Monday 21st March
Subaru WRX STI: PH Carpool
Subarus going out of fashion?
Subarus going out of fashion? Not for this PHer!
Car : 2012 Subaru WRX STI
Owned since : April 2015
Previously owned : Volkswagen Mk2 Golf GTi 8v, Ford Escort Mk5 1.8i, Fiat Bravo HGT, Renault Clio Mk1 1.8 16v, BMW 325i (E36), BMW 328i (E36), BMW M3 3.0 (E36), Seat Leon Cupra, Audi S3 Mk1, Audi A6 4.2 V8 C5, Toyota MR2 Mk2 N/A, Toyota MR2 Turbo Mk2 Rev 2, Toyota MR2 Mk2 Turbo Rev 3 x2, Toyota MR2 Mk3, BMW 330Cd (E46), BMW 535d (E60), Classic Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon, Blobeye Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon, Hawkeye Subaru Impreza STI Spec D
Well when your wife likes Subarus too...
Why I bought it :"As you can see from my car history, I have a bit of a thing for Subarus! I actually never had any real interest in owning one once upon a time, but while reshelling one of the MR2 Turbos over the winter I decided to buy a cheap WRX Wagon to get me to and fro and to do tip runs with the scrap bits. Cue an ice and snow laden trip to the Buttertubs Pass on New Year's Day and I was hooked."
"Luckily I am married to a fantastic woman who loves cars and specifically Subarus just as much as I do! It's actually because of that that we are where we are now. After having to sell the Spec D STI and buy a diesel due to work mileage at the time, there was definitely a bit of a hole in our automotive lives. After a bit of career progression and a healthier bank balance, I bought the Blobeye WRX Wagon. After spending a bit of money on it and upgrading to Brembo brakes and STI wheels amongst other things, I was considering an STi engine and gearbox. This meant having a serious think and we reached the conclusion that it was time to buy a proper STi again. Somehow we went from looking at sub-£10K cars to looking at hatches to then looking for one of these!"
"A real case of budget creep if ever there was one. But at the end of the day, we said when these saloons were launched that one day we were going to have one. We just didn't expect it to be so soon!"
Fairly subtle Subaru suits Jay
What I wish I'd known :"I don't think there's much really, as I definitely went into this with my eyes wide open. This is a rather high mileage car for its age, which is why it was the cheapest in the dealer network when we bought it. That made it possible really. It also reassured me as I know all about the notorious 2.5 litre engine and the reported failures. There's definitely a slight element of nerves involved, but touch wood no problems so far with either this or the Hawkeye we had. And that had done 125K when I sold it!"
"I do wish I had known a little bit more about the available options for the car, as these included a Pioneer subwoofer and obviously the 320R and 340R packs. The Pro R parts can be bought separately too and it would have been nice to get a car with some of these things. We did get the upgraded stereo/nav head unit fortunately."
But could a spoiler come back? Possibly!
Things I love :"Almost everything, to be honest! The car looks aggressive from the front but the lack of a rear wing makes it slightly anonymous when parked up overnight in a city centre or similar. The nav is decent enough and having the different driving modes (Intelligent/Sport/Sport#) is nice and quite novel in a Subaru! It has a really nice interior compared to the older cars and the half leather Recaro seats are the best I've had. Sure, the Germans do soft touch materials better, but so long as it's pleasant and the car drives the way it should, I'm happy."
"You don't buy a Subaru for the interior anyway! The drivetrain is fantastic, the driver controlled centre diff a nice bit of kit and the six-speed manual gearbox has a nicely satisfying feel to the shift action. The Start button pleases my inner child and the keyless entry is a nice feature. Cruise control is also there and can be handy on the motorway."
Interior an improvement on Jay's old Subarus
Things I hate :"I do find the steering a touch light at times, and I do wish that it did have a rear wing and front splitter, despite also liking the fact that not having the wing lets it blend in when needed. I also dislike the way the exhaust tailpipes sit so far recessed at the back bumper. The Pro R and the aftermarket systems address this. I'm really having to nitpick at the car to find things to be honest, and that says a lot for it."
Costs :
"I recently put the car through a service and MOT, its first in my hands and in the case of the MOT the first of its life. It's also the first car I've had where that's the case. That's a lot of firsts! To keep everything kosher with the warranty, I went to the main dealer and the 80K service plus MOT was a shade over £500. A specialist would probably have done this for around £300. Insurance is reasonable, costing me just over £500 a year for a regular policy with max NCB (protected) and my wife on it. No points on the old licence (currently!). My previous experiences with these cars suggest that it only really gets expensive when you start tinkering. Regular servicing isn't too shocking in performance car terms and the manufacturer approved warranty is keeping me from changing anything at the moment! The fuel consumption has been a pleasant surprise, with the car capable of delivering 36+ MPG on a pure motorway run. Every day mixed driving sees it delivering around 27 mpg at the moment."
Euro road trips coming soon
Where I've been :"Living between Leeds and York, we have some fantastic roads locally and we've done a couple of coast runs out towards Whitby and places like that. We're very lucky in that regard. I also have a few little back road 'circuits' on the doorstep that I have come up with and enjoy when I require a short blast. I haven't had it long enough to take it further afield yet, but the previous cars have been to Scotland, on a Euro trip that took in the 'ring and so on. I plan to do the same with this one."
What next?
"Once the warranty expires I will likely make a few subtle changes with a Pro R exhaust and a map, plus a cold air intake. That wing may appear on the back, but the proper kit from Subaru is around £1,000! A Seibon carbon item is only £400... We will be keeping this car for the next few years I reckon, but after that, who knows? I've always fancied a 911 and the wife wants a GT-R so I guess it all depends how well things go over the next couple of years! There's certainly nothing else that I need right now. I should probably mention the E36 M3 Evo track car that I'm building alongside this. I think my bases are currently well covered!
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