Good Part Sources

This is a thread I'm starting of good places to get cheap and hard to find parts from, as well as some good businesses on eBay.

Subaru doesn't really have a chain of dealerships and service centres. Instead it uses a few private garages already specialising in Scoobys, who will source parts directly from manufacturer. These places are approved by Subaru Japan, but they can cost a bomb, both parts and labour. Either way here is the Subaru dealer locator - http://subaru.co.uk/dealer-locator/

Flat 4 Online - http://www.flat4online.co.uk/ - Endless catalogue of Scooby replacement parts and upgrades.

Import Car Parts - http://importcarparts.co.uk/ - Great site for finding small and rarer replacement parts like bushes and clips. Can also be found on eBay [http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Import-Car-Parts-Japanese-Car-Parts], with parts often cheaper than the website!

MAF Label Colour Guide

MY97/98 UK/Euro - Purple Label

MY97/98 Japan - Orange Label

Will finish soon!

Project

Lets face it, I've hankered after a classic WRX since the first Gran Turismo, but actually coming to own one was never really a serious intention. When my trusty BMW finally died in late 2009 though, a mate at work mentioned a Scoob he knew for sale and persuaded me to have a look. The car was a bit tatty and had 130k miles to show, but it did have 6 months tax/MOT and he would let it go for a grand. I checked it out on a freezing cold saturday evening, but it started up first time, the engine sounded healthy enough and everything seemed to work. Inside was in great nick too, no marks on the seats. On the other hand it had a bit of minor body damage [see bodywork], a missing spotlamp and had a space-saver wheel on the back, so I said I'd have a think and didn't get back to him.

A month rolled by and I still hadn't found a car when my colleague brought the Scoob back into the game. The owner had been offered £600 by webuyanycar.com [apparently] and said it had to go that week. I thought long and hard about the implications of buying a thirsty, powerful car, let alone a played-with Impreza, but thought what the hell I'm not young for much longer...

The body scuffs and the spare-wheel thing was an issue though, so I managed to barter him down to a stonking £800 for a drive-away-and-play-today Scooby. I arrived to collect it and found that the owner had not only replaced the space-saver with a newly clad alloy, he also had a 5th alloy for me

The fuel filler-pipe had rusted through and would leak a bit of petrol onto the forecourt every time I filled up, but a replacement was only £50 and fitting it wasn't hard - it was the first work I did on the car in fact and sparked off the project. There wasn't much needed replacing for the MOT either, the only serious item being a split shock-absorber, so nothing too bad even though I splashed out on a coilover kit. The only major problem I've had is the MAF-sensor failing, which made the engine completely unusable, but I managed to find a replacement within the week for £90, so it wasn't the end of the world. She starts first time every time, no problems in the cold and I'm sure I'll get at least another 9 months trouble free Scoobying!