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Buying a used WRX/STi ?
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Depends on what kind of motor you want, labor, etc. The 2004 5 spd isn't the strongest transmission either once you go big on power.
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If your looking upgrade the motor then expect to pay big dollars. Roughly $3500-4000 for a strong shortblock with plain rebuilt heads. Also don't forget all the nickel and dime stuff that you aren't thinking about when you swap a motor. If you can rebuild it yourself then you can save major dollars on labor. Best bet is to really plan out what your going to do ahead of time and select the right components before doing a built engine. 145k miles isn't all that bad, heck for that price you would make money turning around and selling it.
to me of course...!Thumbs Up
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I am looking forward to buying a WRX and this thread has been extremely helpful. It has also raised some questions in my search.
The biggest factor that will affect my purchase is price, so I am considering used as a first option. My wife being 1a to price's 1, isn't completely on board with a WRX, so to suit her I have to look at a hatch.
I like the look of the 2008+ hatch models, but especially the 2011+. I am only looking through dealerships because I would hope that they have had someone inspect the car before accepting the trade-in. Looking at the difference in pricing between all body style 2011+ used and the 2014 it looks like it ranges from ~$2500-$4500. It also appears that the hatch models are on the lower end of the price difference. This is for mileages of 15k-65k.
From reading it appears that WRXs are bought and quickly modded. Would it be true that a newer model wouldn't be as changed because the price of buying a new car would overwhelm the price of mods? Some of the photos/descriptions of the cars that the dealers have do show or describe what has been updated from stock, but that info is provided only on a small percentage of listings. If they are unadulterated, my next fear is what were the driving habits of the previous owner and why the quick trade-in.
With that being said the difference between a new 2014 and used 2011+ comparable model is ~$2500-$4500 with 9.5% sales tax, financed somewhere around 2.9% and possible savings in insurance. Is the price difference negligible enough that I should look to buy new? Are there any known issues that arise in WRXs within 2 years that aren't part of a recall or wouldn't be covered under a used warranty?
Moral of the story is that come hell or high water I am getting a WRX. But when a car is traded in 2 years and 20k miles after it was purchased I have my reservations.
The biggest factor that will affect my purchase is price, so I am considering used as a first option. My wife being 1a to price's 1, isn't completely on board with a WRX, so to suit her I have to look at a hatch.
I like the look of the 2008+ hatch models, but especially the 2011+. I am only looking through dealerships because I would hope that they have had someone inspect the car before accepting the trade-in. Looking at the difference in pricing between all body style 2011+ used and the 2014 it looks like it ranges from ~$2500-$4500. It also appears that the hatch models are on the lower end of the price difference. This is for mileages of 15k-65k.
From reading it appears that WRXs are bought and quickly modded. Would it be true that a newer model wouldn't be as changed because the price of buying a new car would overwhelm the price of mods? Some of the photos/descriptions of the cars that the dealers have do show or describe what has been updated from stock, but that info is provided only on a small percentage of listings. If they are unadulterated, my next fear is what were the driving habits of the previous owner and why the quick trade-in.
With that being said the difference between a new 2014 and used 2011+ comparable model is ~$2500-$4500 with 9.5% sales tax, financed somewhere around 2.9% and possible savings in insurance. Is the price difference negligible enough that I should look to buy new? Are there any known issues that arise in WRXs within 2 years that aren't part of a recall or wouldn't be covered under a used warranty?
Moral of the story is that come hell or high water I am getting a WRX. But when a car is traded in 2 years and 20k miles after it was purchased I have my reservations.
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Well I am bias, but Subaru's over all are really great cars. That being said they do have some flaws like any other car. Few people really keep cars very long anymore and people like myself that have owned their car 10 years or more is unusual. I love my car and will keep it til it rusts away.
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Yup, I agree with you on reliability, we have had ours 10 years and just had two cylinders go dead on us after 2,6000 miles. We both love this car and are unfortunately going to have to sell it for parts or to someone that wants to rebuild the motor. This was my wife's car and she wouldn't let me drive it unless she was with me (gee, I wonder why?) Old hot rodders never die they just have to be happy driving their truck. Hey anybody want to trade for a running car?
Rusty Farkel
Rusty Farkel
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I am new to the subaru world and just bought my first. It is a 2005 sti and so far I love it. The car is awesome and I feel like I got a great deal on it. It had a massive amount of receipts with it from all the mods. It was built by ams in Chicago. It has a stage 2 short block and 3.0xtr turbo. Perrin fmic cobb cat less down pipe. The heads are cleaned and have high flow valves and valve seats. I've been trying to baby the caruntil I get the time checked. Is there anything I should be watching for our do to try and prevent any major failures
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Sounds nice. You should start a new thread though. As I saw another member say "don't be shy, give it a try". And post up some pics.
Hey subaru owners. I am a young guy that has been reading up tunning. I wanna buy an 07 but I'm confused on weather I should get a wrx or sti.. I'm not interested in rally or competitions, I just want a dope suabru, and have some mods, maybe like 450 HO would be my max, any advise for me? I've never tuned a car before and I am a rookie in all this, but you got to start somewhere I guess..
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Don't know what to do new the Subaru game
Im just signed up and looking for a subaru wrx sti I found two of them one that is a Subaru 2.5 RS 2004 Swapped STI 2006 and the other is a subaru impreza wrx sti for 13k with 98k kms ! Which one would should i actually take a better look at. I want to make sure this car is in good even great condition! I also can send the links, I live in Montreal
Im just signed up and looking for a subaru wrx sti I found two of them one that is a Subaru 2.5 RS 2004 Swapped STI 2006 and the other is a subaru impreza wrx sti for 13k with 98k kms ! Which one would should i actually take a better look at. I want to make sure this car is in good even great condition! I also can send the links, I live in Montreal
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First, thank you for this amazingly useful thread. I'm a complete newbie in terms of car mechanics so this helped a lot. I'm looking to buy a used 2011 hatch wrx. My first question is, what are the first symptoms of clutch abuse / hard driving? This particular car I'm interested in has 37k, coilovers and catback. Could these mods pose a problem down the road? The low mileage tells me the guy used the car for tracks but he says he never tracked with it. Are there any signs that would suggest heavy tracking? Any additional info/tips would be appreciated!
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Wish I had dug around and seen this sooner, just 3 days ago I bought my first Subie, 02' WRX bugeye xD Fortunately, it passed inspection with flying colors and not a damned thing wrong. The car was very well taken car of by the two previous owners, so not even rust has formed
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If it has coil overs, ask if it has been corner balanced, if they can't give you a answer then I would steer away.
I have a little quote for this, "If it's used it's abused." That is how I look at a car of this nature.
Common sense and a little bit of luck are what make the experience good or bad.
Consider yourself lucky. I am the only owner of my 03 and if I ever did sell it, I'd be straight with who ever buys it. This car has been beaten down, but has always gotten me home...MisfittedGal said:Wish I had dug around and seen this sooner, just 3 days ago I bought my first Subie, 02' WRX bugeye xD Fortunately, it passed inspection with flying colors and not a damned thing wrong. The car was very well taken car of by the two previous owners, so not even rust has formed
Hi guys, I need some advice...
i bought my first wrx last September. It's a MY12 and only had 27000km on it at the time - bought it from a Subaru dealer with 2 yrs warranty. About 6 weeks ago, long story short, it overheated and blew the engine. Finally Subaru accepted that it's a mechanical fault and they are fixing it by installing a short motor - which I believe is a new block, pistons and crank shaft. They are using the original heads - whatever that is.
Question is should I keep it or trade it in for the new wrx? It's now got about 33500km on the clock.
i bought my first wrx last September. It's a MY12 and only had 27000km on it at the time - bought it from a Subaru dealer with 2 yrs warranty. About 6 weeks ago, long story short, it overheated and blew the engine. Finally Subaru accepted that it's a mechanical fault and they are fixing it by installing a short motor - which I believe is a new block, pistons and crank shaft. They are using the original heads - whatever that is.
Question is should I keep it or trade it in for the new wrx? It's now got about 33500km on the clock.
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