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New and looking to buy this 08 WRX

4K views 20 replies 4 participants last post by  SPLiT 
#1 ·
https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/5256942361.html

Ive been texting the guy and he said the turbo fan failed and put shards into the engine and had to get a whole new engine. He says he has papers from subaru to back it up. I plan on taking it to subaru to get inspected before purchasing.
 
#2 ·
$15,000 for an 8 year old car already down an engine? Sheesh. I mean it looks like it might be ok but I'd expect the price to be more like $10,000 or less. Maybe WRX's hold their value at that level. If they do, they're shitty choices for cars in that pricerange considering how much more you get for a brand new one that's not even twice the price.
 
#3 ·
Whole new engine or just the short block. NEW shortblock or USED good shortblock.

I mean if it has NEW heads an NEW shortblock and a NEW factory turbo its pretty much a new 08 WRX beside the wear on the other components. Its sounds about right to me. But those things have to be NEW.

I would hope with everything I have done to my car it would be worth 15k even though it is an 05. I have a lot don't to it.
 
#4 ·
Used sports cars are bad investments. Would you rather pay $10,000 for the first 75,000 miles or $15,000 for the last 75,000 miles? Which one of those periods do you think will have lower maintenance costs?
 
#6 · (Edited)
the work is warrantied, so thats a good thing. and it was done at a dealer, not some yobbo's house so that another plus.

but now you need to think WHY these things happened which would lead to alot of other problems on this car. like tranny/drivetrain. who cares if the clutch and engine is new if the trans is about to shred 3rd gear or the rear diff is about to explode. obviosly this previous owner was extremely hard on this car if it needed a new engine at 75k

personally, i would stay away, unless u can get it down to the 11k-12k mark to compensate for any transmission/drivetrain problems that im sure will occur

good luck
 
#8 ·
wait a second... i re-read the OP.

"the turbo fan failed and put shards into the engine and had to get a whole new engine"

im assuming 'turbo fan' means compressor blades... and somehow these bits made it through the intercooler, past the throttle body, past the valves and into the combustion chamber?

unless im misunderstanding this.... this sounds made up. somethings not right about that story. it would have to be a complete explosion of a catastrophic failure for this to happen. in which he would have been pushing his car to the limits (perhaps on a track?)
 
#10 ·
mileage isnt really a concern for subaru's (mine has 200k+miles). its how bad they've been beaten, and most of them have been beaten hard. seeing how this one has already been through a turbo and engine, would lead me to believe its had a hard life.

still though, that new warrantied engine is a HUGE plus.

have you taken a test drive? how does the tranny feel? any gears feel off or hard to slot? honestly that would be my only worry. considering the cost of tranny/drivetrain... its a big worry.
 
#12 ·
looks promising. hatches > sedans imo :)

those mods need a custom tune though. so ask if he's had that done and by whom since its not listed. if he has been running with an upgraded intake & turbo for a long time (or worse; the entire life of the car) without a proper tune, he could be doing irrevesable damage to the engine.
 
#15 ·
well that i cannot say for sure. i am quite frugal, and what doesnt seem like a deal to me might be a deal to someone else. you will have to do comparison searches for similar listings and see what price they are.

but if your asking me would i pay 15k for that car? the answer is no. but thats me. maybe somone else will tell you otherwise. my reasoning is you can build a better WRX in a older chassis for less than 15k and have a way better car.

but that said, it does look like a better choice than the sedan you posted first.

and if you have to lease/finance (for whatever reason) and not buying flat out... just go brand new instead
 
#18 ·
well if i had to pick between the two with the information presented, i would pick the 08 hatch. well first i would take it to my mechanic and give it a once-over. looks can be deceiving. i wouldn't just go out and buy it on that advice either, but i would say that hatch is a good one to further compare with. use that as your base and if over the next day or 2 you cant find anything in comparable price/condition/mods/mileage then you have your answer.
 
#20 ·
performance shop will charge you up the ass probably more than the dealership. personally i would take it to a 3rd party mechanic who specializes in subaru's. if none in your area the dealer will be fine.
 
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