HELP So I'm looking to buy a project car for the summer and the rest of college. I intend to go stage two almost right away with a full turbo replacement, ecu, cat, d/u pipes, fuel injection. My goal is 300 whp. So the question is... Do I bother with the price of a 02-05' 2.0L Impreza WRX or Do I go for a 02-07' 2.5L Impreza RS ? Here's what I'm thinking. WRX RS 2.0 < 2.5 $$$Price > $Price Turbo > No Turbo (but I am buying one right away) That makes it 2-1 RS wins if I plan to go with turbo replacement. Anything else? What should I do? I have a budget (9k - 14k) for the car itself. I'd like to make a decision before the end of May. Thanks. Mnwake.
er wrx... so many reasons you're not considering... suspension, reliability, overall bang for your buck in aftermarket... if you're gonna get an rs atleast get a 99-01!
not to be a jerk but just spend a little more time on the forum before you start a thread asking questions that can be answered by doing some research
Actually, based on your original post, an STi is the way to go. If you want to buy a wrx and put 4k into it.... you should have bought an STi to start with.
I doubt that. 1995 you could get an Impreza or a Legacy FWD in the US, and overseas they have always had FWD Impreza's for sale.
my dad had 3 subarus that were not awd. they were fwd with shift in or push button 4by4 sometimes you dont relize things by reading but by talking them out. we have all been a noob before.
unless it's a GC RS it'll pwn any 2002+ to the moon. Looks 100000 times better and swapping it to a turbo motor still cost less than a wrx.
Yeah i was checking out older <01' RS's yesterday. It's hard to find one that hasn't been modded or beat up and had 3 motors in it. That would be ideal, but probably won't happen. ps. thanks angusracer for all your POSITIVE support to a "noob" (apparently i can't ask questions on a forum without being bashed).
WRX is the way to go now a days, you can land a 02 WRX for 10kish.... back when I bought my 02 RS 3 years ago it was 16k for an RS and 20k for a WRX... I bought the rs... OOPS
wrx is in your price range, so I'll go with everyone else. Older RS's have all gone through 3 motors? I'd do some more research on that. There are quite a few MINT rs's out there, and even more that are still in really great shape. One of the the GC's with an STI swap will mob on most GD's all day. www.rs25.com There are a ton of guys on here with older RS's and all of them LOVE their cars.
yeah i was looking at an RS on rs25.com a couple days ago with an sti swap. i'm not saying i couldn't find one, but it wouldn't be very practical right now.
If you not in a rush, just wait a while. Those 98-01 RS usually pop up once in a while but let me tell you they are worth the wait. Just ask my brother, he'll tell you. Good Luck!
Any RS from 98-01 will be hard to get your hands on if you don't have the money waiting when they pop up for sale. If you buy a newer RS 02+ and plan to turbo it...your wasting time and money. If you want to do a swap, you can find the "L" model impreza fairly easily and just swap that. Cheaper from the start over a RS, and more readily available. You'll still need $$$ for parts, but you can always drive it N/A until you have all the parts to swap said vehicle.
+1 for swapping an L. Impreza L = easily found for cheap WRX or STi engine and drivetrain = check Nasioc Insurance on your new turbocharged sleeper L = cheap cheap cheap. You'd have to be mechanicly inclined and know a little bit more about Subarus than it sounds like you do. But it can be done for a lot cheaper than the cost of a used STi.
well i for sure wouldn't be doing this myself. i draw the line with swapping an engine. ohh and i was kidding about the 3 engines thing. the whole sleeper set up was what i was going for so thanks for the alternative sugguestions.
The only reason NOT to buy a WRX, would be to take advantage of the upsides of the older body styles (weight, initial investment, looks, etc.). If you're getting the same body style, you'd be wasting your money. IMHO, spend $800 on a nice loyale with a blown motor (or from someone who broke a timing belt and thinks it's done), then another $800 on a 5MT legacy that's completely rusted out but runs like a top, and do the only logical thing....$2k for 100awhp and ~2500lbs. then again, as any of the long-time members here will tell you, I do have pretty strange taste in subarus :ugh: oh yea, and don't copy me :biggrin:
Well it sounds like he's looking at a wrx wagon. I didnt even realize wake was a buddy of mine until I was hanging out with him tonight and started talking cars with him. I think the wagon is perfect. Turbo, low insurance, cargo space, etc. Buy a VF34, some sti pinks, new plugs, an AP, 3" turboback, some suspension goodies and a set of STI bbs's...mmm mmm mmm Would definately make a fun sooby.
GC/GF swaps are the most bang for your buck. period. You can build a 238 whp coupe (ej20g RA setup+RA tranny) ~2600lbs for the same price as a 02 WRX and then pay 1/3 of the insurance. And you can find old L's everywhere.
