Well i drove one today. My cousins 99 2.5RS........Oh boy that shit was fun as fuck. I've probably driven a AWD car 2 times before that and god damnit it was like getting a chance to have sex with that chick you always wanted to bang in high school but she would never give you the time of day until that one day 10 years later you went back to your hometown good looking and successful all the while she's working at mcdonalds but still look hot as fuck.......

In any event come next year when i get my tax returns i'm trying to put together 7K to buy an AWD impreza + go turbo with it. I'm not rich enough for a recent one and I really don't wanna finance anything......so I figure i'd go with a regular N/A impreza and throw an EJ20 in it. here's the few questions i have.

How are the differentials/transmissions on the regular impreza's VS the wrx/sti models?

How much work is it to go turbocharged on one of these?

Straight up no bullshit price, how much am I looking at to go turbo on one of these?(turbo, tuning, engine everything)

what are known things to watch out for when dealing with these cars?

Any specific year I should maybe try and get that may have an advantage over others or anything?

 

WOW is this how they get down in subaru tech. All we'll drive my ass, 39 views and noone has anything they can add?

 

get an sti...less problems if you want to make any sort of "high" horsepower

if you plan on keeping it under 330to the wheels get a wrx...

2.5rs are great...but a bit sluggish..even with a turbo kit. with an sti swap...they are a boat load of fun.

ej25 ftw...
ej20 is oldschool now

 

holy bajeebus...I could go on for quite a while about options...all really pending about how serious you want to go with performance?
ultimately how much power do you want from the car? That will be my first question
Three main roads assuming you are looking at a 99-01 RS...other models my suggestions would vary a bit.
1. Factory turbo engine swap doing lots of wiring
2. Turbo the SOHC EJ25 and run plug and play hydra
3. install factory turbo engine (or pre-built one pending power goals) and custom plug and play hydra to make it work...yes, Andrew can do it...you can even has a AVCS board that'll plug and play in a RS

All can make great power but some easier than others...personally choice 3 is what I'd suggest having done the other two. The SOHC will cap your power goals becuase of cams and head flow. Highest I've ever seen was one I work on making 460 lb-ft of torque on our mustang dyno (540'ish on a dynojet). Wiring in a factory engine is a lot of labor and PITA. Pre 96's are even more intensive and difficult. 96+'s aren't that bad but time consuming.
As for drivetrain, let me know your power goals...I'll let you know tranny and diff suggestions...

Put simply, let us know what you want to get from the car power or performance wise...that'll help to narrow my suggestions

 

2.5s are sick escpecially with a swap ,tommy kaira

 

Lookin all over ebay and craigslist a 02 wrx can be had for around 10k it seems so i'm thinking I might just save the headache and go with something factory turbo. Also they look loads better IMO.

I drive an Integra now, and although i have mine lowered on a good set of springs and have some decent handling options installed the driving dynamics are still shit compared to when my cousin let me drive the RS. I thought the car had a life of its own when we went into a tight corner going 40 MPH and the car didn't feel at all like it was going to go anywhere.......that's why i decided to go with an impreza...only other option i had was an evo...but am not spend 20K+ for a used car..... . so to answer your question I'm thinking i might go for an 02 wrx though...that's what am shooting for.

 

i miss my teg

 

can't blame you for keeping it simple but can blame you for wanting a heavier car
good luck car hunting and fire away if you have any questions.
-Micah