davidwatsonok

HERE's a good place to start. After that try to ask intelligent and well worded questions on Scoobynet. Also worth doing is finding out where your most local club meets, and in your area there is a massive and very committed club known as the Essex Scooby Crew headed by a rather nice, and exceptionally large guy called Tiny. Go along to one of the meets and introduce yourselves, and don't be shy to ask lots of questions. There's nothing a Scooby owner likes more that talking about his Scooby. Imports are more expensive to insure as they tend to be more powerful (WRX 240bhp, STi 280bhp and UK Turbo 208bhp) and the panels can be different (especially on Type R/RA) meaning they have to be sourced from Japan and imported in the event of a crash, pushing up repair costs. Until you know more about them I'd stay clear of imports and anything modified, as many are mod'd badly leading to reliability issues. Imports may also need to be run on Optimax with octane booster to bring it up to Jap 100RON, unless you want the engine to DET itself into meltdown for a £4k rebuild. They can be remapped for UK fuel, but you must double check this with whoever did the mapping (receipts and printouts). Apart from that, they are superb drivers cars, very reliable and awesomely powerful and fast. Classics and feel faster, but they only feel faster. New-age cars are much smoother with much tighter chassis' and better brakes. Speaking of which, the brakes are a definate weakness, so a set of >98 4 pots with braided lines and decent pads should be first on the shopping list before any power mods.

I'm in the same boat. Love the car to bits but at the end of my tether with the reliability (or lack of). Just can't stretch to a suitable replacement yet (00> MX5) so the GF will have to keep the C running 'til I start my driving school business. I still drive the Scoob though, so all is well :D

Nice motor. The STi V.5 is probably the nicest out there. The 22B will always be that bit more special as it's rarer, and looks awesome with the wide body and the superb 2.2l engine. Glad I'm not the only one to go from a C to a Scooby :D Just a few things, dealer rates are IRO £80/hr, which are comparable to VAG methinks. Independent specialists such as Scoobyclinic start at £25/hr. Discs for a WRX can be had from SAP for between £22 and £45 dependant on model/year. The wagon which was recently on 5th Gear was a Forester STi, which although based on the Impreza floorpan, engine and drivetrain, is actually a different car. You can get Impreza Wagons though, but not STi ones anymore. CLICKY

Amongst my favourite roads.... 4 wheel drift around the hairpins on the steepest bits :D

Yeah, that's the one, thanks. I thought it was a Pulsar. I think the longer one has a commentary that tells you that the video-ing chase car was doing 90+ when it passed. I seem to recall it being on Streetfire or similar. I'll keep looking anyway, cheers.

As title, I almost certainly recall someone on here posting a link to a video clip of a highly tuned Nissan Pulsar with over 1000bhp going through a tunnel at over 200mph. I'd appreciate the link if anyone knows it, thanks. Off to Google for it now.

']['H3R4POR (whatever that is) I wholely agree, the Scoob is an ugly car. I buy ornaments, paintings and lingerie to look at. I buy cars to drive and when I'm driving them, apart from the odd shop window, I cannot see what they look like. I can see other peoples though, so thanks to all the people with attractive cars for giving me something to look at.

Stuart, yes it is what you expect from a new modern car. However, the service manager at my local VAG dealers (I still go there regularly for C bits unfortunately) told me that Audi's are currently running at just over 60% warranty claims. I have heard that Subaru are at 17%, although I cannot qualify that.

Gazza, many of the Scooby boys are now starting to switch to VAG as the diesel engines are gonna be the performance market for the next generation of tuners. Many short term Scooby owners jump ship as the fuel and insurance is usually way more financially demanding than they expected. A bit of work pu into a Seat Leon/Ibiza or Skoda Fabia can release reasonable HP, but massive torque, which any driver knows is the Holy Grail. All we need from VAG is a good 4WD system to make better use of it and I may even come back to the Germans (or Spanish/Czech).

Walesy, next trackday is in September. I'll post an invite on here as usual. Bring your car and show you have reasonable ability and I may just let you have a go in mine.

Blinky, the suspension doesn't need to be hard. Mine is fully adjustable and round town it's much, MUCH more complient and easy going than the C. When I want it to be, it is stiff and superbly controlled too. I had a 4 hour drive in an MX5 last summer, and if you have never driven one then do, soon. I stopped off and overfilled the rear tyres and had a hoot drifting the back end all over the place. Fantastic chassis for a cab, with loads of feedback and beautiful control. When we get Helen's I can see us fighting for who drives on sunny days. that never happens with the C, and not often with the Scoob, as she is a little intimidated by its speed.

Chubby, the Subaru Forester STi would be my next car like a shot if I could stretch to £22k, which I in no way can, yet. 330bhp, 335ftlb, 0-60 4.8s and a total sleeper of a car. Superb. The S-Turbo's can be had for reasonable money and tuned quite well. 215bhp out of the box IIRC and easily 280-300 with some wise mods. An Impreza wagon would suit though if I can't have the STi Forester.

My C will indeed be up for sale before too long. I will post it on here, and I can vouch for it being in good condition as I have had to pay through the nose for all bl00dy bits that keep failing on it, constantly. Just this year it has had new clutch hydraulics, brake hoses and rear calipers. The wing has stopped working (currently trying to sort that) and the alarm went faulty (fixed for 32p by me instead of £220 by alarm installer). I did a major overhaul in 2002 when it got new everything on every corner (£900), and 6 months later it got a new engine, clutch and recon 'box (£2100) after the head gasket went and took half the head with it. I daren't begin to work out how much it has cost me in the last 12 years, but annually it must be IRO £1500-2000av. In 2 years my Scoob has had an oxygen sensor in the exhaust, fixed free under warranty.

The Chav assumption always tickles me. I had the misfortune to call by my local Burger King late one sunday evening and was greeted by an assortment of body-kitted tatt, none of which was a Scoob. Lots of Paxo's, 106/206's, Nova's, Escorts and a couple of Golfs. All with the regulation stick-on alloy fuel flap cover, Lexus style lights, oversized alloys that ruin the handling, excessively lowered and with huge, multiple exhausts booming away from their 1.0l engines. There are a couple of C's near me too, one with Viper stripes FFS, the other with an awful bodykit. This to me is Chav. It is too easy to simply label every owner of a specific marque as Chav, just because you've seen one car ruined by these braindead idiots. As a regional event organiser for the West Yorkshire Impreza Owners Club, I am happy to say that the majority of our members are mid 20's to early 40's, most with families, aren't obsessed with designer labels (esp Burberry) and drive with respect to other road users. Our meets do not happen at retail parks and involve burnouts and donuts, rather country pubs and beer gardens with quality food and intelligent discourse. We don't race on the public highway, prefering to hire our own track twice a year (which you guys have been invited to many times but have never shown) or visit other organised events. Personally, I have silver wheels. Although I have friends with gold ones, and even some with rally graphics. I do have the big wing, but what was I supposed to do, pay to have it removed. When I initially got the 'net at home and I was still driving the C daily I tried to get a meet organised on here, but nothing ever came of it. I have since seen many such ideas come from others, and fail. I have invited members from here along to our Scooby meets, as we welcome anyone who is a car enthusiast. We've had Evo's, Cossies, CTR's, Clio 182's, 200SX's etc. and even many more exotic marques such as a 360CS, Murcielago, Noble M12 GTO 3R and soon an Ariel Atom will be joining our club. As I said before, I have on several occasions invited you all along to our trackdays, with no takers. Some of the Club GTi people came a couple of times, including Jon Cass who managed to get us featured in Banzai magazine. My negative stance on this BBS comes from experience, where lots of people are quick to slur, slander, humiliate and disapprove, and yet never really do anything constructive to create a good friendly and welcoming atmosphere. You view the C through rose tinted glasses I'm afraid. It was a great car, is still a lovely design for a hatchback masquerading as a coupe, and was brilliant to drive and a credit to the engineers who cobbled it together from the VW leftovers pile. But its day is gone. Those of you whom choose to care and restore them to preserve them for future generations to admire I respect, but I am not a museum curator. I am a driver, and as such I want the best driving machine I can afford from whatever is the best currently available, and for me, my wallet, and my driving ability that is the Scoob. It is fortunate for me that there are so many like-minded mature and decent people who share my passion and whom have become personal friends.

Gotta laugh. I often get a slating on here for deserting the VW fold and going all rice, but I'm not alone :lol: THIS THREAD on Scoobynet has a Golf VR6 owner ready to swap, a C VR6 owner who already has, and me, who swapped ages ago and have never looked back. I still have my C, but will be chopping it for an MX5 for the G/F fairly soon. Times change and at some point you just have to realise that you're living in the past. I've loved my C for over 12 years now, but we've grown apart.

Won't be a popular suggestion here, but what about a Scooby Impreza estate (wagon). £12k will get him a good 03-04 WRX with PPP (0-60 4.9s, 155mph, 265bhp) and possibly with the rare sunroof and leather option. He did say he wanted rapid :lol: If he has a really big dog then the Forester S-Turbo is a stunningly quick car for its size. I'd really love a Forester STi for my next car but they can't be got for less than £22k at the mo' :(

Update, the £270 package from C&R is inclusive of VAT. Just in case anyone's interested. Makes buying the bits separate a bit pointless.

To summise... GSF/Europarts are... £95 +vat (£30 refund on exchange, which may not be possible) each side £25 for just rear conversion hoses, Goodridge from C&R £20-40 for pads Total £235 (£276.13) C&R... £270 +vat for calipers, pads and all 6 hoses (£317.25), £40 more for a complete set-up.

Agree in principal about the hoses, but at £270 I think it's not too bad. GSF & Euro want IRO £65+vat for their calipers, plus the pads, plus the fact that they won't exchange, so there's another £20-30. I'll also need the conversion hose at £23, and I'm unsure if this is per side. For the complete upgrade I can't really fault C&R. My only dilemma is that once my C gets through its MOT it will be sold, so I am loathe to spend any more than I absolutely have to. For the moment I may well stick with just unseizing the Girlings.

I've just spoken to C&R. They do the full kit for £330, which includes all the hoses and new pads. They stressed that if fitting Goodridge hoses to the rear caliper, you must also fit them to the front, and the hoses that goes around the rear subframe. On the plus-side, they will take your old Corrado Girling crap as exchange items, bringing it down to £270. Another option they suggested was to fit Mk3 calipers, which retain the original hoses and pads. They can do this for £265, with £60 return from the old ones meaning £205 total. They said they have never had a Mk3 caliper fail, unless somehow damaged by external forces.

I've just contacted GSF and Europoarts, and the Mk4 calipers are exchange items. This bumps up the price by £20-30 each side as they won't accept the C calipers back, they have to be the same Mk4 ones, although I could plead ignorance and just pop them in the box and hope they don't check them. Alternatively I could get some from a scrappers. Thanks for the advice on Stealth/C&R re the Goodridge hoses. I need new fronts anyway, so maybe a complete package will sort it out.

A little help would be great thanks. My C failed its MOT yet again on the crappy Girling rear calipers. I've been reading on here that you can fit Golf Mk4 ones with a new hose. Could you guys in the know please advise me of the best places to acquire these parts ? I have seen the calipers at GSF for £62. Is that good, or is there a better price ? Where can I get the right hoses from ? Are these VAG only, and if so, does anyone have a part number ? I believe these are £23, but is this each, or a pair ? Any help graciously appreciated.

North Yorkshire police think I think I do :oops: Will be on track in a couple of weeks time, and hopefully another 3-4 times throughout the year, as well as a Euro roadtrip encompassing the 'Ring and Stelvio. Just had a look to see what they're selling for :shock: £850 at the bottom end with some mechanical gremlins. £1300 middle ground and a few delusional hopers asking near £2.5k for 15yo 130k miles+ :? Anybody know what sort of PX usually gets offered. I would have thought at those prices most traders will just palm them off to the auctions for peanuts :cry:

In answer to bcstudent, when I initially went ot 17" wheels I was disappointed with the handling, and subsequently did some research which led me to the OZ Superlegerra wheel. Since fitting those the handling was much better than on the OE 15" wheels. The rear suspension arm bushes have been deteriorating for some time, even prior to the fitment of the larger wheels. I was going to do them when I did the overhaul in 2001, but took advice from my local VW specialist whom informed me of how difficult a job it was and so left them in the hope that they would last. They did indeed last another 5 years, and if the interim 5 years had been relatively trouble-free then I would not have any qualms about the need to replace them. My reference to the handling no longer being up to scratch is I believe justified. 17 years ago the C certainly had the best handling of any FWD car available, and was more than a match for many RWD, and some AWD cars. Chassis design and suspension technology had moved on a long way since then, and cars such as a humble Renault Clio easily outhandle the lumbering bulk of a weighty C, although even the 205GTi from the same generation was as good if not better too. A Ford Focus is now much better than a C for a FWD chassis. My current car (the C is now the G/F's) is a Subaru Impreza WRX PPP fitted with race spec adjustable coilovers and various other chassis/suspension mods to create a car with truly amazing road holding, handling and performance. Getting back in the C after driving that is like jumping from a Ferarri F430 into a Model T.

The parts I fitted when I did the major renovation were all supplied by GSF, and were all the better of whatever they had available if they had more than one. This was done at about the same time as the head gasket failed for the 3rd time in 5 years, taking out a valve seat in the process forcing the need for a new head. I was quote £1600 for the head, and another £400 to fit it. I ultimately source a Vega remanufactured engine for £1400 and paid £200 for fitting. This was tied in with a new clutch and reconditioning of the gearbox. For what I've spent trying to keep this heap of German poo on the road and looking well, I could have got a Subaru Impreza Spec C WR Limited, and that would have made me smile sooooooooo much more.