Calling WRXperts

[hansvonaxion]

My old man just "bought" a new WRX STi but he's having a bit of buyers remorse. One of the reasons is that he had a choice of an 03 (2L) with 30,000km, or an 06 (2.5L variable centre diff) with about 10,000km, the 06 being about 15,000AU$ more. He went for the 03 and later someone told him the 06 was much better.

I've heard people say that the 2.0L is the better engine, but I would also say that the variable diff is a big plus. Hes getting on in years, but loves driving (he used to race as a hobby when younger and is still very good) and will probably do some gymkhanas and rallies.

I dont know much about the differences in the different model years, so if people who know about these things could give some advice I'd appreciate it.

The reason I put bought in inverted commas is cos he bought it when his wife was out of state and shes probably gonna be pissed off about it, so he put something like, "subject to wifes approval" on the papers.

[BlitzR]

The 03 should still be a capable car. If the car is a daily driver the 06 would of probably been better choice with the torque. DCCD looks like a fun piece of kit, sure it might help, but if the car is for the fun of driving then you don't really need it.
Post pictures when, if ever you can.

[hansvonaxion]

Yeah, I remember now reading reviews that said the 2.5 was better cos it filled the hole in the torque curve. The person who said the 2L was a stronger motor might have just been a JDM fanboy as the JDM version was 2L and the US spec was 2.5L at that time.

I'm in another country, but if he goes through with it and I can get him to send some pics, then Ill post em here. My brother bought a Swift Sport and has taken that to a few gymkhanas and a rally (beat an M3, Cayman S, Gallardo spider!) and now the old man is gonna join him, I think its time to move back and have some fun.

[BlitzR]

It's debatable if the 2.0L is better then the 2.5L or vise versa, there are many discussions over the internet. From what I read the EJ20 is quite forgiving when it comes to tuning and efficiency while the EJ25 needs a good set-up to be tuned well.
I've read you can tune the 2.0L for better low down torque though.

[JayChou]

if your old man is going to do rally and gymkhana on the STi, then save the $15000 for engine and tranny upgrades later, or when they blow.

[Hidden_Hunter]

wasn't the change from 2.0 to 2.5 mostly for emission reasons?

[hansvonaxion]

Originally Posted by JayChou

if your old man is going to do rally and gymkhana on the STi, then save the $15000 for engine and tranny upgrades later, or when they blow.

Sorry, when I say rally I mean tarmac stuff, like the Dutton rally or Targa Tasmania. Not really competitive, just for fun.

Also, I dont think he'll be doing much tuning, if any, cos he trades in every few years and doesn't want to ruin resale/lose money.

[sgb33f]

the EJ 20s are capable of accepting more boost than the EJ25 engines. so if ur dad likes to come out with 450whp, then go for the 2.0.
and yes, the EJ25 was built primarily for emissions reasons, the current 07 JDM STis still use the EJ20.

[The_Finn]

Originally Posted by sgb33f

the EJ 20s are capable of accepting more boost than the EJ25 engines. so if ur dad likes to come out with 450whp, then go for the 2.0.
and yes, the EJ25 was built primarily for emissions reasons, the current 07 JDM STis still use the EJ20.

I thought the JDM STi had gone to the EJ25 with only the RA keeping the EJ20 for WRC homologation compliance?

otherwise i agree completely with everything you say.

[MadCow809]

the old 2.0litre is a lot easier to tune and to play around with. The 2.5 litre gives more grunt in the low revs but lacks the explosive power that the old 2 litre used to deliver. The 2.5lire easier to drive around, more mature and with the engine displacement bored to 2.5, the low end grunt really does help when you drive around normally.

personally i think the 2litre is still the best, its significantly cheaper and looks better than the new 2.5 model... but its just my opinion, its a win-win situation for your dad. As for the variable diff, its a plus, but not a necessity




V.S

[sgb33f]

i'm partial to the hawkeye imprezas coz i have a 1.6i

[JayChou]

Originally Posted by hansvonaxion

Sorry, when I say rally I mean tarmac stuff, like the Dutton rally or Targa Tasmania. Not really competitive, just for fun.

Also, I dont think he'll be doing much tuning, if any, cos he trades in every few years and doesn't want to ruin resale/lose money.

I'd go for the 06 if keeping it stock.
06 has better response due to the revised chassic, suspension and the DCCD.

[hansvonaxion]

Looks like hes not gonna get either, at least for now.
The old lady didnt like the spoiler and the colour (its always the colour).
Anyway, I did a quick search and this is the 03
and the 06

The 06 is def the better deal, first reg in Dec, the 03 first reg in Jan and only 10K difference.

[Lurch0001]

The colour? It's white - how can you dislike white?!

[JayChou]

Originally Posted by hansvonaxion

Looks like hes not gonna get either, at least for now.
The old lady didnt like the spoiler and the colour (its always the colour).
Anyway, I did a quick search and this is the 03
and the 06

The 06 is def the better deal, first reg in Dec, the 03 first reg in Jan and only 10K difference.

tell the old lady that the spoiler is actually a picnic table.

[hansvonaxion]

Yeah, actually my dad didnt like the spoiler either, said it made it too difficult to work out if the car following was an unmarked cop car or just a fleet car and that hed probably take it off for daily driving.

There are other factors, too. At first he thought he needed to buy a new car to get paid a bonus from his company, but since found out he can just get the cash.

White is nice, but blue is beautiful.

[Lurch0001]

Originally Posted by hansvonaxion

White is nice, but blue is beautiful.

Blue is OK, but every man and his dog (including me) has a blue Subaru - they just get to be a bit passe after a while. In contrast, I reckon the white looks quite distinctive and really highlights the flared wheelarches and body contours. But each to their own.

[Dr.Kamiya]

Aside from emissions I'm guessing FHI decided to run 2.5s internationally to cut down on manufacturing costs. Off the top of my head, the 2.0lis have (over the 2.5lis) better heads, sodium valves, forged pistons, and twin scroll turbines. The end result is about the same power, except one engine does it through sophistication, the other does it with displacement.

IMO the 2.0li is the better engine if you're tracking the car, the 2.5li is better on the road.

[jayhawk]

I would go for one with a 2.5, unless Australia has the same taxation as some countries do regarding engines over 2 liters.

[Scooby5]

The EJ20 is great for modding and it's relatively straight forward to adjust the torque curve but the biggest problem with it is the ConRod Bearings. These are the weak links in the block and hardly last anytime, resulting in rebuilds.

My last three cars have had the EJ20 and it's really quite strong, except for those bearings. So adaptable too.

Don't really know that much about the 2.5L block yet but i decided a while ago to make my new Legacy one of the last 2.0L units since i didn't want the SI-Drive thingy.