I swore that I posted about this early this morning, but I can't find it... I am leasing a 99RS and I have less than 2 years left... When the lease is up, I will have a well maintained RS with 60,000 miles on it which i can buy for ~$11,000. Should I drop the 5-6 grand more and turbo it, or would you guys look for a used WRX? IF they bring over the STi, used wrx's might be pretty easy to find! Just asking for opinions to see what you think.
Thanks

Stock turbo vs Aftermarket turbo car comparison:

Convenience: Stock wins, just turn the key and drive

Reliability: Stock wins, factory warranty, new WRX is new. 60,000 is not new and may/may not affect durability once you add boost.

Power potential: About the same, if you dump in the money to make an NA into a turbo, imagine what you could do with the stock turbo car for that same amount.

Cost: Aftermarket. Will be cheaper in your case because you have some equity in the car already.

As you can see I would recommend stock. While aftermarket turbos are awesome, they're certainly not plug-and-play and you will be spending time and money to properly tune them. If you're not really really into it, I suggest you get a factory turbo car and do bolt-ons to it instead.

Tuning fuel systems and strengthening other portions of an NA car to prep it for turbo duty are not tasks to be taken lightly. AMHIK (Ask me how I know).

lateRZ

I think about the only used WRX's your gonna find in the US is a wrecked WRX. But you can get a new one with not too much trouble. ;)

in all honesty...a Trubo RS would be a very FUN project.

Drive one of each, you will find it's a very easy decision after that. More torque + narrower, lighter, pointier chassis makes a turbo RS very appealing. If you want something a bit more upscale, comfy and quiet, go for the WRX.

In performance, a low boost RS is about as fast at a WRX, but feels MUCH faster in daily driving.

Remember: once you modify a WRX to correct the response issues, your new car warranty goes bye-bye.

In terms of suspension, brake, and tire upgrades, a WRX benefits from them just like an RS.

Jon: true about modding a new WRX, I should have clarified that by re-reading his original post about a used WRX at some point in the future.

Why not share with us the experiences you had in turbo-ing your 2.5RS and let us know whether you think it is something for the mechanically faint-of-heart to do?

I guess I could best sum it up by saying: Turboing an NA car is not a simple or easy as it sounds.

There are lots of considerations and modifications to be made to make sure the car is reliable while still managing to be more powerful.

What kind of 1/4mile ETs are turbo'd RS's running anyhow (just curious)?

lateRZ

As a committed member of the mechanically faint-of-heart club, I would always go to an expert for anything more difficult than changing the oil.

I've detailed my strategy, process and expense in other threads that a search on my name will pull up, but $5,000 is not a bad estimate for a basic--but complete--system with somebody else doing the dirty work. If you can install it in your driveway, more power to you!

Before playing with ANY turbo car (this includes even putting an MBC on a WRX) you should be completely comfortable with the concept of writing a big check for an engine rebuild. If you can't do that, buy a new car, make the payments and be happy with it as is.

I haven't drag raced my RS, but those with similar configurations report high 13s to low 14s in the 1/4 mile. Several people have posted time slips here.

Hey guys, thanks for the opinions... I was thinking that stock turbo would make me more comfortable, but I just like the looks of my RS SO much better! I have to admit that the WRX is starting to grow on me :)

Jon B: Cool :) sounds like a very reasonable price to pay for parts and labor. I'll have to do a search sometime and see how its going for you.

Luckily we have a local guy doing the kit on his car as well (8Complex) so we will find out what a properly sorted 2.5RS to turbo will do :)

lateRZ

You wouldn't be able to find a used WRX for less than a couple hundred under invoice as it is.

yes, but I am talking about 20 months from now :) (refer to original post)

Dont get a turbo kit for your rs. try to get the WRX engine. and do a transplant. youl get more reliability out of it , and be able to get more for your money after its in ....everyone says a turbo kit cost around 5k , and if you put 5k into a WRX you would have way more power ... well remmember guys that the WRX cost about 5k more to buy....expecially now if you concider that RS's go for about 15k used . put 5k into that call it 20k then another 5k to make it 25k (the price of a wrx) and i think you'll have a very fun car . and at that poiint its all up to what body style you want .. the rs , or wrx .. dont get me wrong if someone was going to give me either on .. id take the wrx... but if i had to pay , and didnt mind having some miles on it . id get the rs like i have .. SAVE and look for the wrx engine to hybrid it ....

so my answer to the origanal writer is . if you dont owe that much on your rs now . and want to save money going faster (or even faster the the wrx ....do a transplant,and start moding that ....

my thoughts ..

Your RS has greater displacement and you can buy it for only $11,000. Drop
$5 grand into it and you've got a low-boost car as fast as the new WRX that will cost you $10,000 more to drive off the lot.

flip a coin because it doesnt really matter. both cars will be great cars and its a win win situation except for your wallet ;)