Now that I own a Subaru

Vertigo101

Vertigo101

Once you go Subaru nothing else is the same
I could use some tips to help me make this a better car and make it stand out from the rest of yours.

Like what can I do to better my handline and other things.

I am now in the planning stages of this car

 
what is the car?

and what are you looking to do with it? Autox, Track days, Hill Climbs, car shows *gag*, daily drive?

oh and: *Handling*

 
Pedro said:
what is the car?

and what are you looking to do with it? Autox, Track days, Hill Climbs, car shows *gag*, daily drive?

oh and: *Handling*
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I believe he picked up a GC RS. "Handline" is a good place to start!

 
Not to be a jerk, but anything you do to "make it stand out" is going to be something that devalues the car. Painting interiors is a bad trend from the late 90's. Body kits, "special fenders", no-name ebay parts. most of that will get you a crappier car.

Again, what are you actually looking to do with this car? And how long are you looking to have it last?

 
Alright, so from what I've gathered you've had a cavalier that you haven't been able to drive much.

Now that you've got an RS, you have the ability to avoid those things.

Reliability

No down time

Versatility

These are the things that would be the goal to shoot for. Forget looks stuff, forget performance stuff. Cover your bases first.

1. Make sure maintenance is up to date. Oil change, transmission oil change, rear diff oil change, spark plugs, wires, fuel filter, PCV valve, air filter, cabin air filter, make sure the coolants clean, inspect the brakes, inspect the power steering fluid, etc etc etc.

2. TIRES. TIRES TIRES TIRES TIRES. Inspect the tires the car comes with. They're probably all seasons. All seasons are ok, but you can really step up your game by getting a separate set of wheels and running snow tires in the winter.

3. Comfort. Like the stereo? Good keep it. If you don't upgrade. Seats uncomfortable? Upgrade those. A comfortable car makes spending time in it much more enjoyable.

4. Driving. Why throw money at your car on upgrades when you can just upgrade the driver. Yes! You yourself can be an upgrade. Some seat time at an autocross, a rally cross, etc can teach you a lot about driving and make you a safer (and faster) driver. Plus you'll have more fun doing it! A day of racin' beats a day of sanding and painting!

After all that, you can do little tweaks like a swaybar here, some bushings there, short shifter, etc.

RS's have a lot of potential, they're deceptively zippy, and can bring the business better than most STi's at a rallycross
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I've had barrels of fun with my RS DEAD STOCK. I didn't start messing with "upgrades" until owning it for 4 or 5 years. You don't have to.

If you really want to be a unique snowflake and make your car look pretty and different, you've picked a very expensive way to express yourself, and I wish you luck, it's just not the route I'd take. I'm a driver not an artist.

 
^THIS^

I could not have said it better myself. Im glad that other people are willing to tell him the same thing. He listens to me when I say "I would buy this car" but he deosn't listed to me when I say "Ricers are Retarded". If you want to make your car stand out, paint it bright pink and have a windshield banner made that says "IM A RICER!". At least it would take less flak than the Cavy. Keep in mind, the Nail that stands out gets hammered, and in kind, the car that stands out gets speeding tickets and unwanted attention from tha haters. I basically told him if you put a body kit on it and paint it to stand out, it will be a ricer. He said, yeah but if I upgrade the engine it would be cool, right? I say, well then it becomes a Rice Burner. Either way, its still rice.

Sorry Bro, you know I luv yah.
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Pedro said:
Not to be a jerk, but anything you do to "make it stand out" is going to be something that devalues the car. Painting interiors is a bad trend from the late 90's. Body kits, "special fenders", no-name ebay parts. most of that will get you a crappier car.

Again, what are you actually looking to do with this car? And how long are you looking to have it last?
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I only want to modify the handling and performance and stuff with subaru parts so I don't de value the car.

I bet I will have this rs for a while and I'm not going to waste my money with all that fancy ricer POOP

 
A GC series RS already has the right look for its capabilities, a subtle combination that makes it one of the most distinctive cars on the road. Most cosmetic 'upgrades' are simply add-ons that muddle the message and make the car look lame.

#1 priority buying a used RS: catch up on basic maintenance and make sure crucial systems like brakes and suspension are up to snuff, not just "the right sexay partZ' but the right sexay parts that are not worn out. yes, tires tires tires.

I know the history of this particular car, it has had a lot of low-key but highly effective upgrades done to it over the years, but who knows what of those parts are still on there and still functioning like they should.

A key aspect here is that you need to make sure YOU are up to what the car can do. At the hands of a skilled driver even a totally box stock RS can do things on dirt roads that would make your hair stand on end. If you tried to drive like this without knowing what you're doing, you'll simply crash the car in short order. An RS does not need a WRX swap. It does not need carbon fiber whatzits plastered all over it. It needs a skilled driver to take advantage of the capabilities engineered into its drivetrain and suspension.

When you know the difference between understeer and oversteer, and have learned how to turn the car with brakes and throttle (not just the steering wheel) and can judge the difference between sliding a bit to have fun turning versus sliding straight toward the nearest ditch...maybe then it's time to worry about upgrades. Until your own driving skills and judgement are up to snuff, mods to the car are simply a waste of money.

/off soapbox/
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enjoy the car, and be careful as you work up the learning curve.

 
Both my cars stand out in their own ways. The legacy has JDM lights, black wheels, HIDs, not much. But sticks out from the rest. And I doubt any of my mods have devalued the car.

As long as you don't do anything ridiculous, you can make the car stand out and look better than stock.

Then my GL... That sure stands out... And I don't think it looks dumb! Sure hasn't devalued it any. And it's gone from a useless old car to something awesome! Between interior and exterior mods, it's probably less than 50% original

Just don't be dumb with mods, that's all.

 
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Nigel Prodrive said:
A GC series RS already has the right look for its capabilities, a subtle combination that makes it one of the most distinctive cars on the road. Most cosmetic 'upgrades' are simply add-ons that muddle the message and make the car look lame.

#1 priority buying a used RS: catch up on basic maintenance and make sure crucial systems like brakes and suspension are up to snuff, not just "the right sexay partZ' but the right sexay parts that are not worn out. yes, tires tires tires.

I know the history of this particular car, it has had a lot of low-key but highly effective upgrades done to it over the years, but who knows what of those parts are still on there and still functioning like they should.

A key aspect here is that you need to make sure YOU are up to what the car can do. At the hands of a skilled driver even a totally box stock RS can do things on dirt roads that would make your hair stand on end. If you tried to drive like this without knowing what you're doing, you'll simply crash the car in short order. An RS does not need a WRX swap. It does not need carbon fiber whatzits plastered all over it. It needs a skilled driver to take advantage of the capabilities engineered into its drivetrain and suspension.

When you know the difference between understeer and oversteer, and have learned how to turn the car with brakes and throttle (not just the steering wheel) and can judge the difference between sliding a bit to have fun turning versus sliding straight toward the nearest ditch...maybe then it's time to worry about upgrades. Until your own driving skills and judgement are up to snuff, mods to the car are simply a waste of money.

/off soapbox/
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enjoy the car, and be careful as you work up the learning curve.
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that's interresting but I am not really into driving on dirt roads but I may give it a try if one does not have lots of rocks and what not that can damage the car

 
Didn't Nigel own this one at some point??

I can assure you its seen every type of car harming surface known to man. And gone sideways over it.

 
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Chris said:
Didn't Nigel own this one at some point??

I can assure you its seen every type of car harming surface known to man. And gone sideways over it.
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From what I understand from Scooby RS is that this car was owned by a few different members in this club and has seen some serious love.

I cant wait to take my part in it. This car looks amazing stock and I have watched a bunch of reviews about how it was used in rally and its got me hyped

 
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Chris said:
Didn't Nigel own this one at some point??

I can assure you its seen every type of car harming surface known to man. And gone sideways over it.
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true...but it was goin sideways carefully. (at least usually)

underbody was well armored with proper skidplates, so ok there are some dents n dings under there but in my time with the car nothing underneath damaged bad enough to require replacement. (excluding wear items like tires and struts of course)

this car is a testament to the toughness and durability of the basic Impreza platform

 
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