get an inconspicious WRX from Japan ?

B

Beladi Nasralla

I would like to buy a few year-old Subaru Impreza WRX with automatic
transmission, no rear spoiler, no sports exhaust, with ordinary steel
rims. I would like to have an inconspiciously looking car with the
power of WRX.

I thought there should be such cars in Japan (their market is huge).
The WRXs with automatic transmissions are not imported to down under.
But this is good, because this means that such a car is qualified for
'grey' import.

Am I right in my thinking (i.e., would it be possible to get such a
car in Japan, and it could be imported over here) ? Thanks.
 
I would like to buy a few year-old Subaru Impreza WRX with automatic
transmission, no rear spoiler, no sports exhaust, with ordinary steel
rims. I would like to have an inconspiciously looking car with the
power of WRX.

I thought there should be such cars in Japan (their market is huge).
The WRXs with automatic transmissions are not imported to down under.
But this is good, because this means that such a car is qualified for
'grey' import.

Am I right in my thinking (i.e., would it be possible to get such a
car in Japan, and it could be imported over here) ? Thanks.

Don't know about Oz, but in the US I see plenty of plain-Jane looking
WRX's with no spoilers and fairly tame stock wheels. The exhaust isn't
particularly loud either. And there are automatics here as well. If it
were me, I would simply purchase a standard WRX and maybe just replace
the wheels and remove the spoiler (if it has one) - replace the trunk
lid with one from a standard Impreza.

Dan D
'99 Impreza 2.5 RS (son's)
Central NJ USA
 
Beladi said:
I would like to buy a few year-old Subaru Impreza WRX with automatic
transmission, no rear spoiler, no sports exhaust, with ordinary steel
rims. I would like to have an inconspiciously looking car with the
power of WRX.

I thought there should be such cars in Japan (their market is huge).
The WRXs with automatic transmissions are not imported to down under.
But this is good, because this means that such a car is qualified for
'grey' import.

Am I right in my thinking (i.e., would it be possible to get such a
car in Japan, and it could be imported over here) ? Thanks.


It's a huge trade but you might need to have some association with a
vehicle trader to get in.

You could have a look here:

http://www.showatrade.com/stock/

http://www.j-garage.com/index.html

http://www.showatrade.com/
 
Beladi said:
I would like to buy a few year-old Subaru Impreza WRX with automatic
transmission, no rear spoiler, no sports exhaust, with ordinary steel
rims. I would like to have an inconspiciously looking car with the
power of WRX.

I thought there should be such cars in Japan (their market is huge).
The WRXs with automatic transmissions are not imported to down under.
But this is good, because this means that such a car is qualified for
'grey' import.

Am I right in my thinking (i.e., would it be possible to get such a
car in Japan, and it could be imported over here) ? Thanks.

A sleeper WRX? That's just not sik enuff!!!
Actually, a WRX without drainpipe exhaust, spoillers, and running
steelies would probably stand out more! ;-p
 
I would like to buy a few year-old Subaru Impreza WRX with automatic
transmission, no rear spoiler, no sports exhaust, with ordinary steel
rims. I would like to have an inconspiciously looking car with the
power of WRX.

I thought there should be such cars in Japan (their market is huge).
The WRXs with automatic transmissions are not imported to down under.
But this is good, because this means that such a car is qualified for
'grey' import.

Am I right in my thinking (i.e., would it be possible to get such a
car in Japan, and it could be imported over here) ? Thanks.

The local blue-slip/performance shop was telling me there is a large
market in importing engines to turn a subaru RX into something with at
least as much power as a WRX. I think he was talking about twin turbo
motors. Maybe this is an easier option?

If the engine is the same spec as a local engine, then it should be a
very easy conversion.

Dale.
 
monsya said:
The local blue-slip/performance shop was telling me there is a large
market in importing engines to turn a subaru RX into something with at
least as much power as a WRX. I think he was talking about twin turbo
motors. Maybe this is an easier option?

A friend of mine bought an early WRX new from Subaru in sleeper
form. IIRC it still had the bonnet scoop, but the boot lid was
from a non-WRX, etc.

If doing the engine transplant, do you need to add a bonnet scoop?
 
monsya said:
The local blue-slip/performance shop was telling me there is a large
market in importing engines to turn a subaru RX into something with at
least as much power as a WRX. I think he was talking about twin turbo
motors. Maybe this is an easier option?

If the engine is the same spec as a local engine, then it should be a
very easy conversion.

Dale.

yeah, just get an RX and spend a few grand on tweaking the engine to give
WRX performance, probably cheaper in the long run as well.
 
Clifford said:
A friend of mine bought an early WRX new from Subaru in sleeper
form. IIRC it still had the bonnet scoop, but the boot lid was
from a non-WRX, etc.

If doing the engine transplant, do you need to add a bonnet scoop?

Give it a front mounted intercooler. Less conspicuous (especially if
black) and more efficient in city driving.
 
Give it a front mounted intercooler. Less conspicuous (especially if
black) and more efficient in city driving.

That reminds me - a lot of ricers have been fitted with unpainted
'carbon fibre' bonnets. I know how my car (very dark blue) gets much
hotter than a mates white van when the summer sun is blazing. If
turbos perform better when the intake is sucking in cooler, denser
air, wouldn't a black bonnet do the opposite? (I realise it probably
only makes a poofteenth of difference being black, but it would likely
outweigh any advantage the lighter part may have in the first
place). ;-)
 
jackbadger56 said:
air, wouldn't a black bonnet do the opposite? (I realise it probably
only makes a poofteenth of difference being black, but it would likely
outweigh any advantage the lighter part may have in the first
place). ;-)

You're going to get less than 2KW from the sun, even if you absorb it all,
whereas you might get 20x that from the engine. In general, if you care
abut induction, you'll vent the intake to clean air somewhere, it does
make a noticeable difference.

Clifford Heath.
 
yeah, just get an RX and spend a few grand on tweaking the engine to give
WRX performance, probably cheaper in the long run as well.

What do you mean by "tweaking the engine to get WRX performance" ? You
hafta put a turbo. If you get to keep the atmospherically aspirated
engine, then whatever you do (tuning the computer, polishing the
pistons, changing the valves and so on) will yield you only up to 20
hp. For these money, it will be possible to install the turbo engine.
Howere, the better brakes, suspension and other structural elements
have to be improved, too.
 
I would like to buy a few year-old Subaru Impreza WRX with automatic
transmission, no rear spoiler, no sports exhaust, with ordinary steel
rims. I would like to have an inconspiciously looking car with the
power of WRX.

I thought there should be such cars in Japan (their market is huge).
The WRXs with automatic transmissions are not imported to down under.
But this is good, because this means that such a car is qualified for
'grey' import.

Am I right in my thinking (i.e., would it be possible to get such a
car in Japan, and it could be imported over here) ? Thanks.

Wonder how long they have been available in Japan. Maybe it is a time
factor.
My knowledge is not recent but I understand that government mandated
car maintenance in Japan is so expensive that older cars are
exported. Because of left hand drive, Oz and UK would be obvious
export sites. I had a friend that tried to get in the used Japanese
car business importing to US. The cars had to go back to the factory
to switch driving sides. He gave up the business because it was a
regulatory nightmare as every single car required a vast amount of
paper work whereas you could import hundreds of the same model new car
with one set of papers. What you want may not be available for a year
or so.

Frank
 
You're going to get less than 2KW from the sun, even if you absorb it all,
whereas you might get 20x that from the engine. In general, if you care
abut induction, you'll vent the intake to clean air somewhere, it does
make a noticeable difference.

Clifford Heath.

A bonnet that weighs 5 kgs makes so much difference over one that
weighs 10kgs? Whooda thunk it! ;-p
 
jackbadger56 said:
That reminds me - a lot of ricers have been fitted with unpainted
'carbon fibre' bonnets. I know how my car (very dark blue) gets much
hotter than a mates white van when the summer sun is blazing. If
turbos perform better when the intake is sucking in cooler, denser
air, wouldn't a black bonnet do the opposite? (I realise it probably
only makes a poofteenth of difference being black, but it would likely
outweigh any advantage the lighter part may have in the first
place). ;-)

A decent cold air intake pulls from the guard. Not under the bonnet.

Fraser
 
In aus.cars Fraser Johnston said:
A decent cold air intake pulls from the guard. Not under the bonnet.

A decent cold air intake pulls from a pressure zone in the body that
delivers relatively clean and dry air. Alongside or over the top of
the radiator are a couple of the common production positions these
days, along with the lower pressure delivering pickup between the
inner and outer mudguards.

Even with modern laid-back windscreens, a cowl induction system is
still usually the most effective type of cold air intake.

Anybody who takes a cold air intake off to run a pod filter in the
engine bay is kidding themselves...
 
A decent cold air intake pulls from a pressure zone in the body that
delivers relatively clean and dry air. Alongside or over the top of the
radiator are a couple of the common production positions these days,
along with the lower pressure delivering pickup between the inner and
outer mudguards.

While taking care that 'relatively clean and dry' never leads to 'very
very wet' and scoops up a load of puddle/flood water and hydraulics the
whole engine.
 
While taking care that 'relatively clean and dry' never leads to 'very
very wet' and scoops up a load of puddle/flood water and hydraulics the
whole engine.

Indeed. That's why a properly designed cowl induction system fed from the
plenum in essentially the same way as the interior vents are fed is my
personally preferred arrangement. Works particularly well on LPG when the
convertor is referenced from inside the air filter (as should always be the
case anyway).

I try not to laugh in the faces of customers who have fitted scoops under
the bumper bar. They are of course picking up all the garbage that is
floating around near ground level, from sand and smaller sized particles
through to animal faeces and plastic bags... :) As an added bonus, they
also get the not-so-cold air from convection carrying the heat up off the
nice hot road surface on hot days and water off the road on wet days. :)
 

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