Thanks for the comments, guys. I realise it's not going to be a cheap job, but I'm looking at either sub-$2k for an EJ25 of uncertain heritage, or $5k for a complete rebuild of this motor.

I know conventional economics suggests that it's more efficient to buy a WRX than do a conversion from a non-turbo, but that assumes that your non-turbo donor car is worth something - to sell my RS I'd need to fix the engine, fix a bit of panel/paint damage, sell it, pay off what's left of my car loan and then find the money for a WRX effectively from scratch.

From what I've read so far, I'd need:

* A WRX front cut
* New/2nd hand exhaust
* Rear diff, probably
* A new/2nd hand bonnet (FMIC isn't a realistic option, I do too much gravel driving and would probably put a stone through it)
* Possibly strip the engine down and replace gaskets etc, depending on age/ks.

I figure I can do that for sub-$10k and a lot of grunt work, which makes it a viable option. I guess my first question is, what am I missing? I'm trying to research this as much as possible before deciding which way to go - I'm by no means determined to do this conversion, and the concept of paying $5k for (effectively) engine is very attractive.

My first requirement is a reliable car. Fun comes second, and the RS has enough grunt to satisfy my hoon urge. Having said that, this may be my only chance to own the next best thing to a real WRX, so I'm looking at it.

cheers,
Paul