Which is better; Classic or Bug eye?

[Len_Beach]

Morning Guys,

A very subjective question I know.

My situation: I currently have a Mildly modified Clio 172 which has been a fantastic car. I am due to receive my company car within the next 2-3 months which will most probably be a Golf GT 170. The Clio will be kept initially to maintain some fun & my no claims as well as taking up track days & hill climbing.

I may never sell the Clio as it's worth relatively nothing & I l love it but I also had my first experince of an Impreza on Saturday & I could, without doubt spend half what I have on the Clio and have a far superior car.

I wasn't that blown away by the performance & there wasn't much in it in a straight line between my Clio & the Blob Eye WRX but I was very impessed by the relative simplicity & performance potential.

My question: If I was to spend 3.5-4.5k on an Impreza, would I be better with a late Classic or an early Bug Eye WRX? I'm guessing the engine is very similar but what about the chassis and handling comparisons?

What would you do???

Apologies for the massive post & thanks in advance.

[rikimaru]

Hi mate,

Being a classic owner I am naturally biased and would go for a late Classic WRX. Imo they look better (sorry Pete) and they are some 200 kilos lighter than a GDA bug eye (the GDB's lost some of that weight i think). Cant comment on the power for the UK spec Imprezas (although a classic WRX will be JDM anyhow unless you get a UK Turbo) but in Japan the late classic had 280 Bhp whereas the bug eyes dropped to 250 Bhp with a slight drop in torque too.

As for the chassis, the Bug eyes have a stiffer Chassis and as such should be a better handling car, unfortunately all that blubber tends to make them less nimble than the classics.

I'm sure some Bug eye owners will pipe up in defence of their car but the rest of us know the classic is all that.

[Matt-WRX-Import]

I have to agree with Riki, I own a classic and in my opinion it is the best looking car, however i was on a rally course on Saturday in a Bugeye and the handling was very impressive over my classic, although it wasn't as quick.
If anything it has prompted me to visit Scooby clinic and uprate all of my suspension on the classic.
I was also taken by the braking ability of the bugeye with the huge 4pots, another mod underway on my classic !!
In summary...spent ya money on a decent classic !!

Matt

[Len_Beach]

Thanks guys. I'm thinking the same.

I've been recommended somrthing like this:
Subaru : sti type r

[2002pete]

Agree with Wayne & Matt. The classic is a much better looking car "From the front"


You will find the Bugeye cabin is much more refined, quieter and comfortable. As Wayne & Matt said the Bugeye performance is not as good due to the increased weight. The ride, handling and steering are very good due to the wider rubber and track.

[jetpowered]

Bug eye rules, I noticed the same question on Scoobynet 2001/2002 WRX STI Type UK prodrive 305 BHP with no mods required
Seen one on e-bay for 6100, not bad for a car that cost 30K new 6 years ago

[rikimaru]

Originally Posted by 2002pete

You will find the Bugeye cabin is much more refined, quieter and comfortable...The ride, handling and steering are very good due to the wider rubber and track.

Also all true. My classics have both had very stiff rides, and the RA i drive now is not the most comfortable on any sort of long drive due in large part to the noise. Later Imprezas have far better interiors, and you feel like it was worth what you spent, and make for a better place to be most of the time. Never driven a bug eye WRX (only the STi) so can`t comment on the handling etc directly, but have been a passenger in a couple and it was a nice place to spend a few hours.

That said, all counts for nowt when you hit the B roads where the classic RA is king.

[rikimaru]

And regarding the STi Type R you linked too. Looks likea good one with good mileage. I drive a version 5 STi RA and the difference between the WRX and STi's is night and day. If you have the money and can afford the insurance i would definitely go with some sort of STi. You'll have a better base to start with, a stronger engine and better supension from the off. The TYpe R's and RA's also have the added bonus of the DCCD which is fabulous and the Close ratio group N box which makes them very quick and Evo killers straight out of the box. But you'll pay for that extra fun when it comes to insurance time and petrol costs (the close ratio box wil be doing 3,500 Rpm at 60 mph in 5th I'm afraid) unfortunately.

[holyfield]

got to be classic sti all day long,i think you will find subaru had all the best results in rallying with the classic,went to bug and what happend.all the top turners still use the classic must mean something.they both have good and bad points its down to you.and i think you will find that ppp on a bug is a mod jetpower

[jetpowered]

Hi, not on mine It came out of the factory as a prodrive style (special edition)

The link below explains

Subaru Impreza WRX STI (2002 To 2007) : RALLYING TO THE CAUSE - Yahoo! Cars UK