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About to pull the trigger on my first Subaru

5K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  Jautry27 
#1 ·
Hello newbie here,

Just needed to know your guys expert advise. Please any advise would help. The ad expired so i cant show you the link but Its a

2006 wrx
64k miles
30k in mods (he says it will beat out a stage 2 STi)
i dont know to much about subaru mods

THE BAD: (what the seller said)
Engine problem is cylinder 2 and 4 are showing poor compression. Leakdown indicated that one or both likely have damaged ringlands and the head gasket will likely need to be replaced. The heads should be in good condition as the valve guides were replaced and valves were adjusted only a little over a year ago. Leakdown didn't seem to suggest any issues with the heads, nor did it indicate that the passenger side bank had any issues, but its tough to know for sure what is going on inside the motor before disassembling it.

Should i just rebuild the engine? how much would a shop charge me for this? Should i just pass? Biggest question of all: If i decide on the rebuild...WHAT IS MY RESALE VALUE? HOWMUCH WOULD YOU PAY(IF YOU HAD THE MONEY).

THAKS FOR YOUR TIME GUYS AND SORRY FOR BORING YA
 
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#4 ·
Im in the same boat as you in terms of about to buy a subie. Ive posted mutiple....MULTIPLE cars and asked what they thought about them and the consensus is that you should NOT buy a modded car!
Think about it. How do you know how well it was all put together? And if you buy it and it craps the next day.... its NOT covered under the LEMON LAW because it wasnt installed by a professional therefore your buying at your own risk.

I know right now your probably ecstatic about buying such a sweet car and you'll probably lose sleep thinking about the car your going to get (atleast for me I did). Anyways, search around for a CLEAN car with lowish miles. Then once you find one you like, theres a thread thats stickied about buying used cars and what you should look for.

Happy hunting!!
Goodluck!
 
#6 ·
Here's a way to look at it.....If your willing to buy a car just to have it sit, pull the trigger. You will spend at the very least 3-9K to fix it right. So a fresh unmolested 06 for 16-18K or take on the blown mystery box for 9K. Either choice it is your to live with. One thing you will know is that after a proper fix you will have a sound engine. Me I love fixing stuff up, so it's a move I'd make. On the other hand, you can easily get into trouble by falling out of love with such a task.

Now, here's the big ? If it's such a "DEAL," why is it still around for sale? REAL DEALS DON'T ALLOW YOU TIME TO THINK, JUST DO!
 
#7 ·
30k in mods (he says it will beat out a stage 2 STi)
Normally I'd say if you can get a good deal on it and you know what you're getting yourself into then do it.

However, 30k in mods and his statement is it will beat a stage II STI? For a $26k car and $30k in mods you better be a lot faster than than an STi with a downpipe and tune aka $32k car with $1,500 in mods. Plus $30k in mods is basically a track car at this point.

Either:

A: He is full of shit, so walk away
B: Get a full list of mods on the car and post them up so we can offer a bit more advice. Also, pics of the car inside/outside/under/engine bay would help.
 
#13 ·
I have almosst $17k in my car, and am around 350AWHP. Thats with built tranny, 20G and supporting mods, and stock block/struts/springs (and counting the 3 sets of rims I have gone thru). So if he had a BA motorbuild with a poorly matched turbo, its possible. But it is a sad statement to say I spent $30k and can only beat up on stg2 STIs.

As far as buying a bum car/someone else car; dont do it if its your first subaru. Now if you dont need this car, and want a project, I still wouldnt pay $9k for it, but it could be worth a decent effort for a project car.
 
#14 ·
I was $10k in while still stage 2. I'm currently $35k worth of parts in and on the dyno I'll be on on Thursday I'll be making less than 400. :p I told a guy asking how he can beat his friends supercharged/turbocharged 700 whp Camaros and Mustangs that his $9k budget was basically the bare minimum for 400 on his brand new STI, which is what set off the members over there.
 
#15 ·
OK SO I HAVE WHAT YOU ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...HERE IS THE LIST OF THE MODS AND WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. maybe it was only 3k in mods

EVO III Big 16G Turbo
DeatschWerks 650cc Fuel Injectors
Walbro 255 LPH Fuel Pump
Helix Top Mount Intercooler
Cobb Short Ram Intake
Perrin AFTA-MAF
Helix Catted Downpipe
Borla Hush Catback
Cobb AP V2.0
Protune (of course)
NGK 1 Step Colder Iridium Spark Plugs
Whiteline 24mm Adjustable Front Swaybar
Whiteline 27mm Adjustable Rear Swaybar
Whiteline Front and Rear Endlinks
STI Struts
Tanabe GF210 Springs
Cobb Heatshield
Kartboy short shifter


I don't have my dyno readings anymore, but I can tell you about what they are. On a dynamometer which reads 230hp stock WRXs at 160awhp and 300hp stock STIs at 220awhp this car dynoed 255awhp with a VF39 turbo and stock 565cc injectors. This equates to about 340-350hp (by manufacturers ratings). With the new turbo (EVOIII BIG 16G) and injectors ( DeatschWerks 650cc) it put down a bit more, but I cant remember the numbers off the top of my head. It probably gained another 10-20awhp, leaving it around 265-275awhp, equating to 360-375hp (mfg ratings). I might be able to find my old dyno, with the 255awhp and VF39 turbo, but I know for a fact that I lost my most recent one.


To reiterate, this car is fast, and done right it will dominate most competition. I've autocrossed the vehicle against heavily modified Porsches and come out victorious. I very carefully chose each of my suspension components, unlike some people who throw whatever comes their way on the car and end up with a handling nightmare. As a result the stock behavior of significant understeer now gives way to a slight oversteer tendency, which is far more desirable in racing situations and helps bring the back end around under heavy cornering while maintaining good, controllable steering
 
#16 ·
He sure is putting an emphasis on power to the crank (useless number). ROFL That sounds about right power wise.

His other comment about beating heavily modified Porsches in autocross. more wet dream than reality likely. :D The parts he carefully chose are not a very good setup for eliminating understeer. Better than stock, but I'd have done differently. :p

Overall, not a bad setup as long as you know what you're getting into (I wouldn't get this as a 1st modified car). A few things can be corrected easily.
 
#21 ·
I beg to differ....I bought my 2007 WRX just over a month ago. When I bought it, the only thing that was wrong was the check engine light was on. Had it checked, and it came back as an o2 sensor. No big deal. Signed the papers, went on my merry way. No knocking, pinging, sputtering, or anything of the sort. 2 days go by, and my engine wont go over 2000 rpm. At this time, it is knocking, pinging, and sputtering. Diagnosis....engine was fried, and more than likely from someone driving it too hard. It had barely over 85k on it when I bought it. Anyway, I forked out the money and went ahead and got a new engine put in it.
 
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