Hi, sorry if this has been posted before I've had a good search but can't find what I'm after and if someone can point a newbie in the right direction I would appreciate it.

Anyway I currently own a ep3 civic type r which I'm looking to sell soon and I've been looking for my next car. Originally I was looking at evo's but after a quick insurance quote I realised that the scooby was cheaper to insure and the more I looked the more I like them.

So I've been looking at a 05-06 sti but I'm a bit confused with the engines. I've heard the 2.5 is a bit hit and miss with reliability and the 2.0 is more reliable and then there's the 5 speed and 6 speed gearboxes. Can anyone tell me what years and models have which engine and gearboxes? Also at what point did they hike the tax up?

Might sound dumb but haven't really looked into scoobies too much but want to learn as much as I can before taking the plunge. After owning an ever reliable civic I really want to go in with my eyes wide open and know what to look out for.

Thanks in advance

 

Wrx = 5 speed sti = 6 speed the 2.5 was introduced in the first of the (55 plate onwards) hawk eye models and only seem to be a problem within the sti variant big thread on here with regards to that thats my understanding

 

Ok, so if I look for pre 55 I should get 2.0 and 6 speed which would be cheaper tax and more reliable?

Thanks for your quick answer

 

The last of the blobeyes still came 55 plate which are 2 litre and the lower tax band, if i was you i would look for 05/55 widetrack sti but yes you would get 6 speed and dccd too

 

Brilliant, starting to make a bit more sense thanks

 

Dependent on your budget, if I were you I'd be looking for a 2005 widetrack sti. Look out for the rear shocks though as these can sometimes be troublesome. Not sure on the difference in insurance (if any) but a jdm may be a good bet

 

Should of put my budget in.

Would be looking up to 8k for the right one, but anything lower would be a bonus.

 

As said above, the WRX has a 5 speed, STI has a 6 speed.

The standard STI has a few other benefits (plus more power) over a standard WRX.

The cars were produced in the following order (oldest first) "Bug eye", "Blob eye", "Hawk eye". The bug and blob were 2 litres, the hawk was a 2.5. The Hawk nearly always (with a few exceptions) is higher tax because of it's age (there was a 2005/2006 tax cut off).

The STI blob was slightly revised in 2005, gaining a slightly wider track, controllable differential. You can spot a 2005 Blob (often referred to as a DCCD Wide Track) because they have tiny additions to the rear arches to make them a bit wider and a slightly updated interior. The 2005 Blob's spec continued over to the STI Hawk with the main differences being the introduction of the Hawk face lift and the 2.5 engine.

As with anything, cars can and have been modded by owners to an endless array of specs. A number of 2.5 owners have beefed up the internals.

My suggestion would be to spend the next month on this forum building up your knowledge before you buy.

 

Thanks for the reply. That's exactly why I'm here, I like to learn as much as I can before buying so it reduces the chance of buying a dud one.

Sounds like the 05 dccd is the one I'm after. What are the chances of getting a decent one for 8k? Would I have to up my budget slightly? Or is 8k realistic?

Cheers

 

This looks ok i bet you could get this for a little under 8k its the best coulour too

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUBARU-IMP...item27d1f4674b

 

Do look out for rust underneath. The age of car you're looking at will probably be okay, but they can go quite badly if they've not been well looked after.

The date from which the road tax increases from £280 to £490 a year (it went up in the recent budget, unannounced) is 23rd March 2006, so any car registered before then will be cheaper to tax.

There are a few Hawks from before then, but they have the 2.5 litre engine of course (except the Japanese Domestic Market ones, which are still 2 litre, but will be out of your price range).

 

Yeah I keep looking at that one on eBay, my first choice would prob be black as I quite like the stealth look but that colour is really nice and would prob be second choice.

 

Crystal grey is awsome

 

it does say at the top that its a 5 speed though...just sayin! might want to do car checks as well. Type uk sti's are good, had my wr1 for 3 years now and had no problems, apart from the common rear shock dry out clunk. good luck with your shop.