Do I sell or break?

R

Richard.D

Sunday Drivers
Hi All,

Apologies - a long post...

I am not sure what to do - I own an extensively modified LHD my00 turbo wagon. I bought it new in Switzerland, then modified and raced it there until 2006, when I relocated with work to Ireland.

Just before bringing it here, I had an EJ25 built and installed - but due to the arrival of 3 kids I never got further than tuning it for the NCT and 1 bar on wastegate pressure only.

I am now relocating back to Switzerland, so need to decide whether to take it back or sell/break it here. If I take it back as is, I will need to modify it back to nearly stock again to get it road worthy there (the Swiss are funny about car modifications...) - as much as I'd like to keep it and do this, 3 young daughters, new job and country all mean I will likely not get a chance for a year or two...so I should get rid of it now.

Is it worth more as a whole or broken for parts? And if I break it for parts, do I need to pay to get rid of the shell at the end (and how much?)?

Details - any suggestions on likely value in Ireland would be appreciated (I will check same in Switzerland);

Engine:

Rebuilt MY97 EJ25 Legacy donor bottom end (phase 1) blue printed and balanced as a rotating mass (excluding clutch plate only) to within 2 decimal points;
- Lateral Performance JE pistons/rods
- Roger Clark oil pump
- ARP head stud kit
- Porsche oil squirters
- ported phase 2 heads
- reversed flow matched (extrude Honed) inlet manifold with larger throttle body
- SX FPR (set for 3 bar) and 650cc injectors - custom parallel feed fuel rails
- High flow fuel pump fitted (in tank), with anti-surge mods
- Evo 6 FMIC
- iON P450 turbo (Garrett core) in twisted set-up with custom downpipe (allows for shortest possible intercooler pipe runs)
- air filter mounted in front wing
- charcoal emmissions cannister mounted in inner front wing
- oil catch tank
- Apexi AVCR boost controller (not connected currently, running 1 bar wastegate pressure only)
- Inlet manifold is using phenolic spacers (stops heat transfer from block to manifold)
- Gruppe-S exhaust headers
- aircon removed
- Evo DV
- Lancia alternator belt tensioner fitted (alternator relocated)
- EcuTek mapped - by me, a hobby tuner rather than a professional - safe to 1 bar, but never really tested above this. MAF scaling has been redone to allow for increased airflow, rev limit lifted to 7k. License open so a professional tuner can remap it, and I can share a copy of the map currently in it for them. I know both Andy F, Jolly Green Monster and Dave Rawle from the forums.

The engine was designed to run a minimum of 450HP on track (so tweakable for 500 road use only via more boost :)) - weakest link will be the iON turbo (designed for 450HP on an EJ20).

Engine has done around 20 or 30k kms in last 6 years, never more than 1 bar and mostly driven by my wife ferrying the kids to school and doing the shopping (honestly :)). Basically it is well run in. Full details of my build are available at 22B; http://bbs.22b.com/forums/showthread.php?6764-97-Legacy-quad-cam-2-5-short-engine-into-Impreza

I fitted a new newage clutch and flywheel about 12 months ago (downside of my wife driving the car!)

Drivetrain:
- JDM 6MT with STi short shift linkage
- STi4 plated rear diff

Suspension:
- currently stock MY97 WRX suspension fitted - but have KW v3 coilovers as well. They are early ones, but were rebuilt by KW (well known German brand on mainland Europe) 12 months before being removed from car. They were removed as suspension was too hard for Irish roads! But KW can re-valve them with Irish tarmac spec settings for minimum cost for road use (as is, they are perfect for track)
- all rubber bushes swapped to Powerflex items (all, not just the easy ones - about 14 hours work all in - fitted while fitting gearbox and rear diff!)
- Whiteline front lower brace fitted
- Front and rear strut braces
- Whiteline ALK fitted
- Alloy STi lower suspension arms fitted
- Uprated front and rear ARBs (currently on stock front ARB currently - will supply uprated one with rose-jointed links)
- Rear suspension mounting points modified to allow up to 5 degrees of negative camber

Brakes:
- Porsche GT3 items fitted, with mounting adaptor from a German company called Movit (this was the best mod for track use I ever did!)
- rear are stock
- Porsche GT3 calipers are a bit bigger than most - so wheel selection is a bit limited. I have 10 Eta Beta wheels

Interior:
- Currently standard my00 phase 2 turbo, although I have a Prodrive competition seat and mounting plate for track use
- Knocklink and lambdalink mounted discreetly (LEDs only) into the cup holder (no longer functions as a cup holder!)
- Cabling between engine bay and glove box for a wideband lambda sensor and 2 temperature probes
- SPA dual EGT and boost gauge fitted (only EGT connected, but have bits for boost too)
- stock optional Subaru boost gauge
- STi8 steering wheel (with functioning airbag)

Exterior:
- STi8 style larger airscoop (not really needed anymore with FMIC, but useful when I still ran TMIC)
- fog light covers
- Colour is DBM - structurally sound, but a bit beaten up around the corners due to use since in Ireland. A little bit of rust on one rear wheel arch (I had them rolled to allow 225 section tyres to be fitted early on, paint obviously cracked on one side)
- the rolling shell is a little tired though - it has been abused around track for the first 6 years of it's life, which has taken it's toll on structural rigidity. I would recommend a roll cage as being required for serious use.

Sell it complete, or break it? I guess breaking it will make more money, but is also more hassle!

Thanks, Richard
 
No doubt you will get more breaking it ,some very nice parts on that, people will not pay for them as a whole car imo man.

Best of luck with it
 
I would suspect you will get more of a pay back by breaking the car ! Than selling as a whole..
My only concern for you would be lead time!!
Maybe not having.time to.complete the breaking before relocating again
 
Definitely You`ll get much more money out of it if You break it.
What reg is it on?
If Swiss than it`s mental money to register here.
Might try to sell somewhere else in Europe. Did You try mobile.de?
 
Thanks All - it's on Irish plates (didn't cost me anything, as I've owned car from new, so no VRT). I am checking break value in CH as well, think that is the way to go I guess...just irks me to do it, as I never really finished the project!

Richard
 
Its a hard call Richard, alot of your mods are special to your car and not off the shelf aftermarket stuff but more custom made..
Breezing through the above, it would seem the 6spd, brakes and engine are all thats really going to be in demand, The 2.5 odb is old school now aswell with most leaning towards a minimum of Pinning.
You will get more money to sell parts in UK, and with regards shell, scrap metal is around 180e per tonne to sell
 
Just wondering, since You have the car registered in Ireland there is no duty to be paid if You sell it within the EU. Your mods are really good so I would defo try to sell it somewhere in the EU. What kind of money You hoping to get ?
 
I'm not sure on price TBH - I've obviously invested more than it's net worth at the end of the day, which is part of the problem. I've been checking a little more and it looks as though I can drive it on the road in Switzerland for up to 1 year before I need to register it there, which will require the roadworthy test I know it will fail. Only restriction is that it must meet a 100db sound restriction (which it just about scrapes - 98db at last NCT).

So I think I will defer a decision just now and take it with me - longer term I'd really like to build a Murtaya using it as a base, I just know I am not going to get around to it for a while.

However, that also means I need to get an NCT done on it - it failed the last one due to an exhaust leak causing it to be too lean, but buggered if I can find it! Who is a good independent Subaru specialist around Dublin I can get to check/fix it? It only failed on this at last attempt, but I took it off the road as a 3rd girl meant I needed something bigger anyway!

Leak is I think at joint between custom down-pipe and mid-section (it uses a conical gasket type thing, have seen them break up before) - it cannot be close to turbo as my wideband next to stock lambda sensor reads fine there (but also shows it lean if I stick it up the tailpipe!), and I have changed the backbox.

Thanks to all for your input!
Richard

Edit to add: good point above re. selling elsewhere in EU - doing so may circumvent TUV approvals required for mods in Germany, increasing it's value. I'll check into it, thanks!
 
Thanks to those who reached out with some recommendations - I'm unable to send PMs, so thanking you here :)

Cheers, Richard
 
The fact that it's left hand drive you should look at selling it into eastern Europe or Russia...even the states
 
Dagnut said:
The fact that it's left hand drive you should look at selling it into eastern Europe or Russia...even the states
Click to expand...
That`s what I said. If it was still on Swiss reg than whoever buys it in the Eu Has to pay costume but doesn`t have to since it`s on Irish plate.
 
Yep - plan is to drive it for the up to 1 year I am allowed in Switzerland on the Irish plates, then either use it as a base for a Murtaya or to sell it into the EU.

Thanks for all the advice!
Richard
 
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