Classifieds' Car Of The Day: Rally Hero Subaru Impreza WRX STI

If you're excited about the new WRX STI but can't quite stretch your budget to the car's £28,995 list price, just give the used Impreza market a look. It's full of options to get your STI fix for less, and we think the facelifted second-gen model is a properly tempting buy.

Decent, un-abused first-gen cars are now hard to come by, whereas there are stacks of well looked-after second generation examples. The early facelift is arguably the best looking - it dispensed with the unloved 'bug eye' look, and doesn't have that ungainly triple grill of the second facelift.

In WRX STI form, this Impreza packed 261bhp courtesy of a 2.0-litre boxer-four, enough to send the 'Scoob' from 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 152mph. With four-wheel drive and a limited slip diff at either end you'll get as much grip as you'd ever possibly need.

This 2004 example is up for £6500. It's clocked a reasonable 81,000 miles and has a full service history. If you want to sample the delights of STI ownership, this looks like a good bet.