There was a period in the early-mid 2000’s when the usually very competent Subaru engineers inadvertantly blew a lot of turbos, good thing you dumped the up-pipe cat, as they age you can suck chunks of it into the turbo, boom.
Mine is largely stock barring the mods described, daily driver, just wanted to smooth it out and get the most out of the engine and turbo without making a beast of it. Exterior appearance is dead stock, factory 18” rims, low profile Contis. No suspension mods, I actually enjoy the cushiness of the soft bushings while still being well planted to the road, it’s an almost French approach to a car suspension, lol. It can get a little roly-poly at high speed (meaning very extralegal) but I have no need and little occasion so that’s OK.
A lot to be said for starting with 2.5l and all that torque rather than wringing the neck of a 2.0l. Too many horror stories about blown transmissions, pistons, bearings. Yet another reason I am staying at my boost level. Think Subaru learned a lot from the early 2.0l cars, maybe why the STI showed up as a 2.5l from the start.
A STI would be great fun, though where I am now, a Jeep 4WD would be more useful as a plaything to go explore roads I dare not take the WRX, AWD or not. Of course the wife would never let her 4Runner touch rocks or dirt, and it is 2WD to boot.