yeah its great to have 4-600 hp at the wheels. but when your turbo doesnt spool up till 6500 rpm's your not going to do any good uless your on the highway at 120mph.

 

+1 for tires before anything. Tires are the most important and bestest upgrade.

 

........I've got to come out this wensday then. Time to bring the camara...

 

A little late, but I just want to say... I think any RS beyond the GM/GC design is OK. But I would really rather have spent a little more money to get the WRX (wagon to be exact).

But again if youre not a REV freak like me (who drives normally) I'd get RS...but only if its 98-01 RS (I got 01 RS), the main reason is for the looks...engine wise, you got better engine.

you didnt waste your money... it is a great car.

 

yeah,.. the RS is a good car. As long as its a subaru. You can't go wrong with a subaru.


anyways,.. i'm pretty much content with my stock 2.5i but down the road,. i'm planning doing some N/A tune ups n' stuff. not much of a turbo kind of guy. i'm gonna make'em one sleeper. an automatic sleeper..

 

As an owner of an STi, I can tell you that I've met a lot of STi owners that are full of crap. I keep talking to all of these STi owners that claim to be running 13.20s and 13.30s in the 1/4 mile at 103-105 mph bone stock, but the gods' honest truth is that I have NEVER seen a stock STi break 13.70s. It's the same story with Evos. I've never seen one run faster than high 13s.

I'm not saying that there aren't STis/Evos out there that aren't running low 13s, but I personally haven't seen'em. For the record, I do visit the track quite often. So, where are all these low 13 STis/Evos, because I'm not seeing them.....

 

No, you did not waste your money. You bought a good car for an affordable price. Your car has around 165-175 hp and it weighs around 3100 lbs. For the record, my mother's old 1997 Chevy Malibu's V6 only put out around 160 hp, and also weighed significantly more than 3100 lbs.

Your car will probably run high 15s in the 1/4 mile. No, high 15s aren't overly quick, but it's not bad either. Keep in mind that back in the early-mid 80s V8 Camaros and Mustangs were running 16.10s in the 1/4 mile.

Your car is a reliably built machine, and you like it. If you are happy with your car then you don't need a WRX or an STi. You didn't get screwed, and you didn't waste your money. Take a step back and look at the package that you got for $17,000. Look at the other cars on the market that run $17,000. You could've ended up in a Ford Focus or a Chevy Cobalt. How'bout a Kia or a Hyundai? Honda Civic? IMO, NONE of these cars even touch the 2.5 RS in terms of either overall performance or value. Where else can you get a NEW car for $17,000?

Will your car make "good horsepower?" I don't know. What's your idea of "good horsepower?"

While I wouldn't personally throw serious money into a normally aspirated 4 cylinder motor, I would throw on a few bolt-ons. Bolt on a few parts, crack out 185-200 hp, and you'll have yourself a hot little performer. My personal recommendation to you is to work with the braking/suspension more than the power. As is, your car is spirited enough to provide you a rewarding acceleration experience, and once you do some suspension modifications you may find your car even more rewarding to drive than by doing go-fast mods, especially on the back roads.

Keep in mind that on back roads the twisties can come up very quickly, and then you find yourself overwhelming the braking and suspension components, especially in a car like an STi. Not to mention, while you're travelling down twisties between trees and whatever, it gives the false sense that you are moving faster than you really are.

My personal recipe for your car would be a full catback exhaust with headers, cold air intake with high-flow air filter, and plugs/wires. Otherwise, I'd be putting my money into braking/suspension mods.

You like your car, enjoy it, and don't worry about making everyone else happy. Your car is fine, and I would definitely purchase one for a reliable daily driver at a budgeted price.

 

Is the Apexi N1 exhaust for WRX~?and is it the cat back~?I have a 2006 2.5i~i deciding to mods its exhaust, but i worrying is it fit on my car~

 

I know on the 05' from the cat out its the same.

 

hrm... I'd chime in and say you made a good choice for your situation, but it seems everyone else has done that allready.

Plus the money you saved can be spent on mods, and perhaps a set of wheels or a decent stereo?

-Cheers

 

thanks i'm acutally gutting my car right now, i got some beautiful motogi (spl) wheels just need some tires! i'm also looking for suspensions but i'm dumb to that part of the playing field, but i'll figure it out i guess!

everyone's support is much apreciated!!!!

looks like i'm joining the army this weekend so my car project is going to be put on hold...... : ( sad..... but its for a good reason! so october is the projected time i'll be leaving! i'm going to miss my car while it sits in Illinios collecting dust!