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Apex3 wrote:

AWD_addict wrote:There are at least a couple 959's in WA, I've seen a silver one in Redmond. Paul Allen has one too.

Getting a B4 RSK registered in the US would be an accomplishment, maybe you could fake it with a VIN from a USDM BE?

Pretty sure there's only 2 in Washington, and Gates lives in Bellevue(well, Medina technically) which isn't too far from Redmond.

OP that's awesome though, so you don't know exactly what the PO did to get it registered?

I'm pretty sure there's at least 1 more out there.

NICE! Wouldn't want to work on that engine.

Who's is that? Fake? Doesn't look like a house that would have a 959 in the garage...

Def not fake. He's a modest guy (far side of his garage). Trust me its real. Only 3,300 original miles on it too. Had my Porsche mechanic stop by to take a look at it once. He couldn't stop drooling.

There are lots of ways to get cars like that here, especially if they have a similar USDM counterpart. The less questions we ask about its origin the better. Nice car!

Getting back on topic: there are only a few ways to get "grey market" cars into the US. If the car has papers, the hard part is done. Congrats.

I got the title and insurance stuff in the mail yesterday, so all the paperwork is officially done.

I do have a stumble down low, which is acting like a minor boost leak on the primary turbo (only does it intermittently and it still pulls really hard past 5k). I've got a few things I need to eliminate, like plugs (I haven't had a chance to do anything except change the oil), and I also know I have a very slight exhaust leak, which sucks because I'm hearing that up/downpipe gaskets are completely different than USDM models

But Friday was a bit more eventful than I'd have liked it to be: the radiator sprung a leak and I had to get towed home. A pinhole leak in the actual core, not an endtank. I had a radiator shop fix it and it seems to be holding, although I only ran it long enough to do a coolant sniff test. The last time I overheated a Subaru, the headgaskets blew so I wanted to be sure that didn't happen again. It didn't; from what I can see, this car has MLS headgaskets already, so I don't think I have to worry about that.

I'm going to eventually replace it anyway, as it's a freakin' single-row! My reasoning is that Japan doesn't have 100º summers like we do in FL, so they don't need as high-capacity of cooling systems. From what I'm reading on UK/down under B4 forums, and from my own visual inspection, a bugeye WRX radiator is a direct replacement. So I'll likely be getting one of those soon.

I've gotten a couple bodyshop estimates, some of them expensive, some of them downright astronomical. The car looks okay from afar, but there are so many different areas that need work (including the left quarter which has lousy bondo work done on it) that it's adding up to be a lot of money. I plan on getting it in the shop within the next couple weeks.

But, in spite of the aggravation thus far, I'm still enjoying the hell out of it.

And now... Moar Picturz...

DerFahrer wrote:
I'm going to eventually replace it anyway, as it's a freakin' single-row! My reasoning is that Japan doesn't have 100º summers like we do in FL, so they don't need as high-capacity of cooling systems. From what I'm reading on UK/down under B4 forums, and from my own visual inspection, a bugeye WRX radiator is a direct replacement. So I'll likely be getting one of those soon.

That, my friend, is a lie. I was there for 2 weeks in the summer and was sweating my ass off every day of it, even when it rained, it was about 95 during the day and 70 at night every day.

Can you do the bodywork yourself? Take it from my experience that you can get a 1/2-3/4-assed job done anywhere for any price, but you'll really have to pay through the ass AND luck out of you want a shop to put the care in that you would—the full ass job, if you will. I'm putting Monica Bellucci's ass worth into mine.

I don't know shit about bodywork, so all the TLC in the world won't help much, and I don't want to learn on this car... that's what the Datsun's for

I'm considering having a dent guy take some of the minor dings out to see if that helps bring the cost down. I also have the option of partially disassembling it beforehand to save on labor.

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Apex3 wrote:

DerFahrer wrote:
I'm going to eventually replace it anyway, as it's a freakin' single-row! My reasoning is that Japan doesn't have 100º summers like we do in FL, so they don't need as high-capacity of cooling systems. From what I'm reading on UK/down under B4 forums, and from my own visual inspection, a bugeye WRX radiator is a direct replacement. So I'll likely be getting one of those soon.

That, my friend, is a lie. I was there for 2 weeks in the summer and was sweating my ass off every day of it, even when it rained, it was about 95 during the day and 70 at night every day.

Agreed....it's very hot during the summer and very humid. southern Japan is about at the same latitude as northern Florida.

Hmmm... not sure then.

Put about 30 miles on it tonight, and everything is good so far.

As requested, a couple more pics. They're from my phone, so they're not fantastic. I'll save the proper photo shoot for after it's painted.




By the way, I've also made the decision to part out my old Legacy. It was a very hard decision to make, and I know I'm gonna have a few emo moments as I'm tearing it apart. But I just don't have time for it, and I think I did a pretty damn good job finding a replacement.

So keep an eye out in the Parts Shed for a part-out thread.

Holy shit! You have no idea how jealous I am. Better than that POS 91 you were gawking over for years right? If you're looking for some S401 front and rear seats let me know. I was saving them for my BE that I can never seem to find, but I think it may be time to part with them. Have the badges too. Good work sir, good work.

Changed the plugs and also put a K&N air filter in it (all the same as a USDM 2.0L WRX, which I think is going to be a trend), and it runs better. But it's still got a boost leak, for sure. So that's my next project. Oh, and it's a Subaru, so it idles poorly

Hardy, my 91 is a POS now, but I'm mostly to blame. I had it since I was in high school, made mistake upon mistake with that car (yet it was still as reliable as the universe), and I fully intend to use those lessons to take better care of this car.

Plus, I realize that I could put thousands more dollars into the 91 to get it back fixed up, and I'd still be driving a 20-year-old 130-hp USDM Legacy that's worth $1500 max.

That makes no sense, not even for sentimentality.

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I guess I haven't mentioned yet. That car is sick, and I'm super jealous. I would much much rather have that car than any WRX you might find in the states, maybe even over an STi. But I'm a sucker for unique cars, and unassuming cars, and this fits both.

DerFahrer wrote:Changed the plugs and also put a K&N air filter in it (all the same as a USDM 2.0L WRX, which I think is going to be a trend), and it runs better. But it's still got a boost leak, for sure. So that's my next project. Oh, and it's a Subaru, so it idles poorly

Hardy, my 91 is a POS now, but I'm mostly to blame. I had it since I was in high school, made mistake upon mistake with that car (yet it was still as reliable as the universe), and I fully intend to use those lessons to take better care of this car.

Plus, I realize that I could put thousands more dollars into the 91 to get it back fixed up, and I'd still be driving a 20-year-old 130-hp USDM Legacy that's worth $1500 max.

That makes no sense, not even for sentimentality.

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Everyone makes those mistakes, I'm glad I made the mistakes I did, only helped me in the end.

By the way, there's something else I've neglected to mention... there was a bonus in the trunk when I got it.

If you know your Subarus, you should know exactly what these are



EDIT 9-9-17: COILOVERS HAVE BEEN SOLD!

Best trunk bonus ever!

Very nice bonus!

The car went in the body shop this afternoon, where I expect it to be for up to two months. They will be taking their time with this car and giving it special attention, as it will be kinda a promo thing for them as well when I take the car to shows and tell them where the work got done.

Anyway, I did manage to snap one good picture of it with my good camera, which allows you to see some of the issues with it, including the bondo'ed quarter if you look carefully.

So, consider this the before pic:

Glad to see you back in a Subie Michael!

Looking good! Are you going with the same color??

evolutionmovement wrote:Didn't they have to be made to pass emissions? I know back then there were businesses that would federalize non-US market cars (like Ferrari BB512s, for example) by adding, often badly, emissions equipment.

Funny you should mention a BB512. I worked at a bodyshop in Redmond that had a BB512 in there that was getting worked on... slowly....

I ended up priming the car and prepping it for paint before I was laid off from there.


Michael, that car is goregous! I'm jealous

I have the car back in my possession, and it looks pretty awesome. But I'm haggling with my body shop (as is usually the case) over a few small details that are keeping it from being show ready. So, no photo shoot yet... but I did take one good pic of it:

Car looks amazing!!!