[robin]

Could we talk about the pluses and minuses of a variety of low to med. budget PGT/P4 mounts:

DSM
Soob 2.5 RS
Legacy Turbo
323 GTX
Galant
??????

i.e.
- purchase cost
- service cost
- reliability, weak areas/parts
- competitiveness
- driving characteristics (yes...assuming 32mm restrictor)
- ???

Thanks,

Robin

 

[FMF]

>Could we talk about the pluses and minuses of a variety of
>low to med. budget PGT/P4 mounts:
>
>DSM
>Soob 2.5 RS
>Legacy Turbo
>323 GTX
>Galant
>??????
>
add wrx
depending on your $ituation I would say 2.5 RS
>i.e.
>- purchase cost
Getting pretty cheep I have seen relatively easy to fix wreckers as low as $2500
>- service cost
Cheep NA so no turbo and mild horse power that if driven properly seams to hold together well plus they are easier to build maintain because their are a lot of performance parts available. As if that is not enough they share tons of components with just about every Subaru made since 1993.
>- reliability, weak areas/parts
Transmission
>- competitiveness
Here in the states very competitive no need for 32 and the WRXs and DSMs have been choked back so the 2.5 can keep up.
>- driving characteristics (yes...assuming 32mm restrictor)
>- ???
In Canada a wrx with a good fuel computer is faster since they are allowed to control everything including ALS they can get much more (about 100) more HP with the same handling maybe better and only a little more weight
>Thanks,
>
>Robin
Edited for spelling and finish.

 

[randyzimmer]

re: weak transmission in 2.5RS
40 rallys/one failure = spider gear in transfer case, not a gear tooth problem like everyone expects.
While we're at it, unforced car failures in 40 rallys = 1, see above.
I run a low-mile-wreck transmission for a season then cycle it to the towcar. I don't open them up, just run as-is with redline oil.
The car has finished top-10 US, top-5 CDN and has won Club events so it isn't babied. After the initial investment, I know of no other car as competitive and reliable as a 2.5RS. Modify it at your peril, it works fine with almost no changes.
rz

 

[FMF]

You are covered under the if driven properly clause.

 

[akuhner]

>I run a low-mile-wreck transmission for a season then cycle
>it to the towcar.

what do you tow with?!?!

I toasted the syncros on a '98 RS tranny learnging to downshift into first at rally-x. But this was my first manual tranny car and I didn't have any motorsports background when I learned to drive it!

I'm waiting for the right point in my life to get a 2.5RS PGT car (living in Manhattan makes this a bad time!), but I probably wouldn't consider a Legacy Turbo just because of the age of the car. I've seen more impressivly built RS' than Legacy's.

Alex

 

[joeg]

I would say that any of the GTX, the Gallant and maybe even the Legacy are getting a bit long in the tooth such that consummables (i.e. sheet metal) maybe getting tough to find. Cripes two of them may even be rare.

Good Luck!

 

[randyzimmer]

"what do you tow with?!?!"
Went most of the US pro rally season with a 2.2 Legacy wagon but have had much more comfort and power with the 97 2.5GT wagon that replaced it.
With a 2.5 you don't need many spare parts so I bring along mostly tires.
rz

 

[Morison]

The Trinder/ Ex Pat 2.5 RS is probably one of the better deals out there. a well prepared car that is 'probably in better shape than it's ever been in' according to Scott.

THIS P4 2.5RS has always run with the big boys, and was even pulled aside for a restrictor check at Wild West this year after winning the class.

Building just about any car is going to tale the better part of the $15,000 this car is being offered at ? if I hadn?t just built my RX7, I?d probably jump at this car.

 

[randyzimmer]

"In Canada a wrx with a good fuel computer is faster since they are allowed to control everything including ALS they can get much more (about 100) more HP with the same handling maybe better and only a little more weight"
A WRX may be faster if driven well, but it is not anywhere near the cost of operation of a 2.5. Figure good gas instead of crap, power to wear out tires, smaller CVs and wheel bearings and more than a little extra weight. (mine in open and lightened is 2750, GN wrxs are around 3250). Stock brake pads work fine and last all year.
I can't imagine why that car hasn't sold and am more surprised Scott would abandon it. We had quite a good scrap out west in '03 and we also competed in who did less work at service. He'll join many other 2.5 owners who wish they'd kept their old car. (I know a few).
rz

 

[AlanPerry]

>I would say that any of the GTX, the Gallant and maybe even
>the Legacy are getting a bit long in the tooth such that
>consummables (i.e. sheet metal) maybe getting tough to find.

Sheet metal is no problem for GTXs since they share much of it with standard 323s of the same era. Gearboxes on the other hand ...

alan

 

[MDBodnar]

As a DSM owner I would reccomend a Sube...

Nothing wrong with the DSM, but so long as the restrictor rule is in place it is not a great car for PGT (next I'll try and sell you one on minex(

another point -- if this is your first car or first AWD car the linear power of a NA engine is going to be easier to drive than a turbo

After I take some time to get the restrictor rule lifted or changed, the DSM will again be a good PGT car

Mike

 

[patr]

having run in this class...

the restricted eclipse runs about even dragging a 2.5rs (assuming not huge boost on the eclipse)

the rs is a bit lighter

the eclipse can run more boost (to make it faster), and can do so legally i think

the wrx restricted is the best bet, but a lot of $$

the 2.5rs is a good car

the 323gtx restricted (but with turbo boosted) should be very, very, very good

if there were no restrictors, I get the eclipse, or a boosted wrx (but you could buy 3 or 4 exclipses for that)

with restrictors i think they are all even (wrx with lots of $$ spent on it excepted), then it boils down to price, and preference

 

[robin]

I'm (carefully and thoroughly) looking at options for my second car (P4 being the upper limit of what I'm considering)

Thanks for all the responses.

Robin

 

[patr]

matt lestage is selling his novice winning champ car for like 8k good to go. make the talon:wrx ratio 5 to one !