Questions from a 7 year old and me, his (young) grandad .

My grandson is car mad. His favourites are the Evo, Nissan Skyline & of course Scoobie's so you can imagine his excitement when I told him that I was looking to buy an Impreza. The smile soon disappeared however when I showed him a picture of an 08 plate 5 door hatchback (for practical reasons)
Anyway following some deep & meaningful discussions between ourselves, we have a few questions which we would appreciate your feedback on.

1) I know the origin of the term "Scooby" and that it refered to all Subaru models but now that the Impreza WRX/STi variants are so iconic, do you guys now refer only to these such models as Scoobies or are all Subaru models or all Impreza models still be known as Scoobies?

2) With such a radical change to the exterior design of the latest model, what are your thoughts on this. Have Subaru managed to damage the "appeal" of such an icon. Can you see yourselves ever trading in your classic or blob eye for a 5 door hatchback WRX/STi ?

3) Cherished number plates...not ones where you have to reposition the fixing screws so the head changes the digit but legal/sensible ones that refer to the car, i.e SU08 WRX, etc.
What do you think. A nice enhancement or rather spend the money on mechanical mods?

Thanks in advance.

 

all model of subaru is called a scooby if it has the stars badge and its a subaru its a scooby, i wouldnt trade my 07 haweye model for the new hatch, i spent my money on a number plate and mods but id say if you are not into power upgrades but looks put money your into something like alloys, lowering springs, spoiler etc

if you decide to buy a non turbo then exterior mods can easily be done to make it into a turbo look alike

 

Welcome Mike, interesting questions - well, my tuppence worth:

1. From my point of view if its got a Subaru badge its a Scooby - had a Legacy for a while and still referred to it as 'the scoob'

2. I agree - I prefer the older shape (classic Impreza), but also favour the bugeye / blobeye over the new hatch shape - I think its probably a nice car, but they are a little too much like other hatchbacks for my taste

3. Funny you should ask... had exactly the same dilemma myself recently, and although the number plate is on the to-do list, its scheduled after some other mechanical mods. I think they are a nice addition though

Cheers,

Pete

 

hi and welcome! I was not a fan of the hatch in the early days but have seen some models recently which look amazing and are starting to grow on me!!

I'll try and find some pics ......... back in a bit

 

Not a hatch fan either, looks just like my wifes MGZR from the side.

Typical car company though - rather than sticking with what is a pretty iconic and recognisable car ( there isnt much a big saloon with bonnet scoop and high spoiler can be mistaken for on the road ) then just copy every other manufacturer and make an identikit hatchback car.

Subaru seemed to think that as small hatchbacks sell a lot, that must be what people want, so making the Impreza one as well would make them sell loads mode - erm... no, people dont buy a 1.4 Fiesta or 106 instead of getting an Impreza, they are different markets.

Had Subaru kept the saloon, and bought out a small engined hatchback with a different name, it would have been more understandable.

As for private plates - a bit of a marmite issue - ones that don't really say anything without a degree in text speak or severe dyslexia are pretty pointless, but ones that are nice and obvious ( my car has S100BYS, which everyone seems to get pretty easily, even in standard legal lettering ) are OK.

 

100% agree

 

Always hated the name "scooby" seems to be a common phrase with chavs nowadays

 

if ya gonna get a hatch then this is one of the best ones I've seen ...

 

/\/\/\ maybe he doesnt have the funds to go for somthing like that but that isnt a standard sti, think hes going for a standard 5 door hatch, op needs to specify which model he is thinking of gettin wrx or sti or non turbo

 

That is nice, really f,ing nice indeed

 

http://www.autofiends.com/wp-content...08/07/wrxs.jpg

wrxS

 

Hiya Mike,

We've had It Was Scooby Do for just over two years. My 8 year old daughter LOVES the car. Mrs Big Pete uses it on a daily basis and is pretty fond of it too

I've always liked my cars but can honestly say that I've never had as much fun with the others compared to the Scooby

As for mods/number plates etc? I'd get the car I want first of all & then put a private plate on it if I had any money left

 

Thanks for such prompt replies and good answers also.

As a bit of background to how I got to be a Scoobie Newbie, we were looking to change our car but move away from the mainstream A3/Golf sector and was looking at a Seat Leon FR when my wife spotted a car which I didn't recognise but we both thought looked very nice. On closer inspection it turned out to be the new 5 door hatch WRX so we did some research on the model line up nad went hunting. My localish dealer had an Impreza 2.0R for sale so i drove it just to get the feel of one.
I also just had to drive the WRX if only to satisfy my curiosity & must say I was very impressed with the performance, handling & general ride comfort.
I tested a WRX about 7 years ago but my boss at the time didnt agree that it would make a good company car so I've little experience when comparing it to this new one.

I did notice that even thought the WRX 5 door hatch I drove on test was a subtle dark grey it still managed to turn heads. In fact i think I can see what Subaru are trying to do here. Make the car exterior more "mainstream acceptable" and try to lure the hot hatch drivers into a car which doesnt look outrageous but is very well known for its engine and drivetrain layout,. Something which has put the scooby in the position its in today.

Anyway, unfortunatly my head won over my heart (this time) and Im getting the 2.0 model but with the higher RX spec.
The mortgage finishes in a few years time so providing I get on ok with this one I'll be looking for a 2.5 next time around.

Now I know its not just WRX's/STi's that are refered to as Scoobie,s and the replies regarding the cherished plates wern't all damming, a new plate will be my first add on for the Impreza.
Thanks again for the replies & please keep them coming.

 

Here ya go:

 

uv just posted same link as me twice???

 

I expect my car to be a little distinctive, for the cash I pay, unless there is something to compensate for the lacklustre looks (e.g. litchfield type 20 hatch).

So no, classic shape, and revised new age blob-eye/hawkeye are ok for me; no to the hatchback - there may be a reason why popular press and computer games still use the image of the old shape Imprezas in advertising.

As far as private plates are concerned, I'd rather get something back, mechanically for the money. A downpipe would be better, or a remap, or suspension mods, or put towards some new alloys; but it's horses for courses, as you can imagine.

 

i believe he did it so the car was on show rather than clicking the link

 

Good luck with the new car, my 5 year old nephew loved my old Hawk and loves my new Hatch too, he was dead impressed that it had 4 exhausts too and is mad about Scoobies, much to my sisters disgust!!! However was not too happy that I no longer have a dumpvalve!

On the plate front, not sure I'd spend the cash on one for a non WRX/STI, wait till you get a WRX and then go for one, no regrets on my WRC plate which sets the car off nicely me thinks. Saying that though something like M?09 SUB (not sure of your surname hence the ?) will set you back £390 direct from the DVLA and you could always transfer to your next Scoob.

Oh, and not sure it will fit but Litchfields are selling second hand (but taken off of brand new cars) STI exhaust for about £100, may help the cars breatheing somwehat and should not look bad either.

Enjoy the hatch, you won't regret it.

Oh, and make sure you post some pics up in the 08 thread when yuo get it.

 

Yup

 

but its same link he has just posted, you cant have pictures on show without clickin a link on here

 

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