So I have been putting more time/money into my Impreza as I am starting to AutoX and track my wagon. With each successive drive, I am finding things that I can upgrade that lend to better handling. The problem is, I am now at the point where my next upgrade is the suspension, outright. New struts, adjustable shocks (Koni inserts), STI Pink springs, adjustible camber plates, sedan front control arms, sedan front sway, endlinks, lateral links, trailing links, strut tower bars (f/r), cowl brace, and some smaller assorted pieces. After the suspension it's big brakes, which means I need to get new wheels to clear the rotors and calipers. New wheels means two sets, as the second set will be track tires (type r compounds). I am looking at ~$5-7k and that is without even touching the engine which will undoubtedly be another $3k or so to max it out. And even then, once I have done that, I still have a normally aspirated that I *might* be able to get over 200whp without polishing the heads and running racing cams. And I'm not interested in cracking open the engine case until my warranty has run out.
Basically, I am looking at ~$10k worth of work to my car to get it not even close to where the STI comes stock. So here is my debate, do I just stop putting funds into my wagon with the exception of repairs and maintainance and just start saving for a down payment for a WRX or STI, or do I keep upgrading the wagon and then upgrade to an STI or WRX once I have maxed out the car's abilities (ie once it truley becomes the car holding me back).
If I go for the WRX, I am looking at about $23-25k for a new 06/07, or $17-19k for a used 06. By year end, I can have about $15-18k worth of deposit after selling my car and savings. That will leave me with a small loan (~$7k) and I should be able to pay it off entirely w/in a year. That being said, I know I will want to start the upgrade game again right away. I will be wanting to do most of the same suspension/braking upgrades as on my wagon, so I'm looking at $5-7k again. Which puts me back up into the $30k range (see STI) I do not need more engine than the WRX makes stock, and I'd much rather have an underpowered car that handles/stops incredibly.
If I got STI, I will not buy used. There are too many rider boi's who trash their STI's that I will not risk buying from one of them (see pink bike analogy). Due to this, I am looking at $32-35 for a new STI. Out of the box, there is little I would do to an STI other than sways, endlinks, and aluminum control arms. That's only about $1000 total. I need to spend a LOT more time behind the wheel on the track and doing autoX before I can get even close to the point that I can get even close to maxing out the STI.
The handling differences between my wagon full-mod, the wrx full-mod, and the STI minimal-mods, will be minimal. Braking, again, will be mimimal. The huge difference will be power. The wagon with serious investment *might* be able to hit 200whp, maybe. The WRX comes out of the box with ~ 200whp, while the STI is closer to 230whp.
As it stands, I am only able to pull people in hyper-curvey courses. If there are any straights, all my gains from cornering are lost due to a lack of power. The best analogy would be a locksmith opening a lock: the wagon is a proper lock pick - it takes more skill and time, and is easily overpowered by force. The WRX is a crowbar- it takes a bit of talent to open it fast and is beat by power, but it's faster than picking the lock. The STI is a sledge hammer - with talent, you can open it quickly (crowbar), with a lot of experience, you can become a master (pick), but when all else fails, you can win through brute power.
As it stands now, I can give a lot of people a good run for their money through straight driving skill. Should I continue my education (wagon) such that when I get a more powerful vehicle I am able to widen the gap quickly, or should I start with the proper tool and learn how to use it correctly? The money is an issue too. I currently own my car outright, so I don't have payments. Going with a WRX will leave me with payments for a year or so. The STI will leave me with payments for 2-3 years. My insurance rate will also go up with the WRX (2x), and exponentially with the STI (3x).
Any thoughts? Steve? Toshi?
Basically, I am looking at ~$10k worth of work to my car to get it not even close to where the STI comes stock. So here is my debate, do I just stop putting funds into my wagon with the exception of repairs and maintainance and just start saving for a down payment for a WRX or STI, or do I keep upgrading the wagon and then upgrade to an STI or WRX once I have maxed out the car's abilities (ie once it truley becomes the car holding me back).
If I go for the WRX, I am looking at about $23-25k for a new 06/07, or $17-19k for a used 06. By year end, I can have about $15-18k worth of deposit after selling my car and savings. That will leave me with a small loan (~$7k) and I should be able to pay it off entirely w/in a year. That being said, I know I will want to start the upgrade game again right away. I will be wanting to do most of the same suspension/braking upgrades as on my wagon, so I'm looking at $5-7k again. Which puts me back up into the $30k range (see STI) I do not need more engine than the WRX makes stock, and I'd much rather have an underpowered car that handles/stops incredibly.
If I got STI, I will not buy used. There are too many rider boi's who trash their STI's that I will not risk buying from one of them (see pink bike analogy). Due to this, I am looking at $32-35 for a new STI. Out of the box, there is little I would do to an STI other than sways, endlinks, and aluminum control arms. That's only about $1000 total. I need to spend a LOT more time behind the wheel on the track and doing autoX before I can get even close to the point that I can get even close to maxing out the STI.
The handling differences between my wagon full-mod, the wrx full-mod, and the STI minimal-mods, will be minimal. Braking, again, will be mimimal. The huge difference will be power. The wagon with serious investment *might* be able to hit 200whp, maybe. The WRX comes out of the box with ~ 200whp, while the STI is closer to 230whp.
As it stands, I am only able to pull people in hyper-curvey courses. If there are any straights, all my gains from cornering are lost due to a lack of power. The best analogy would be a locksmith opening a lock: the wagon is a proper lock pick - it takes more skill and time, and is easily overpowered by force. The WRX is a crowbar- it takes a bit of talent to open it fast and is beat by power, but it's faster than picking the lock. The STI is a sledge hammer - with talent, you can open it quickly (crowbar), with a lot of experience, you can become a master (pick), but when all else fails, you can win through brute power.
As it stands now, I can give a lot of people a good run for their money through straight driving skill. Should I continue my education (wagon) such that when I get a more powerful vehicle I am able to widen the gap quickly, or should I start with the proper tool and learn how to use it correctly? The money is an issue too. I currently own my car outright, so I don't have payments. Going with a WRX will leave me with payments for a year or so. The STI will leave me with payments for 2-3 years. My insurance rate will also go up with the WRX (2x), and exponentially with the STI (3x).
Any thoughts? Steve? Toshi?