Should I buy stock car or modded??

STidreaming · 05-06-2004, 03:35 AM

Hello all, new to the site and new to the Subarus all together. I have some $$ saved up, actually more than enough to buy an Sti and was wondering should I get a stock one,new or buy modded and used and save some $$$. My ultimate goal is to have a bad ass car that can run deep 10s or lower and still be somewhat driveable on the street

What do you guys recomend, start from scratch or is there a bass ass STI that is waiting for me outthere

Can an Sti get into the 10s, has anyone done that with this car yet? Thanx

Sam

PRGWRX · 05-06-2004, 03:38 AM

I would buy stock. Atleast you know there was no strain on the trans or engine so far. No one has done it with the new STI as far as i know. I think the best are in the 11's. You can do it if you have the money.

frederick

boothwrx · 05-06-2004, 03:42 AM

If your plan is to mod the car I would go for the used one. The warranty will be dead after any major mods, might as well save the money for parts.

grndc2gsr · 05-06-2004, 05:46 AM

just because the car is modded doesn't mean it has been abused. most of us here would consider our cars not abused and most ppl her have modded cars. it is always a good idea to have the car checked out before u buy it. you want to run ten's, good luck hope u have a lot of money and a spare car

1DOWNCLOWN · 05-06-2004, 09:01 AM

i got mine used.... no real problems yet but its still under warranty

rex65 · 05-06-2004, 10:19 AM

If you want to go that fast by the car with mods.

The abuse will not matter much since you will be pushing it to the limit anyway.

10's is a lot of money, skill, second car, etc..

STidreaming · 05-06-2004, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PRGWRX
I would buy stock. Atleast you know there was no strain on the trans or engine so far. No one has done it with the new STI as far as i know. I think the best are in the 11's. You can do it if you have the money.

frederick

Wow really I thought I heard rumor someone in Cali has ran tens with this car already?? I was thinking bigger turbo and a small shot of Nos could do the trick, am I wrong here?? I do have an everyday accord for a beater so I'm not worried about the car being in the shop

Lots of great advice here keeping coming guys, I apreciate it a bunch

Sam

STidreaming · 05-06-2004, 01:24 PM

So what is the fastest this car has gotten, I would think with it being light weight and awd it should do well with a big ass turbo and nitrous, the CR is only 8.0:1 right

What kinda whp are we talking about, I'm thinking ~575 can do the trick

Is that doable? Thanx again.

Sam

MikeWRX-NJ · 05-06-2004, 01:26 PM

i would never buy used from a dealer. i'd only buy it from someone i know, and i trust that didn't kill the car.

think of it this way, i have 285whp, however i always warm the car up, don't run into boost for the first 15minutes of driving, and rarely boost over 10psi. ( i just dont need it in city traffic)

on the other hand, a mom who owned a stock wrx, probably never warmed it up and floored it as soon as she got onto a main road. and dont get me started about people forgetting oil changed.

BAM · 05-06-2004, 04:03 PM

stock - at least that way you can guarentee that no mods have been done to void the warentee

Jon Bogert · 05-06-2004, 04:44 PM

I won't comment on "run deep 10s"

but you can get a great deal by buying a modified car. Before de-modding my RS, I was asking about a $3k premium for about $14k in mods. If you find a modified car that comes close to what you were going to do to it--buy it and save!

When shopping for a modified car, there are a whole different set of criteria to look for. #1, in my opinion, is the quality of the shop that designed and installed the mods and maintains the car. #2 would be an adult owner who can easily afford the car and isn't cutting corners with components or maintenance. Nothing would scare me away faster than a do-it-yourselfer 19 year old who modified his car in his driveway paycheck by paycheck.

STidreaming · 05-06-2004, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon Bogert
I won't comment on "run deep 10s" but you can get a great deal by buying a modified car. Before de-modding my RS, I was asking about a $3k premium for about $14k in mods. If you find a modified car that comes close to what you were going to do to it--buy it and save!

When shopping for a modified car, there are a whole different set of criteria to look for. #1, in my opinion, is the quality of the shop that designed and installed the mods and maintains the car. #2 would be an adult owner who can easily afford the car and isn't cutting corners with components or maintenance. Nothing would scare me away faster than a do-it-yourselfer 19 year old who modified his car in his driveway paycheck by paycheck.

good point, last thing I want is some 19year old's car, hell I'm 22 I remember those days

I was thinking the same thing as far as premiums for modds, very hard to get half what you put in. Please comment about the deep tens, am I nuts for trying this?

Sam

grndc2gsr · 05-06-2004, 08:17 PM

if u buy a used stock one with no mods how do u know that there were no mods on it? it could have been the most moded wrx out there. just get a car that is in good working order moded or not

DrBiggly · 05-07-2004, 12:04 AM

Any Subaru I've ever heard of anywhere near the deep 10s had to have a full or half dogbox tranny (or auto), usually a stripped interior, and a nearly undriveable setup for the street. If you just want to get into the 10s on the track, this isn't the car for you. Subarus historically do not drag race well; that's why you hear so much about the Rigoli guys down in Australia and ESX; it's that rare.

What makes Subarus great are the handling dynamics. The every day driveability, the reasonable power, and their overall usefulness. AWD: Rain, snow, or shine. Turbo: Wheee! 4 doors: Still useful with friends. It doesn't do any one thing wonderfully well, however it's a great compromise on a lot of things.

I'm not saying that your "deep 10s" is unattainable; merely highly unlikely and rather unrealistic. Have fun!

Wylde Horses · 05-07-2004, 05:26 AM

Bear in mind, I'm coming from domesticland here - I know a little about Mustangs and what's needed to make them go fast - but here is my take on what is necessary to make a car go fast (ie, deep 10s) and why it is not street friendly...

What it comes down to is a combination of component strength, power/weight and suspension. To run a quick quarter mile, you have to have very good traction. Very good traction is very hard on the drivetrain, so breaking axles and driveshafts becomes a problem. With stronger axles and driveshafts, you are putting alot more strain on the tranny and clutch, so those are usually the next to go (or in some cases the first - depends on the driver

). All these stronger drivetrain components add up to greater drivetrain noise and in some cases a less forgiving ride, to the point where driving accross town becomes a chore.

Next on the list is power and weight. No doubt about it, you'll need a whole lot more power, and a whole lot less weight. The power levels we're talking about will wear out parts quicker, not to mention increase noise levels once again. About this time, parts within the cabin (handles, buttons, latches) may start to hum and buzz from the added noise/vibrations. Now you're driving accross town in your noisy/uncomfortable car, and you're not sure if something might break along the way. Better get a membership with AAA just in case.

But that's not all. There comes a point of diminishing returns where it gets much harder and much more expensive to get power out of the engine, so you have to change gears and start removing weight. Those comfortable, power-everything heated seats might be a little too heavy, as are the A/C, stereo and stereo equipment (hmm, theres nothing to cover over the drivetrain noise), sound deadening material (whee, we can hear the drivetrain noise even better now!), and safety equipment (things that ensure that bodypanels, etc. go in certain directions in a crash and not others, stuff like that). So lets see, we're driving accross town, in a noisy car, not sure if we'll get there without something breaking, sweating 'cuz the AC is gone, and now with a headache because two handles and a switch are singing a 3 part harmony with the exhaust/drivetrain noise, and you can't even drown it out with the stereo, nervous about anyone rearending you because a small accident will now do serious damage to your ride. No to mention, your butt hurts cuz you had to swap out to a racing seat that doesn't have much cushioning on it, and you removed the back seat to drop another 60 pounds so you had to leave 3 buddies behind.

And finally, we need suspenion. I'm not sure exactly what sort of suspension works best w/ AWD, but I'm betting it's not the best for the street (I know with RWD/FWD, drag suspension greatly reduces the ability of the car to take much in the way of corners). At the very least, it will be rough and unforgiving. If your butt was complaining before... So where are we now... Getting accross town, lotsa noise/vibration, very uncomfortable (better have a massage lined up at your destination), not sure if the knocking you just heard needs to be fixed now or if it can wait till you get home, you can only take one passenger (unless you took out the front passenger seat as well), but they are not sure they really wanna go with you as there is no AC or stereo, and your car now feels about as comfortable and maneuverable as a tank.

Oh, and to run at a track legally at that ET, you'll need a roll cage, so getting in and out of the car becomes a feat of acrobatics.

But now you've done it. You have a car that will "reliably" run 10s, but is not really reliable or comfortable enough to drive accross town unless it's sitting ontop of a trailer.

IMHO a car that runs low 12s to high 11s is much easier to take care of, and can still be used on the street to some degree. Feel free to flame away.

Cliff notes - What DrBiggly said.

AlanWRX · 05-07-2004, 06:22 AM

If you want to run 10's buy a domestic V8 and mod it.

Wylde Horses · 05-07-2004, 11:25 AM

Domestic V8s have a number of the same problems when you get into the 10s.

DrBiggly · 05-07-2004, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wylde Horses

Cliff notes - What DrBiggly said.

Thanks.

ZoomnWRX · 05-08-2004, 02:25 PM

get a mustang if you want a 10 second car that you could still kinda drive on the street normally

Wylde Horses · 05-08-2004, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ZoomnWRX
get a mustang if you want a 10 second car that you could still kinda drive on the street normally

If anything I would say get a Camaro, but no matter what you get, with what you'll have to do to get into the 10s, the car will be a good deal less reliable, and a whole lot less comfortable on the street, not to mention the roll cage. If you want a ten second car, you'll also want a daily driver and a trailer.

DrBiggly · 05-08-2004, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wylde Horses
...but no matter what you get, with what you'll have to do to get into the 10s, the car will be a good deal less reliable, and a whole lot less comfortable on the street, not to mention the roll cage. If you want a ten second car, you'll also want a daily driver and a trailer.

Thanks for the reiteration, however this has already been said at least twice now.

STiMULi · 05-08-2004, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DrBiggly
Thanks for the reiteration, however this has already been said at least twice now.

and now so has this ^

DrBiggly · 05-08-2004, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by STiMULi
and now so has this ^

Some folks don't have great reading comprehension. Besides, repetition leads to retention. Few more times and maybe they'll quit repeating what I said in the first place.

STiMULi · 05-08-2004, 05:22 PM

IMO...

If you want a race car buy a race car. If you want performance and have limited funds buy a new STOCK STi and leave it stock.

If you have too much money buy a stock STi and mod it.

Do not buy someone elses performance mods because in the back of your mind you will always wonder when its gunna go or if it was mistreated or why they really sold it.

We all take care of our vehicles right? Well some of us don't and we read all over this site of people taking it too far and KABLOOEY!

Buy the warranteed performance you desire for what you can afford.

05-07-2004, 05:26 AM	#15
Wylde Horses Scooby Specialist Member#: 61255 Join Date: May 2004 Chapter/Region: VIC Location: Port Coquitlam, BC Vehicle: 2002 WRX dirty silver	Bear in mind, I'm coming from domesticland here - I know a little about Mustangs and what's needed to make them go fast - but here is my take on what is necessary to make a car go fast (ie, deep 10s) and why it is not street friendly... What it comes down to is a combination of component strength, power/weight and suspension. To run a quick quarter mile, you have to have very good traction. Very good traction is very hard on the drivetrain, so breaking axles and driveshafts becomes a problem. With stronger axles and driveshafts, you are putting alot more strain on the tranny and clutch, so those are usually the next to go (or in some cases the first - depends on the driver ). All these stronger drivetrain components add up to greater drivetrain noise and in some cases a less forgiving ride, to the point where driving accross town becomes a chore. Next on the list is power and weight. No doubt about it, you'll need a whole lot more power, and a whole lot less weight. The power levels we're talking about will wear out parts quicker, not to mention increase noise levels once again. About this time, parts within the cabin (handles, buttons, latches) may start to hum and buzz from the added noise/vibrations. Now you're driving accross town in your noisy/uncomfortable car, and you're not sure if something might break along the way. Better get a membership with AAA just in case. But that's not all. There comes a point of diminishing returns where it gets much harder and much more expensive to get power out of the engine, so you have to change gears and start removing weight. Those comfortable, power-everything heated seats might be a little too heavy, as are the A/C, stereo and stereo equipment (hmm, theres nothing to cover over the drivetrain noise), sound deadening material (whee, we can hear the drivetrain noise even better now!), and safety equipment (things that ensure that bodypanels, etc. go in certain directions in a crash and not others, stuff like that). So lets see, we're driving accross town, in a noisy car, not sure if we'll get there without something breaking, sweating 'cuz the AC is gone, and now with a headache because two handles and a switch are singing a 3 part harmony with the exhaust/drivetrain noise, and you can't even drown it out with the stereo, nervous about anyone rearending you because a small accident will now do serious damage to your ride. No to mention, your butt hurts cuz you had to swap out to a racing seat that doesn't have much cushioning on it, and you removed the back seat to drop another 60 pounds so you had to leave 3 buddies behind. And finally, we need suspenion. I'm not sure exactly what sort of suspension works best w/ AWD, but I'm betting it's not the best for the street (I know with RWD/FWD, drag suspension greatly reduces the ability of the car to take much in the way of corners). At the very least, it will be rough and unforgiving. If your butt was complaining before... So where are we now... Getting accross town, lotsa noise/vibration, very uncomfortable (better have a massage lined up at your destination), not sure if the knocking you just heard needs to be fixed now or if it can wait till you get home, you can only take one passenger (unless you took out the front passenger seat as well), but they are not sure they really wanna go with you as there is no AC or stereo, and your car now feels about as comfortable and maneuverable as a tank. Oh, and to run at a track legally at that ET, you'll need a roll cage, so getting in and out of the car becomes a feat of acrobatics. But now you've done it. You have a car that will "reliably" run 10s, but is not really reliable or comfortable enough to drive accross town unless it's sitting ontop of a trailer. IMHO a car that runs low 12s to high 11s is much easier to take care of, and can still be used on the street to some degree. Feel free to flame away. Cliff notes - What DrBiggly said. Last edited by Wylde Horses; 05-07-2004 at 05:33 AM.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

05-06-2004, 03:35 AM	#1
STidreaming Scooby Newbie Member#: 61317 Join Date: May 2004 Location: San Diego	Should I buy stock car or modded?? Hello all, new to the site and new to the Subarus all together. I have some $$ saved up, actually more than enough to buy an Sti and was wondering should I get a stock one,new or buy modded and used and save some $$$. My ultimate goal is to have a bad ass car that can run deep 10s or lower and still be somewhat driveable on the street What do you guys recomend, start from scratch or is there a bass ass STI that is waiting for me outthere Can an Sti get into the 10s, has anyone done that with this car yet? Thanx Sam

05-06-2004, 03:38 AM	#2
PRGWRX Scooby Specialist Member#: 22498 Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: ORLANDO, FL Vehicle: 2002 WRX BLUE	I would buy stock. Atleast you know there was no strain on the trans or engine so far. No one has done it with the new STI as far as i know. I think the best are in the 11's. You can do it if you have the money. frederick

05-06-2004, 03:42 AM	#3
boothwrx Scooby Newbie Member#: 10584 Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Ft Meade, MD Vehicle: 2010 BMW 135i 2010 VW GTI	If your plan is to mod the car I would go for the used one. The warranty will be dead after any major mods, might as well save the money for parts.

05-06-2004, 05:46 AM	#4
grndc2gsr Scooby Newbie Member#: 42070 Join Date: Aug 2003 Chapter/Region: SCIC Location: orange, ca Vehicle: 2007 S2000 gpw	just because the car is modded doesn't mean it has been abused. most of us here would consider our cars not abused and most ppl her have modded cars. it is always a good idea to have the car checked out before u buy it. you want to run ten's, good luck hope u have a lot of money and a spare car

05-06-2004, 09:01 AM	#5
1DOWNCLOWN Scooby Specialist Member#: 50287 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Franklin IN Vehicle: 02 WRX silver	i got mine used.... no real problems yet but its still under warranty

05-06-2004, 10:19 AM	#6
rex65 Scooby Newbie Member#: 34280 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lincroft, NJ Vehicle: 2003 WRX-Cobb II Silver	If you want to go that fast by the car with mods. The abuse will not matter much since you will be pushing it to the limit anyway. 10's is a lot of money, skill, second car, etc..

05-06-2004, 01:24 PM	#8
STidreaming Scooby Newbie Member#: 61317 Join Date: May 2004 Location: San Diego	So what is the fastest this car has gotten, I would think with it being light weight and awd it should do well with a big ass turbo and nitrous, the CR is only 8.0:1 right What kinda whp are we talking about, I'm thinking ~575 can do the trick Is that doable? Thanx again. Sam

05-06-2004, 01:26 PM	#9
MikeWRX-NJ Scooby Specialist Member#: 33410 Join Date: Feb 2003 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: wishing i was somewhere else Vehicle: 08 wrx dgm	i would never buy used from a dealer. i'd only buy it from someone i know, and i trust that didn't kill the car. think of it this way, i have 285whp, however i always warm the car up, don't run into boost for the first 15minutes of driving, and rarely boost over 10psi. ( i just dont need it in city traffic) on the other hand, a mom who owned a stock wrx, probably never warmed it up and floored it as soon as she got onto a main road. and dont get me started about people forgetting oil changed.

05-06-2004, 04:03 PM	#10
BAM Scooby Newbie Member#: 34230 Join Date: Mar 2003 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Titus Pullo is a thug.	stock - at least that way you can guarentee that no mods have been done to void the warentee

05-06-2004, 04:44 PM	#11
Jon Bogert Scooby Specialist Member#: 1133 Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: SE PA Vehicle: '04 STi '95 993 C4 '71 911 3.0 '01 S4 Avant	I won't comment on "run deep 10s" but you can get a great deal by buying a modified car. Before de-modding my RS, I was asking about a $3k premium for about $14k in mods. If you find a modified car that comes close to what you were going to do to it--buy it and save! When shopping for a modified car, there are a whole different set of criteria to look for. #1, in my opinion, is the quality of the shop that designed and installed the mods and maintains the car. #2 would be an adult owner who can easily afford the car and isn't cutting corners with components or maintenance. Nothing would scare me away faster than a do-it-yourselfer 19 year old who modified his car in his driveway paycheck by paycheck.

05-06-2004, 08:17 PM	#13
grndc2gsr Scooby Newbie Member#: 42070 Join Date: Aug 2003 Chapter/Region: SCIC Location: orange, ca Vehicle: 2007 S2000 gpw	if u buy a used stock one with no mods how do u know that there were no mods on it? it could have been the most moded wrx out there. just get a car that is in good working order moded or not

05-07-2004, 12:04 AM	#14
DrBiggly Scooby Guru Member#: 11482 Join Date: Oct 2001 Chapter/Region: South East Location: Winston-Salem, NC Vehicle: 02 WRX Acute Stickeritis	Any Subaru I've ever heard of anywhere near the deep 10s had to have a full or half dogbox tranny (or auto), usually a stripped interior, and a nearly undriveable setup for the street. If you just want to get into the 10s on the track, this isn't the car for you. Subarus historically do not drag race well; that's why you hear so much about the Rigoli guys down in Australia and ESX; it's that rare. What makes Subarus great are the handling dynamics. The every day driveability, the reasonable power, and their overall usefulness. AWD: Rain, snow, or shine. Turbo: Wheee! 4 doors: Still useful with friends. It doesn't do any one thing wonderfully well, however it's a great compromise on a lot of things. I'm not saying that your "deep 10s" is unattainable; merely highly unlikely and rather unrealistic. Have fun!

05-07-2004, 06:22 AM	#16
AlanWRX Scooby Specialist Member#: 23067 Join Date: Aug 2002 Chapter/Region: TXIC Location: Fort Worth, Texas Vehicle: 2007 Mazdaspeed3 Black	If you want to run 10's buy a domestic V8 and mod it.

05-07-2004, 11:25 AM	#17
Wylde Horses Scooby Specialist Member#: 61255 Join Date: May 2004 Chapter/Region: VIC Location: Port Coquitlam, BC Vehicle: 2002 WRX dirty silver	Domestic V8s have a number of the same problems when you get into the 10s.

05-08-2004, 02:25 PM	#19
ZoomnWRX Scooby Specialist Member#: 11605 Join Date: Oct 2001 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Long Island, NY Vehicle: 2002 01G WRX stg2 2007 Acura TSX	get a mustang if you want a 10 second car that you could still kinda drive on the street normally

05-08-2004, 05:22 PM	#24
STiMULi Scooby Specialist Member#: 59381 Join Date: Apr 2004 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: Driving down the Psychopath Vehicle: 2005 Impreza WRX STi White	IMO... If you want a race car buy a race car. If you want performance and have limited funds buy a new STOCK STi and leave it stock. If you have too much money buy a stock STi and mod it. Do not buy someone elses performance mods because in the back of your mind you will always wonder when its gunna go or if it was mistreated or why they really sold it. We all take care of our vehicles right? Well some of us don't and we read all over this site of people taking it too far and KABLOOEY! Buy the warranteed performance you desire for what you can afford.