Hi guys and Happy New Year.

After parting with my blob eye I feel the need to get my hands back on a beast: Needs to be practical this time as the dog needs a place to sit.

What are folks thoughts on the Forester STI: any issues that make it a problematic import? I certainly found my Blobeye JDM hassle free: fours years of superb motoring.

I've seen a couple on the market but the mileage has been a tad high for my liking, circa 90k mark. I'm happy to pay mid to high teens but the mileage and spec need to reflect that.

Are there importers people would recommend? I'm after the SG9 face lift model. It doesn't have to be tweaked I can easily get that done if it's stock.

Or if anyone knows of one that would be up for sale now or soon?

Have fun and stay safe!

 

Have a look on the forester forum for more detailed info. I've had an 05 Sti for about 5 years now and love it. It had had an engine rebuild at about 95000 miles. Since I've had it it has been relatively trouble free. Did have to spend a bit on it recently to get the sills and arches repaired/replaced due to rust which isn't uncommon as they're an import

 

I love them and have three , harlow jap imports , you can get a normally get a not too high mileage one from them , my last two ones came from them , all you really need is coilovers a fuel pump possibly , and a remap , a sports cat down pipe helps with less lag , when you get one just get it under sealed , dinitrol is very good , the one i broke did 198,000 miles , slight rust on a rear drivers side seal 40£ to get it welded , if the drivers side rear window has a paint defect on the bottom of the window body work , you can end up with a rusty rear seal on that drivers side , they are generally pretty bullet proof only bit that’s let me down is the engine , once it’s forged then 👍 definitely my favourite scooby and i have had a few , also can get 35 mpg on a long run , pagid pads from eurocarparts work well at around 40£ for a set

 

Stavro kalwshlthes!
I've had a modified facelift FSTi for 5.5 years and covered 50k miles in it including trackdays, roadtrips to Europe and used as a daily driver and never had an issue with, it's been one of the most fun cars I've owned.
I've serviced it regularly with religious oil changes every 3k miles.
IMHO it's a great car that does everything.
I've also owned a standard pre-facelift one for a year and a half or so and that was a great reliable car too.
They have the EJ257 block (same as a 2.5 WRX) so no problem with piston rings.
Some have had the "typical" 2.5 HG fail but I know cars that have done more than 100k miles and haven't missed a beat.
Get one, you will love it!
There's a lot of useful info in subaruforester.org under the european section.

 

EJ255 engine NOT EJ257

 

Thanks for the correction Don!

 

Hg failure can happen , ringland failure very very rare based on having the original turbo and a remap , but if hg does go always do a full rebuild as bottom end will be toast soon after

 

Cheers for the info so far guys.

I'm thinking the only thing I missed on my blobeye that would have ticked all the boxes was getting the engine forged. That always sounds like a dodgy pirate fiddling away.

If I find a standard one my immediate upgrades would be: big *** inter cooler, better air filter, bov, injectors changed, exhaust decat, remap and braces front rear and underneath, coilover suspension and engine forge.

The time I've spent in Japan and seen them there I do like the blobeye bonnet scoop over the standard one. Looks far more aggressive.