The wagon is dead, what next?

[boggissimo]

As some of you have seen, my blob wagon had an argument with a brick wall the other day, so is no longer on the road. I've been thinking about what to do next and would appreciate any suggestions!

Basically it needs to be able to cart the family around on long journeys, holidays etc, and satisfy my motorsport urges, so that I don't feel like I need to get a third car just for that, and I really don't think there is another car as capable as a sorted Impreza wagon.

I like the look of a Legacy wagon but don't see it as a suitable car for the sprints, hillclimbs and stuff that I love doing. Other smallish fastish estate cars with similar performance are much more expensive to own and maintain (BMW, Audi etc) and I've got all the good bits that have been upgraded on my wagon over the last ~5 years that could be swapped onto a standard car, if I get another blob. Slightly tempted to try to find a JDM bug STI wagon but they are very few and far between.

I'd find it hard to justify a budget over about £5K, since mine would probably have gone for less than that if I'd sold it last week. Need something to drive us to Cornwall at Easter. So, what do you guys reckon?

[boggissimo]

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...estate/9301037
??

[Bolesroor]

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...--2007/9419881


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[Bolesroor]

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...--2007/9457481
For a comparison to the previous one 👍

[Bolesroor]

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...mpreza/9208350

Heard very mixed reviews about the seller but if you know what your looking for.......

[SpecB]

The Legacy Wagons are surprisingly nimble but I'd agree they are a fair bit bigger than the Impreza (although not significantly heavier). If you go twin scroll they are deceptively quick even though they are 'only' 260BHP due to near instant spool due to Dual AVCS and twin scroll, however you're looking at around £5k minimum for a 2.0 turbo with a manual box.

You're welcome to a spin in mine all be it the 3.0 but will give you a feel for handling ability.

The Bug STI wagon above does look pretty special though!

[Steve_PPP]

If you're looking for something for sprinting/track work then i'd stick to the bug/blobs, you'll be more suited to the 2.0 than the 2.5 in the hawkeyes imo.

[scooby doo]

The Sti bug wagon will be the best out of the box for what your saying,
6speed works great both for sprinting / motorway. Factory forged pistons (only engine to have them) avcs heads . Zero rust if fresh imported.
Only negative points would be-
stock 4pots and wrx wheels so you will have to consider for improvement to sprint with.
Full underseal needed too if fresh import.
Remap for uk fuel.
Finding one lol ,

I really like them, I drove 3hours to go buy a silver one but had some panel damage and repaired poorly so walked away,

[nikkinokkinoo]

Originally Posted by boggissimo

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...estate/9301037
??

Buy this - looks awesome

[boggissimo]

Thanks all.

I've talked myself out of getting a 2.5 because of the reputation – and the tax bracket.

Don't know much about classic wagons, how different are they from newage in terms of maintenance, comfort and availability of spares? Is anything interchangeable with newage stuff?

The bug STI wagon is quite tempting, I could easily stick on the Brembos and STI wheels I have on my blob. Is there somewhere with a definitive spec and comparison with other newage STIs?

[boggissimo]

There's also this one, though it's not exactly a wagon!
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...50-bhp/9384673

[Ginola]

The classics are a little over 100kg lighter than the newage for a start, more parts are interchangeable than not, I myself had an STI v4 wagon and at 333hp/333lbft my newage needed over 400hp to feel as quick.. they are structurally not quite as rigid.


I still really miss that Wagon, On a country road it was incredibly quick, I had done only simple mods to it (fmic) vf48 turbo, air intake / HS exhaust and map + new kyb shocks prodrive eibach springs and replaced all the drop links, Its 0-100 drag times are still quicker than my newage @440hp (just saying!) weight makes a big difference.

[scotty]

Get a jdm forester sti you wont regret it as all your needs and more cheap tax bracket aswell .

[Steve_PPP]

Originally Posted by boggissimo

I've talked myself out of getting a 2.5 because of the reputation – and the tax bracket.

Originally Posted by boggissimo

There's also this one, though it's not exactly a wagon!
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...50-bhp/9384673

Hatches are 2.5 as well you know

I'd pass on that one. Yes, its had a forged build, but in April 2016 on 57k miles. Its now on 135k miles, so its done nearly 30k a year since the build. That's a shedload of vPower.... but i'd be concerned about costs of fuel, running it on cheap unleaded, lack of servicing etc. I very much doubt that was serviced 3 times a year!

[boggissimo]

Originally Posted by Steve_PPP

Hatches are 2.5 as well you know

I'd pass on that one. Yes, its had a forged build, but in April 2016 on 57k miles. Its now on 135k miles, so its done nearly 30k a year since the build. That's a shedload of vPower.... but i'd be concerned about costs of fuel, running it on cheap unleaded, lack of servicing etc. I very much that was serviced 3 times a year!

Yeah, I was just tempted by the headline BHP/torque figures really! Would never convince SWMBO that it's a good idea to spend 10K on a smaller car either...

[boggissimo]

Anyone know this car? In Eastbourne, on eBay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-Suba...n/323697891306

[scooby doo]

Ive seen it around and it looks very clean

[boggissimo]

Yeah, it does look like a good one, but >£5K? I wouldn't have expected to get that for mine, even with the VF35 and Brembos.

Don't suppose anyone in Eastbourne could take a look at it for me?

[Frenchie]

Does look like it's had a lot of money spent on it.

[SpecB]

Save me from myself - Club Japan imports on FB - Landing May, £4500 delivered to your door (you would need to register) or for £1300 extra valeted, undersealed and registered.

[georgehawkins27]

Originally Posted by SpecB

Save me from myself - Club Japan imports on FB - Landing May, £4500 delivered to your door (you would need to register) or for £1300 extra valeted, undersealed and registered.

Looks sweet! 😲

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[Red Baron]

I saw that, any idea of what's required and the cost of registering something yourself, guess it will need some mechanical inspection or as a minimum an MOT before it can be registered?

[SpecB]

Budget £500 to self register and service - you should also get it under sealed and remapped,

[boggissimo]

Right, now I have a real dilemma. Have been to see a few cars now, and my Dad has seen another one for me down in Cornwall.

1. Blue 04 blob Impreza wagon. 140K miles, well looked after but silly induction kit and dump valve, very gold wheels, not PPP and quite a few paint chips, which are much more noticeable on blue car than silver. Out of the running now.
2. Silver 05 PPP Impreza wagon, SL interior and sunroof. 94K miles, Tein lowering springs, recent cam belt, again a silly dump valve and far too big a pipe on the back but went, stopped and handled well. Would buy this straight away except that today I saw...
3. Silver Legacy Spec B Twinscroll wagon (JDM), manual, 2004. 100K miles, guy selling it was the first UK owner, interior in great nick and JDM-isms like indicator stalks and head unit sorted. Hadn't driven a Legacy before, it doesn't feel as big as it looks but I still worry if it's going to be as useful for motorsport as my Impreza was. On the other hand, it will make my wife happier because of all the extra space!
4. Green 04 blob Impreza wagon, 04 JDM STI engine w/AVCS, VF34. Engine has done 23K miles since rebuild, currently mapped to 315/300 by Engine Tuner in Plymouth. Could probably get this for a grand less than the other cars above, it's in Cornwall so more of a pain to collect but maybe more potential to get power later down the line.

Anyone able to help me decide? Place your votes please!

[scooby doo]

Silver wagon sounds alright .

[Red Baron]

Only problem with the SL Wagon will be the L bit, lose the leather if you want to stay in your seat in the twisty bits.

[Steve_PPP]

When you say green (option 4) what sort of green do you mean? As the blobs never came in green....

Bugs came in this green but was pretty rare.

[Red Baron]

Originally Posted by Steve_PPP

When you say green (option 4) what sort of green do you mean? As the blobs never came in green....

Bugs came in this green but was pretty rare.

Shows how old that photo is with a £26k price tag.

[scooby doo]

Fitted with all the options too by the looks and price.

[boggissimo]

Here's the green one:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...9913564664031/

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[Steve_PPP]

Strange car that, the underbonnet shot suggests it was originally green too. My guess is that it isn't a UK car - maybe a cyprus/malta import? He also states the mileage in km rather than miles, but it could just be an error in the advert....?

[SpecB]

The Blob does look a good car - have you driven the Legacy yet the power delivery is very different to the impreza?

I've just been offered a Manual 5 speed Legacy Turbo Saloon - trying to resist!

[boggissimo]

Originally Posted by Steve_PPP

Strange car that, the underbonnet shot suggests it was originally green too. My guess is that it isn't a UK car - maybe a cyprus/malta import? He also states the mileage in km rather than miles, but it could just be an error in the advert....?

Yeah, bit of a mixture of a car. Not sure where it came from in the first place, but with the JDM engine the ad has numbers for the mileage of the engine and of the chassis/body etc separately. My Dad went and had a look at it, and Alan at Engine Tuner told me he thought there wasn't much wrong with the car.

However it's options 2 and 3 that I'm having trouble with!

[boggissimo]

Originally Posted by SpecB

The Blob does look a good car - have you driven the Legacy yet the power delivery is very different to the impreza?

Yeah, I had a go in it yesterday and really liked it, much more linear accelleration than my Impreza but less ultimate push. Certainly felt a lot more lively than I expected!

[boggissimo]

Just had the vin through from the Legacy seller, it's a BP5A5GD (2.0GT spec.B wagon), apparently made in June 2003, and Rev A. All the vin details check out with the actual car (colour, trans, model etc).

[asperformance]

only issue with Legacy T/S is they have a relatively soft piston / rod combo and MUST be mapped to suit UK fuel as the original JDM set-up is very aggressive ignition wise.........

spool for fun with the T/S turbo and quad AVCS - very good fun

be aware that the turbo flanges are not the same as used on the JDM STi / Spec-C Twin Scroll set-ups so whilst they can be upgraded its not quite as easy.......

[boggissimo]

I'm buying the Legacy - picking it up at the weekend


Look forward to exploring what it can do!

[boggissimo]

Ok, I'm starting to break my WRX wagon, and lots of things won't go onto my Legacy. Does anyone want any bits? Haven't got many off yet but let me know what you need. Not sure what state the block is in, but it's a WRX with 115k miles so probably not worth finding out. Ditto the gearbox.

These bits should still be good:
STI TMIC
STI scoop and undertray
VF35
Pink injectors
MeisterR coilovers
SL heated leather seats (front)
Full set of cloth seats
Red STI manifold
RCM catch can
Harvey up pipe
STI PPP Sports cat downpipe

(I'm keeping the Brembos and wheels.)