Hi Guys,
Im gonna upgrade my civic type r to an impreza , i'm looking to buy a UK 2001-02 wrx sti. Can anyone give me some buying advise for them, what to look for and check etc. would be much appreciated.
Also so I can extend my options of which to buy can someone tell me which models arn't imports (insurance reasons) for WRX's and preferably sti's, I still prefer the models that were made around 98 but I was told that all the sti's from that era were imports.
Many thanks from ross

 

Correct in the import statement, the UK didn't see an official STi version until the bugeye. Imports aren't always going to be a problem, speak to someone like A-Plan who do actually know what they are on about and assess the risk individually.

You need to think about your long term goals, VERY few owners keep them standard, they are so responsive to a few tweaks that it seems crimnal not to The WRX can be made to give the same, if not more performance as an STi for relatively little outlay but it is a much softer car chassis wise. The STi is somewhat laggy but does have stiffer suspension than the WRX, although it may be past it's best at the age you're looking at, and it has a decent brake set-up, the first for any Impreza. The imported STis of this age are in a different league and will provide around 300bhp and 300lbft out of the box with minimal lag from their equal length manifold and twin scroll turbo set-up.

If you prefer the classic design you could get a 99 or 00 car for good money and with a change of brakes, turbo, fuel pump and a remap will see you with a very capable car being somewhat lighter than the newer design of Impreza.