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Thinking about buying a 02 WRX.

4K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  BugEyedAWD 
#1 ·
I recently found a 02 WRX on craigslist, It has 106,000 miles and a few mods done to it. Says it has a CAI, pulley, Stock STI rims, Brembo brake kit, new short shifter, and maybe some other things.

Now I have a few questions;
1.Should I be worried about the CIA's affect on the engine cause I don't know if the fuel management was changed at all?
2.Is $7100 a fair price to pay for this car with good exterior and interior condition.
3.What is the average life of a WRX engine?

Hopefully this wasn't to nooby of a first post, and some of you guys can help me out thanks!
 
#2 ·
I'm going through the same process as you right now. When I find cars like that on Craigslist I just ask them everything about it. One time a guy said it was mostly "stock" so I searched for his posts on Nasioc and found that there were several mods added to it but the stock ones were put back on. It was a great price and low mileage but I can't afford to gamble right now.

To give comparison, that same year and mileage would sell for around $10,500 here in CA.
I couldn't tell you the average life but it's not rare to see people trying to sell them with 150k plus miles. This is one of those things that depends on the owner and how well maintained it was. See if you can take it for a test drive or have a local shop check it out for you.
Good luck with your buy.
 
#4 ·
Make sure it doesn't have a blow off valve and a manual boost controller and I say thats a fair deal. Make sure the tranny shifts smooth. CAI can easily be put back to stock. What color is it? I don't think I would be concerned about more major maintenance until closer to 150k, but that all depends on previous owner.
 
#8 ·
On other cars I have owned that went that far, 150k is when I starting replacing gaskets, bushings, suspension, brake components, hoses, etc. Rubber starts to crack or get hard around that time. Most of what I did was preventitive too. I am one to start replacing things because they look tired not because they fail. Just don't wait till things fail and continue to maintain your car and it will run for a long time. !Thumbs Up
 
#6 ·
The car's longevity is HIGHLY dependent on how well the previous owner(s) took care of it. There are a good amount of wrx owners with 150k+ miles that are running fine. You just need to find out what kind of person the owner is (i.e. his driving habits, diligence with maintenance, mod taste). You can tell by the mods on the car, looking for missing heat shields, broken or missing random stuff, maintenance records, half-assed repairs/installations, etc. The best thing to do would be to bring someone that knows what he's doing (whether it be a mechanic or suby owner) and have him/her look at it. You could also post pics and info on here and we can tell you what's up.
 
#9 ·
$7100 sounds like a killer price. i paid 10.5 for mine a year ago with 67k miles on it. But yeah, timing belt is due, ( i dont see how its $1000 dollars, i was quoted $650 at my local subaru dealer. though im not due for mine yet.) if all possible at that mileage i wouldn't borrow any money to buy it with that many miles on it. you dont want to be stuck with a used car with a bunch of suprises you dont know about. And a good point brought up by everyone else, is that there is a possibility that someone might have put a MGC (manual boost controller) on your car.... i wont tell you the whole story as to why its not ever good to have one of those on your car, but it can cause damage or potential damage to your engine or turbocharger. You just have to be careful before buying, if at all possible ask this private owner if you can have it taken to a local subaru tech and have it inspected before you buy it, if he declines... then hes probably hiding something.
 
#10 ·
You just have to be careful before buying, if at all possible ask this private owner if you can have it taken to a local subaru tech and have it inspected before you buy it, if he declines... then hes probably hiding something.
Maybe, or he just needs his car to drive to work.
 
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