I am looking to purchase a 2002 or 2003 Impreza WRX in the future. But, what I'm wondering is that if anyone has done or heard of anyone who dropped a 2004 or newer WRX Sti engine, trans, driveline, etc... into a '02 or '03 Impreza. Thanks.

HOLY SHIT!!!!! That's the craziest swap I've EVER heard of. NO NOONE has done that. There are NOT 100+ posts just in this forum alone of ppl doing that and then getting the SAME answer every time.


/sarcasm - ok....tons of ppl have done it...90% realize it's way more costly and time consuming than first thought, blah blah. Get ready to go over miles of wire under the dashboard and engine or pay someone $$$ to get it done

Money won't be much of a problem once I start on the project.

Money won't be much of a problem once I start on the project.

if money is not a problem, get the sti.

hell, if money isn't a problem, import a jap spec sti and build that monster up.

if anyone tells u it's a good idea to convert a WRX into an STi, they're smoking crack or they've done so themselves and are too stubborn to realise their stupidity.

Sure, if you only have money for a WRX now, by all means slowly build that thing up to be better than an STI. But if ur sole purpose is to buy a WRX to build an STi, it is purely stupid.

The brembo brakes and 6 speed transmission alone cost more than the difference between a brand new STi and and a brand new WRX.

So by that you can see how stupid it is.

The brembo brakes and 6 speed transmission alone cost more than the difference between a brand new STi and and a brand new WRX.

So by that you can see how stupid it is.
VERY well put!

STI's are pretty reasonably priced new...any reason you're not looking at saving a little bit of time and just picking up old '06 inventory on the lot and then taking it a to tuning shop?

I changed my plans. I want to do the same swap, but I want to do it on a late second gen ('00 or '01) Impreza 2.5 RS.

I changed my plans. I want to do the same swap, but I want to do it on a late second gen ('00 or '01) Impreza 2.5 RS.
Why an RS? Get any '93-01 AWD Impreza L, LX or Brighton, and get the exact same rolling chassis for up to $8000 less.

If you're swaping the whole drivetrain anyway, the only thing the RS has that the others don't is a sunroof.

I changed my plans. I want to do the same swap, but I want to do it on a late second gen ('00 or '01) Impreza 2.5 RS.


Unless you have a GC8 good luck finding one! Even if you manage to find a clean 00 - 01, it'll probably be around $8 - $10k. So w/ the cost of your engine/tranny/wiring/small shit you'll have to buy when you realize a problem in the garage, you'll be around the price of a used STi anyhow.

Although the RS does weigh in around 400 lbs lighter and looks a hell of a lot better, it'll still end up costing around as much and being harder to source parts for.

I changed my plans. I want to do the same swap, but I want to do it on a late second gen ('00 or '01) Impreza 2.5 RS.

your new plan is even dumber than the first.

easy guys he just wants to be fast lol...i got my 00 rs with 68k for 6,650 :smooch: talked the dealership down from 9k lmao!:eek7: anyways though, really why swap when all you need to get is a je pistons and eagle rods kit to drop your compression down to make it practically a sti -.5L?? not only do you only spend around 800 dollars on the kit, but you get a fresh re-build in all that will cost less than even buying the sti motor in the first place...think ahead..EJ20T's are good for 300 hp WITHOUT touching internals...imagine if you dove in:)

easy guys he just wants to be fast lol...i got my 00 rs with 68k for 6,650 :smooch: talked the dealership down from 9k lmao!:eek7: anyways though, really why swap when all you need to get is a je pistons and eagle rods kit to drop your compression down to make it practically a sti -.5L?? not only do you only spend around 800 dollars on the kit, but you get a fresh re-build in all that will cost less than even buying the sti motor in the first place...think ahead..EJ20T's are good for 300 hp WITHOUT touching internals...imagine if you dove in:)

What are you talking about?

the rs is a 2.5 L engine, and is of considerably different design than an STi block. It's not just pistons and rods that make the difference

sorry lol didnt make myself clear...on the EJ20T!!! not the rs, thats what i thought he was talking about swaping a wrx to the sti motor?!?!? and i meant if he already got the 2.0L even if you have to swap it, its cheaper to build that motor rather than to just swap an ej25 sti into it. sorry i didnt mean put sti internals in a ej25 non turbo....i got my words tangled up lol...

sorry lol didnt make myself clear...on the EJ20T!!! not the rs, thats what i thought he was talking about swaping a wrx to the sti motor?!?!? and i meant if he already got the 2.0L even if you have to swap it, its cheaper to build that motor rather than to just swap an ej25 sti into it. sorry i didnt mean put sti internals in a ej25 non turbo....i got my words tangled up lol...

oooh, lol. That makes more sense. I dunno, I thought he was now talking about swapping an 2.5 RS for an STi engine. I dunno.

A majority of new threads in this forum are convoluted and misinformed at best, so really as to what the original poster is getting at...? I dunno, lol

Thats what I was talking about. Dropping a STi motor into a 1998-2001 Impreza RS.

I am just wondering if this swap has ever been performed? If so, by whom?