In the 2.5 RS, this means that the car won't hesitate to get you home in a snowstorm, light flood, or those surprise rally stages that happen from time when no one's looking.

Advertisement

2. It's Versatile.


At the very base of the 2.5 RS is an economy car that's made for many hundreds of thousands of miles, through tough seasons exposed to the elements. It's made for baby seats, melted crayons, and the occasional drink spill. It can do a cross-country trip at a moment's notice, and doesn't mind driving all the way back because you forgot your Kenny G collection. You can likely fix it on a 2-figure budget, and rebuild it on a 3-figure budget. Its parts are easily accessible and the aftermarket support rivals anything made for popular Toyotas, Hondas, or Nissans. With the right suspension and tire setup, it can give you an experience that requires a chiropractor afterwards, all while returning just shy of 30 miles per gallon and having the ability to make one hell of an awesome and iconic exhaust note.

Advertisement

It's the darling of nearly every type of motorsport, from autocross to the loud new kid on the block - drifting:

Advertisement

Photo by Aatomotion on Flickr

It's embraced by the oddball stance kids, 1/4 mile racers, and car show presenters. Odds are, if you can do it in a car, the Subaru 2.5 RS is the car to do it.

Advertisement

1. WRX/STi Engine swaps


The stock 2.5 engine, in both the single cam and dual cam versions weren't bad powerplants by any means, putting out a max of 165 horsepower, but they were overshadowed in every conceivable way by the WRX and STi turbo variants, which are to this day, some of the most sought after engines in all of tuning culture. Subaru's ingenious method of making nearly all of their drivetrain parts interchangeable make the STi/WRX a no-brainer for anyone that wants to transform their 2.5 RS into something that will have the BRZ owner frantically running back to the dealership for a refund. There are tons of tutorials and hundreds of possible combinations of engine mods for a variety of budgets and styles, culminating in a car that can give you neck-snapping grip and more usable power than anything offered by Subaru today.

It's a diamond in the rough, and if you can find one, get it, because it certainly won't be around for long. What are you waiting for? Go get one!

Advertisement

Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. He owns the world's cheapest Mercedes S-Class, a graffiti-bombed Lexus, and he's the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn't feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.