I'm very seriously considering a purchase in the next 6 months, as a second, fun car, for commuting 20 - 40 km a day along winding roads, and thrashing around on the weekend whenever possible. What's your opinion - am I better off, cost and performance-wise, buying a new WRX; or, buying a new or used (low km.) 2.5, and modifying? (turbo kit, dual exhaust, 17" wheelsw/ grippier tires than Bridgestones, brake upgrade (?), some suspension work (?) maybe steering wheel and seat heater.

Ball park, what am I looking at for the cost of these modifications in Vancouver area? (parts and labour, I'm no mechanic). (Just have impeccable taste in cars!)

I couldn't care less about the rear spoiler, as far as I can tell the spoiler on the WRX isn't exactly functional, and if I end up buying a WRX I might be willing to trade for an Impreza trunk lid w/o holes!

Any thoughts?

You mention this is a second car, so if you enjoy working on cars, I like the idea of going for the RS and modifying it. Check some posts with 1/4 times and you'll see many of the quickest times are the turbo 2.5's, not the 2.0 WRX. Other's have gone this route, do a few searches in this forum to see mod suggestions.

Anybody can buy a WRX, but not everyone can build a one-off fast 2.5. Be unique!

You'd be money ahead buying a WRX. The cost of the parts you describe gets you to WRX-type money, then there's the install cost on top of that (which for the turbo kit alone would be a lot). Then you'll have a nice new car with full warranty that can kill the majority of cars out there, but looks a total sleeper.

Nor does every fast car still have a warranty. I agree with Yak, you better like working on cars, or have deep pockets to pay a shop...

Used 2.5 $15-16k

$2-3k suspension

$1-2k N/A parts

= Sweet custom car

You may still lose a drag race (not for certain), and the handling will be out of this world.

After driving both.... A older 2.5 with modified goodies like new suspension and the WRX. I personally like the torque of the 2.5 alot more while the WRX takes some time to build up speed. And for some reason the older 2.5 design feels so much more like a sports car..... the seating is lower and just feels so solid. Of course the WRX has alot sharper steering, but with my GC8 RS I just feel like I can throw it into any corner and it will just grip grip grip.

I'd get an 02 RS and modify it with the extra $5k:

Engine: COBB Intake, Stromung exhaust/midpipe, N1 Pulley set (maybe more, but these ive decided 100% on)
Suspension: Light weight Coilovers, Front and rear strut bars, swaybar/bushing kit, STi link set
Wheels/Tires: Those 16lbs Subzero 17x7.5's for $500 with some RE730's
Interior: Leatherseats.com Group buy and get some of that dual-tone leather, STi short shift kit (I dont like the Kartboy personally), WRX pedal set :), Trunk light kit
Exterior: Headlight mod (just painting the chrome), some of that mesh from Chosenwon, a WRX hood for weight savings or a carbon fiber one, STi foglight see-through covers, the new STi front grill, and maybe a spoiler :)

Okay, you looked under my user name and you know I'm going to be biased (WRX owner). I've got to say get a WRX. It will cost you more but I think you will be happier in the long run. If you can afford a WRX, I'm sure you could find a little more cash to mod it. It is pretty cheap to mod a turbo car. Spend $35 on a Manual Boost Control, $60 on a boost gauge. Then upgrade the tires with some Kumho ECSTA Supra 712 for $72 tire. I know you said you would be tapped out buying the WRX, but I can't help but think you would be able to find an extra $500 from somewhere. If you go the other route you most likely won't get your money out of the mods you did when you go to sell it.

Regan-

It will take a lot more than $5000 to make an RS as fast as a stock WRX, especially if you get someone to do the labor for you. Not to mention that the powertrain warranty would now be worthless and the resale value would plunge. That's not worth it. You could get a WRX and make it faster over time. It is not a simple bolt on affair to get an RS into the 13's or 14's. There are some very very fast RS's. Anyone who has done it will tell you that to do it right it will cost you, and that the reliablility will never be at the level of any new car. Reliability is not a problem if you are mechanically inclined and don't depend on the car on a daily basis. A turboed RS would be a project car....something that you have for weekends and something that you don't mind working on.

Jeremy

Do you want to WORK on your car or do you just want a fast car. If you just want a great handling fast car and don't really car if YOU work on it then get a WRX. If you're like me and want to work alot on your car then get a 2.5RS. I'm not saying you couldn't do work on a WRX but you'd save alot of cash and could put that into mods right away. If you really want to get hardcore then with enough money and work you could end up with a 2.5RS that outperform a WRX (stock anyway).

what is up with all of these recent "should I buy a wrx or modify a rs?" threads? Do you guys read sports compact car or something?
Like what everyone said in here, unless you like to do maintenance work and have the expertise to do it, you can try and modify a rs. But the headache of something blow up due to turbo, and not covered under warranty will not be pleasant. I say go with the wrx and save yourself some headaches.

To answer the original question, I'd say it would be around $10,000-$12,000 USD for the mods and labor you listed. In canadian dollars I guess that's about $25,000,000?

If you read the guys initial post, he said he's no mechanic. He's not going to do the work, so figure all your theories WITH the cost of labor/installation as 2.5 RRRRS and Iowannaski have done.

heheh I own a new RS ( yeh <GASP>) but it's a great car. WRX prople slam it all the time but many non subie people have told me think its unique cause its NOT a WRX.

I say go with what you can afford, I didn't want the extra repetative costs that a WRX has with it, jus too much baggage.:

1. Premium Gas
2. Dealing with the Insurance headaches
3. the luck that having a car thats so fast in the top end that I will get tickets all the time.

I like the torq'y 2.5L, I like its throaty sound, and I like the price points. If you commute every day those distances, I would prolly look at the RS. Its fast when you want it to be in the top end, and ALOT of fun in low end.

I'm not a mechanic either, and only got into car stuff 2 years ago!

But almost all those mods I listed for the project RS are surprizingly simple to do, and ive found ALOT of people in my area willing to help with this stuff too! Its fun to learn :)

And its hard to get an RS to be as fast as a WRX, definatly, but you can still make it pretty quick, and a BETTER handler than the WRX for less than the cost of the WRX.

i would say go RS and modify it, get a used 2000 or 2001 and then turbo it, plus a new suspension, should cost just about as much as a WRX but will be faster than a stock WRX, so it is pretty much all up to you, how far you will mod it

there is no decisive answer
if your an excelent mecanic...
buy a late model awd impreza, and buy one of the cheap crashed wrx drive trains (including tranny) spend a year building it and working the kinks out

if your just ok w/ a wrench
buy a used previous gen rs, drop 5-10 for a turbo kit, engine management system, and begin saving for your next tranny

if your the average guy, buy the wrx, it's got a warentee, it's fast out of the box, and with low dough mods the car is a bunch faster.

just a few paths to take.

for me? (if I didn't already have a gc8 rs) I'd buy a wrx, mmm stock boost.
AO