Supra or Subaru (03 WRX, or a 06-07 WRX)

[TurboLag]

i LITERALLY copy pasted this from NASIOC i posted the other day but ill put the things i changed toward MK3's in bold.

well I'm in a bit of a pickle at this point in time. and cant really decide what to do.

so heres whats up.

recently i decided to buy myself a car. sold my jeep to my father (for my sister) because he liked it a lot so he wanted to keep it. after 5 months of searching i found a beautiful 06 WRX in aspen white, filled out all the paperwork, got my moolah together and everything. and long long long story short, i didn't go to get her the next day due to insurance being a little over 3k a year (when i called about it 6 months ago it was almost 2k less because i looked it up as replacing a car instead of adding it) which not only was i devastated, my mother and father were too because i was then car-less.

now fast forward to now and i cant decide what to do. for the longest time Ive loved supras, and a few of my friends have them (MK3's and MKIV's) and decently know my way around them, but Ive done a full STi swap in my friends wrx so i know my way around Subaru too. and i can say i equally like supras equally as much as a WRX/STi.

so basically heres whats up. i can either get a MK3 supra now, or wait who knows how long for my father to sell his corvette (which he is doing regardless of my choice, he is just lazy) and go back to looking for a Subaru.

either cars would end up being my DD for the most part, but the supra i would most likely store in winter and drive my sisters car only when i must. Ive also looked into a GC Impreza (like the 1999, non turbo, older body style) but I'm worried it'll just be the same as my slow, boring jeep.

now i also have been looking into 2 supras lately, ones a low mileage (under 80k) all original 89 7M MK3 that has no rust and from everyone i talk to its really nice. or a 2jz swapped one that is also supposedly almost equally as nice. of course the 7M one is cheaper (by about 3k) but i cant decide what would be a better platform to start on/if its worth the extra money. both are a 5MT, but the 2jz swapped one has a 6 puck clutch that would be a bitch to DD.


clifnotes:

-bought a wrx, but couldn't pick it up(got money back don't worry)

-can buy a MK3 supra now or wait and buy a WRX later

-looked into a GC but I'm afraid its going to be boring and slow like my jeep

 

[Pandaplastic]

Honestly, if I were you, I'd save for an STI if you have the money. I've ridden in a few and man they are nice! But you can get a nice mk3 with forged internals and blah blah for ~5k, 4k if they are desperate. Me I've had 4 supras and I <3 my poopra's.

 

[Jayhall]

my next car is going to be an STi. Supra is not going anywhere. I have a love for both

 

[shaeff]

The STI and MKIII Supra are two completely different vehicles. What are your goals for the car? What type of driving do you do? Bad winters? Are you looking for something that can be made stupid fast without eating transmissions? (lol) Or something just moderately fast to keep you on your toes?

You need to decide what your plans are with the car first and foremost, goals, aspirations, budget, etc... then we can help you quite a bit more. But I'll say this- if you've got bad winters, go the Subaru route, or pick up a wintertime beater. I've got a '94 Toyota 4x4 pickup with a Tru-Trac rear and I go through EVERYTHING with it. They can be found pretty cheap these days and it's always nice to have two cars.

 

[7Matt-GE]

being that i am FROM the subaru scene...i can say this with utter honestly...if you want anything more than 330whp out of a subaru you are smoking meth. SERIOUSLY unless you literally have 50K in your bank account you wont make that car anywhere NEAR the potential a supra could make.

Subarus are nice cars STOCK and ONLY stock they arent reliable anything above 300whp i garuntee you it will be a garage queen.


also nasioc is full of cock slapping and self ego boosting asshole elitists.


last year i helped a friend build his engine here are his mods


Hydra ECU
1000CC injectors (had originally put 660 but i totally forgot he replaced those at the END of the build)
35R turbo
Titanium heads
CP pistons
PnP job
front mount intercooler
Invidia Downpipe and borla exhaust
pro drive suspension on EVERYTHING (hes a prodrive butt kisser)
6 speed tranny
lightweight flywheel and drive shaft
tuned by one of the best subie tuners in minnesota (ronnie at RSmotors)

400whp. THATS ALL and thats on an agressive tune.

honestly not even worth it for 100 more HP from stock..bleh i love subarus but they are best kept stock and for DD

 

[TurboLag]

well my goals for the 2 cars would be totally different.

the Subaru i wouldn't go more than 350WHP. it would be more directed toward a rally type car as i would drive on gravel roads, rally cross, and highway racing. down the road id get rally wheels, gravel coilovers etc.

but the supra, id want to built into a reliable DD/Drag/Highway car. i know its a tall order but yeah. i would try to get to 500HP eventually (on a 7m) or even more if it had a 2jz. BUT right when i got it i would try to get close to 400-450ish WHP. just to keep up with my friends 450HP evo on the highway. but his evo is significantly lighter....

 

[7Matt-GE]

well my goals for the 2 cars would be totally different.

the Subaru i wouldn't go more than 350WHP. it would be more directed toward a rally type car as i would drive on gravel roads, rally cross, and highway racing. down the road id get rally wheels, gravel coilovers etc.

but the supra, id want to built into a reliable DD/Drag/Highway car. i know its a tall order but yeah. i would try to get to 500HP eventually (on a 7m) or even more if it had a 2jz. BUT right when i got it i would try to get close to 400-450ish WHP. just to keep up with my friends 450HP evo on the highway. but his evo is significantly lighter....

lol thats all really easy to do on these cars acutally. just make sure you know what yer doin! Blown head gaskets are a plague on 7m's so its good to get the engine machined if it hasnt been already. also get a metal headgasket.

still signifigantly cheaper than a subaru mod.

 

[TurboLag]

the one with the 7m has all that done

 

[7Matt-GE]

boom! go get it! hope you dont use it as a winter machine, unless you like drifting everywhere you go without little effort

thats why i have my EJ22e wagon! :O

 

[TurboLag]

well i would most likely have to but i dont want to use it as a winter car. my old jeep was primarily rwd so driving rwd in the winter isnt a problem. im just afraid of rust. theres a chance i can store it, and use my sisters jeep to get to work/school but thats it. sooooo idk

 

[Warpath]

If your looking for a daily driver I would go with the subbie. I have an EVO X and a f150 for my daily drivers. The supra is a weekend car. JMHO.

-Jim

 

[IwantMKIII]

Been DD'n mine for 3 years now (in the worst of conditions/hills with a 6 puck and 3200lb PP) been through 1 trans, 3 chassis', and 4 required engine pulls, one of which was due to a bad engine fire. She's still chuggin along perfect in the 400+ hp range with lots of dedication and I refuse to sell it.

 

[dubsupra209]

400 plus is a lot for a dd you should upgrade your brakes if you want to make that much power....upgrade your tires also epically in winter conditions

 

[Moy]

LOL. Joe, you're STILL debating this? Hahaha. And who's 89 7M MK3 are you talking about? If you don't mind me asking...

But yeah dude, look at it this way. You can buy a Supra and put money toward making it more reliable/faster/more visually appealing/body work. Whatever. It'll probably STILL be less than the Subaru (unless you get a really good deal on it...)

As long as you're keeping your Jeep for winter driving it you'll be good

 

[Poodles]

being that i am FROM the subaru scene...i can say this with utter honestly...if you want anything more than 330whp out of a subaru you are smoking meth. SERIOUSLY unless you literally have 50K in your bank account you wont make that car anywhere NEAR the potential a supra could make.

Subarus are nice cars STOCK and ONLY stock they arent reliable anything above 300whp i garuntee you it will be a garage queen.


also nasioc is full of cock slapping and self ego boosting asshole elitists.


last year i helped a friend build his engine here are his mods


Hydra ECU
1000CC injectors (had originally put 660 but i totally forgot he replaced those at the END of the build)
35R turbo
Titanium heads
CP pistons
PnP job
front mount intercooler
Invidia Downpipe and borla exhaust
pro drive suspension on EVERYTHING (hes a prodrive butt kisser)
6 speed tranny
lightweight flywheel and drive shaft
tuned by one of the best subie tuners in minnesota (ronnie at RSmotors)

400whp. THATS ALL and thats on an agressive tune.

honestly not even worth it for 100 more HP from stock..bleh i love subarus but they are best kept stock and for DD

Let's see, bigger turbo, fuel, ECU, and some internal work. Then you have the normal BPU's of front mount and exhaust. The rest isn't important power-wise. Do the same to a supra and you'd end up with the same power, just without an AWD delivery system, ability to actually drive the car hard in anything but perfect conditions, or the ability to seat 4 people comfortably AND safely. Also, the normal BPU's don't work on modern cars as well as a more efficient engine is cleaner running and gets better gas milage. That's why an exhaust or IC upgrade doesn't see huge gains like it does on a supra.

The choice is easy car wise, but the reason the subies have such high insurance is because of the idiot parents that buy them for their kids and then they wreck them.

Also, on the OP's points about the MKIII's, 6 puck clutch is easy to DD ounce you get the muscle memory (try braking with your left foot to see what I mean, our left legs aren't used to fine modulation like our rights). Also, no matter how nice it is, it's STILL a 20 year old car and WILL have issues that the subie won't.

 

[TurboLag]

moy, its fasi's old car. the 89 hard top.

 

[goodhart]

nasioc is full of cock slapping and self ego boosting asshole elitists.

QFMFT Son. Sad truth is, most Subaru forums are like that. I guess most of them fail to realize they are driving overpowered 4 door econo boxes, not sports cars. lol


What makes you want a Subaru?

I will tell you from experience, they are not fun to work on, and they can't make decent power reliably (anything over ~350AWHP Dyno Dynamics, have fun replacing everything)


Seriously, if you want a turbo AWD 4 cylinder car, look at an Evo. They can make some great power on the stock turbo (it has recently ran 10.8 on a local car, full interior, stock motor, stock trans, made ~400AWHP Mustang Dyno), are much easier to work on, and can withstand MUCH more abuse than an STi (stock internals are good to about 400WHP, add some ARP rod bolts, you are good to ~600whp). The only thing they don't have is the same sound as a Subaru makes.

As far as insurance, my WRX is about $120/month. 25 yrs old, married, multi car discount, American Family.

 

[7Matt-GE]

Let's see, bigger turbo, fuel, ECU, and some internal work. Then you have the normal BPU's of front mount and exhaust. The rest isn't important power-wise. Do the same to a supra and you'd end up with the same power, just without an AWD delivery system, ability to actually drive the car hard in anything but perfect conditions, or the ability to seat 4 people comfortably AND safely. Also, the normal BPU's don't work on modern cars as well as a more efficient engine is cleaner running and gets better gas milage. That's why an exhaust or IC upgrade doesn't see huge gains like it does on a supra.

The choice is easy car wise, but the reason the subies have such high insurance is because of the idiot parents that buy them for their kids and then they wreck them.

Also, on the OP's points about the MKIII's, 6 puck clutch is easy to DD ounce you get the muscle memory (try braking with your left foot to see what I mean, our left legs aren't used to fine modulation like our rights). Also, no matter how nice it is, it's STILL a 20 year old car and WILL have issues that the subie won't.

regardless, it cost him 50k for just all that crap :\


personally from experience with subarus they are a waste of time to mod. why? too tough to work on too tough on the wallet (way more than an mk3) they are best kept stock and remain stock. maybe a little exhaust cause thats what makes them popular that rumble.

if i were you..invest in a subaru DD and get an MK3 for fun and modding.

 

[7Matt-GE]

QFMFT Son. Sad truth is, most Subaru forums are like that. I guess most of them fail to realize they are driving overpowered 4 door econo boxes, not sports cars. lol

What makes you want a Subaru?

I will tell you from experience, they are not fun to work on, and they can't make decent power reliably (anything over ~350AWHP Dyno Dynamics, have fun replacing everything)


Seriously, if you want a turbo AWD 4 cylinder car, look at an Evo. They can make some great power on the stock turbo (it has recently ran 10.8 on a local car, full interior, stock motor, stock trans, made ~400AWHP Mustang Dyno), are much easier to work on, and can withstand MUCH more abuse than an STi (stock internals are good to about 400WHP, add some ARP rod bolts, you are good to ~600whp). The only thing they don't have is the same sound as a Subaru makes.

As far as insurance, my WRX is about $120/month. 25 yrs old, married, multi car discount, American Family.

i see you must troll around on mnsubaru. i hate that place with a firey hot passion.

 

[Moy]

LOL. Fasi's engine is stock IIRC. I'm not sure if he swapped it out for one with "built" internals, but doesn't matter. That is one very clean car. Would be a GREAT starting point for some modifications.