2004 WRX, £7k to spend on tuning...but what?

[hewlett]

Well, finally taking the plunge and going for a 2 y/o WRX estate, 'wagen - thingy. Found a Co who will lease a 2 y/o. I like the subtle'ish looks and would like to get 1. More Power 2. Lose the scoop via a front mounted intercooler 3. Improve handling a wee bit. Could anyone please advise me on the best place to spend the cash? Over 300bhp would be nice..

[hewlett]

Oh the co I work for have a finance arm and have been very nice, written a lease to buy deal, in return for me working harder and staying loyal...guess I'm there a bit longer then!

[hewlett]

Thanks, isle of man but regularly drive to Bagshot so pretty much anywhere is reachable.

[hewlett]

Thanks for all of the advice to date, I'll look into all of the ideas. Interestingly I just saw a 2 year old WRX PPP for £14K which looked to me like it had what I'd probably end up doing to it, already done..

[hewlett]

Really? I must read more on that then as, to a novice, that looked like a good option. Thanx

[hewlett]

Good luck! Sounds like a standard WRX is what to go for then with semi-Q car status being a need for me (30K miles per year, lots of chances to get nicked), then to play with the tuning options from then on.

[hewlett]

Thanx. 330bhp would probably be ample and the local Subaru dealer said he preferred the 'wagens' handling too. I imagine also (wealth permitting) that stronger internals than the STi's could be bought to go along with all of the other expensive bits needed should lots more power someday be required..

[hewlett]

Vixpy 1, you're rolling road is a mere 5.2 miles from where I live, perhaps I could have a look at your Subaru at some stage (I'm guessing this is a car of yours rather than a customer car?). Btw I used to work at QinetiQ and know your site well, small world..

[hewlett]

It seems to me that with money being (relatively) of minor concern when it comes to modification in the next 18 months or so. Then the Q car benefits and slightly stiffer bodyshell of the wagen outweigh the benefits of buying an STI. Several websites offer new WRXs imported, at considerably less than UK dealer prices - in fact, less than a 6 month old 6000 miles UK version. Seems to me that that will be the way to go. From what I have read on this forum in particular, people are very happy with these cars and keep them for years. With this likely to be the case with me I'd rather spend the money in the future in improving a car I'm happy with, like a relatively subtle looking sportswagen. I wonder if at higher speeds (occasional trip to Germany), that the estate body shell is less 'tied down' at tha back than the saloon which benefits from a 'wing'?