Just wanted to say "hi" to you all. Have a '98 RXi wagon Impreza, am building a 98 STi Coupe from the ground up and have, just today, ordered a MY05 WRX Impreza from dealer ....very happy man.

Nice going :-)

Welcome to the board. There are a bunch of Aussies here.

New Zealand...SWEET!! That is where they shot those Lord of the Rings movies... I guess you are the lord of the Subaru. I am the lord of the dance...LOL!!!!!

and we usually go down about once a year. Lots of great JDM subies in Kiwi we don't get here.

My wife and I just got back from NZ. Wish we could have stayed forever, it’s the most beautiful place I’ve been, and the people are extremely nice. It was the fastest 3 weeks of my life.

I found it interesting that in 98 and 99 JDM Outbacks came in both body styles, (Pre and Post 2000 US styles) something like the Grand Wagon for one body style and Lancaster for the other.

I would have loved to have traded our Nissan Sunny rental car for WRX on some of those winding roads (even if it is a little weird driving on the left side of the road)!

I find the best thing about our roads is the fact that they are so windy, poorly made and free from heavy traffic. Just great for AWD vehicles.

 

As for the differing Outback styles here, well that's because half of the vehicles in New Zealand are imported from Japan as used vehicles.

 

And as for traffic enforcement? Well, in New Zealand radar jammers are legal, as are police frequency radios and radar detectors.....enough said. Haven't had a ticket in 4 years.....

 

What are the most common types of Subaru seen in the US? In New Zealand it's WRX, then Outback/ Legacy wagons.

 

As for the LOTR thing, well yes, that landscape is pretty much how the whole of the South Island, where I live, looks. Great WRX territory. Looking forward to the completion of my STi rebuild around early February. Going to hit those roads HARD, with the jammer on.