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View Poll Results: Upgrade 07 WRX, or trade in for and STi
Is a 2007 WRX a sound place to start a project from?
Dear Forum,
I am in the middle of a dilemma. I am down to one scoobie, and I'm not sure if I should trade up or not. The car is my 07 WRX. There is nothing wrong with it I just worry that if I spend say £2,000 on the girl in mods over the next few months, that I would have been better off selling her and topping up what I get to buy and STi.
So the question is would you, trade in for an STi, or upgrade.
Pro's and cons but you can't escape the fact that economically the STi is a better place to start even if good things can be done to WRX's. Financially, before the WRX brigade get in with 'I have a 600bhp WRX bla bla bla', STi IS the better place to start, you will always be playing upgrade catchup with the WRX. If it were me I would sell the WRX for as much as possible and buy a MY05 JDM STi and go from there.
I agree with the posts above, but from another angle....Consider what you would want to change and have budget to change on the STi. If you're changing quite a lot, then maybe pump the extra you'd be spending on the STi into the WRX.
18" Wheels, Brakes, Coilovers, ARBs, DL, ALK are some to mention a few. You'd probably want all these on the STi anyway.
Remember you'll see a fraction of what you put in come sale time though.
the gearbox is the big gain, I am paying the price now of keeping my hawkeye wrx up to 500bhp but i have looked after it so well from new it seems daft to buy a 2nd hand car with a unknown history for the sake of 4k. All the other sti parts would end up in the bin for my planned RCM build. All depends how far you want to take it .
I'd stick with what you have and upgrade that in your own style and to suit your driving needs/aspirations IMO.
It does make good sense to start with the best car (most powerful/tuned) you can though when deciding to modify it but you already own a WRX and probably know the good points and bad points of your car. Up to you though Goodluck
It depends on how far you're going obviously. If you're going bananas then it doesn't matter. If however the standard STI Brembos are gonna be enough, and the STI engine is strong enough for the power you want etc etc., then get an STI.
As said though, any decent power is gonna necessitate either an STI box or something like a PPG set and when you look at the price of these, and the price difference of the cars, you'd be as well changing the whole car rather than the box lol.
DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY trade up!
I am talking from experience! I have spent well into 5 figures on my 03 WRX. I bought it new thinking that would be enough. If i had only just got the STI to start with................
Yes I have enjoyed wasting my money, yes I now love my car again after my trip to Revolution, BUT would I do it all again on a WRX? NO, NO, NO way! LOL
I am now driving thinking constantly about the rev limit, the gearbox, the drivetrain, etc. An STI is an awesome starting platform that is bullet proof and well capable of anything you can throw at it.
Plleeaassee buy the STI and then modify that!
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Is no longer as crabbit as a scrap mans dog! I am now enjoying my car again with its new wheels and suspension.
From experiance, the amount I've thrown at my WRX to get it in STI territory would have got me a good STI and enough left to upgrade that past where my WRX is now. Put it this way next on the list is an STI bottom end and Gearbox and then I still won't have AVCS heads (or change from £5k)!
From experiance, the amount I've thrown at my WRX to get it in STI territory would have got me a good STI and enough left to upgrade that past where my WRX is now. Put it this way next on the list is an STI bottom end and Gearbox and then I still won't have AVCS heads (or change from £5k)!
I would definitely go for an STi as a better starting point for modification.
I owned a 2006 Hawkeye WRX and if I had researched the models better before buying it then I would definitely have bought an STi (at the time of my purchase I just thought an Impreza is an Impreza ).
I changed it for an JDM STi S202 which has a 2 litre engine, has the 6 speed gearbox plus better suspension, brakes etc etc and TBH is a far more enjoyable drive.
Don't get me wrong I like the 2.5 WRX but I would go for a JDM scroll model if I was looking to change now.
I've got a hawkeye WRX wagon, have spent about £5000 getting it up to 330/330, suspension & brake upgrades etc. I love the car: it makes a great daily driver and is a lot of fun on the twisty stuff; the hatch is good and practical, especially for the dog; and the understated appearance helps avoid the attention of scrotes. But: I know I'm in constrained what else I can do by the drivetrain - it's anyway lacking compared to the STi, and it's gonna take big money to get the drivetrain to a place where I could go for big power. Frankly, I wish I'd gone for an STi and just harnessed the dog to the back seat!
Agree with the majority of the posts above - my main issue was I just couldn't afford an STI when I bought my WRX but if you have the money then yeah go for it - I've spent so much buying STI parts for mine anyway!
I personally am fairly happy with the power and handling of my WRX - yes it's not quite STI level, but I'm not planning on going mad - just a sports cat downpipe, decat centre and another remap and I'll probably be happy with it - should net me about 280bhp I'm hoping.
However, with the STI you get that performance as standard, plus Brembo's which are supposedly far better than the 4 pots you find on the WRX new age models (the standard discs & pads on mine when I first bought it were frighteningly incapable of stopping quickly), the 6 speed box (which I'm guessing is better for motorway cruising and hence mpg on long distance?), better shocks and springs and a stronger block to start with. I know there's loads more differences too - just listing a few.
One thing nobody's mentioned but a couple of STI owners who used to have WRX's have talked to me about is that they said an STI is slightly less comfortable to drive if you are in town as the gearing is of course different being a six speed - they said they had to change gear more than when they had a WRX. Very minor point really - I'd have loved an STI - but like the guys say - you never make back what you spend on em, so I'm unlikely to flog it!
well ive read all the above,some gd and bad points,it all comes down to what ure looking for,the hawkeye wrx has the same 550 injectors as standard,the original tmic is gd for 350bhp,
i have the wrx sl ,i looked at an sti but i wanted the leather seats sunroof blah blah,im in the middle of getting mine upgraded,have a vf43,3"full decat,still to be fitted plus remapp,im looking at 360bhp no probs and i will still have my comfy seats lol,
if they did the sl as an sti then tbh i would have went for that,but its gd to be different,everybody mods ,so its just a question of what u can or cannot afford to do,
have a read at this it will help u decide what to do.
well ive read all the above,some gd and bad points,it all comes down to what ure looking for,the hawkeye wrx has the same 550 injectors as standard,the original tmic is gd for 350bhp,
i have the wrx sl ,i looked at an sti but i wanted the leather seats sunroof blah blah,im in the middle of getting mine upgraded,have a vf43,3"full decat,still to be fitted plus remapp,im looking at 360bhp no probs and i will still have my comfy seats lol,
if they did the sl as an sti then tbh i would have went for that,but its gd to be different,everybody mods ,so its just a question of what u can or cannot afford to do,
have a read at this it will help u decide what to do.
I'd have thought the WRX top mount would be struggling with 350bhp! I certainly wouldn't be advocating that as a good long term solution.
I'd imagine if you're running that sort of power on standard internals without an uprated intercooler or internals on an otherwise standard WRX your engine will last you about 18 months or so more before something gives up, certainly was what happened with a few bugeye WRX owners I know who went the same way.
Last edited by Bugeye_Scoob; 02 March 2010 at 20:27.
I'd have thought the WRX top mount would be struggling with 350bhp! I certainly wouldn't be advocating that as a good long term solution.
I'd imagine if you're running that sort of power on standard internals without an uprated intercooler or internals on an otherwise standard WRX your engine will last you about 18 months or so more before something gives up, certainly was what happened with a few bugeye WRX owners I know who went the same way.
the hawkeye wrx tmic is gd for 330-350bhp,i know plenty of ppl like u said have screwed there bugeyes with running high power on standard internals however after speaking to duncan and andy forrest both have said getting 350ish bhp on the standard internals is fine on the hawkeyes,only after 400bhp does andy forrest recommend a forge piston setup. AndyForrestPerformance
sure you would be fine with 350, i had planned to take mine to 350 on the wrx tmic.
There’s loads of pros and cons. Its all down to the level of power you want and if your happy to buy a used car that you don’t know the history. I decided that my Subaru was the car i have and i worked around that.
Well it is all academic now anyway. The missus cancelled all upgrade plans, and declared that as I am not commuting any more the WRX has to go. So goodbye scooby. Can't believe the best trade in I got was £7,350 for a 2007 WRX with some light mods. Had it advertised her, and on SIDC and Pistonheads with Zero interest at £8,500 and then £8,000. I can't really afford an occasional car that haemorrhages cash that fast.
Well it is all academic now anyway. The missus cancelled all upgrade plans, and declared that as I am not commuting any more the WRX has to go. So goodbye scooby. Can't believe the best trade in I got was £7,350 for a 2007 WRX with some light mods. Had it advertised her, and on SIDC and Pistonheads with Zero interest at £8,500 and then £8,000. I can't really afford an occasional car that haemorrhages cash that fast.
So it is goodbye from me and goodbye from WRX.
and goodbye trousers by the sounds of it
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There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
I have a hawk wrx 285bhp and 345 torque. Its quick enough for me and would be as quick as a blob sti ppp.
If you want more than that then the STI is the way to go. The wrx gearbox cant take much more than that were the STI gearbox is far stronger. love all the low down torque of the 2.5
well ive read all the above,some gd and bad points,it all comes down to what ure looking for,the hawkeye wrx has the same 550 injectors as standard,the original tmic is gd for 350bhp,
i have the wrx sl ,i looked at an sti but i wanted the leather seats sunroof blah blah,im in the middle of getting mine upgraded,have a vf43,3"full decat,still to be fitted plus remapp,im looking at 360bhp no probs and i will still have my comfy seats lol,
if they did the sl as an sti then tbh i would have went for that,but its gd to be different,everybody mods ,so its just a question of what u can or cannot afford to do,
have a read at this it will help u decide what to do.
i know plenty of wrx's run high 350-370 without any probs at the mo lol, i know nothing lasts forever but when or if i goes bang well **** happens and thats part and parcel of modding i suppose
i know plenty of wrx's run high 350-370 without any probs at the mo lol, i know nothing lasts forever but when or if i goes bang well **** happens and thats part and parcel of modding i suppose
That's exactly it mate - "at the moment..." bear in mind most Hawkeye models were 06 on, and probably weren't modified to that level from new so they won't exactly have been thrashed to death!
I'm sure they are "fine" on standard internals for 18 months, but 350-370bhp for longer than that? Can't see it somehow...the blocks are unlikely to have been made to take that, and the clutches, gearboxes let alone brakes just aren't going to be up to it as the others mentioned.
Is a 2007 WRX a sound place to start a project from?
Goodluck 
).
