I've been really pondering this question for the past two weeks. I've been wanting a 2.5 RS for quite some time and it all came down to the 2000-2001's and the 2002's. Now here's the lowdown.
2000-2001:
-Sold in my area for around $14,000-$18,000
-Most of them have at least 30-50k, if not more
-Most of them are coupes
-They have rear LSD's
-They have sunroofs
-The aftermarket support and potential is tremendous!
-I like the body style a lot.
2002:
-Someone is going to sell one to me for $15,000
-It has 10-15k on the odometer, which is really good.
-I've sat in two WRX's and the interior's not that much different. I absolutely loved the interior. Very roomy and the seats can hold very well.
-The chassis is more rigid since it lacks a sunroof.
-I like 4 doors since I don't have to tilt any seats forward or have any passengers bitch about room in the rear.
-Might be mistaken for a WRX for people who don't realize or check the vent missing from the hood and the obvious rear badge that says "2.5RS".
-The bastard child of the MY02's
The real lowdown:
-I'm thinking about spending roughly $15k the most, less would be great.
-I "would" like a 4-door RS, but I can live with a coupe.
-I'd want a car with a sunroof for once, but I guess I can live without one since the current car I'm driving (92 Integra RS), doesn't have one.
-The majority of the upgrades I'd do anyway would be suspension (real coilovers, sway bars, etc) and wheels (17's). Maybe some OEM body kit. Most likely it'll be wingless. Possibly a WRX USDM EJ20 swap on whatever RS I might get down the line a few years after I've owned the car, well, if I "need" that much power anyway.
-Need something with great bucket seats like the WRX seats, otherwise, I'm gonna have to spend $1,500 for a pair of Recaro SRD's or a pair of Sparco Torinos.
-I only put 4-5k on the odometer per year on a car since most of the places I go to here in Northern California is no more than an hour away like San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Hayward, etc.
-I'm looking for one with reasonable miles.
-The car will be daily driven and occassionally road raced or cruising the hills and mountain passes with my buddies on weekends.
I can't decide whether I should go with the 2002 RS that the dude is selling or wait for a 2000-2001. As for the WRX EJ20 swap, yea, most people would say, "Why not just get a WRX instead?" Well, I barely make $500 a month, so there's no way in hell I could pay for a WRX. I'd like to hear your input on my situation. Please no silly or unreasonable comments. =/ Thanks in advance!
