Hey guys, i will be looking for a car this spring and i have narrowed it down to a 93+ GSR or a 1998+ Suby 2.5RS, stock the RS has less power but a greater displacement engine which in the end will make more power, and its 4WD. But the GSR is cheaper and theres more available mods for it, but its FF, which i dont like. What do you guys think?

 

get a RWD then if you dont like FWD

 

2.5 rs is cool but ive heard turboing it isnt as easy as one would think it would be. take a look at the 240sx. if you can get past the looks its a really good rear drive car and can be made fast easily.

 

turboing a subie is a hassel.. all the mods to prep it, then after you do that make sure you have enough for a new tranny...
as for the 240... "LOOKS" of the car? what you mean by that !

 

the 2.5RS is actually AWD, off the get go the Subaru actually is quicker but in the long run GS-R takes the cake.

and supposedly anything lower than a 2001 2.5RS are bad quality, the engines aren't as reliable as the 2001. don't quote me here but that is what i hear. at least that is what my old autos teacher who is obsessed with Subaru kept saying...
he owned: Subaru Brat, Loyale, SVX

yes i agree with the turboing being a pain, and i hear it is kind of risky.

IMO, i wouldn't waste my time with a 240sx, the body style is finding a 93 GS-R is a bit difficult, but a 94-95 GS-R would be my weapon of choice.....preferably sedan, ha ha hah :thumbup:

 

240sx is fine if you want a project car. I looked at the RS briefly and it was too $$ imo for what you got. Ended up with a 95 GSR and I'm pretty happy with it. Works well for what I do (drive the **** out of it).

www.i-club.com or maybe its www.iclub.com has very good information on turboing a RS.

 

not true. turbo kits on rs's have been out since early 90's and are very inexpensive and reliable. remember, while the boys in EU, JAP, and AUS were playing with the WRX, all us statesiders had were the rs to tune. there are many GC8 2.5rs's out there un the 10's (and 1 in the states that i know of now in the 9's) turbo kits are all over the place, and are comparable risk/difficulty to a GSR/GS. the 2.5 liter engine is durable, and easy to take HP from. its 10:1 compression, so you're stuck to about 5psi in boost before you need to start boring, porting and repolishing.

tranny's are good to at least mid 200's if you're not power shifteing and doing 6K drops, you'll wwant to slip more on an AWD launch anyway, so it's easier on the tranny than a FWD launch. if you're a tuner, the AWD launches will own anyone in the 60' category. flywheels are notoriously too light, and don't transfer all the extra power to all 4 wheels well once you're in the upper hp ranges.

reliability on the RS is very good. check consumer reports, autoweb, edmunds etc. you'll see subaru honda and toyota are all in the same boat. high quality, durable cars that are built to last 200K+ miles.

aftermarket support from stateside and japan is up there with any integra, celica etc. if you need direction there, i can be of assistance. but bone stock it still runs to 60 in 8 seconds. not too far from intregra territory

i like the look of the suby better, but depending on the goals/needs of your car, you've got a tough choice. the AWD is great for a daily driver, in the snow, rain, ice etc. and it also doesn't look like everyone on the road has the same car. good luck with your choice. either way, tuning is going to be fun. fore some subaru impreza input to balance out your research, try out www.iclub.com





dR

 

i LOVE the 2001 2.5RS coupe styling!!

however, i had the fortune to race one (on a rolling start) in my LS on the Garden State Parkway and he wasn't keeping up. So in terms of stock speed and performance - they aren't all up to par with the integra's. The handling tho is another story!

i'd go with the GSR, you can easily make it run faster and handle better than the RS.

 

how exactly? the same companys make suspension (koni, tokiko, ground control etc.) and same goes for intakes, exhast etc.

part for part, you're looking at a very comparable car. any clarification would be appreciated.

dR

 

What i meant was since a stock RS has better handling over a stock GSR, the GSR can be made to handle better than a stock RS with the money saved.