Greetings IWSTI! I am finally creating my journal after reading through so many awesome ones and being on here since early 2012. Long time coming...
I've been obsessed with cars as far back as I can remember, so I can't really get enough of 'em actually. I've also been a longtime follower of motorsports, including WRC, which is where the love for Subaru began. Watching the GCs dominate in the late 90's and GCs/GDs in the early 00's was so memorable. Then when I saw that the STi was coming to U.S. shores for the '04 model year, it was desire right there. Maybe that's why I'm so fond of the GDB chassis. I just knew I had to have one some day. I never gave up that dream and finally, in May of 2012, I was able to get one after an extensive search. I knew what I wanted, so I was on a two year hunt for an untouched, low mileage, one owner car with a clear history/title, and it had to be a fair price to boot!
I found the car the same day that Subaru of Gainesville had listed it on the internet and somehow, I was the first one to call about it. It had just over 28k on the odo, one owner, and was bone-stock. It wasn't listed more than 24hrs and after talking it over with the salesman, my mind was made up: I had to jump on this one because the price was remarkably fair compared to what the rest of the market was doing at the time. After working out a fair deal, it was shipped to me up in Nebraska, and it's been a joy to own ever since.....
Only problems were one wheel had some minor curbage and there were many bug marks permanently in the paint all over the front clip, because the owner did not like to clean I guess. After the flurry of getting things done right after the first month of ownership(it really needed a deep clean, since the previous owner did not care much, and the dealer's "detail" department was less than optimal in their work on it), I decided to fix the major cosmetic issues rather than put money into performance mods. I had the front bumper, hood, hood scoop, and trunk lid repainted. Also had some surfaces buffed and small dents removed. The rest of the car could use a good buff and there are a few small rock chips here and there that I will be touching up myself, but other than that, the paint and clear coat is in good shape and it's a damn perfect car. I am very particular and detail-oriented, so this translates to my car.
As for my plans with it, it's a nice weather toy only. My goals are pretty modest and not attention-grabbing, so to some of you my journal may be somewhat boring and the upgrades may be rather slow since I won't be dumping all my money into it(read: not abusing it and racing irresponsibly).
I have a pretty well-thought out mod path and I know most of the parts that I want to put into it(but suggestions are welcome), so whatever the best power gains from the best possible tuning, I will be happy with. When I'm done upgrading, I'm shooting for somewhere between 330-380whp, but it won't be the easiest to obtain 320 on the 39. I will NOT be going rotated or FMIC probably ever. I want to retain responsiveness and drivability, so I will be staying with the stock turbo as long as I can, as well as the TMIC orientation. I know there's really not that much lag involved, but everyone goes rotated and FMIC around here and I'm not really looking for huge power. I want to be a bit different. Who knows, I may eventually consider an 18 or 20G though; would love to have a ball-bearing turbo. Too bad VF34's don't pop up very often! Most everything else is fair game. I do plan on replacing or upgrading much of the chassis and suspension components relatively soon.
Whew! As I said my journal may be boring to some and it will take some time for parts to go on it, but I welcome discussions on anything and like to talk technical, so have at it! I'm over on that OTHER Subaru forum(NASIOC) with the same name.
More to come!!
I've been obsessed with cars as far back as I can remember, so I can't really get enough of 'em actually. I've also been a longtime follower of motorsports, including WRC, which is where the love for Subaru began. Watching the GCs dominate in the late 90's and GCs/GDs in the early 00's was so memorable. Then when I saw that the STi was coming to U.S. shores for the '04 model year, it was desire right there. Maybe that's why I'm so fond of the GDB chassis. I just knew I had to have one some day. I never gave up that dream and finally, in May of 2012, I was able to get one after an extensive search. I knew what I wanted, so I was on a two year hunt for an untouched, low mileage, one owner car with a clear history/title, and it had to be a fair price to boot!
I found the car the same day that Subaru of Gainesville had listed it on the internet and somehow, I was the first one to call about it. It had just over 28k on the odo, one owner, and was bone-stock. It wasn't listed more than 24hrs and after talking it over with the salesman, my mind was made up: I had to jump on this one because the price was remarkably fair compared to what the rest of the market was doing at the time. After working out a fair deal, it was shipped to me up in Nebraska, and it's been a joy to own ever since.....
Only problems were one wheel had some minor curbage and there were many bug marks permanently in the paint all over the front clip, because the owner did not like to clean I guess. After the flurry of getting things done right after the first month of ownership(it really needed a deep clean, since the previous owner did not care much, and the dealer's "detail" department was less than optimal in their work on it), I decided to fix the major cosmetic issues rather than put money into performance mods. I had the front bumper, hood, hood scoop, and trunk lid repainted. Also had some surfaces buffed and small dents removed. The rest of the car could use a good buff and there are a few small rock chips here and there that I will be touching up myself, but other than that, the paint and clear coat is in good shape and it's a damn perfect car. I am very particular and detail-oriented, so this translates to my car.
As for my plans with it, it's a nice weather toy only. My goals are pretty modest and not attention-grabbing, so to some of you my journal may be somewhat boring and the upgrades may be rather slow since I won't be dumping all my money into it(read: not abusing it and racing irresponsibly).
I have a pretty well-thought out mod path and I know most of the parts that I want to put into it(but suggestions are welcome), so whatever the best power gains from the best possible tuning, I will be happy with. When I'm done upgrading, I'm shooting for somewhere between 330-380whp, but it won't be the easiest to obtain 320 on the 39. I will NOT be going rotated or FMIC probably ever. I want to retain responsiveness and drivability, so I will be staying with the stock turbo as long as I can, as well as the TMIC orientation. I know there's really not that much lag involved, but everyone goes rotated and FMIC around here and I'm not really looking for huge power. I want to be a bit different. Who knows, I may eventually consider an 18 or 20G though; would love to have a ball-bearing turbo. Too bad VF34's don't pop up very often! Most everything else is fair game. I do plan on replacing or upgrading much of the chassis and suspension components relatively soon.
Whew! As I said my journal may be boring to some and it will take some time for parts to go on it, but I welcome discussions on anything and like to talk technical, so have at it! I'm over on that OTHER Subaru forum(NASIOC) with the same name.
More to come!!