What to look for/expect with an Impreza WRX STi "Blob/Hawkeye era"

kinger8938

kinger8938

kinger8938

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Hey all.

As silly as it sounds, these have kind of always been a bit of a dream car for me. So I think this year I may aim to make it happen.

That said, I'm not really sure what to expect price wise Vs finding a decent one that's not been messed about with too much.

Does one avoid imports altogether, or is there an for going that route?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, 2.0 or the 2.5 etc.

Just want to get a better understanding of the models/variants and set myself a realistic budget.

Thanks in advance
 
UK cars;

Blobeye STi was availble on 03 - 55 plate and had the 2 litre engine
Hawkeye STi was available on 06 - 57 and had the 2.5 litre engine

The Hawkeye had a revised interior as well as the addiiton of the DCCD gearbox and wider rear track. The DCCD allows manual control of the torque placement (front/rear split) through a jog wheel in the car.

A limited run of very late Blobeye STis (05/55 plate) were a bit of a parts bin special and had the 2 litre engine alongside the Hawkeye interior and DCCD gearbox. These were known as the widetrack. If looking for a UK blobeye, I would definitely consider a widetrack over an earlier model.

All UK cars ran unequal length exhaust headers/manifolds and a single scroll turbo. They had the notorious Subaru burble exhaust note.
The 2.5 engine isn't as strong as the 2 litre and is more prone to piston ringland and headgasket issues.
VED is also much more expensive on 2006+ cars.

JDM cars;

All had the 2 litre engine, however this is slightly stronger and better regarded over the UK engine. Better internals, higher rev limit (8000rpm vs the UK 7200rpm) and easier to reach higher power figures when tuning. They did however use equal length manifolds and a twin scroll turbo which provided better throttle response but at the expense of the exahust note. It doesn't sound like a traditional inline 4 though and I'd say is more inkeeping with the sound of a Mazda rotary engine.

JDM cars had a few additional bits such as an updated dash cluster (power-on sweeping clocks) rear wiper, cruise control, auto water spray for the intercooler (UK cars were manual control) and electric folding mirrors. Some of them also had the DCCD. It only sounds like a couple of little extra bits but some UK owners will pay a premium for these JDM parts.

Definitely do not discount the JDM cars in your search! They are brilliant!!

One thing to watch for with JDM imports is that they are sometimes advertised as having had a full body underseal. I've seen some of these jobs in person and it tends to involve somebody spraying the entirety of the car in one fell swoop without removing anything. These are usually rush jobs where people are making the car look nice and fresh underneath, but at the expense of future corrosion issues!

All cars whether UK or JDM are now at an age where rust can be a real issue. Common issues are under the rear spoiler where it meets the edge of the boot (easy fix), rear arches, sill edges, rear strut towers (can be a big issue).

There are some nicely modified cars about, however if you'd rather a lower mileage unmolested example these do crop up. For a really nice UK car I'd be looking at spending around 15k. Up to 20k for a JDM car.

These cars are holding their money very very well though! I bought mine in 2017 and values have shot up since then.
 
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agw_01 said:
UK cars;

Blobeye STi was availble on 03 - 55 plate and had the 2 litre engine
Hawkeye STi was available on 06 - 57 and had the 2.5 litre engine

The Hawkeye had a revised interior as well as the addiiton of the DCCD gearbox and wider rear track. The DCCD allows manual control of the torque placement (front/rear split) through a jog wheel in the car.

A limited run of very late Blobeye STis (05/55 plate) were a bit of a parts bin special and had the 2 litre engine alongside the Hawkeye interior and DCCD gearbox. These were known as the widetrack. If looking for a UK blobeye, I would definitely consider a widetrack over an earlier model.

All UK cars ran unequal length exhaust headers/manifolds and a single scroll turbo. They had the notorious Subaru burble exhaust note.
The 2.5 engine isn't as strong as the 2 litre and is more prone to piston ringland and headgasket issues.
VED is also much more expensive on 2006+ cars.

JDM cars;

All had the 2 litre engine, however this is slightly stronger and better regarded over the UK engine. Better internals, higher rev limit (8000rpm vs the UK 7200rpm) and easier to reach higher power figures when tuning. They did however use equal length manifolds and a twin scroll turbo which provided better throttle response but at the expense of the exahust note. It doesn't sound like a traditional inline 4 though and I'd say is more inkeeping with the sound of a Mazda rotary engine.

JDM cars had a few additional bits such as an updated dash cluster (power-on sweeping clocks) rear wiper, cruise control, auto water spray for the intercooler (UK cars were manual control) and electric folding mirrors. Some of them also had the DCCD. It only sounds like a couple of little extra bits but some UK owners will pay a premium for these JDM parts.

Definitely do not discount the JDM cars in your search! They are brilliant!!

One thing to watch for with JDM imports is that they are sometimes advertised as having had a full body underseal. I've seen some of these jobs in person and it tends to involve somebody spraying the entirety of the car in one fell swoop without removing anything. These are usually rush jobs where people are making the car look nice and fresh underneath, but at the expense of future corrosion issues!

All cars whether UK or JDM are now at an age where rust can be a real issue. Common issues are under the rear spoiler where it meets the edge of the boot (easy fix), rear arches, sill edges, rear strut towers (can be a big issue).

There are some nicely modified cars about, however if you'd rather a lower mileage unmolested example these do crop up. For a really nice UK car I'd be looking at spending around 15k. Up to 20k for a JDM car.

These cars are holding their money very very well though! I bought mine in 2017 and values have shot up since then.
Click to expand...

Well, this is an incredibly comprehensive response to my questions, thanks for taking the time to share the above. Greatly appreciated.

With regard to JDMs, are their any issues with insurance/servicing/taxing and so on, or is that all on par with a UK model cost wise etc?
 
kinger8938 said:
Well, this is an incredibly comprehensive response to my questions, thanks for taking the time to share the above. Greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

No problem! I was trying to be conservative in my reply too haha, there is plenty more I could add!

There's a great thread on here full of other info and tips which is worth a look; https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/who-here-owns-a-subaru.18392791/

We have a fair few members on here who are very knowledgable and have a lot of experience with these cars, and Subarus in general.

A JDM car shouldn't be any more expensive to run or own than a UK car. There are plenty of very good specialist insurers about who cater for import cars. Although it'd be worth checking with your insurer about Impreza ownership in general, as some require you to have previous ownership of a lower end model (WRX or similar) before allowing you to insure an STi.

Fuel economy will be around 25-28MPG on a cruise at 70, edging into the 30s at 60. I usually get around 250 miles to a tank with mixed driving.

Servicing is IMO very reasonable for a car with this level of performance. Genuine Subaru oil filters are about a tenner each, oil is ~£50 for 5 litres changed every 6-10k miles depending on driving style. Factor in gearbox and diff oils every couple of years, decent brake fluid etc. Spark plugs are £50/60 for a set of the recommended NGK PFR7B plugs.

Tax on a JDM car will be very similar (might even be cheaper) than a UK car.
 
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kinger8938 said:
Tastefully modified is fine too, if it's been done well and maintained properly then I'd consider it as much as a standard car
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UK cars had the option of the PPP, which was a factory option applied at the dealer (Prodrive Performance Pack)

This added uprated intercooling piping, a better downpipe with sports cat (MOT friendly), upgraded fuel pump and a remap. Power was increased from 265 to 305bhp.

There are some very good and well known UK mappers for these cars if you needed a further tune. With barely any other mods over the PPP you can see around 330bhp on a UK car. A similar setup on a JDM car will see around 350/360bhp. A JDM car should always have its map checked when coming into the country anyway.

If looking at modified cars, anything with a cat-back exhaust system doesn't need mapping. Changes to the downpipe/cat removal or any mods to the intake system (cone filter or bigger intake pipes) will need mapping in. Fitting a dump valve doesn't need mapping but cause a bit of popping and banging on gear changes... if that's your thing.
 
Rust, especially rear arches

2.5 engines have weak bottom ends, however if looked after and driven sensibly (i.e waiting for the engine to be warm before booting it, letting it cool down after a drive, don't engine brake) then it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

On these don't be put off by modification however make sure it looks like it's been done well, if it's been remapped find out by who, there is only a handful of companies out there that should be trusted and specialise in Subaru's.

JDM cars are worthwhile (and are the better ones to get, have quicker steering rack, the 2.0 engine, better turbo etc etc) they aren't any dearer than UK ones to run tax or insure, or get parts for, Chances are if you get a newly imported one it will have significantly less rust. If you go import I'd advise looking at rust proofing the underneath to keep it all tip top.
Modified and imported cars often have cheaper insurance than standard UK cars as you are seen to be an enthusiast and therefore take better car of the car and are keas likely to have an accident.

I can't remember if it was these ones or the earlier ones, I know one of the models had issues with head gaskets failing, and it was largely recommended to get uprated gaskets (now I think about it I think this is on the WRX and not the sti)
don't bother with the WRX version they are significantly cheaper than the sti but the upgrades the sti has is worthwhile.
suspension if it's been modified I think the majority end up having coilovers installed , this isn't a bad thing so long as they are decent ones installed, tein, hks, buddyclub, Cusco, meister r, eibach are all good. Steer clear of any with d2 or yellow racing.

Only run them on BP ultimate, shell v power or equivalent.

STI engines can sound a bit tappy on cold start this is piston slap caused from the stock forged pistons, nothing to worry about. And should disappear when warm, it's difficult to explain the noise, it's quite distinct and is different to a top end valve clearance tap, and different to a bottom end knock.

The blob eye sti is 2.0 and definitely has forged pistons, the Hawkeye I believe is 2.5 and does not have forged pistons.

Prices for these have **** up quite considerably since the pandemic, used to be very cheap Vs performance, having a quick look now most seem to be between 15 & 20k, sure only a few years ago they were 7-10k ISH lol
 
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Again thanks for all the info guys :) will have a read through and take note!

This is stunning

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309292484052

But maybe more than I'd like to spend really. I think £15k at the absolute most but will see how that goes. It's not something I'm actively chasing right now but if the right example comes up, that could change.

Something like the above maybe has more mods than I'd like, but then again I'm not sure.

Still think I prefer the "Blobeye" look?
 
For a clean JDM car I'd say that is a decent price, the JDM imports tend to hold a bit of a premium over a UK car because they are sought after. That one is absolutely lovely and you can see it's not been messed about with too much. For one, the underside is clean and not full of underseal.

I know I sound like a stuck record, but for a proper underseal job you'd really want to remove diffs/subframes/suspension etc and properly inspect the car before treating. Personally I would never buy a car that had just been blanket covered in underseal.

Keep an eye on the market and the right car will come up I'm sure! UK and JDM cars are available in all of the newage bodyshapes, bug/blob/hawk.

If going to view a car, ask to hear it on a cold start. sx_turbo makes some good points about engine noise in the STi so you want to listen and make sure it's not too loud. It's pretty normal to get some piston slap on a cold start but this should go away quickly as the engine warms up. It certainly shouldn't be sat at operating temp tapping away.

Ask open ended questions rather than putting words into the sellers mouth. You want them to tell you what fuel they use or how they treat the car.

Warm up cycles are important for any engine, even more so in a boxer where the piston layout has gravity fighting against it. The coolant temp gauge will be showing at operating temperature within about 5 minutes of gentle driving, whereas it takes about 15 minutes for the oil temp to reach 90ºc.
 
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kinger8938 said:
Again thanks for all the info guys :) will have a read through and take note!

This is stunning

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309292484052

But maybe more than I'd like to spend really. I think £15k at the absolute most but will see how that goes. It's not something I'm actively chasing right now but if the right example comes up, that could change.

Something like the above maybe has more mods than I'd like, but then again I'm not sure.

Still think I prefer the "Blobeye" look?
Click to expand...

That's worth the extra couple of k
 
Using the example above, how do you even quote for insurance on such a thing with a wide range of modifications?

Never really had any mods to declare, except my MX5 has an exhaust and that's all there was to it on the insurance process. Didn't need to provide any specifics etc
 
kinger8938 said:
Using the example above, how do you even quote for insurance on such a thing with a wide range of modifications?

Never really had any mods to declare, except my MX5 has an exhaust and that's all there was to it on the insurance process. Didn't need to provide any specifics etc
Click to expand...

I use Gary Moulson @ Keith Michaels - all mods declared on mine and they're about £500 each.

Lad local to me just imported a white hawk for a family friend. Don't know what he paid for it though.

I would go JDM if you can. Mine is a bit different being a hawk Spec C Type RA.
 
I had a 2005 Widetrack blobeye from 2010 to 2015, imo they're the pick of the crop at that age. All the benefits of the hawkeye like DCCD and 'nicer' interior without the downsides of the 2.5 engine, unless you got JDM of course but i'm not convinced they're worth the premium. The JDM 2.0's do have slightly different heads with bigger valves so will made a smidge more power but i don't think you'd really notice much difference.

Watch for rust, mostly around the rear arches, boot floor and where the spoiler meets the boot.

Listen for piston slap on start up, people say some is ok as long as it goes once its warmed up but mine on 80k miles with 15+ track days and a trip to the Nurburgring didn't have a single sign of it even after being sat for over a week.

Watch for crunchy syncros in the 6 speed, they're really strong boxes but they are old cars now and if it's had some abuse in its life that can get expensive.

Check the threads on the front Brembo's as the threads strip just by looking at them so make sure they've been repaired properly with a helicoil or such like as i doubt any car by now won't have had the original aluminium threads damaged.

I guess that'll also be the theme, they are getting on for 20 year old cars now so look for lots of history and check for abuse as best you can as a lot will have had a hard live, mine was looked after well but it was used hard.

Oh and mine was a 2.0 UK car but mine had an 8k RPM rev limit, not sure why. Also i sold mine for £8200 in 2015 with 80 something K on the clock and a few mods like coilovers, fuel pump, some extra gauges, uprated pads and disks and a remap, i bet i'd need a whole lot more to buy it back now.

I averaged abot 26mpg out of mine but it did about 12 on track and the max i ever got was 32 over a tank of 60 on the motorway.

I've also had a 1996 JDM WRX aftrer it and that wasn't a patch on the widetrack, i never gelled with the classic one at all as it just felt like 20-30% worse in every area compared to the newer car, some people say they're more raw and fun because of it, i just felt like it was a older and worse version :p
 
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kinger8938 said:
Using the example above, how do you even quote for insurance on such a thing with a wide range of modifications?

Never really had any mods to declare, except my MX5 has an exhaust and that's all there was to it on the insurance process. Didn't need to provide any specifics etc
Click to expand...

There are specialists out there, greenlight was always great for me in the past, Adrian flux (but they got expensive), Keith Michaels (already mentioned).

With greenlight you fill in their form and list each of the mods, they then work off that and give you a call/email for the quote.

Greenlight you actually speak to humans and are very helpful and well mannered on the phone,
 
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