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First Time Subie Buyer - Is this worth consideration?

2K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  buttery_panda 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi guys!

First time car and subie buyer. Need help! I only have about 2 weeks to pick something out, so this 07 wagon really caught my eye.

2007 Subaru WRX Limited wagon

It would be nice to know:
- the actual value of the car and few mods the owner has added
- what to look for when i go see it (int/ext/mech)
- what important/specific questions to ask the owner when I look at it
- what problems I'll most likely run into in the next 10-15k miles

Any and all advise is welcome.
 
#2 ·
take it to a certified subaru mechainic. this is not question that can be answered properly on a forum.

we cannot see the under the hood, under the car, or anything important.

aside from "looks nice" there isnt much info we can give. people value items differently. my father always said "never buy somone else's headaches" and my auto shop teacher always said "they is always a reason for selling they are not telling you". without actually seeing the car all youre going to get is opinions.

if you need to ask on a forum what to look for when buying a car, you need to take it to a mechanic instead. it should be put on a lift and thoroughly inspected.

any important questions you are going to ask the owner, he is just going to lie to you to sell his car.

anything can happen to a previously owned car within 10-15k miles. ive seen used cars last 1000 miles bacuse the owner lied and or de-tuned the car and didn t say anything when sold.

so ya... take it to a certifed subaru mechanic and pay him for a proper inspection. if youre dropping 9grand on a car, u can drop a few hundred more to protect your investment.
 
#4 ·
Most mechanics have an hourly rate that they are willing to charge for inspecting a vehicle that you are looking to buy. Some shops call it a pre-inspection and many of them would be glad to go for a test drive with you. You just call the shop ahead of time and let them know that your planning on buying a car and would like a pre-inspection done. You schedule it with the shop and make sure you let the previous owner know that you want to take it by your mechanic before you buy it. I like to make that part of the test drive. "Lets schedule to meet at X oclock, Id like to test drive it to X mechanics shop and have them take a look at it before I make the call "

As for the car It looks to me like the owner enjoys the dirt, that means it will need lots of suspension parts like bushings, struts and posibly joints sooner than normal. Brakes also go considerably faster on dirt/gravel so those should be inspected as well. At 145k it should have had its timing belt/tensioner done as well as a few sets of plugs and accessory belts, if you dont see that on the service history I would walk away. Depending on the service history this might be a car worth looking at further but like titter said we can tell from just a few photos and a description. Take it for a test drive to a qualified Subaru mechanic and let them inspect it for you.

Hope that helps
 
#6 ·
Dealerships will charge you for their expertise but on these types of cars are performance cars and they tend to be driven hard so the piece of mind buying from a dealership might be worth the extra cost. Private party sales of sports cars are always iffy, I would find a subaru mechanic near you and make friends before you pull the trigger on a $10k purchase.
 
#7 ·
A big question still lingering in my mind is the combined cost of the mods he's got on there:

- D2 coilovers
- Mishimoto radiator
- Konigs
- Front strut brace
- drilled and slotted rotors with Hawk pads
- exhaust
- K&N Cold air
- ECU retune
- Rally Innovations lightbar with Hella lights

KBB has it priced between 8600 (fair) and 9400 (good). The numbers don't really add up... if all these parts cost money and add value to the car the shouldn't the car's worth be 8600/9400 + the estimated cost of the mods and labor? Other than the big dent in the driver-side passenger door there doesn't seem too much to fix right off the bat.

So I'm left wondering... what's the catch? Maybe there isn't one and I'm simply paranoid of sellers lying and hiding things.
 
#9 ·
The rule of thumb is that mods are something you buy for yourself and a typical buyer will not pay extra for the mods unless the mods suit the buyers specific needs. IE a stage 2 tuned car will not fetch a higher price than a stock car unless the buyer intended to tune it for a staged performance package.

The parts list has me a bit concerned because it looks like the seller is using the car for fire roads and gravel rally but they are not including things like trans pan armor, diff armor or under body armor. Its listed as lifted because he doesnt like scraping on "things" and I would guess that it looks pretty scraped and banged up on the underside.
 
#8 ·
just ask the seller. "im going to take it to my mechanic for an inspection". if he says no then walk away.

even give him the option to drive the car himself to your mechanic since maybe he doesnt want anyone test driving. which isnt a bad thing. no test drives doesnt mean the car is broken, just means the seller doesnt want any potential situtations where he blames the driver for breaking the car. its more for liability sake than anything.

the dealership i bought my 02 wagon from in last year did this for me. for insurance purposes they had one of thier employees meet me at the garage at a specified time.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I had no idea the mods worked that way. So basically a clean car in good condition without a big dent in the side is worth 8400-9600 on KBB, but he seems to think the mods add value since he's listing it at the higher end even with the ding on there (and whatever other issues it may have). How should I go about talking him down?

The bit about the under carriage armor is very good thinking and I wouldn't have been able to read between the lines there with the 'hitting things' BS.

The place I'm looking at for pre inscpection is the same place he got his ECU tuned. Am I risking them BSing me because they might be buddy buddy? If not, is it cool to go up to the mech privately and ask him his opinions and concerns?

Is the mileage really that big of a deal? It was my impression that subies will run to 250k easy if well taken care of. I literally can't find any WRX wagons 05-10 within 500 miles with under 140k miles on them. If they do they're all pretty new and are 15K+ and I'm looking to spend around 10k.

Why replace coilovers?

These are all I can find in my area:
http://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/ctd/5506790501.html
http://fayetteville.craigslist.org/cto/5547107516.html
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5516079462.html

Here's a "lower mileage" wagon up in MI(since ill be there for a few weeks anyway):
http://saginaw.craigslist.org/cto/5537031391.html
 
#13 ·
Replace the coils because D2s are bottom of the barrel coilovers. Not very good quality. And your impression is of N/A Subarus. The same case is not necessarily the case for turbo Imprezas which are polar opposites because they tend to be beat the piss out of and not necessarily well take care of. I personally would never buy one with over 100k miles on it, but that's just me thru observation working on them and being part of the community.

Mods can add value, but minor mods generally don't. At that price point it's more about level of care and recent maintenance. Mods can increase value once they start adding up, though obvious nowhere near to the point of the initial investment.

I think you're having trouble with mileage and your price range because of the years you're looking at honestly. Owners being high on crack doesn't help either. $9,200 for a 200k mile 2006 WRX. What? None of the examples posted seem properly priced to me. The white one at the end sounded promising until the paint and A/C delete issues were brought up and after considering that the reason for the paint and front end change might be an accident.
 
#18 ·
Yea, the whole 'beaten the piss out of' is a real concern. I've been going back and forth in my head about it this whole time. I'd love to have one but I could get just as much utility out of a 5k 4runner - just no speed :[. Is it realistic to think I'll really spend 2-3k on repairs right off the bat? I moved some money around and I'll be able to spend around 12k - if that helps me at all...

I've found 2 nice, clean and well taken care of cars for that price.

WRX Subaru Impreza 2007 Limited
This one's stock with aftermarket wheels and tint. Lemon title at 6k for ECU and resold from the Subaru dealership to the current owner who has since put another 90k on it. Tint and wheels instantly make me think of the kind of guy who just drives it fast and wants to look cool... but idk maybe I'm just profiling - atleast there's no loud exhaust. I'm seeing it on Monday morning and we have a mech appointment on Tuesday morning. He has done regular maintenance and oil every 3k. Has carfax and service history from 6k-97k - all done at the same shop.

2007 Subaru WRX Wagon
This one's a bit of a drive, but that's cool. Family guy with 2 other cars - said the car was basically something cool for soccer games and adventures on the weekends with the kids. It does have these mods "Modifications: Car has Race Comp Engineering wagon springs, Tokico adjustable shocks Front, Koni Shocks Rear, Whiteline adjustable rear sway bar, Car has a custom "Quiet" Like Stock catback exhaust from Moore Performance in Pittsburgh. Everything else is stock." No carfax or service history here. Says he was in a parking lot fender bender last year and replaced the left rear quarter panel and left rear tail light. He also says he used to be a pro mech at a dealership and does all his own work. Not sure what to believe - doubt it matters either way.

These both get me pretty excited since they seem to be much better taken care of than all the other ones I've seen out there and way lower miles, but I'm still trying to remain skeptical.

I personally would never buy one with over 100k miles on it, but that's just me thru observation working on them and being part of the community.
Should I keep to that even when the cars have 89 or 97k? They both KBB for low 12k.
 
#14 ·
Fatals totally on point about the coilovers, D2 makes a few nicer coilovers but the seller would be name dropping a model if he paid for rally coilovers.

I personally have never seen "mods" add value, engine swaps and track prep builds withstanding. People put their money into making the car better for them. Its the same as sinking big money into a nice stereo. It sounds great to you but it does the same job as the stocker for the next guy who just listens to talk radio.

As for your 10k budget, I would have you save up another 2-3k just so you can handle all the preventatives that youll need to get a vehicle in good working order after you buy it.
 
#16 ·
If your looking for your first suby then your best bet is try to find one that hasn't been tinkered with.
Sounds like a bummer but when you buy a modded Suby most times your buying someone elses problems as well.
Good luck man. ?
 
#17 ·
WRX and WRX STI ownership is no jocke. Never rush a buy unless it's a really good deal from a dealer, but even so it could be a lemon. Take it from experience. Spend the time and money before getting it so you can enjoy it later. Parts are going to be expensive no matter what brand. 2007 sedans are a little different in some locations like suspension and axelse. All parts are going to have to be ordered online, but that's the life of a JDM. If I could do it all over again I would get a RS with a STI engine swap from a car enthusiast. They run 10k and worth the money.
 
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