What do you guys think of the 99 subie 2.5rs?

[Cardriverx]

I like the looks (alot better than the bugeyes), and the boxer engine. But what are the pluses and negitives of that generation? How does it drive? How is the power? Are they somewhat easy to mod? reliabilty?

[05Accent]

Ask Renegade he'll know..

[TROLL]

first... this isnt off topic subject matter. i'll move it for you.

the gc imprezas arent going to be nearly as fast as a wrx or sti, but they are great cars. they are considerably lighter than the newer models and they handle great. simple mods like intake, headers and exhaust will open it up some and make it respectable and fun to drive, but again, its not like a turbo car with a massive aftermarket.
they also get pretty good mileage. and i find that unfortunately they sell for almost as much as 02-03 WRXs sometimes.
i dig em, i'll probably own one some day...

[Cardriverx]

Thanks troll. From what ive researched, it seems the people that want to make real power with these cars do a wrx or sti engine swap. Just out of curioisty, do the engine mounts line up?

Anyway, what is the handleing like? What is the aftermarket like in terms of handleing improvements? Also, say I found one for under $6k, from what ive seen, that seems like a good deal, right?

[TROLL]

i think head gaskets tend to go on these engines, but i dont know if that varies by year so look into that or wait till a GC expert chimes in here.

if you found one in good shape for $6k then that is potentially a very good deal.
and yeah doing a WRX or STi swap in a GC is awesome... they're crazy fast. the engine physically fits right in with ease, but the wiring will need to be merged and that is quite a project, i'd recommend leaving that part to a pro just so its done properly.

oh and i drove my friends which has upgraded sti performance suspension wheels and summer tires, sway bars, strut bars, endlinks, and i'm not sure what else, and it was a dart, very fun to drive. he also had a cusco front diff which was a big improvement over stock in terms of feel. you will have plenty of options as far as suspension mods for a GC...

[K-Rex]

According to http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html , 99+ models were single overhead cam engines with gaskets less likely to fail.

[Renegade_]

I'll type a quick overview:

If you are looking to buy one:

99 RSs were the first year of the SOHC motor as in 98 they were DOHC. In 98 they had headgasket problems which they corrected in 99. Much more reliable in that department but I would still look at the integrity of the HG when checking at the car.

When looking on the underside of the motor you might find some oil by the valve cover - this isn't a big deal at all as when they get into high miles they tend to leak a bit at the valve cover gasket - this is a quick and easy maintennance you can do if you ever change the clutch etc.

RSs also have wheel bearing problems (not too common, but happens). When driving it, if you hear what sounds like a roar from any one of the corners it might be an indicator of a bad wheel bearing. To the best of my knowledge my car has never had issues and is at 119k.

Also, if it is at or getting close to 100,000 miles ask them if they replaced the timing belt, tensioner, and water pump. This is the 100,000 mile maintennance that is pretty critical as the timing belt, if snapped will just screw your heads up bad since it is an interruption based motor. My factory timing belt is still fine at 119k on my 2000 RS (although the car isn't moving at all right now while I get the maintennance done).

Reliability sakes the cars are pretty good. For the first year of owning the car I barely had any maintennance costs except replacing the 02 sensor. I did however have to replace the clutch at one point (this isn't really an unforseen cost though). Now I have more maintennance costs (front axle, timing belt maintennance) but that is just regular maintennance. There are really no extra special maintennances you have to do to this car as opposed to others.

Mod wise:

These cars have just as strong an aftermarket as WRXs and STis. Every suspension mod that exists for the GDA/GDB chassis also exists for the GC/GM chassis. The reason the aftermarket is so strong is because these cars in japan were WRXs and STis. The chassis is the same so basically you can get anything for these cars.

Power wise? Don't expect to make much, exhaust barely nets anything, intake gives you like 3-4 HP, there isn't much to go with in the power department. One thing that the GC chassis has over the GD chassis (the newer WRX/STi chassis) is weight. Stock the GDA/GDB is about 3200 pounds. Stock the GC chassis is 2850 according to edmunds. A fully stripped GC chassis (including wagons) can be 2600 pounds if you get serious with weight reduction. An RS will run like 15.5-15.4... Yeah, not too quick.

Driveability is subjective. Some people might not like how a subaru handles, some do. I know that no matter how slow my car is right now, every time I get into it, it still brings a smile to my face. Just go and drive it. Mod for mod a GC/GM chassis subaru can handle as well as a GDA/GDB chassis subaru. It's just that there isn't much power to back it up - that's why swaps are so popular with these cars.

If you need to know anything check out www.rs25.com - the people on there know every square inch of these cars.

On the swap topic:

Swapping these cars is cake compared to other cars. Since these cars were OEM turbo in japan all you have to do is swap in a turbo cross member (has a notching for an up-pipe) and everything else takes care of itself. Every single 4 cylinder subaru motor (EJ series) mounts up to every single transmission made for any year 4 cylinder motor. Read up in the swap section of RS25 - no fabrication needed at all. All you have to do is pull the old crossmember, put in the turbo one and you can drop in a turbo motor on the same motor mounts that you pulled the other one out with (this is dumb though - stock RS mounts are too soft, you can use US STi or WRX mounts if you want as the design is exactly the same, the polyeurethane stiffness is different though)

[Raven18940]

Personally, GC coupes are my favorite subarus. Turbo swap and they're awesome.

[92dxman]

I don't think 2.5 rs and cheap go together in one sentence. Someone I went to high school with bought a 98 or 99 with 80k on it and he paid somewhere around $10k for it. Keep your eyes peeled as you may find one with something wrong with it for a reduced price once in a blue moon.

[Renegade_]

You just gotta look around and before you know it a deal might fall into your lap. I got lucky when looking for mine as it popped up 2 months after searching and I snagged it for 6k. It had 103,000 on motor, 40,000 on trans I think (in that range).

For 6-7k you could definitely get an RS, just keep looking.

[Cardriverx]

Thanks guys, the one I found is asking $5500, he says it runs fine, has 102k miles. He also says it has these mods:

Has the following additions:
STi Ver. 5 Struts
Einbach Springs (lowered)
Rear Sway Bar
Short shifter FHI clear side markers and taillights (red/wite) taillights .. removes ugly orange.
Extra Stromung Exhaust (not attached)... has stock on the car

How does that sound?

[Renegade_]

sounds like a decent price given nothing wrong with it

If you do get it - how much for that stromung exhaust? I want to change up my exhaust note a bit.

[Bizee]

awsome car, handles terrific without any suspension mods, cant wait till i eventually do some... picked mine up for a daily driver and have absolutely no regrets, when im ready to get a new dd a swap with be inline for this one.

[Renegade_]

I was on stock suspension and I thought it handled fairly well.

I just put Tein HAs on my car and it is like a rail now. This is even without sways.

[Signatus230]

Mmm, these cars are awesome! I am in no way biased, of course.

Performance: Stock, although it is the top of the line Impreza for those years (166 HP/ 166 Torque at the crank) the AWD kinda destroys the power from the engine via drivetrain loss. Like Renegade said, most small engine mods, will net you very little, it is noticeable, but not in a significant way.

Handling: Stock, they are pretty good. I mean of course they are AWD (50% front, 50% rear) and you can take corners are much better speeds then most cars that aren't AWD. Stock for stock, that is where these cars are much better then most, is in the corners.

Reliability: As always it depends on the previous owners, whether they abused it, or just DD, or highway miles, etc... the engines are all the same design, horizontally opposed 4 cylinders, from the first Impreza in 93 - Current. There are some things to watch out for, mainly just valve covers gaskets, headgaskets etc... but in truth they aren't hard to change.

Aftermarket: There are a ton of places that sell parts for these cars, again like Renegade said they are the WRX's and STi's from 93-00. Most noticeable upgrades are like coilovers, sways, and some good ole new rubber for the tyres (lol).

Swap: Ah yes... this is where I am at right now... I must say if you do your research it should be fine, but if you are going to swap, make sure you have a DD, or at least 2 months of time where you will not need your car at all. There are issues that I have run into so far, some my fault, some that are confusing, but I guess I could say I am taking my time with it.

There are 2 different categories of swaps:
- OBD1 Engines (when put into a 98-01 RS, your car will NOT pass emissions)
- OBD2 Engines (Car will pass emissions fine)


OBD1 Engines: These are the JDM engines, usually the cheapest, and to some degree, relatively easy to acquire. Venders on RS25.com get these engines in every 3-6 months. Now they will not pass inspection because the main reason is Japan was smart, and didn't have many restrictions and codes for emissions in cars.

OBD2 Engines: Are basically USDM engines, though there are some JDM engines Ver. 7 STi and Ver 8 Sti, that are ODB2 and will pass emissions. (Ver 5/6 are rumored to pass emissions, but I have yet to see a convincing fact on that).

JDM Engines: Since they had somewhat more of a free reign then we did in the US, these engines are making more power at the crank then the current USDM WRX and Sti engines.
For example: The engine I am putting in my car is a Version 3 WRX engine (base model, TD04 Turbo, catless uppipe which comes standard) These engines have been known to make about 250 HP / 240 HP at the crank.
Now take TROLL's old WRX engine: Stock it was making around 225 to the crank.

USDM engines: People say the parts are "easier to find" for these engines, and in some ways it is true, in others, its not. Gaskets, bolts, intake manifolds... turbo's, they are all universal. Of course these engines will pass inspection, the JDM one won't.


Hope that helps.

[Cardriverx]

thanks for the long reply stignatus!

[Signatus230]

I forgot to add... these cars really are easy as **** to work on for a beginner (such as myself) I have NO PREVIOUS MECHANICAL EXPERIENCE other then changing a tire... really I swear I have no experience with cars. I have an interest in them but no experience (can't stress this enough, lol) and man... these cars are like lego's... I swear. In fact, if you want to I am not 100% done my swap, if you would like to come over some time I can show you some stuff and give you tips on what to look out for if and when you visit someone thats selling an RS.

[IMPREZvWRX]

Originally Posted by Signatus230

Swap: Ah yes... this is where I am at right now... I must say if you do your research it should be fine, but if you are going to swap, make sure you have a DD, or at least 2 months of time where you will not need your car at all. There are issues that I have run into so far, some my fault, some that are confusing, but I guess I could say I am taking my time with it.

I got all the parts I'd need together beforehand and did the mechanical part of the swap in a few hours here and there. If it wasn't for moving and then getting a major surgery in the middle of the swap, it could have easily been done in a single weekend. For the wiring, I had Zephyr do the job.

Originally Posted by Signatus230

USDM engines: People say the parts are "easier to find" for these engines, and in some ways it is true, in others, its not. Gaskets, bolts, intake manifolds... turbo's, they are all universal. Of course these engines will pass inspection, the JDM one won't.

They are absolutely easier to find parts for. It took me forever to find a front O2 sensor for my v8 swap. Also, since it's twinscroll, the gaskets, manifold, turbo, and turboback exhaust are all different from the USDM parts. Also, I found that the JDM swapped car will need to be tuned for 93 octane as it will ping with the stock tune.

Originally Posted by 92dxman

I don't think 2.5 rs and cheap go together in one sentence. Someone I went to high school with bought a 98 or 99 with 80k on it and he paid somewhere around $10k for it. Keep your eyes peeled as you may find one with something wrong with it for a reduced price once in a blue moon.

I picked mine up for $5,000 and it's in great condition. Had a little bondo on the rear quarter, but it's straight.

[18psiWhiteMS3]

i like the way suburu handle CORNERS

[gsrboi80]

My brother had a 99 I loved that car. Engine went at 80k though. Developed a hek of a rod knock. Put a JY motor in it and it was good to go agian. Great car in all weather, Sounded awesome with the Borla Exhaust it had on it. The he totaled it

I cant say enough about how cool a car that was. I was a Honda guy through and through at the time. Its what made me look to AWD. But sorry Subi guys I opted for the (Far Superior EVO)

Just Kidding