Now in hindsight I can definitely see the advantages of buying a stock car and turboing it. Spend once, get a big turbo from the get go, no need to replace anything as it's all fresh to the car. End up with more power for less cost (if you do it right).
But this car is my one and only, I need it every day for work. I couldn't have bought a stock car and had it laid up for a couple of months to build. With the SE, most mods are quick bolt ons, can be done in a day or over the weekend, in your garage with only basic tools. The exception being getting an ECU installed and tuned, and if you're keen even that is manageable thanks to the likes of Adaptronic and Megasquirt.
Of course, if you want to build the engine and upgrade the turbo you're looking at a bigger job, most likely at a mechanic's, the above is simply to get the most out of the stock motor and turbo.
Also, it's easier to slip the expenses past the gate keeper in bits and peices, rather than one all out job.
