It’s a common misconception that you need to buy a car’s top-tier performance model to find any thrills powering through turns. On the contrary: You don’t have to buy a BMW M3 when the base model 3 Series is already outstanding, and you’d have to be out of your mind to think the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is the only 911 that can quicken your pulse. In the case of the Subaru Impreza’s sporty versions, the regular WRX sometimes winds up being overlooked for ist more powerful STI sibling, even though it’s still one of the best-handling affordable AWD speed machines of all time.
With that said, it doesn’t take much to bring a Rex closer to the full-blown STI experience, and this slightly modified Impreza WRX wagon up for grabs on Bring a Trailer is a perfect example of little tweaks improving things.
This 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX wagon would be just fine if kept bone-stock, but as with a lot of WRXs, it received a few modifications. Luckily, the owner showed some restraint and kept them subtle; an aftermarket rear diffuser, mud flaps and Prodrive OZ Racing wheels are the only visual upgrades the owner added. Under the hood, however, there’s a Process West intercooler, APS air intake, GrimmSpeed radiator shroud, and a Prodrive exhaust to help the turbocharged 2.5-Liter flat-four breathe a little better and burble a tiny bit louder. At the corners, there are STI springs, Oswald sway bars, and a rear strut brace to top it off. Not the most outrageous parts list ever seen on a WRX, but just enough to highlight the best parts of a standard Rex wagon.
As of this writing, the bidding on this WRX wagon stands at $8,800; although aftermarket parts tend to bring the resale value down, the odometer is showing a wildly low readout of just 14,261 miles, so that seems poised to climb in the few hours remaining. Considering a brand new WRX STI goes for over $36,000, this 2007 wagon is a performance bargain — not to mention practical as hell.
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