Thanks for the reply
As far as engine swap and trans swap goes, those 2 options are definitely a future maybe. I know it is possible to swap the 1.8l OBDI into the car, but I am not sure yet if I will go this route. This 2.5 that I have now has been well taken care of, so there is plenty of life left in it. I am aware that it is an interference engine, and the timing belt/water pump was serviced by the previous owner about a year ago (~10k miles), and it shows when I remove the belt cover.
As for modding the intake, I haven't quite decided yet as to what I plan on doing. I do know that using a K&N filter is out of the question, as I would rather have a dry flow filter. It is my understanding, from the research I have done, the oil impregnated filters play havoc on the MAF sensors in these cars (and other Subaru's), due to the design of the MAF. So I am looking into using a Green or similar cone filter.
Aero mods are where I feel I will see the most improvement in MPG with this car. Thinking that when I remove my roof rack cross bars, I may design a coroplast/cardboard roof cover that keeps the angle of the windshield and stretches back over (and down around the sides) of the rest of the bars, then maybe put a small kammback on the rear. But again, the aero mods (like the engine/trans swap) are yet TBD
The spare tire will be coming out, and I will be carrying a bottle of green Slime, as well as AAA. I also am considering removing the rear seat and fashioning a sort of shelf to even out the space it sits in.
I'll have to post my fuel log book numbers when I get the chance. Keep in mind though that these numbers are affected by the bad wheel bearing/hub on the right front, and that I haven't actually done the math to get the actual numbers (estimated in my head by rounding).