L's are a lot lighter than STI's. You can attain the same speed with less horse power because you're so light. If you wanted a cheaper route you can do the wrx swap and a few mods and new turbo. You'll have plenty of money left over for suspension, brakes, exterior, interior, whatever you want. Check out the GT30R thread. Another option is the 2.2L swap. More displacement than a wrx. Cheaper than STI. People have been making obscene horsepower with this engine. Check out www.nasioc.com.