nice, hes up on two wheels
From what I hear, the swap is a nightmare any way you cut it - but the wrx is a little nicer than the RS. Plus, I want to keep it stock as long as possible, and do the swap only when shit starts to break.
I’m looking at the low teens, not mid to high. If I had $19k, then I would buy a beat STi. And just because GM was giving a discount, that doesn’t mean that they are going for less than book value. Don’t get me wrong, I would love a Saabaru, but I am looking at the $12-14k range.
Are you kidding?
My WRX couldn’t put the power down in cornering worth a shit. It would spin the inside front tires like it was FWD all day on the autocross course. A rear swaybar does nothing other than TAKES AWAY Grip from the rear of your car, and it will only usually help rotate the car off throttle.
The differentials make all the difference in the world in the STI. Ask anyone who has Competitively driven both cars. Xman?
Last year’s Solo National results suggest that AS Sti’s are considerably faster than STX WRX’s (by a few seconds), but that could be attributed to the tires.
OT, what are high mileage 04-05 STI’s going for these days/?? im not looking to purchase til next summer after my lease is up. but I dont want no 400+ car note on a used high mileage sti for 5 years
I have auto-x’d both cars, and don’t get me wrong the STi is definitely more capable and easier to drive fast. Not to mention they have power everywhere and all that torque, which IMO is the main reason they beat out all the STX WRX’s. That said, with my summer tires on, I don’t remember the last time I spun that front inside wheel. The car had no problem holding the road.
As for differences between the 9-2x and WRX wagon as far as suspension goes. The 9-2x uses the STi steering rack. If you wanted to do that with your WRX, it’s a fairly easy swap and you can pick up a used STi rack for under $200 last I checked.
You should be able to pull that off easily. Check out Jeff’s (S101 or Sl01 or something) for sale thread. He’s selling a low mileage '03 Wagon right in there.
As for ease of a STi swap, it’s not mechanically easier to do it with a WRX vs an RS, but it is a better starting point. You can use the WRX heads if you wanted as well as the intake manifold, intercooler, and a few other parts. Not to mention it comes with a stronger-than-rs tranny and LSD from the factory. Also, many of the chips or ECU’s out there have maps available for STi swapped WRX’s.