one thing to look for..... the place to put the key. When you find this, put the key in there, turn it, and drive away with a big

Richie.

 

Check it's got some fuel in it...it drinks it VERY quickly

 

Richie,

Big fat smile on my face, fanx for the note mate. I take it the quality is damned good on them then?

 

should have a full tank on delivery cheers, but dont worry i will be checking. After me TVR i know all about thirst dont worry

 

On a serious note, go over the paintwork extremely carefully.

More and more stories of paint damage by dealers during the pdi valeting process. This gets hidden by the wax so look closely in artificial light if you can.

Aside from that, its Japanese, so all should be well

D

 

cramp in your right foot keeping it below 4k

 

Oh, and if its an Sti, make sure its got a full tank of SUL.

Also, if the dealer tells you it doesn't need running in, he's talking out his backside.

Read the manual v carefully, they have v thin oil when they leave the factory.

D

 

To answer more seriously, and to make time for you slow even more....

I have had more wrong with my 4 week old STi8 than my MY00 Turbo 2000. Most have been small niggles and clips not pushed home, such as door cards, plastic surround next to wipers popping out all the time, tracking, wheel vibrations (the 4 PZero Neros have been sent back to Pireli, and a new set being fitted tomorrow).

Saying that, when driving the car, it is far more 'solid' and better put together than the my00... it is so quiet in there (even with the ppp - although my old car had full decat scoobysport system ), smoother, does not seem 'so on the edge' as the old car. The lights are great - the lights on the my00 were just nasty.

The only thing that bugs the hell out of me with the STi8 is the 'jiggly' suspension - on motorways I feel like I am in an old mini - bouncing up and down. People have mentioned that it settles after 6k miles or so, and others are fitting leda suspension. I am waiting for Prodrive to get the suspension/spring kit out personally.

Other things that I have noticed.... the bonet bends at 40-50+ mph, the scoop pulls it up I suppose - and the rear spoiler vibrates like anything.

You dont sit as low in it either, which is a bit of a shame, and the seats dont really hold me in as well as the old car. However I am a fat bastage, so that is probably the problem

The brakes are great - no idea about fade, havent really driven it hard enough to get to that stage. Turn in is so much sharper, and the car is way more controlable on throttle. It feels more steady and planted (now that the tracking is sorted) than the old one - and it is far more tail happy.

The std hifi was so so - replaced now with a clarion - I really need to uprate the front speakers as well as they dont sound like they are doing the head unit justice.

6 speed is nice - I just want a 6th now on my festa zetec s Rev light thing is a nice touch as well - set it for X revs, beeps and flashes (can configure it) when the revs are met/exceded (set to 3600 for the run in period if i were you ).

You'll love it, just dont let the little things bug you like they have done to me. Hopefully when I get mine back tomorrow, all will be well and I'll look back on my niggles with it and chuckle to myself.

Enjoy,

Richie.

 

she is gonna be run on Optimax only so they bloody better had fill it with that from the start.

I will go over the paint work with a fine tooth combe. I made the mistake of accepting my 172 clio with a couple of marks and never got them sorted.
What is the wireless like in them haha? Didnt turn it on during the test drive and i doubt it will ever get much use. But is it crap?
Is the first 1000 oil change etc free?

 

You just have to pay for the materials on the 1000 mile service, oil filter, gasket, and oil.... prices vary.. mine was £58, some have been 30 odd.

Richie.

 

i've done nearly 4k in mine (+ppp).

no niggles .. crap cd/speakers .. 1st service ~ £50

love every minute and can't wait for the day to start and end to drive it. i even swap my Mway route home some nights for B roads so i can drive it further ... first car i've had where i don't mind traffic jams and shut motorways ... good excuse to burn more fuel

 

Thanks for the long note ramdor.

I cant believe the cheeky sods charge ya for the 1000 mile service. thats a bit off i reckon. Should be included like on every other car in the world. Right thats it gonna cancel me car not having it now ......haha.....YEAH RIGHT !!

I will have a look for the other points you mentioned and wont let them get to me when they happen. Its always nice to know what i should be looking for so thanks for the comments.

 

The 1st (1000 mile) service labour costs are free, you'll have to pay for the parts (I get oil at trade so took that along with me).

As already mentioned above, look at the paintwork v-closely, preferably in flat light. I accepted my MY03 not realising that it had 2 small shallow dents in it, plus a graze mark on the corner of the front bumper (took 2 or 3 matchstick head sized nicks out of the paint). The dealer in question paid for the dents to be taken out, I didn't mention the bumper in fear that the repair would do more harm than good.

The only other thing worth doing, is takig the car out for a ride in the local area to your dealer to identify any little squeeks or rattles that may be lurking in the car.

Other than that.... enjoy, enjoy, enjoy

"Safety First"

Tim

 

Make sure you know what the PIN code is for the alarm in case you need it. And get them to show you how to disarm it with the pad.
Chuck

 

Thanks for all these comments guys I am writting them all down and will take real care when i pick it up. It may seem like im being picky by for £25K i want it to be 100% right

Anymore you think off would be appreciated. Its so easy to get carried away and walk away without the alarm code etc etc.

Does it come with locking wheel nuts? and if so where is the key?

 

Gary,

Is this definitely an EU supplied car. I was looking at DH Cars some time ago but at that time they were importing from Cyprus. So you may even find that you have to pay for parts and labour on the 1000 mile service.

Ian

 

She is definately an EU car so that shouldnt be a problem. I checked for that when i bought her.

Fanx for the note though.

 

I cant wait to actully drive mine >5K. driving me mad. so far I don't like it as much as my MY00. doesn't seem nearly as planted cornering - which is odd. I also hate the standard shift - cant believe I didn't get the quick shift - going on with the 1K service

 

Gary,

Nice one - then you should have no problems for servicing - enjoy the car.

Just one more thing though - if you need warranty work doing do you intend putting the original exhaust back on before taking it to a Subaru dealer or do you plan on getting it serviced outside of the Subaru dealerships. I'm just a bit worried that by fitting the Trust system you have immediately invalidated the SUbaru warranty - or are DH Cars offering an alternative warranty?

Ian

 

Standard tyres are crap, gear shift is graunchy, ride is jiggly, but it all gets better as you put on the miles.

Got 28,000 on mine in 8 months (and I car share ), but apart from squeeling pads and a rattle in the dash, the car has been perfect, gets better month by month.

Get a boost guage fitted and watch very carefully for boost spikes, some cars fitted with sports-cats last summer were fine until the cold weather got them spiking like mad.

Motul or Mobil Motorsport 15-50 is the norm as far as oil goes.

Standard speakers are very nasty, whip them out at the first opportunity.

Carbon dash and side entry sills are a must imo.

Any dealer problems then go to Mill Lane in Basingstoke, I see your not far from there.

Good luck.

 

Gary,

I got my STI8 from DH.... I think he sorces them from the Med..
I've had no problems in my 2000 miles blurred vision.

(Mr H will tell you to keep the limit alarm at 4,500 till the 1st 1000 service.. which cost around £50)

Will prob see you around if your local.. mine's the black one!

 

Picked up my STi8 a few weeks ago.
GOt home and realised that the stereo I had them swap for the normal one didn't work as it needed the code re-activating - can I find the de-coding thing anywhere?....no!

To cut a long story short, the dealer is going to swap the stereos back at the 1k service (on Friday morning) and I have to send the head unit off to get re-coded.

Just goes to show that in the excitement of picking it up I didn't really check it over.

Enjoy it and get rid of those 1000 miles qickly!!

Peter

 

Get the run in over and then enjoy.... You may need help to remove the grin on your face after a longer spirited drive!

 

Get me new STI8 this week.

Anything in particular I should be looking for? dodgey paint, interior etc etc. Always worth a bit of info before I go to get her


Gary

[Edited by TVR Gary - 4/9/2003 3:09:26 PM]

 

And they make the paint out of marshmallow and the panels out of bacofoil, so go carefully..LOL...

[Edited by Diablo - 4/9/2003 3:23:03 PM]

 

No idea about the locking wheelnut on the standard wheels - I expect they do, as I didnt get 4 normal nuts with my original 17's after the 18's were put on. My locking nut key was in a small bag in the glove compartment.

Something that is worth doing is getting them to activate the rac trackstar thingy ready for when you pick it up.

Richie.

[Edited by ramdor - 4/9/2003 4:26:24 PM]