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Getting rid of my Honda for a WRX

2K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  icudruln 
#1 ·
Well guys you have sucessfully converted another honda owner. I couldn't deal with the wheelspin any longer and I just burned up my transmission bearings so I figured now would be the perfect time to upgrade. I decided an 04-05 wrx is what I am in the market for but as it turns out the "market" is pretty dry here in BR. Anyways I found this one on craigslist;

2004 Subaru wrx

12,500 seems a little steep to me since it already had transmisison trouble. KBB says 10,700 which is more reasonable. At least it doesnt look like he put an intake on so thats good. Im going to go drive it this afternoon and ask lots of questions. Let me know what you guys think and if there are any specific questions you think I should ask. Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
well i would ask him if the car has been tuned for the modifications. With a turbo back exhaust, intake you have to have the car tuned for them if not you can do some serious damage to you engine. Boost creep, running lean. also i dont think the Down pipe is catted, so emissions will probably not pass. also with the car being lowered and the mods he listed you might not pass inspection to get it registered. i think this car is pretty beat up and not taken care of very well. But see for your self and keep us posted.
 
#3 ·
I just checked out the ad and immediatley I saw two red flags: the HKS blow off valve and the exedy stage 2 clutch. The two general rules of thumb when it comes to WRX/STis are: (1) stock transmission + stock clutch and (2) stock turbo + stock bypass valve. I would avoid this car just based on that. But also the fact that he's already gone through one transmission and at least one clutch leads me to believe that the car has been driven hard. My advice is to keep searching.
 
#4 ·
Fantastic. He already blew up one transmission, and decided that this time, the solution was to put a stickier clutch in, so as to shorten the life of the next one as much as possible. We all know how this movie ends, and I give it....:notgood::notgood:

Find yourself another WRX because this one's been abused.
 
#5 ·
Yeah...i learned the hard way in the UK...bought a similar set up from a man who said it had been babied its whole life and just had some bad luck...long story short the motor blew within a week
 
#6 ·
Yea I was thinking along the same lines as you guys. Big red flag on that transmission/ driver.
I appreciate all the input. Ill probably go drive it anyway just to build some experience and learn what not to do to mine when I get it.
 
#9 ·
Another tip besides looking for as stock as possible (and no intakes/bovs) is if you're considering a private seller's wrx is to take it to a (preferably) Subaru mechanic/Subaru dealer. They'll check out the car from top to bottom for $50-$100. Compression checks, ECU scans, common problems with that year, seeing if recalls/tsbs have been performed.

If you're pre-approved for an amount, this makes it easy. If you get financed on a specific car, make this your next step after knowing you can get it. If you're serious about buying the car, you'll have no problem forking the cash over to make sure its truly a safe buy.


Don't buy the car you have posted. Sounds like an abused car that the seller has even overpriced. Be wary of anything that doesn't have an OEM clutch. It'll signify possible transmission problems, and/or someone trying to make serious power.
 
#10 ·
I went and drove the car yesterday and I have definately decided that an 04-05 is the car for me. It looks like sex on wheels and in my opinion there is not another car in the world that looks better.

I kept everything you guys said in mind and after looking closer at it I am not going to buy the car just as yall suggested. Here is what I observed for whoever is interested

It is very low. Lower than my integra. It has Tein lowering springs but stock struts. Tisk Tisk.
the Bov is definately not recirculated, and he didn't even know what that ment and it wasnt tuned.
The stock transmission blew after he put in the stage2 clutch and it now has a 05 transmission in it with the same stage2 clutch. here is the weird part though. The clutch pedal is seriously an INCH off the floor. Honestly it's and inch. no more. It was like pushing a on/off button. very uncomfortable and the biggest red flag that this car had problems. are they all like that? there wasn't any play in it at all.
Looking under the car showed another problem. the transmission was the lowest point under the car. is this common? hit a speed bump too fast and that thing is toast yet again.
no boost controller and the A/F gauge was narrow band so it was useless.

Thanks again for the information. It helped a lot and saved me from a bad purchase. My car is still drivable so I have time to wait for the perfect one to show up. Ill be searching the classifieds everyday until then.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
If a guy doesn't have a clue about a question a potential buyer has (in regards to something like a BOV), in my opinion, should take a car completely off your list.

My car's clutch is stock, and its probably a good 4-5 inches away from the floor. Its right in line wth the other pedals.

Be wary of any lowered car. Good thing you noticed the stock struts. What I've noticed (at least around here) is that people like doing suspension work themselves because it is often outrageous to do via a shop (especially coilovers/springs/struts). Therefore, the likelyhood of him screwing something up, such as stripping bolts, losing bolts, doing half assed work is quite a bit higher.

No boost controller can be a good or bad thing, depending on the situation. Usually, people buy one to turn up the boost, as well as monitor it with a boost gauge if they don't have an EBC. Yet at the same time, someone can easily sell it, if you don't see it on a car. If you run into a car with one, ask the seller what they got it for, as well as what the boost peaks at, and who tuned it for that PSI.

One idea in terms of you looking for a car is this:

If you are 100% set on a WRX, an option you can look at is to go to an auto broker. Where I bought my STi, the guy specialized in the "hot import cars" (STi, Evo, WRX, S2000, M3, M5, high end Audis and Benzs). Oftentimes, auto brokers get cars from auctions all over the states (i.e. my car is from New York).

I'm sure an auto broker would work with you finding your exact car, down to the color, stock/modded, mileage you prefer, and most importanty price. Obviously, they're in it for the money, but you can go to one and ask if they can do this for you and guarantee they will have a sale. This would ideally work best if you were pre-approved for a certain amount for a loan. Therefore, you could do the listed situation, and the broker would know what he can get you. Obviously, they would want proof of you being pre-approved and/or money down to do this.
Be leery of cheap stuff. Stuff that doesn't have a recognizeable company may be eBay specials. Ask for all reciepts for parts, maintanance, tuning, dyno sheets. Best of luck!
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
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