ok guys... help me out.... ive been throwing around deciding to buy a MSP or a WRX... i really want a car for autocross... im currently autocrossing my P5 right now. and will be passing it on to my little brother when go to the army....

what i really want to know is ... hows the aftermarket for the MPS? ive seen so much for the wrx right now..... and also.. will the parts i put on my P5 compatable with the MPS? like springs, rear sway bar, etc.

i just got finished talking to some buddies of mine about the two cars... and they say go with the MPS... (maybe its because we all own proteges...) but they say it would handel better than a wrx cause the wrx has so so much power. what do you think?

 

Go with the WRX. If you are going to use it to motorcross, there is a much more larger market for the subaru then the mazdaspeed.

 

Personally, I like the Mazdaspeed much better than the WRX... my dad has a WRX, and, being in the Protege club...I've come across a few MSPs. Of course, yes, the WRX following is much bigger than the MSP following... but I think you've got plenty of parts, where it counts, and your suspension is nearly perfect to begin with. Yes, parts from the Protege 5 will interchange.

 

MSP Advantages:
-only $20k
-turbo makes all the difference
-chassis and suspension make it one of the best performers in the twisties than any other car around
MSP Disadvantages:
-not enough power
-MSP tranny sux and would proly fail after ~225hp
-The 3rd gen protege (sedan or P5) as we know it is being discontinued. But this may mean that you can pick up an older MSP dirt cheap. Unfortunately it also means the aftermarket will probably die soon.

WRX Advantages:
-227hp turbo
-boxer engine is soooo smooth and bearly vibrates at all
-AWD is a very nice toy to have
-Aftermarket is HUGE for the rex.
-You could upgrade to the STI!
-prolly won't find a funner $25k car anywhere
WRX disadvantages:
-some clutch/tranny problems
-stock re040 tires are garbage and don't generally last a year
-it's a 3000+ pound sedan
-its a $25k car.

 

go with a wrx. comparing msp vs a wrx is like comparing a
focus vs camaro-ss. i put in about 10k of mods on my wrx
and there is no way a msp would ever come near it. mps's
are like a joke in the forced induction world.

 

That is a really shitty comparison you just made. Consider that WRX's run 14lbs stock, and an MSP runs half of that. With 45 bucks invested in an MSP, I beat stock WRX's all day long. So, a 20K car, with 45 bucks invested beats a pricer AWD car with higher boost. How does buying a WRX over an MSP make any damn sense? With stock boost, hard piping, and a FMIC an MSP will still beat a WRX. I'm taking it you have never driven an MSP? Oh, and another thing an MSP will out handle a WRX in a slalom...Later,

 

I'm going to have to agree with 03SpeedLSD on this one. The handling of the MSP is truly top notch. As for the aftermarket, support, and following the MSP is going to grow very fast. Don't forget that both a batch of 2003.5 and 2003.7 are on the way very soon. All the sudden you are going to see a major influx of aftermarket support.

No one has even mentioned the STOCK stereo in the msp!

 

What's the 2003.7? Oh yeah I have that stereo in my car now! (thanks steph!)

 

2003.5 is the Titanium and Yellow

2003.7 is the Blue and Sunlight Silver

 

You can't the WRX into an WRX STi easily. It involves taking off the body panels and welding additional metal to strengthen the chassis.

The difference between the WRX and WRX STi is much greater than that of the Protege ES and MSP.

 

The STi´s engine is a 2.5l, the WRX has a 2.0l .

 

i'm not saying convert the wrx to an sti. i'm saying its another trim line you can upgrade too in the wallet department. That said, to at least get the performance of the STI won't take much money. Just up the boost change out the suspension and a few other upgrades and you are there. But the STI also has a very nice platform and the EJ25 is boosted ~14-15psi so it has potential to unleash too.

 

I was having the same problem as you, AcoupDetat. Only my version was SRT-4, P5 (for the looks), MSP, or WRX. I ended up with the WRX. The WRX over MSP was easy for me.

The WRX is quite a bit quicker than the MSP. I find it hard to believe that a MSP with $45 invested (boost controller I'm guessing) can outrun a WRX. With stock WRXs running 14.0-14.2 and MSPs running between 14.9 and 15.1 that's a huge deficit of power to make up with $45. (why compare modded vs. stock anyway?)

The MSP outhandles the WRX no prob. The MSP is a wonderful handling machine. If you get a WRX you WILL be buying new tires if you go auto-Xing. The stock tires are Bridgestone RE-92s, they suck.

The WRX aftermarket is huge compared to the MSP aftermarket. I don't think you're going to see a big aftermarket for MSPs. The SRT-4 aftermarket has already eclipsed the MSPs and they've only been out 4 months or so. That being said, aftermarket parts for the WRX are way expensive.

The WRX supposedly has a weak clutch, the MSP supposedly has a weak tranny. Avoid clutch drops with the WRX and you're OK. I would assume the same for the MSP.

If you're just worried about autoX why not buy a 1st gen ACR for $2k and keep the P5?

PS - You can pick up a new WRX for invoice. Should come to between $22-$23k.

 

He is currently going to autocross with the vehicle, unfortunately a stereo system does not help with the handling.

Also which 2004 WRX are you looking at:

The regular WRX at: 227HP (25K)

or

The WRX STi at: 300HP (30K)

 

your right.. the sound systme kinda makes it harder to autox... also they make me take it out when i go. so.... thats a pain in the *** to take apart and put back in when im rdy to go....