Hello all

I finally signed up today because I need your help. I know you folks know your **** when it comes to Subies.

I apologize if you've answered these questions before and I also apologize if I sound like an idiot with my questions (b/c I AM an idiot This is my FIRST attempt at customizing a car, so please be forgiving with me, like I said, I'm a n00b.

Here's my situation:
I own a red
1995 Impreza L (our third car)
2.2l 4cyl Engine (137,000 miles on it, it's running fine nicely)
Auto Transmission
4 door (had since new)
Minor Mods: Clear corner lenses and clear corner turn signals, superwhite headlight bulbs, black tints, WRX stock rims and tires (17" Potenzas), painted interior dash, vents, etc. red and custom stereo system with a 10 CD changer.

My wife has a lease on a 2002 Legacy GT which is up next year and she's bored of the Legacy, plus we prefer not to have a loan/lease out on a car (we want to get a house and we want debt-to-income ratio to be really good).

We were deciding on what to do when her lease is up (due in May 2005). One solution was to just get another lease on a 2005 Legacy GT (250hp stock) and the solution we like was to trick out the Impreza and make it uber, then she'd drive that.

We decided that approximately $6000-$7000 in upgrades over the next 2 years is what we'd be willing/able to spend. We plan on keeping the car for the long haul because we love it.


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With a $6000-7000 budget in mind, what would YOU do with my 95 Impreza and in what order? I am putty here... mold me please!

BTW I live in NY if that matters for suppliers/shipping etc...

Here is what we want to do in the order of importance to us:

1. Exterior upgrade
--Where is the best (meaning cheapest) place to find a body kit for our 95 Impreza? We're looking for a full kit (front, rear bumpers and side skirts) preferably C-West style (just something with clean lines), what kit would you suggest? We're going to have to get some mild bodywork done on the driver's side doors.
--Replace hood. Can I put an RS hood on the car (with that scoop on it)? Where could I get it? Should I just go with a Carbon fiber hood?

2. Engine swap or upgrade.. we want more power (somewhere around 200hp would be sufficient)
--What should I put in it? Can a WRX engine be put in it?
--Should I just mod it? What mods?
(a solution WITHOUT having to replace the tranny and keep costs down would be IDEAL)

3. Suspension upgrade
--Which route should I take? I just want a tighter ride when cornering. Sway bars?

4. Brake upgrade
--Can Brembos be put in? Any other suggestions? Is it even necessary?

Any other suggestions? What would YOU do to upgrade the car?

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Thanks in advance for any help you could give me (and thanks for not making fun of my ignorance ).

Awaiting your sage advice...