[MR2] OT - Toyota VS Subaru Rant

[Joel]

As a proud owner of a 1986 Mr2 for 6 years, and an owner of a 1999 
Subaru Impreza 2.5RS, I feel it my duty to rant quickly on 3 particular 
topics.

I've worked on my fair share of 4ag(z)e, 3sg(t)e and ej25 engines.

 From the factory, Toyota blesses our 4a and 3s engines with a windage 
tray (aka. oil splash guard) - Subaru does not...  not even on the STi.

Why is that a simple piece of bent and slightly drilled plate steel is 
included with thousands of engines in Mr2s, Corollas, Celicas & Camrys 
(and others), and yet Subaru does not even outfit their high end STi 
with such a device?!  You certain can drop $300 and buy the Cosworth 
part, after the fact.

Beyond that, all AllTrac Celica/Camry (not sure about the Corolla or 
Matrix) owners can take pride in the fact that they have a Torsen (gear 
driven) LSD from the factory...  And yet, the WRX & 2.5RS (unsure of the 
STi) are given the cheapest LSD available - viscous...  That's called 
being cheap.

Another wonderful thing that 4a/3s owners can take great pride in is 
their........ OIL PUMP.  No joke.

I've done a fair amount of searching and never found a 'high flow' oil 
pump for the 4a or 3s from Toyota or TRD.  As you can guess, there is a 
'high flow' oil pump that Subaru does offer (factory part on the STi's). 
  So, funny as it might sound, the exact same oil pump that rests in the 
WRC cars of yester-year (and current in the Australian Rally), are the 
same factory units in our road going cars!  But, Subaru wants more of 
your money for a factory part, if you want that peace of mind...

Toyota understands the benefit of giving their road going vehicles 
proven and reliable parts - it just so happens that they're also the 
parts they put into their race cars!  I've no doubt that the race units 
do undergo scrutiny to remove any possible oil flow blockages or 
disruptions - that can be said of any part.  But, they still use the 
factory part - not some special order piece.

As one might guess, once I am done paying off my 2.5RS, I'm quite 
certain that I'll be selling off my Subaru and removing Subaru from my 
roster entirely...  And yes, I still own my AW11...  It is going thru a 
3sge swap currently. :)

- Joel -