cobraman

iTrader: (1)

Morning all.

Having considered it long and hard, I am planning on selling my Civic Type-R and replacing it with a 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX Prodrive. The main reason is that the wife insists on 4 doors but the compromise is that I get something sporty with a little more power than my current car. Now I am almost convinced the WRX Prodrive is the car for me but just have a few questions before taking the plunge of selling the CTR.

1. Fuel economy. I know you shouldn't talk fuel economy when in the market for an Impreza but I still need to consider this aspect. I understand that the WRX Prodrive must be run on super-unleaded (99 RON) which increases fuel economy and keeps the car ticking over nicely. ATM I am getting around 400 miles to £65 unleaded in my CTR (town driving only). Can I therefore expect to achieve around 400 miles to £100 super-unleaded in a WRX Prodrive?

2. Turbo. This is my first venture into turbo motoring. How reliable is the WRX Prodrive turbo? Do they ever fail and how much do they cost to fix if they do go belly-up?

3. Turbo again. When does this kick into play (in the rev range)?

4. Comfort and noise. Now I don't expect the WRX Prodrive to be very comfortable and I can live with a bumpy ride as I am used to it with the hard suspension set up in my current CTR and previous Mazda MX5. However, I understand the WRX Prodrive means a new Prodrive exhaust. Is this exhaust overly noisy (in that is it going to make the road shake and wake the neighbours every morning) or is it just a nice burble?

5. Insurance. I've had a quote from Tesco Insurance and it is only £18 more than my CTR. However, they require a tracker system to be fixed to the car. Do Impreza's come with a tracker as standard or is this something I have to purchase separately? If the latter, how much does a tracker cost and do I have to take out a yearly subscription?

6. Interior. Is it right that the STi comes with the blue/black cloth interior whereas the WRX Prodrive makes do with black cloth interior? I've seen some WRX Prodrives with the blue/black cloth interior but I guess this is a modification carried out by the owner?

Thanks for any help.

Ved

Hi mate,
I had a CTR for a couple of years so here's my 10p.:

You'll get around 250 to 300 for a full tank but I don't know how much you pay for petrol. CTR is around 29mpg and a WRX would be around 25mpg for the same driving.

They are very strong and if maintained they will run forever. However it's a car, it's second hand and it's a performance car so you need to chose correctly with FSH and modifications from respected vendors.

2500rpm in most cases.

Suspension is much better than the CTR which has the worst low speed ride on the planet. NVH is a lot less too and they are not loud cars with standard exhausts.

Some did come with trackers but it's a separate installation if you find out without it. No idea on annual subscriptions so you'll need to research that.

No it's hit and miss. Most WRXs has plain interior but some will have new trim levels. My boss at work has Prodrive interior on his classic but this was an option, not a standard prodrive package.

cobraman

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for that Ved - and it is good to hear from someone who has had the experience of a CTR as well.

Fuel wise, I normally fill the CTR up to the brim for £45 which gives me around 250 (town) miles before the light comes on. If I can get around 250 (town) miles for £65 in the WRX Prodrive, I will be a happy chappy.

I totally agree with you on the CTR ride at low speed. It is fairly harsh to say the least. I was expecting the WRX Prodrive to be worse and am a little surprised to hear you say it is not as bad as the CTR. This is a plus point by the way.

I would ideally like the blue/black cloth interior and I don't mind paying extra for this. If I wanted to buy an aftermarket interior, does anyone know how much it would cost? Or even better, do any Subaru specialists offer after market interior upgrades?

Thanks again for the help - this has virtually convinced me to get a WRX Prodrive now.

Ved

You can pick up some spec c interior for about £500 on ebay but the standard seats are very good anyway. Sure you don't just want to get an STI? How much are you planning to spend? You're only going to end up with an STI anyway so you might as well do it

bushiwarrior

made the same move 2 years back from a nhb premier edition to a 2007 hawkeye wrx and agree fully with all of the above statments.

Brun

Even highly maintained cars have had engines let go which comes with a bill which could be £2-3k!

cobraman

iTrader: (1)

Don't tempt me.

I would love an STi having been a passenger in a Prodrive version a whilst back. The performance was absolutely phenomenol and when the turbo came into action, I was pushed back into my seat with some force (but absolutely loved the sensation). VTEC is awesome fun but when that turbo hit me, it is like nothing I've encountered before. However, the STi was very harsh on bumpy roads (worse than the CTR in my experience) and I honestly couldn't live with it on a daily basis.

I also don't have the budget to purchase an STi (I only like Impreza blob-eyes so older models are out of the question). I have given myself a budget of whatever I can sell the CTR for (roughly £5000 looking at ads on Pistonheads) plus £2000 on top of that so £7000 (maybe £7500 if I sell the CTR for more). This would get me a very nice WRX Prodrive on a 2003-4 plate with around 50k miles.

Ved

£200 will solve the ride problem with some prodrive springs and if you see an STI for 8k at a trader you will be able to get that down to 7k or less with no problem but a WRX with some nice mods will be very very very fast.

cobraman

iTrader: (1)

Stop it Ved - it was a hard enough decision choosing between an Leon Cupra R and WRX Prodrive. I have all but discounted the STi from being a contender.

No - I am definitely going to go for a WRX Prodrive.

Ved

do you mean a prodrive edition or one with a prodrive performance pack?

Ved

This one looks good Subaru : PRODRIVE WRX SUBARU IMPREZA

cobraman

iTrader: (1)

That's the exact one I have been looking at for the past 3 days. I am surprised it hasn't gone and have been expecting a SOLD sign on it.

It has a tracker (subsribed for another year) plus it has the STi spoiler which is what I want. And it also has the colour-coded outer door sill rather than the black you sometimes see which is something else I want.

It is absolutely perfect and £1500 under my budget which means I can purchase some OZ Prodrive wheels and new interior and still have a few quid left over. I may stick my CTR up for sale tonight as soon as I get home.

Brun

Must have had some thirsty cars then

Allan

iTrader: (1)

And a good choice if I may say so.

I've run my 03 since it was about a year old, and has been amazingly reliable. I've had a new cam belt tensioner oil seal and a shock absorber, that's all. My Wife used to own an 02 MX5 1.8 and we spent less on mine than hers.

Mines on standard springs with 18's, the ride is not necessarily hard but it is quite harsh. A fair amount of noise transmits to the cabin, but this shouldn't put you off. After all you don't buy a Scoob for the level of comfort. Exhaust note is spot on and not intrusive.

Try one of the Insurance vendors on here, they will know all about the PPP.

Ved

Put it up on the CTROC as I sold mine from there and you're much less likely to sell it to some chav who'll ruin it.