Forrester springs for Subarust? Need advice

So my coworker sold the WRX last weekend, before I could find a buyer for Subarust. (Of course I got a message overnight Monday asking if I had sold it yet. Are you berkeleying kidding?)

I looked at Craigslist Sunday evening, just because. I saw 1-2 WRX's in the $5k range, but can't get the courage to deal with someone else's possible problem child, so I think I'm going to upgrade my suspension a bit.

Nothing crazy, I want to keep it sub $1k. I remember someone talking about using Forrester springs for a bit extra height. I need details. Springs alone good enough? Struts/shocks interchangeable? Any other components?

2001 Subraru Impreza 2.5RS

Forester struts/springs/top hats of that vintage interchange with the GC just fine, GC tophats can be reused up front, you'll want Forester top hats in the rear. I'd use the full combo and not just Foz springs on the GC struts. Add in Forester trailing arm brackets if you want to retain stock wheelbase to recenter the rear wheels in the wells.

ValuePack, Haven't seen you on here in a while(I don't think). Your old wagon is still chugging along. Passed it on to a co-workers son. He treats it well.

In reply to ValuePack:

Hm. This does not sound sub $1k.

I just ordered slightly lower swift brand springs, kybs and top hats for my wife's 04 Forester XT. Came in right under $800.

I'll sell you the old stuff (130k miles) for cheap if you want them.

In reply to Greg Voth:

I'm very interested if they have some life left to them. PM would be much appreciated!

I have stock Forester XT suspension and OBX lower arms on an 03 WRX. Bought it this way, seems fine, lots of ground clearance.

Keep looking for cheap WRXs, I got mine for $2750. 140k miles original owner. Worst part it ended up needing were drive and driven gears in the transfer case and a new Viscous, cost me around $500 with the bearings. I did the brakes and timing belt/water pump too, so now I have around $4k in it but I have been into every system.

You want the full Forester struts. You need the setup from the same era as your car, or you will have to monkey around with the strut mounts.

02-07 Impreza = 03-08 Forester
9?-01 Impreza = 98-02 Forester

You can fit the 04 gear in your era, if you drill one extra hole in the rear strut towers if I recall.

Go to DI.com (formerly Dirty Impreza) for all the raising your Subaru info you can handle.

Keep looking. I have bought 3 WRX's for under $1000. I had to swap the engine out of one and into one of the others to do it.

02 WRX running and driving (from a friend) - $750
05 WRX Hatch - blown motor - $500
02 WRX Hatch - RUSTY - good motor - $500

You need to have cash in hand and be ready to move FAST!

Dammit. Now you guys have me second-guessing. Again. Is that third-guessing?

sachilles wrote: ValuePack, Haven't seen you on here in a while(I don't think). Your old wagon is still chugging along. Passed it on to a co-workers son. He treats it well.

Great news! Loved that rig, my co-workers are still talking about our snowy after-hours fun runs in it.

I find a few minutes a day to troll the build threads here, but we've bought a big old house in a corn town, gotten the kids in Scouts, and adopted a massive lab/pit bull/shepherd that needs to run a few hours a day... not much time for internet these days!

Jerry: cheap as chips! Figure $250 for struts, $50 per corner max for new tophats, $50 for four used springs, and whatever trailing arm mounts fetch from the scrappers. Do it! No penalty in ride quality or driveability, the SF Forester were every bit as dynamic as the GC RS.