsche for building it but it makes a bugeye look pretty!!

Little Clanger

Stanmo,
take your point. But sometimes I think we, as Subaru owners may be deluding ourselves to think our cars are "still all that". Yes, they are blindingly quick, but I always thought the ONLY thing that could cause a scoob (talking about STi now) trouble accross country was an EVO. That just aint the case anymore - and its probably gonna get a lot worse before it gets any better. The Impreza may have kicked it all off, but why has everyone else got so good so quickly in comparison to Subaru's progress?

Alwong,
thought that was a well known fact mate. Even a Cayenne S will trouble the **** off ya. Surprising thing is that they aint just fast, they handle too!! Apparently there is a company out there tuning these babies well above 500bhp. Stick that in your big Bavarian leather shorts-wearing pipe and smoke it (to the sound of the Porsche OOOm Pahh band)!!!!

smb1

Got to admit though, fer £70k you'd expect to be troubled!!!

alwong

It's a sad state when the symbol of power and speed of the 90's has to worry about vehicles twice the size of them pulling past with ease. Followed closely by Golfs, Clio's, and the rest of the up and coming power being revealed!!! It used to be a cluster of hot hatches and then another group above like the Evo's, Impreza's and Cossies. Now the group seems to be merged!!!

p.s. At least we'll have an advantage during the winter season :-)

Little Clanger

Alwong,
hit the nail right on the head mate. Couldnt have said it better. We aint in a group of our own with the EVO/Skyline boys anymore. I am gonna get the PPP and the Prodrive handling pack on my 03 STi and the first thing I wanna do is wipe the smile of them smug RS Focus owners' faces (although tey are quire nice cars)


Anyway, I'm off home now. Had enough of the office for one day

alwong

Have a good weekend little clanger.

Mr Merciless

If you go on most of the hot hatch forums they're all scared to death of Scoob STI's and Evo's!

The standard WRX has lost a lot of respect in the hot hatch kids eyes though.

A GTR Skyline will kill most cars on the road, and as a high percentage of them are runnimg 400-600 bhp even Ferraris and Lambos get wasted.

The time any Scoob or Evo has a chance is between 0-30 mph, then it's bye bye!

Chip

Seem to agree with JZA here. It just doesnt happen.

Chip.