get the sti because it already has a 6 spd and stronger engine along with a bigger intercooler,exhaust dccd, avcs,....if u were to mod ur car like that it would cost alot and almost virtually impossible(not really but it would take a long time)

 

i would get a wrx just because the 2 liter rally hiertage. when i found out the sti was a 2.5 liter i was very dissapointed.
for a wrx, swap the 6mt would still be cheaper than a sti, and u;ll still have money left over for suspention upgrads and sti brakes.

 

How's that?

A WRX 5speed to STi 6 speed conversion kit including trans with DCCD costs $9,300 plus shipping at RalliSpec .
Add in the cost of installation (another $1k?) plus taxes and your pushing near $12K just for the trans swap alone.

For that kind of cash you could pick up a real STi and save your self the downtime and headache. Plus pickup the STi suspension and other bits essentially for 'free'.
And you get factory warranty coverage to boot!

WRX = Quick & fun daily driver.
Poor man's US EVO without the stiff (harsh) ride, questionable long term 'Lancer' build quality (although the engine is known to be solid), and its a known to be four season friendly!

STi = Fast & fun squared weekend racer that is livable for day to day traffic & travel.
Poor man's 'lightweight' M5 with equivalent exclusivity and enthusiast reverance minus the leather, DVD Nav, factory radio, weight and Enron executive level service rates!

- Janq

 

depends on where u get the parts. if u ge the 02-03 wrx, not the new ones with the new head lights, that gen sti does not have the dccd. and if u look for it, that's as if u have frineds who travels to japan, u can get one in pretty good shape, transmissions from totaled cars, that is. and because the new ge impreza is only 2 yrs old, most of the gear boxes would be in pretty good shape. if u look for parts on web sites and stuff, ofcourse they r gonna jack up the price a bit, to make a living themselves. but where do they get their gear boxes? i don't think fuji heavy industry supplies them with their parts.
DCCD is alot like the ACD of mitsubishi evo 7, and ppl who test drove both said that the subaru is more fun because of the ACD takes away of the fun. it could make a crappy driver go fast, but when the computer takes care of everything it could be quite boreing.

 

I looked into swapping my WRX into an STI. I was going to do everything, not just the engine and tranny. It would have cost over $20k. If the STI comes in around $30k, its cheaper than modding a wrx.

 

This may all be true in regard to sourcing used parts from Japan but thats not going to gain you a 50% discount against US retail.
Maybe you could pay $.90 against the dollar on these used JP parts but keep in mind they are still very much in demand in the homemarket as well as Europe.
Not to mention the additional cost of shipping and any applicable tariffs, plus time toward research and paperwork. Time is money.
And still, having the parts on your garage floor doesn't make you an STi. They still have to be installed and tested to verify functionality. I've bought tons of used parts, as well as supported that industry, and I can tell you it ain't always plug & play even for similar models & years.
Then even if everythign goes well you'll end up with a garage floor of used WRX parts that you'll have to sell to recoup losses.
Yes, losses. Those WRX parts didn't come to you for free. SO now you need to sell them for the most you can get to recover loss against what you paid for the car as a whole.
Oh, and it doesn't end there. The resulting 'Frankenstein STi' you've "built" is still just a plain old WRX with STi bits. That means your _WRX_ is now worthless than it was to start even though it may have higher costing STi parts. Yeah, you might be able to sel it to one or two people as is and even trick them out of near STi money. Remember there is a sucker born every minute. But IRL and for the majority the street value of the car will drop off significantly.
Many other marques have seen this occur. Visit any BMW board and see how many 540 to M5 conversions are out there....and how they are near impossible to pawn off on others for sale. Also look into the Dinan upgraded 3, 5 and M series vehicles.
Or for that matter any 'modified' car with the excption of street rods and period 'hot rods'.

It's all good for the original owner but when he/she goes to sell it gets tough as nobody wants to buy somebody elses potentially shoddy work or raced/abused non-stock car.

If you can build up any year WRX into an STi, as per the original post, then great. But fiscal sense & cents say that its better to save up a few more bones or take out a larger loan and steup up to the STi if thats really what yoou want.

- Janq

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." - Unknown
"Anybody will buy anything, if the price is right." - Janq
"There is a sucker born every minute." - P.T. Barnum

 

If you want the speed and handling then get the STI. It will be much more expensive to make a WRX handle and perform like the STi. I don't even know why people ask this question. The STi is not a modded WRX...it has many differences other than stiffer springs and bigger engine. You shouldn't even ask yourself this question because the STi will hold it's value better. The only question mark is the engine...how will it take to mods? On paper it looks really good though.

 

The STI is a SEVERLY upgraded WRX. Beyond what a normal guy can do in his garage.

 

This is what I ment. It more than a bigger engine and stiffer suspension. It would cost much more money to get a WRX to the level of the STi than it would be to just buy the STi from the start.

 

YUP

 

Exactly...Jaypride is 100% correct!

Reference the following to better understand the difference.

Complete and independently developed/designed & constructed stand alone models;
'Regular' WRX 2.0T sedan = Mustang GT = BMW 3/5 Series
WRX 'STi' = Saleen GT = BMW M5/M3
Other notable examples include the Z06, RS6, S8 & S4

Standard production models with that include hardware & trim level upgrades/revisions;
'Regular' WRX 2.0T wagon = Legacy wagon/sedan = Dodge Neon
WRX 'Outback' wagon = 'Outback' wagon/sedan = Dodge 'SRT-4'
Other notable examples include the Viper 'ACR', Boxster S, Cooper S & EVO.

I hope this helps...

- Janq