all right, i know i said i was going to post some pics but i really have been busy with both my RS and Forester!
Latest news i just installed the zero/sports rear waist spoiler on the forester, a project which really only should have taken 45mins, ended up taken 2 hours!! needles to say the directions were in japanese but the diagram was upside down so i ended up drilling a couple extra holes on the inside of hatch!(ooopps)http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/rolleyes.gif not to worry though because you can't even see them because the rubber stop covers it. All in all it was a great learning experience! Car looks fantastic! Now if we can get on Pam's case to get us the turbo hood from Australia i would be extremely happy! Doesn't anybody else want it??
Going to work on downloading the new pics!

=CrAiG=

Yes, I am kind of interested in it in the future (no funds right now. =o( ) but I would like to know the price. How much is the Turbo hood cost? I have posted this, and sent PMs to Pam, but no luck. Also, where / who did you get the Zero/Sports kit from? How much? Cobb has it on their web site, but when you call, they say that they no longer order it. I really want to do this too, but again, I have waited 2 weeks for a price from Pam, and still no price. Thanks in advance...

i pm'd you did you get?

Thinking about a Forester and I have about $7k in my cash budget after purchase to turbo + suspension. Any news on this hood?

Mannnnnn,

$7k for mods. You can do ALOT with that, boyeee.

I f you haven't already, check out my site (www.foresterperformance.fanspace.com) for a few ideas. I don't sell anything or get anything from you going there or even from the vendor's links, so don't think I'm tryin' to spam you or anything.

I've had Subarus since I was 16... I'm 27 now. I got hooked on the WRX back in 93/94 and was waiting for one to buy. In 1997 I could wait no more, the 1997 Outback Sport came out with the WRX hood, I was hooked. Bought it without test driving! Of course, a few months later, the RS was announced. I started saving ~ $200 a month to save up for some performance parts, and each time I hit a milestone, I decided to wait a little longer, maybe the WRX would show "next year". I kept saving though. In Dec 2000 I bought my wife her 01 RS since I knew it was the last of the old body style. I hate the new WRX. I hate the 2.0l engine, I hate the supposed lag, I hate the look. I still LOVE the car, want one bad, but every time I think about it, I think how much more fun people with RS+turbo's are having http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/smile.gif

So now its 4 years later (48 months) and I have something over $7600 in my "performance fund" and a blank loan check worth up to $40k sitting on my kitchen table waiting to be written out to a dealer with a car... Any car, any dealer...

Can't get a WRX in time (I have until July 1st to cash this check) and I don't think I even want one. Looked at the Outback Sports, but I have an OBS now, and I'd like a bigger change (plus I hate the bubble-butt look of the new Imprezas). The Forester seems relatively untapped in America, does not LOOK fast, and may be the sleeper hit of the decade.

As long as I can make it quick, make it nimble, and make it look good, I think its a winner. Too bad its more expensive than the WRX hehe.

My '99 Forester L was only about $700 more than my wife's '00 RS Sedan. Both were bought new.

But, as you can tell, I totally agree with you. I like the previous gen Impreza's looks better, too. As for the Forester... just look at the pics on my page and you'll see how much I LOVE them. My L outcorners my wife's RS! And her car has Tein S-Tech Softs in it. And with the header, K&N, and exhaust, it will at the very least keep up with her stock RS.

The Forester is only 10% heavier than the RS. Remember that. 300 lbs. Now, a turbo'd Forester woun't be as fast as a comprably turbo'd RS, but then again, it WILL be faster than your average "hopped-up" civic and stock Mustang GT! http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/lildevil.gif And I already out cornered a brand new WS6 Firebird. (heheheh!) Really pissed that guy off. He took me on the straight, but not the corner!

The Forester is within a few pounds on the new Outback Sport, so there really isn't a significant weight penalty any more.

You can get an L for under $20k, so that would leave $4 grand for mods before you hit WRX territory. I know, the L has steel wheels and rear drums, but with that kind of mod budget, the stock rims are goners anyway, and you could do a serious brake upgrade.

If you start with an S Premium, the price is close to the WRX, but then you've got a huge moonroof and a lot of extras too.

-juice