Kat wrote:

Spares might be a problem though, if only a few hundred entered the
UK, yes?

Not really. The "few hundred" applied only to the 4 cam turbo model. The
conventional fuel injected ones were always available in quantity and
still are. Most of the parts are common to both. Some of the turbo
specific parts are common to the Imprezza as well where most models sold
are turbos. Generally getting parts is no problem.

The conventional fuel injected car is more than capable and very nice to
drive, and would probably suit your needs very well. It depends a bit on
what you mean by "accelerates well". The 2L 120ish bhp conventional car
is not slow at all. However, the ability of the turbo to go from 30 to
60 in the space of 100 yards is quite astonishing though.

(They introduced the Turbo into the UK in late 91 IIRC, when Subaru
decided they wanted to make a serious entry into the WRC circuit (having
previously been successful in their class, but never having had a
vehicle that could compete at the top level). A certain Mr. McCray then
set about changing the brand visibility in the UK just a tad! They
stopped importing the turbo legacy model in about 94 when the imprezza
because available and took over the rallying, but they still produce
them for the Japanese market, including some very exotic twin turbo
versions that they have developed with the their partnership with Porsche).

If you go for one of they grey imports then you may have more difficulty
with getting parts through the official channels (not because they are
different, but because they sometimes try to restrict support for grey
vehicles), but again there is a whole grey parts industry in place to
support them.

--
Cheers,

John.

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