impreza wrx 1993

[lewis_willy2]

viewing one tomorrow

need all the info and advice i can get. common probs/wear etc

talk to me

lewis

[mossyv6]

Owned a 1993 WRX for 4 years.

Overall was very reliable but was expensive when things went wrong.

In my experience i would check for uneven tyre wear, worn clutch (i needed 2 in 4 years!) cambelt history, condition of brakes etc.

Has the car got history as a lot of imports don't.

[bbaazz-08]

check for popping out of gear when driving at high rev

[lewis_willy2]

it looks as if it may be a wrx ra

its got some history. just awaiting to hear what before i go and see it. apparently its mint with no major faults needs gone due to cash problems.

poss gonna get a bargain.

its red, 72k miles converted from 116km, cat back exhaust, filter, dump valve.

[bbaazz-08]

good luk with that so

[stevie_b]

its red, 72k miles converted from 116km, cat back exhaust, filter, dump valve.

Is it straight off the boat from Japan then? Or have they just left it showing km the whole time it has been in the UK - if so then it may be limited at just 112 in mph terms, not that that may be a problem to some anyway. If its an RA you should find that it has no ABS. If the brake system on it has been upgraded in any way then that is a useful mod as the brakes were shocking on the early models (2-pots on those, and even the later 4-pots that became standard aren't really up to the rest of the car's ability)

[lewis_willy2]

alrite guys ive gone to the darkside. to good a deal to miss out on

i bought last nite

1993 red impreza wrx type RA
light weight model 1250kg

i thought it was standard but it has:
front and rear strut braces
stanless steel exhaust
hks mushroom filter
baileys dump valve
de-limited
standard boost????
and what appear to be adjustable damping front suspension. i yet to find out what make. but it is lowered all round.
also in the boot front and rear brand new red stuff ebc pads!!

1st impressions is bloody hell its fast. i test drove it round some private land on a farm so no dual carriage way. anyway flooring it and it just takes off i was worried about loosing control of it!

however i have been driving a 1.3 escort for the last 6 months. the only real fast cars i have driven since the williams ( aug last year) have been my missus 182 and the supercharged v6.

i cant really give fair comment however it felt mental compared to them two cars. i didnt drive it home as i didnt have cover on it so my dad drove it on his policy.

he pulled over half way through with the biggest grin on his face saying it was '****ing mental, it just kept pulling even when floored from 70 in 5th'

apparently hitting the limiter and off the clock in 5th gear is achieveable. thanks for that!! i was following home in the escort and he just kept dissapearing.

gonna change the wheels and poss facelift the front end. boost gauge and oil pressure gauge to be fitted asap. then uprated oil pump and cambelt. the pumps have a tendancy to fail. apparently the pistons jam shut and oil pressure gets lost. resulting in bottom end failure. great design!!!


insurance tomorrow so i can take her out :D

pics to follow

[lewis_willy2]

oh and imported in 2006 im the 3rd owner over here. goin to get my japanese work collegues to trace it home and see if i can get hold of the history.

[16v_paddy]

Jammy bar steward! :lol:

[stevie_b]

apparently hitting the limiter and off the clock in 5th gear is achieveable.

Sounds right. If the clock is still reading in kmh and the car is delimited then, if it is the same as later dashes, the 180 kph max on the clock is 112 mph, so should hit that okay. Also the gearing on the RAs is very low so hitting the rev limiter around that speed is probably correct. My RA tops out around that speed, but I have a EJ25 in it, which doesn't rev as high, so I would expect yours to have a slightly higher top speed.

Have you had a play with the DCCD yet? If the car is due an MOT then ensure it is left in the unlocked position before they do the brake tests as otherwise it puts unnecessary strain on the diff.



gonna change the wheels


If you are changing wheels then I'd go for 17" as it means you can later upgrade, if required, to get a decent size brake disc within it (330mm, no problems) but any bigger starts affecting the handling.

[lewis_willy2]

112!!!!! wot a plonker i didnt even really take any notice of it so of course it went off the clock!!!

its not an sti so doesnt have the dccd. i really noticed the gearbox ratios goes like stink. got it home last nite and havent even really looked at it today as i been working

[Daz.]

pics dammit pics!

[J o n]

RA's have the adjustable center diff on all of them dont they???

[stevie_b]

I thought they did too, but there are so many variants it is always hard to be certain. My RA certainly has a DCCD, but that is a good few years down the line. Harder to tell with the earlier cars - the '93 model was pre-STI so would have been heavily de-specced, but I would have imagined the DCCD would have been one of the things they'd want to keep since the reason they were sold de-specced and cheaper was to form the basis to be built up into Group N rally cars. Does it have a roof vent, although not sure if that is conclusive either? I would think the lack of ABS would be the best identifier since its removal was a large part of the weight saving on the RAs.

[LEIGH-ANNE]

Is thursday still THE DAY? I expect a full report when u get back, safe and sound! :wink:

[lewis_willy2]

na its only the sti's which have dccd. and mine doesnt have the roof vent,
its def a type ra. ive had it checked against the applied engine model on the chassis plate.

the ra isnt suppose to have electric windows or aircon but mine has.

going to insure it 2mro but have to wait for ins cert so i can tax it. got thurs and friday off so will be gettin driven then so a full conclusion to how it is will be by the end of the week!

[stevie_b]

its def a type ra. ive had it checked against the applied engine model on the chassis plate.

If the chassis plate has GC8A47D in it then its deffo an RA - 7 near the end is the code for WRX Type-RA. STIs weren't available on the MY93, so maybe nothing had DCCD in those days. Just interested to hear real examples as all the specs and yearly variations can be quite confusing! It is very normal to have the 'luxuries' added back in - mine has the leccy windows and air con too (Jap purchasers can't really live without A/C!) but obviously the weight loss advertised over the standard model is somewhat negated by this practice!

[stevie_b]

You driven it yet then !?!? :lol:

[lewis_willy2]

ye got taxed yesterday as insurance took ages!! done 150miles in it so far on half a tank and its 50quid to fill, with super.

its great fun. feels really quick when it comes on boost. not had a play with anything so cant really compare but i know its quick as theres a stretch of field which my m8s 400bhp pulsar gets to 125mph at a certain point. the v6 does 110, my m8s 150bhp 16v does 100mph, rover turbo 95mph, the scooby does 114mph just going off the clock.

i set a boost gauge up yesterday mainly so when im motorway cruising i can tell when im not on boost. any way i thought id test to see how much i was boosting at peak. so from 2nd to 4th i was pretty much gunning it from a slip road onto the motorway hard and got pulled by the police who were 2 cars behind me, i was within the speed limit just, but it was just the way i accelerated he said i just dissapeared!!! any way had a lecture about road conditions a little chat about his cossie and i was on my way.

its running 12psi. im not too sure but i believe this to be standard. but have found out as standard it has a td05 turbo and the injectors can take 300bhp. so getting an uprated fuel pump and front mount and having as remap after chrimbo. going to get it rolling roaded on the 20th before the above.

the ride is pretty bumpy which hasnt gone down well with the other half. its got adjustable damping front struts so gonna have a play with them, not sure if there standard tho. also found a 3 point sabelt harness under the seat!!

now ive got some luxuries such as a quick clearing front screen, and a stereo with music i replaced the front speakers for some quality components and as some donut cut the rear shelf up and left 2 holes i got some spanking infinity 6*9s. which has cured my need for music. not loud banging basslines just normal music! i dont wanna ruin my street cred any more, owning a scooby is bad enough apparently.

also perchased some leather. gearnob and handbrake gaitors which will tidy the interior up a little bit more. hopefully gonna fit them today if i dont get dragged out to buy an intergrated dishwasher!!

conclusion is im really glad i bought it, fuel isnt great but i knew that. the main reason for buying it is because my missus is pregnant (planned) and the williams wasnt going to be practical enough and i could warrent having it as a 2nd car with the amount of cash in it plus i dont really have the space to store it. the impreza was the biggest bargain bang for buck i have ever purchased. i will only have it until the v6 goes then i will buying a newer impreza or evo but until the v6 is gone the impreza is staying.

[stevie_b]

the main reason for buying it is because my missus is pregnant (planned) and the williams wasnt going to be practical enough.

Yes, they are pretty practical in 4 door form, guess the wagons are even better in that regard. The boot on the saloons is pretty accommodating though :lol: We managed with just the Clio when we had one kid but lifting two through the passenger door and into the back seats would be a bit of a chore so >= 4 doors it had to be. Would like to have tried a Type R otherwise!

[LEIGH-ANNE]

Nice write up....sounds like ur changing over..... :(

Well, i have 2 kids and i managed to bring them both up with 2 williams's....phils (philmeas) and mine.....yea its annoying :evil: having to put the seat in the back all the time.....(with a baby carrier) but it does work! lol :wink:

My girls are old enough to be sitting on booster seats now, :shock: so dont even have to take them out when they arent in the car. Annoyed me when i used to get :evil: 'the look' :evil: when i had fixed seats in the car.... and driving a bit 'irratic'! :wink: (without the kids) But dont have that problem now :D

Sorry to say that ur girlfriends moaning about this wont get any easier.....the more pregnant she gets the more shes gona feel the bumps in the road.....and Lewis......IT DOES HURT being pregnant and in a pretty stiff car....more than ud expect. :(

:D

[lewis_willy2]

im currently trying to find storage for the williams so i can keep it and get the shell into track form and mint then buy an engine next year and track it. then i can rid the scooby and get something for work and then be sensible and drive a fast car on track and slow car on the road.

i do love the scooby but it may go up for sale in jan, but its def up for sale when the v6 goes.

i just really dont know what to do. gotta do the sensible thing but i need to have a fast thrill (bike is now 100% out of the Q, nearly bought an r6 3 weeks ago) track car would be great but how often am i going to drive it?
scooby is too much as a family car and the fuel bills really mite hit me in the new year. its not too bad does 25mpg but im driving it like an old women everywhere and not using it too its potential. so i may aswell just be driving my escort! but then cant justify running a 2nd car which will only be driven 2 days a week. prob just gonna have to deal with fuel cost, which aint too bad but get a newer scoob so the ride is better for the missus and bubba.

bit of predicament!

[LEIGH-ANNE]

Keep the Willy. Sell the escort and keep the money for petrol costs in the scooby, sell in january for a more fuel effecient scooby.....newer as u said and more comfy :?

8)

[lewis_willy2]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/lewisredfern001/Photo028-2.jpg

poss getting some new wheels and 4 pots :D

[stevie_b]

You'll need at least 16" wheels if you go the 4-pot route, if you don't already have them. Also if you do decide to go the 4-pot route perhaps give me a shout at the time as I might be able to do you a good deal on them as I have just taken them off one of my cars to put AP 6-pots on!