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Hi guys long time fan of the GC8 STIs, selling a M3 and will be buying an STI soon. Looking for a low ks one as a sunday only car, I'm picking GC8s as the next jap car to go up! Any advice on which version is best? This probably has been discussed b4! Mark

pick of the gc8's... a mint sti v6 smoother, more progressive motor better sorted suspension. best looks ! some of the limited editions have extras like helical/mechanical front lsds, faster steering racks etc.

Good luck on the search! They won’t be getting cheaper anytime soon, especially with the Americans/Aussies getting more rights to import them. This may be of use to you as it can tell you the specifics of each version, it’s weight, options, colours and which turbo, engine and transmission it was fitted with. https://www.type-ra.com/impreza-timeline/

Thanks guys, iZichard it ll definitely be a weekend car, currently trying to find a good RA - drove a normal version 3 at autospot yesterday, and it was pretty impressive for a 25 year old car! RAs seem pretty hard to find though, and japanese prices are climbing....

ver3 sti type-ra

Personally I have always felt that the interior in the v4,5,6 is a huge improvement over the older cars. I also think they have a better looking front end with the updated scoop/grills on the bonnet. The engine layout is also more similar to the more modern wrx/stis with the turbo inlet pipe running under the intake manifold. That is just my opinion. Mostly it is just personal preference between the versions as it is fundementally the same chassis with minor revisions. Be careful when buying to check for developing rust around the front/rear windscreen, the boot and around the rear wheel arch area. Many of the imports have come front rusty areas of japan and can be vunerable in these areas. Are you buying it to drive it and put ks on it or as more of a weekend/collector? There are heaps of different options (ra, v-limited, 555) if you want something a little more ‘special.’

They are only good for very hard driving. You could drive around with open diffs all round and not even notice on a daily.

Thought I'd better post a pic of my latest family member, had it a wee while now to be honest but kept pretty quiet about it.. NZ new, second owner and only 77 thou k's now, rust proofed when new so very very tidy, everything works including air ride, digital dash and not a single squeak or rattle while driving. Got a few reliability plans for the EA82T to keep it alive forever (under bonnet air/water intercooler and stainless exhaust plus a few other tricks learnt over the years), but keeping it as standard as possible will be the mantra throughout. Bit of a dream car for me to be honest, i even had the Tamiya model of this exact car/colour/interior as a kid!. Joins my Brumby as a permanent member of the family along with the everyday drivers.

Got another one added to the collection. 1984 Leone GT. JDM EA82 Turbo, 3 spd Auto, Air con, Power Steer, Trip Computer, Digital Dash, Electric Windows, 4 wheel disks, had Air Suspension but removed. Just over 100 thou k's, drives like a dream, no rattles, fantastic condition and a real credit to previous owner/s. Plans: 5 Stud Conversion, LSD rear, Air/water Intercooler, 15's and Lowered. Happy days.

The big wing is great... but if you prefer the boy racer shaved look... about 20kg of bricks in the boot will have the same affect

Haha yeah, cant see any of those here though! big spoiler for the win?

The R/RA gearbox makes for a very different driving experience. Lower ratios, 60% torque to the rear instead of %40... a real rear diff, and DCCD. Some boxes will have a front lsd too... but just a viscous lsd. So better acceleration and much less of the understeer you get in a normal STi setup... unless you crank the centre diff right up, in which case it will probably start to understeer.

Yes the DCCD with LSD does drive a lot different to a standard STI. The DCCD boxes are a lot closer ratio than standard so make the cars very snappy and feel fast which is really nice. Also in the general driving setting on the diff the power is split 70-30 to the rear. So you have a lot more drive going to the rear wheels than a standard STI. As you move up the settings this progressively locks the centre diff so in full lock mode you have a 50-50 torque split and fully locked centre diff. You would only use this on gravel though. As a bonus the sti ra and type r limited also come with 4 pot front brakes and 2 pots rears. They also dont have ABS braking. If you can definitely go for an RA or Type R . Hope that helps.

Can't comment on that one sorry, I've never driven a DCCD box before. Maybe @GC8E2DD or @YoungOne could shed some light.

My car has this real cool feature, where I fill up the tank, and it makes the petrol disappear almost instantly. Quite remarkable actually

Ended up going this way with intercooling