Hey guys, I was thinking about maybe getting into a Impresa 2.5 RS Coupe if possible in a few months. I been looking around Online for Minnesota area to see if I can buy one out there once i move. But hard to find any online that easy or near by states. Anyways.... Now my question is this;

1. Is it worth getting this car model and doing a STi Swap?

2. How much would it cost for a well done STi Swap?

3. How much dose this cars run for and what is a good price to pick one up according to miles on the car?

4. What is the Pro and Cons for this models from 1998 to 2001?

5. What I should look for when test driving a used RS model?

6. What kind of recommedation would you guys give me as far as searching for a good car around 4K-8K or maybe tops 10K Max that is AWD and maybe even Turbo?

Thanks In advance!

 

I'm not an expert, but will try to help:

1. Yes, if you can find a well kept model and can afford the time and money for the swap. They didn't sell many of those cars here, so finding a good one, especially if you are really wanting a coupe, is going to be difficult.
2. Don't really know, a guess would be 8-14 grand to do it right and using relatively new parts, but it's only a guess.
3. KBB, craigslist, factor in the rarity
4. It is arguably one of the best looking Impreza's made, it's lighter than the current versions, it is more rare. It is not as stiff as the newer ones, and as cars age, they become less stiff, wiring harnesses deteriorate, etc.
5. A clean body if you intend to do a swap.
6. An older Impreza without doing the swap.

Good luck!

 

If you want to do a swap, you'll need the complete drivetrain, not just the engine. The tranny and rear diff won't be able to handle the power being put down by an sti. That can get quite pricey. Also, you'll need to beef up the suspension. I owned an RS and it was pretty soft. Struts, springs, swaybars.

 

yeah its a 'sqwishy' car stock.
my coupe ran me $11k with 73,000 miles on it, manual.
If you want the 2.5L displacement but dont want to get into a full out sti swap just find an ej257 short block and slap your heads on it, stiffen up the valve springs and retainers and turbo that. As for the rear diff, some people have been doing just fine on theres with decent power to it... I say dont replace it till you break it.
as far as suspension, you dont have to go fancy .. mine is nice and ferm with kyb gr2 struts, white line flat out springs, 21mm rear sway bar, and the white line anti lift kit is a must if you hate understeer!!

 

not that i-club is not a great site but you might want to check out rs25.com