We're Cheering Ourselves Up With An £18k Used Subaru WRX STI

Last week, we brought you the sad news that Subaru is discontinuing the WRX STI in the UK. They’re simply not selling in the numbers required for it to stick around, so while it will continue to be sold elsewhere, it’ll be disappearing from Subaru showrooms on our British Isles.

We can see why - cars like the VW Golf R and Ford Focus RS offer similar power outputs and four-wheel drive with far less of the drawbacks, making the hot Subaru far less attractive these days. Regardless, we’re pretty gutted, and have sought therapy in the classifieds. Where we found this used WRX STI.

This 2014 Subaru is among the cheapest of the current-gen cars on sale in the UK, weighing in at £18,495. It’s clocked just 24,000 miles in its three years on planet Earth, and since the STI hasn’t really changed in that time, you’ve not much to lose but plenty to gain from buying used.

Power comes from a 296bhp, 300lb ft 2.5-litre boxer engine which - unlike the four-banger in the Golf R - isn’t bothered about trying to hide the fact it’s turbocharged. Yes, it’ll use up far more fuel than the Golf as it whisks your from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds, but it has way more character than the engines found in more conventional rivals.

Further separating the WRX STI from the mainstream is the all-wheel drive system. Here, it’s a proper symmetrical setup, not some part-time, front-biased Haldex wannabe.

There’s a school of thought that suggests an STI Subaru must be in WR Blue, preferably with gold wheels, but there’s something refreshingly different about this one being in Dark Grey Metallic.

Rounding off a thoroughly tempting used buy is the fact that this particular STI has a full service history, and has been through only one owner from new. Fancy taking the plunge?