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Owned a few Subarus with decent power. Never had any issues. Not even headgaskets. I believe the issue is everybody throws the kitchen sink at them without building the block. Do reliability bolt ons (AOS, baffled oil pan etc) until you can throw a closed deck block with forged pistons in. Then pursue the big power. If you sequence the mods right with a good tune-a lot of damage can be avoided

As a Subaru owner, I’ll always say it is worth it. Don’t constantly beat on your vehicle. Keep up with maintenance and MAKE SURE your oil delivery system is UPGRADED. That is all

As a previous owner of a 2013 STI, I have quite a bit to say. Hi, I’m Jeff. I had a 2013 Subaru, nicknamed Sammie, that David reviewed in early 2020. It was putting out 450ish and 410 tq. The car in my possession went through essentially 3 engines, 2 of which I paid for. 12K miles after I sold it, it needed ANOTHER engine. It could have been the fault of the shop, but in the end the embarrassing amount of money I spent on perfection of my GV STI did not do what it was intended to do: a weekend/track car. Which is why I sold it. So the answer? If you want big power, DO NOT GO SUBARU!!! It takes way too much to maintain and keep them as balanced as they are from the factory at high power levels

I've been having my 06 since 2017. Self tuned speed density rotated precision 5858 on 19-26psi beating the piss out of it. Racing at the pad, awd donuts, real fun nights, and now it has a baby seat in the back. You build it right and take of it, understand it, and learn.

So far I've owned five subarus and I have to say my 07 is my favorite, and I completely agree with the love hate relationship. Personally I love the wing/spoiler on Sti's and I've never been a big fan of wingless it just looks like it's missing something to me

Idc what anyone says. The Hawkeye Subaru's are, by far, the best looking STI's.

What a lot of people get wrong about subaru is thinking it starts and ends with an sti as a platform to build a fast car on. So people cross shop an sti with other performance cars at the price point and see it's a bad deal or can't take as much hp. But that's not the whole story Subaru Begins with cheap non turbo wagons for poor guys in snowy states. A lot of us are driving on snow for half a year, and you need a dedicated winter car if you have something like a mustang. We fall in love with subarus because you buy this car that's easy to find in stick that has great awd, they're light, and they're all kinda the same car. If you like the experience enough, maybe you splurge and get a turbo version like a legacy gt wagon (which i had at one point), forester xt etc. You can also swap whatever parts into whatever you have and like. The wrx and sti are kind of for those of us who fell in love with subarus when they made winter fun on the cheap. We like the experience enough to pony up for an sti as personal preference and also to have a fun car even in winter. Or in my case, i had a boss 302 and two superbikes for summer with a $900 gen 2 outback for winter duty. Ended up loving the outback and keeping it, while i sold my boss 302 because it wasn't even close to as fun as the bikes for way more money. I still enjoy driving my outback more than the boss. Flaws in all. Personal preference. And Now i consider an sti because i just love the normal subarus so much, that having that subaru constant in my life upgraded to be sort of fast is worth it to me. But if you live in florida, Texas, Georgia, California etc. And buy an sti to stance it, it's not really the same philosophy of use. Us midwest poor dudes who work on our own cars love subaru enough to think "hey, personal preference. An sti isn't the best bang for buck. It's just what i like" So whenever you're looking at how expensive and fragile these all out sti's are, and you think of an sti as competition for other cool cars you're considering, and scratch your head as to why we do it, just remember. Subarus aren't the worst racecar. They're the best normal practical car. Yeah, the high end ones just so happen to compete with other dedicated performance cars stock for stock. But the true nature of a Subaru was always a winter daily wagon with enough ride height to do blizzards and gravel that just so happened to be light and fun. They're absolutely not for everyone and i wouldn't recommend them to anyone who doesn't already get it. But for those of us who got a glimmer of fun all winter in our sub $2000 stick wagons while waiting to get our bikes and muscle cars back out, we saw something nobody else sees. It's kind of Stockholm syndrome... But there's something there too not everyone gets

Veteran tuner that knows these cars head to toe every crevase, oil pickup tube and oil supply in general to the engine is the best it can be, best supporting mods and and not beating your car. I used to live in the fear of having my STI blow up but I was just feeding into the bad stories. I don't have any regrets of it now, I miss my sti and I'll forever love that car

A lot of people in these comments bashing the EJ. Is it flawless? God no… but if built properly and with a proper tune (tune is EVERYTHING!) then they run strong and run great! Most people popping Subaru engines are pushing horsepower beyond the limit of their build, or running OTS / base maps with whatever parts they feel like throwing at them. They’re very touchy and specific but if done right, are very rewarding.

So my EJ popped a ringland last year. As someone who has been through this, I must say that a lot of the reliability problems regarding built Subarus come down to poor build/tuning choices. When I bought the car, it made 350 ft/lb at the wheels (which is like 410 at the crank)... on stock cast pistons at 20 psi of boost. It drove another 60,000 miles. I rebuilt the engine myself with forged pistons and let me say it is a huge PITA getting these things assembled properly, which is where many mistakes come in. Thankfully mine runs great and doesn't leak any oil. I did oiling system and head stud upgrades too and am only shooting for 350 whp to keep it reliable, so we'll see how it goes. (That's still Mustang GT level power to weight!) If you spend the time getting it right and keep your goals modest (300-400 hp), I would say that it's no worse than any other platform. Go much past that, and it's not the best choice.

If you’re looking for a good WRX alternative for high power I love my b5 s4. Sitting at 550 on pump gas it’s PRETTY reliable minus stupid vw sensors and suspension components but once those are upgraded/deleted the motor is good for about 650 with ARP studs all round but I’ve heard dudes running 700+ on stock internals. The 01e trans is also good for about 800hp stock it’s an amazing transmission that has very avaliable dog gears that can take you into the 900-1000 range!

One of my favorites for sure. That turbo looks to be such a good setup. After my first motor. I learned the lesson “don’t get power hungry”. My 06 makes 377whp on pump, and has been going strong for 45k miles thanks to the IAG motor it has. I may run it on e85 at some point, but won’t push past 399whp (class rules for local trackcross). Still plenty to have fun with. My setup on full send on e85 would make in the 430 range on a dynojet. All in all, they are super fun cars and can be reliable at a decent power level for sure, just takes quite a bit of money to get to those levels reliably

Used to own one and abuse it at track days. You can do everything right and the motor will still pop, too fragile unfortunately. Drivetrain is great tho ❤

Love the Subaru content! I’m looking to put a STi type RA shortblock in my 05 legacy gt sometime soon. Wish me luck haha.

Im so Happy that somebody shares the hate for Subaru wastegate sound. I also love white Hawkeyes only Subaru I'd own.

The lack of fog light covers makes the front end look unfinished. Awesome build regardless!

A 600HP STI is almost always worth it until its not. And when its not, its NOT.

It's my money, it's worth it. Leave me and my stash of head gaskets alone.

I think a must drive Subaru for you is Tanner(Smeedia) EG Swapped STi once it's finished.

My 20 'rex sat so high I gave it to my kid in favor of my BELOVED Kia Forte GT. Man oh man, what a great car! Fell in love with the ecotec 1.6 in my 04 Aveo and couldn't WAIT to get my hands on the turbo version from kia/hyundai. Better than I hoped! Super-comfy, too. Total sleeper, tuned, taking 5.7 hemis. Twice now, so no mistake!

As a man with a blown up Hawkeye sti in his garage sadly awaiting funds for a transplant this made me feel really good. Thankyou David!

Why is this question constantly asked? People will build what they want regardless of price. What may not be worth it to one person will be worth it to another. It’s too subjective!

Love the vids, David...I think a video were you talk about the best cars for an enthusiast with a limited budget to build and get power out of would be cool.

U should definitely review smeedias 3.3 flat 6 swap STI. that should shake up the subie engine staleness

I can respect nice subaru builds for sure. Chef's bugeye is exactly how I'd build one

Totally not worth it because the car itself ain't cheap and the cost for the build is really high. There are cheaper, more reliable options, and with better MPG.

Stoked to see the '07 STi Limited getting some love! Just picked one up earlier this year with less than 15k miles, all stock. One thing not mentioned about the features on the Limited is it came from the factory with a STi front lip spoiler. Not seen on the car being reviewed. It's a cool look with the rear lip spoiler! Hope they can add it and complete the Limited look.

those yellowed headlights are killin me lol

I stated this before I am HUGE Subaru fan boy. i watch your channel a lot to learn about other cars but I really love subbie content.

I know exactly what you mean about external wastegates just being obnoxious and takes away from the exhaust and turbo sounds. I wish mine didn’t have an external waste gate.

I have a 350 hp 2013 Sti hatch ,if treated right they run great ! Watch fine knock learn ,temps ,Dyn Adv multi and do maintenance and with proper fuel

short and only answer is yes any car you want to put money into that makes you happy is worth it

Not an STI but I did own a 5 speed 06 FXT for quite some time. Bought it off my dad, then sold it back to him and now my buddy owns it. That car got the ever loving snot beat out of it and it finally had a major head gasket failure at 180k miles. When my old man originally got the car it had 38k on it, bone stock. All the 2 of is did was a full catless exhaust with a turbo XS muffler, a Perrin intake, a custom dyno tune with a cobb accessport and some no name short throw shifter. Swift 1.5" drop springs, JDM STI forester wheels, STI hood scoop and hatch spoiler for exterior stuff. I think we just got lucky and found a Subie that was bomb proof. My buddies all had a varying range or WRXs and STIs and they could never understand how it held together that long lol I did go through 2 transmission rebuilds though.

I have a Hawkeye that’s tuned to about 350whp. It’s perfect to take to work on a nice day and absolutely brutal if you want to pull down some curvy backroads here in New England. This is my first AWD sporting car and it feels a world apart from RWD cars I’ve had in the past like my MR2 and E46. I don’t know if I can ever go back!

How much was the build ? Some ball park figure for the build would’ve been nice to know

I hate the flutter too! Makes it sound like it’s struggling

1 engine 20k miles and counting making 500whp on my garage built engine that I beat the snot off on a weekly basis. Wouldn’t change my Subaru for anything in the world

I had an 07 limited. Best thing ever. Had to sell when I had kids. Now I have a 2017 and I miss my 07

Gotta get a hold of a kid named mark Walsh in Philly area I think

Fun fact the 06/07 hawkeye was my favorite car in high-school, never got one but always loved this year

2 minute ad before the video begins is madd

That chop sound from the wastegate is because everyone runs an electronic MAC valve for their wastegate actuator. If you just run a manual boost controller it sounds smooth and way better imo.

My brothers limited STi swap is what got me into cars. Loved that car. Some lady ran into him and it was totaled :(

5:20 the wheel hop is largely fixed with diff bushing inserts which cost like $50 and take a few minutes to install. it takes a lot of slop out of the drivetrain but at the cost of some drivability.

I respect anyone willing to put in the time and money to make these cars faster

Stay within the 400-450 max powerband with a fully built block, I think you’ll stay reliable for awhile. Listen to others with experience and don’t cut corners a Subaru will work great. I only drive subies but I’ll admit all day this isn’t the platform to compete with cars putting out 500-600+ hp. Not why I bought it anyway.

I had #581/800 in grey back in 2015. Loved that car so much.

I love my Hawkeye STI, it has a built engine with forged internals but everything else is OEM. Stock turbo, stock injectors, and stock intercooler. 298 whp as my daily driver and I love it. I mainly built it for reliability after the first motor blew, and to have the ability to push more power in the future if I want to.

I own a 2020 STI which came with the RA block which supposedly is stronger but my engine blew around 20k miles. Got a new engine, put an AOS on and decided to go stage 1+. About to reach 38k miles and no real issues. I know the 2015+ generation starts getting iffy after getting to the 350 whp mark.

I mean if you have to money to build it right go for it remember builds break down it’s apart of the process build break fix it and enjoy :)

The blob eye and Hawkeye are my favorite sti chassis. But it cost so much to make good power. I sold my 05 sti for a mk7 golf r. It’s so much easier and cheaper (and more reliable)to make power out of the ea888 🔥. But they will always have a soft spot in my heart, I want to buy another one when I can afford it. 🔥

Also to note that the Limited doesn't come with the roof vane.

No!!!!!! Why? They all break down pointless battle too fragile unless you leave completely stock

I will forever love my 06 sti. Even if it does break down once and a while. They are such fun cars. Subarus and rx7s are definitely the most unreliable jdm cars ever but god they are great ass cars

These were so cool in 2006-7 the more like version of the sti. The champagne color is my favorite though hands down.

From working in a Subaru dealership and seeing a bunch of people go through a lot of bs with engines, I’d say it’s not worth it to go high hp with them but keeping them low hp cruisers would be ideal. There was a 2015 red wrx that I saw personally come in, that throughout the span of FOUR MONTHS this car went through 3 different owners and 4 motors. OG owner blew 1 around 40k, got it rebuilt and it blew around 500mph because he didn’t follow break in. Motor 2 went in and it got traded in. Owner 3 bought it, engine blew, he returned it and got a different one. After that I stopped working in service but I saw it come back AGAIN for another motor. And for those thinking it’s the tech building it, first two motors were built by the master tech at said dealer, 3 and 4 were built by two different higher ranked techs. Also had a friend of a friend had his 2008 sit for almost 2 years and go through 2 motors but that was at the fault of the tuner

Jesus Christ that launch at @5:19.😩 Fucking chefs kiss man.👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽

Like that one video I saw to make 1000hp you need a $20,000 short block just to start. I would say probably not although I love the sound.

I put one engine in my bugeye at 185k miles at 20psi and havnt had any problems in 30k. Idk why I’ve had such good luck but I give the ej20 credit. It’s ran like a top. Done all the work myself too learning as I go. I say stay away from the 2.5L engines

Check out Smeedia’s channel… when his EG33 swapped 2016 STI is done, that would be different enough for you I think… is up outside of Seattle

If you enjoy the car who cares if it costs 150k$ to make 300hp, can’t beat the AWD and sounds of a subie, I’ve owned 2 STI.

Please please please review a Subaru ez30 6 cylinder if you can find one.. they are absolutely amazing compared to the old na 2.0l idk why they never kicked off its Subarus hidden gem.. the are not like the eg33 svx engine but my god you can’t beat the sound of the flat 6!

Upside ad is a first world annoyance. Good Scuby video!

Owned a 2019 & 2021 STI. Do I miss them? Short answer nope. Enjoying my Japanese V8 2022 Lexus IS500 Launch Edition. 2UR-GSE > EJ257

Been watching your channel for quite a while and I’m really hoping you do a review on a 3800 powered car like a Grand Prix or regal that is modded. Weird but fun fwd cars that pick up great power with mods

Those headlights are so easy to unfog that I can't understand why he hasn't done it yet. It's all on the outside of the lens. Meguiar's and Mother's have a kit you can buy. I clear wrapped mine after I cleaned them. Obviously an awesome build, though.

Imo I think the wingless look on WRXs makes them look even more aggressive. Like in a sleeper aggressive way...looks sick.

Smeedia's 3.3 flat 6 STI is a whole different monster, Should check it out! It's currently undergoing a Rebuild. However Even Josh Bader himself said it's going to be "An absolute monster" and I trust the Subaru power god himself!

As a Hawkeye owner I feel forgiven that someone else doesn't care for their headlights but works the rest of the car! haha

Dude!, Well said, it is absolutely a love/hate relationship! With that said after building my 05 Forester STI swap with 450whp I'm never doing a Subaru again and probably doing a Honda k24 turbo next. I love it, but God damn.

So I just sold my 556whp 2006 STi after I blew the second engine. Loved the car including sentimental value but it drained my bank. Only way I will own another Subaru if it’s sponsored.

It’s not the motor or the car most of the time it’s the drivers. A flat 4 is not meant for 24hr abuse. There is a stock never opened ej257 making 900hp it’s just how it’s tuned and how you drive it

A buddy of mine has one of this gen STI, and he's spent around $30k getting it to 550hp and roughly the same amount of torque. Sounds great, fun to drive, but the cost:performance ratio is definitely skewed and he's exceptionally salty about the guys who drop a K-series engine into *insert car body here* and making the same amount of power as his STI with a fraction of the investment.

miss my hawkeye so much after watching this, great review!

Can't wait to watch this one.. I'm torn between building my 06 STi that I've owned for 14 years or buy a new car. New 1SS 1LE track package Camaro or new Supra are my top choices right now. I'd still keep the STi, just keep it as it and not build it.. but I have the luxury of living 30 min away from IAG. New GR86 maybe? Lightweight, RWD manual fun to drive, interior is decent.. don't need a ton of power to be fun for the street... someone send help

You haven’t been In the new VB!!! Oooh weeeee ! I can’t wait for you’re review. 😎

I have a 900whp Subaru STI and the answer is no. The hp per dollar spent is insane in these vehicles but it's also a labor of love and a passion for these cars. In the end its all relative.

I will say, this video has to be one of your best intros.

Hawk eye limited is my absolute favorite subaru. A car I love but have absolutely no desire to own.

I've had 8 subarus and I especially remember an 2002 Forester which had a forget block with 570whp and 510trq had been in a crash and the guy that changed the timing belt put it on incorrectly drove it like that for a year before the valves kissed and the engine blew otherwise perfect car reliable and the other 7 drove all perfectly with all of them having higher mileages but good maintenance. Planning on getting my first Impreza gd 2004 blobeye wagon all the others were Foresters

that B roll gave me nostaliga from the dubstep music

very cool videos I found you searching the Taurus SHO review!!!! and then I saw this cus I live in NWOH where all of these kids my age (28) in my area for whatever reason all buy STIs smh 🤦‍♂️ my biggest gripe is they're so loud and attract a lot of attention which I know sounds silly but in town where I live the police will literally mess with you for anything so when you have a fast car and STIs are literally like the loudest... some sound nice depending on the exhaust mods... but most of them sound like a beefed up civic with a fart can exhaust haha that's what they call them around here. 🤣 anyways love your reviews and the cars you choose to review super neat brother! I'll subscribe for sure I enjoyed watching. I said you know what that's dope maybe someday I'll start my own channel reviewing cars cus you get to enjoy it drive it have fun and do something you love to do! All around mega bonus in my book! ❤️

My 2014 gt got totaled from drunk driver now driving my bugeye been sitting went for drive even it’s stock wrx not bad pretty reliable put in 70k miles from the last 3 years

That flutter is based on wastegate duty cycle. You get more flutter as it’s turned up

I live beside a shop that only does Subarus. 30k gets you 1000bhp lol

If its an eastcoast sti than yes cause we got good ass shops. If you on west coast tho, not worth it

Change the title to , "Why haven't you owned a 600bhp Subaru " That's what it should be 🤣

Who just comes back to re watch some amazing content!!? 🔥

So I'm not entirely sure what people's issue is with Subarus. I don't know if it builder/tuner error or driver error? I've had my 08 STI for 2 years it has 80k and I've tracked it wide open for around 2 hours worth of track time. I have headers and full exhaust, intake, dyno tune made 333 torque and 297 hp and have not had any engine issues. Doesn't even burn oil and I even made the mistake of going from 5th to 2nd on track by mistake hitting 8000 rpm and the car hasn't even complained.

Definitely sounds healthy and I love the sleeper look to it!

Badd ass. Always loved these cars from day one. I prefer the big wing in the back. Fast. Cool.👍😎😎❤❤🤑

Pegboard Nerds Computa Hakka IS THE INTRO SONG!!!!!!

I think the way to go for easy modern power from a 4 cylinder besides a Honda is to get an EA888 GTI/R/A3/S3… can make 500whp+ on stock block for less than 10K and can get a full well rounded complete build, suspension and all for about 20

Love stock Subarus as a daily driver but for racing I'm glad to have an e36 with an m54b30

They’re great, but only if you put your entire savings into them

After watching gymkhana 2 it was my dream to build my wrx hatch. After owning the car, and knowing what the motors like, I’ve heard too many of my friends and other people saying that they’ve done 20 to 30 grand Canadian to build their motor to only make 300 hp on a safe tune, it’s a no for me love the brand love seeing these high horsepower Subarus but I couldn’t do it

Wastegate chug is one of my favorite sounds, makes the car sound like a transformer!!!!

Nice launch 👌

I bought the Gray one new. Great car! Unfortunately, I traded it in for a new 2008 VW Golf R32 (Over rated). I traded that for a 2010 Boxster (Great car). Now driving a 2019 Corvette GS.