The Chief

Ok what got you hooked on a Scooby?

Me well i had just bought an Audi A6 2.8 Quattro and i thought is was the dogs danglies in a sort of smooth kinda way.

My buddy bought a few days later a Subaru Impreza waggon pushing about 260bhp. and let me have a go.

Before this i thought they were so feckin' ugly (i still do) but the raw performance and grip blew me away and my Audi felt slow unresponsive and lifeless - i had to have one.

Anyway i ended up buying one and spending a small fortune on it Sti Small Block, Remap, wheels, brakes, Full Decat, etc etc.

Now after a year of fun and frolics with said car I am now very, very skint and peniless and its looking like i may have to sell in the next few months to fund a new business venture it really is a beautiful car and its a damn shamne to see it go.

But you know what i dont regret buying or running it for a second!!!


Best thing i have ever done

TonyG

For me, it was the first test drive. I had an Alfa 146 at the time, and was getting ready to change it. I set a budget and got the field narrowed down to 3 cars : Alfa 155 3.0V6, Honda Accord Type R and Impreza. Then started setting up the test drives. The Alfa was first. Not a bad car, pretty fast, handled well, nice and comfy inside. Then came the Impreza. Couldn't have pcked a wose day for a test drive - heavy rain, very wet roads. The car turned up at work, I got in with the salesman and off we went. I'd never experienced anything like it! It was unbelievably quick even in the wet. The test drive was round some local country roads and I was hooning round these at higher speeds than I would have attempted in the Alfa - it was that good.
Took all my willpower to not just oen my wallet and empty its contents into the salesman's lap and say "GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!" at the end of the drive.
Never did get to try out the Honda - there didn't seem to be any point.

RB5_245

Test drive for me too. I just wanted a go to see what the hype was about, wanted a 911C2. Test drove the RB5, without the slightest intention of buying it. Picked it up 4 days later expecting to keep it 6months to a year. That was 4years, 4months ago.

Dave

XRS

A mate threw me the keys of his STi IV and told me to enjoy myself with it.

I did, and when he decided to sell it a couple of months later it was a no-brainer - felt so quick and together compared to the 3-door Cosworth I had had for 11 years. Kept that car for 5 years until I went to Litcho's to try out a Spec C and compare it with a "standard" JDM, but all he had around was a T25.....

Suckered!

orbix

I've always fancied one but it had to be the wagon as I prefer the look of them compared to the saloon. Weird I know.

The first subaru I drove was a sti on one of these track day gifts I got for my birthday. Unfortunately the 'circuit' wasn't really demanding enough so I never got a feel for what the car can really do.

I had a 323 sport tourer at the time and although the car was loaded and a nice drive after the track day it wasn't exciting enough for me so I bought a WRX wagon thinking that it had 280bhp. I wanted a standard one as well not one with a big bore exhaust or gauges.

So I wasn’t to happy when I found out it had 220ps but about the same time I found out about SN. It wasn’t before I wanted more power. The standard exhaust didn’t last long!

I now love the car and it’s performance when I come to sell it I’ll think it will be hard to consider anything else.

Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

It was the shove in the back on my first test drive that did it for me.
The scoob was the first car that gave me huge confidence when driving as well, plus they make you feel like you are a great driver

Sti_Prodrive

Best way for me 2 sum it up is ...

Gforce.. Exhaust popping along with da bubble sound induction doin its part along with the big fat turbo throwin u in ur seat all the way back

LOVVVVVVE IT !

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

mine was when i was 21 last november. i had been learning to drive about4-5 months and was looking at what i could get insured on. up came tesco with an unbeatable quote of £1510 tp f&t for a impreza sport, which, for a new driver was pretty good compared to the "specialists" quotes. had a test drive in nov last year of a scooby sport (white r-plate) and for me that was impressive. bought the car the next week having not even passed my test.

didnt pass my test until march this year, so was sat looking at her for 5 months on the street, with the odd ten mins warming her up to keep her sweet. when 8.40am march 9th 2006 came and i was in the test centre with my instructor steve, he said "remember what you have to drive outside your house, use it as your inspiration"... i did that and passed with 5 minors first time.

then wrote off the scoob avoiding an animal in the road 2 months later, and bought a wrx to make me feel better, which was... erm... rather faster!!

but fun!

andy

davedipster

It was the test drive for me...I had a civic type r and wanted a 'practical saloon' for the family.
I tried various other saloons, then the 03stippp
The scoob was so much quicker and yet more relaxing to drive. I thrashed the nuts off my CTR on the way home from the test drive, but just wanted to buy the scoob

Never looked back.

dipster

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

At first it was just fast - on the test drive.
Liked the way it thrust me forwards.
So liked it but wasn´t totaly hooked.

At the time I was working on the farm. And had to drive accross sussex on wet empty B roads early in the morning for 30 minutes to get to the farm.

Like any car it takes a few weeks months to really become at one with it.

It also had 17s on,A brake upgrade a nice suspension set up for the road and a full HKS exhaust. It was perfect.

After about 3 months I was hooked. It was fantastic.once I gradually discovered what it could do on the limits of its grip on wet empty twisty roads on my way to work.

So it was a gradual thing for me. It still brings a smile to my face thinking about that journey. And is certainly the most fun I have ever had in a car.

Again for me the bills eventually got too big and I sold it. But as the Chief says no regrets at all. One the best things I have ever done. thats the whole problem you have to throw so much money at them. Which is fine at a period in life when you have it, but we allhave patches where we don´t and all of a sudden you need a new set of F1s and the gearbox has a f_cked a bearing!

Steve

gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

Had a Sport as a company car about 7 years ago. Was ok, little slow, chassis could cope with more power, but handled well compared to the front drive hatches that I'd been looking at. So tested a UK 2000, was good, but no 'better' than my own toy - 4 x 4 Cosworth powered Opel Manta. So I stayed away for a while. Then I decided to test a Type R - fatal mistake, had to buy one, and there you go!

bogie

1st test drive for me in '98.

Sales guy said "have you tried one before? Once you drive it you'll want one"

I thought ballocks heard it all before!

Guess what, I bit his hand off when we got back! Had to wait 6months aswell, no discount, no extras etc. Well worth the wait.

jonathan100

I went out for a blast in a mates v2 STI after it had been mapped. could not belive how hard it pulled in every gear and also just how much grip the thing had.Also had 6pot ap's so when he did slow down a bit i thought i was gonna go throught the window even wearing a belt. about a month later i had a scoob all of my own.

GazTheHat

I was trying to get a Williams Clio, back in 97, but they were scarce. Then i saw an Impreza, ended up buying it. On the drive home i remember how disappointed i was with it's torque/power, after coming out of my modified Lancia Delta (242bhp/310lb).

But it wasn't until i got used to it, then started to find out what it could do (& modified it) that just the pure grip and confidence it gave you won me over.

Also, back in '97 they were quite rare, which was a bonus! Plus Colin was becoming a household name, driving the same car.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Birmingham motorshow taster test drive.

Blobeye Sti:

Subaru representative: "Floor it in second"

Me: "ok.............WOW!!!!!!"

Subaru representative: "Will sir be paying by cash or cheque?"

Me: "Smug barsteward!!!"

Ns04

SineSTI

My friend (ex.race driver) drove me in his and that's it. Civic TypeR out and STI in.

T4molie

I'd had a MKII Clio 172 for just over a year, bought from the Renault dealer no more than 2 miles down the road from the Subaru Dealer. I'd liked the look of scoobs for a while and whenever I heard one it was just a "mmmmmm nice"

Missus got fedup of me going on about them and told me to go test drive one

Walked into Subaru dealer and turned out that the guy who sold me my Clio was now working for them. He instantly recognised me, brief chat, he threw me the keys to a 02 WRX with WR Sport BB and simply said "have fun"....


"Woohooooooooo I gotta get me one of these" The punch back into the seat when the turbo kicks in and ohhh the burble".

3 years later (which is the longest I've ever kept a car) and traded in the WRX and am now on a 05 STi PPP

Andy

impreza_terzo3_no257

I think for me it must of been coz it was my old bossmans motor, everytime he brought it in i was like i gotta have just gotta have it!!! so came valentines day and decided sod the gf ill blow 12k on a scoob. the 1st drive after taking offical ownership i was like OMFG the biggest smile on my face. brought her home and gf was like omg that is one ugly chaved up shopping trolly(she was refering to the prodrive spoiler)she still hates it but hey who drives it. Talking of ugly cars she reckons the scoobs are ugly shes one buying what should of been the new citroen 2cv....shes brought herself a c3 puriel convertable. Boy just looking at makes me sick but hey cant tell her that!!! :-D i dont think ill ever be changing from subaru for a long time yet

corradoboy

Booked a trackday for the g/f's birthday, but of course, I was gonna be driving too It had been dry for weeks before and the heavens opened the day we arrived making the track very greasy, compounded by the Caterfield that dropped the contents of its sump the day before, and another half a dozen of them squee-geeing it around the whole track.

Got in and eased it out of the paddock area onto the track where the instructor said "boot it then". "Foooooooooooooook meeeeeeeeee !!!!!!" Spent the next ten minutes 4 wheel drifting on a surface like the bottom of a frying pan before pulling in to tell the missuse that we HAD to have one, and to prepare her trousers for the stains.

By the end of that day I was lapping within 0.9s of the professional rally driver, and had fully enjoyed a 110mph 180º spin On my fastest lap we had a moment which saw him lunge for the kill switch, at which point we had a discussion...."Don't !"....."You've lost it"...."No I haven't"...."I think you......how the **** did you get that back ?"

House buying and work situations, as well as my desire not just to buy an old one and spend half my time fixing it meant it was about 7 years 'til we finally bought one. Just sold it on after almost 3 years of absolute pleasure and am already plotting for the next.

Tidgy

would you believe i never test drove one before i bought it (had a ride in the passenger seat with the sales guy, hey Dave lol), bought it from scoobyclinic so had full confidence in it being a cracker mechaniclay wise though.
Picked it up two weeks later, series mcrae, got in drove it down ther oad came to and open stretch went on loud pedal, and fooooook me, knew it was quick but bejesus, lol.
since then never looked back, except when i smashd it up, went without a car for 8 months then bought my curent one, getting back in after 8 months without was like heaven, had to drive it at 40mph max for 50 miles up the a38 cos of a bust bonnet catch, which turned out to be just gunked up, but as soon as that was sorted and could drive it as it was designed, damn what fun.

DaveD

iTrader: (2)

I hadn't actually driven a scooby until after I'd paid for my WRX!

Liked the sound and looks of the Lagacy and then the WRX/Impreza on the rally stages. Seeing good old Colin in the Impreza on the RAC rally made me think 'I want to have one of those one day'.

Move forward a few years to the late 1990s, and I was looking for a car to replace my ageing Mk2 Astra. I was looking at 2nd hand fast Vauxhalls and the like, when a friend mentioned he knew of someone who was getting a WRX. Went for a ride in it, and was blown away by the performance - it just left everything else standing in it's wake! (thanks Dave!).

I did a bit of investigating, and found that I could get a car imported from Japan within the budget that I'd set myself. I waited a few months until the car was found in Japan, got shipped over and MoT'd. Then in January 2000, I went along with a few friends to pick up the car to do the 'import run' to France and back.

Never looked back.

110,000 miles and almost 7 years later, I still have the same car, and it still makes me smile

speedymonkey

When i opened it up on a test drive and it hit 3000rpm and the turbo kicked in i'd never driven one before and didnt really know what it was gonna feel like, the exhaust roar blew me away and the speed just made me giggle like a little girl
I just knew right then that i had to have it. Its a classic turbo and i'd always loved the looks, its everything i want from a car, good looking, fast, sounds mean, and makes me smile everytime i floor it
Yes they are kinda expensive to run, but i dont mind at all because it gives me so much pleasure to drive it, i don't know why i didnt get one sooner

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

My first experience being in / driving any scooby was leaving the forecourt in my Bugeye WRX Biggest thing I had ever paid for with "switch" LOL

Shaun

B9GLY

the drive and the sound!!!!!

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

my this gentleman dave has been busy selling scoobs. i bet his commission means he can buy his own solid gold type 25!

andy

Tomski_908

iTrader: (1)

Well i never drove or EVER got in one before i got mine, I had just got an RS turbo Escort (all Stage 3) thought that was quick!! But after only 4months of owner it and a new gear box the engine gave up its battle!!

So knew i couldn't just have any car now (had too be a turbo) was looking for an evo BUT their prices are Stuuuupid so had a look at a few scoobys. The first time i heard one start up and that was me! Found a fresh import (only been in the contry a few months). Me and my dad checked it over then i paid cash!! ITS THE NOTE OF THE EXHAUST THAT DOES IT FOR ME!!

BUT then we picked her up, got too the first straight road and my dad said, "go on then" so i did!! we stopped at the end of the road and just looked at each other and was like WOW.

6months later REALLY happy with her, just started the moddin at now my dads got the bug and wants one too

Nothing comes near the feeling of driving a SUBARU

rossi_p

iTrader: (26)

I was hooked and wanted one ever since I was 15/16 years old watching Colin and then Richard in the WRC.

After getting some ncb and driving experience in some other fun cars... (AX GT/205 GTI/106 GTI), I finally got one in 2004 and loved it for 2 1/2 years!

Now I've sold it and miss it a lot!

Although my track day, stripped out 205 with Mi16 with twin weber 45 carbs has helped ease the blow .

The Chief

I wish my dad was like yours - he's only been in mine twice and when i floored it he screamed at me 'Jeeeesssusss you feckin idiot let me out'

i still laugh about that now

supertouring

I always wanted to do a trackday, and as I have always been interested in saloon cars (caterhams and such like never took my fancy) I decided to find a day out where I could drive them.

Found U-Drive cars and did an airfield day in an Evo 7 and STi-7. Evo much faster but STi was "useable" as a daily driver.

Not long after I bought a buyeye WRX saloon, which was nearly 4 years ago.

Now I enjoy doing lots of trackdays in my STi and it still amazes me how I can use it one day lapping all sorts of exotica and the next day the wife is shopping in it a Tescos.

Manners

I was hooked on the sound before i drove one, on scooby No4 and and only test drove one!