Embrace 8000rpm With A £7000 JDM Impreza STI Version 7 Wagon

With STI-spec forged engine internals as standard, this load-shifting Impreza estate is the kind of practical family car we wish we could wake up to
Embrace 8000rpm With A £7000 JDM Impreza STI Version 7 Wagon

It’s no secret that we at CT are a bit fond of a good Impreza. We think we’ve found a peach this weekend in the form of a Version 7 wagon packed with factory-standard forged greasy bits from STI.

Inspired by the secretly awesome Impreza Gravel Express that the other Matt unearthed earlier this week, we trawled the technicolour depths of JDM history and found yet another superb way to spend your cash on the more practical shape of Impreza.

Embrace 8000rpm With A £7000 JDM Impreza STI Version 7 Wagon

The Version 7 was the first model to emerge with new ‘bugeye’ styling after the golden era of the classic Impreza and all its rally success came to a close. The 2.0-litre EJ207 engine that evolved from the EJ205 (although the EJ205 continued in some markets for years to come) packed a big power boost over its older cousins.

With 280bhp to play with as far back as 2001, when Volkswagen’s flagship hot hatch had about half that power, the Version 7 was a serious player. Subaru commissioned its STI division to go nuts on the car, and nuts STI went.

Embrace 8000rpm With A £7000 JDM Impreza STI Version 7 Wagon

Drive-by-cable throttle response, free-flowing cylinder heads and an 8000rpm redline made it one of the most exciting and responsive engines Subaru ever made. It sacrificed some of the US market 2.5-litre engine’s bonkers torque hit at low revs for sweeter top-end power and generally more fizz.

Other STI touches cover a VF30 turbo, a tough six-speed manual gearbox, top-mount intercooler, four-piston brakes up front, upgraded drive shafts and a Momo steering wheel. The steering rack was faster, the seats were STI blue, the suspension was STI-spec… the Version 7 was a big, angry tub of yes please.

Embrace 8000rpm With A £7000 JDM Impreza STI Version 7 Wagon

Which is why we’ve been drooling all over our screens after finding this, a freshly-imported silver Version 7 wagon with gold wheels and 75,000 miles on the clock - although you’d never know it. The right-hooker from Japan has clearly had some serious love over its life; the underside of the chassis looks practically brand new in the photos posted by seller Hurst Cars in Bedford.

It looks to be in superb condition inside and out, so we suspect it has been enthusiast-owned since new. From the perforated seats to the red stitching across the wheel, gear lever and handbrake, we love it. Slightly odd is the incongruous grey-trimmed boot, but hey, it’s hardly a deal-breaker.

Embrace 8000rpm With A £7000 JDM Impreza STI Version 7 Wagon

The packed engine bay looks very tidy. There’s a little (inconsequential) surface corrosion on the front anti-roll bar and a rusty bolt head, but otherwise it looks mint. Even the suspension looks pretty clean.

Unlike last week’s BMW Z4, this isn’t a cheap car. Given that some of the most collectible Imprezas are now £20,000+ cars, though, the asking price of £6990 doesn’t seem unfair. So many are out there in condition not even half as good as this one, and peace of mind is priceless. It may not be a rare car-spotter’s dream like the Gravel Express, but the want sure is strong.

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Comments

CannedRex24

280bhp?

i like how in 15 years, the WRXs only gone up by 20bhp……

09/01/2018 - 14:07 |
96 | 4

Why change a winning recipe, it’s the perfect amount of power for the car.

09/01/2018 - 14:13 |
84 | 2

i dont think enthusiast would buy an ‘expensive sti’
i already compare every car with 4wd, 4-5 door, 4cyl turbo engine
sti has the best price/performance ratio

09/01/2018 - 18:53 |
0 | 0
Aaron 15

I think everyone would rather you checked out the community regularly rather than waste your time looking at second-hand cars.

09/01/2018 - 14:08 |
20 | 8

preach

09/01/2018 - 15:14 |
4 | 2

facts right here

09/01/2018 - 15:42 |
6 | 2

stretches hands

whats wrong with looking at second hand cars?

its different from the other news of new cars every 3 hours or some thing happening in f1, which is ALSO stuff they post about, although i will accept, not consistently……
but they only have 2 full time writers, can you blame them
DT has like 8-9
Jalopnik has like 10
the TG website has 6. and even they dont post as much as CT.

give these guys a rest for godsake. if you want to complain about their articles, you go get a job and write for them

im all for a bit of change here, as i do feel CT can seriously be a lot better, but its not crap

rant done,

09/01/2018 - 16:02 |
32 | 2

Stop

09/01/2018 - 23:08 |
4 | 4
Anonymous

I love these used car posts, please keep up the good work👍sadly in germany we dont have so many jdm subies here

09/01/2018 - 15:18 |
8 | 4
LukeyWolf

Sadly it’s a bugeye

09/01/2018 - 16:16 |
2 | 8
Daksh Pat

hey matt, what happened to the other ct staff?

09/01/2018 - 16:19 |
4 | 2

Most likely they jobn’t

09/01/2018 - 20:24 |
4 | 0

honestly, apart from the 2 Matts
and with the occasional Ben

the others do jackshit

09/02/2018 - 04:49 |
0 | 0
Stubaru

OH MY GOD
OH MY GOD
I NEED THAT

09/01/2018 - 18:05 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Almost bought one of these for £2.500 two years ago. Still have some regrets there

09/01/2018 - 20:10 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

I don’t really get the “300hp was good 20years ago” bandwaggon… Did the laws of physics change in the last 20 years? Did the units change? Isn’t 1 hp still 0.746kw? Isn’t 1 hp still 746 Watts? Has human flesh evolved to significantly higher densities and tensile strength? I mean, humans can still die quite easily with 60hp… 200hp, 300hp, 500hp, that’s still quite a lot of power! Is there an expiration date on these things?
I think we should respect the metal and composite materials under our behinds a lot more, same forces and energies they produce…

09/01/2018 - 20:24 |
6 | 0
TimelessWorks

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

It’s mostly a matter of perspective. 1000 HP cars weren’t normal, they didn’t even exist back in the day. Also, modern cars are way safer and more insulated, so 500 HP can feel perfectly adequate and easily controllable, whereas back in the day you’d feel as if you were gonna die a fiery death going 0-60 in 10 seconds. Each HP packed more drama than they do nowadays.
In other words, you need more HP to get the same thrill with modern cars.

09/01/2018 - 20:55 |
6 | 0
CannedRex24

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

well if youre gonna get physics into this
you forgot 1 massive error

mass

power: mass*driving force
so higher the power, more more work done right?

WELL, IF the is mass is higher, and the power output is the same, then the forward driving force is lower
(and the 03 STi has a drag coefficent of .33, while the 15 STis is a near equal .32, so the resistive force would be equal, and so can be neglible atm)

and as the formula of force=MASS*acceleration.

where the force would be higher for the 03 STi, and lower for a 15 STi

and thus the acceleration for the 03 STi, should be higher for the 15 STi

finally proving the the 03 STi, is offically quicker than a 15 STi

(i could do actual calculations. But im too lazy)

09/02/2018 - 04:47 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Incredible how an example like this costs just £7k, a non-WRX STi Impreza Turbo AWD here in Portugal in decent condition isn’t found for less than 8-10k€

09/01/2018 - 20:34 |
0 | 0
Griffin Mackenzie

Wait where in the world are old Imprezas worth over £20k? Bout to start shipping them over by the boat load

09/01/2018 - 20:54 |
2 | 0