My name is Kris im 25 from Hibbing. I curretly have pontiac gtp that im going to be selling and looking for wrx. 02-05 seems to be in my budget range. would like to find 60-80k on it. Also I know from little I have been looking the red (burgandy ones) are hard to find. What are some common issues and things to look out for? thanks Kris
Welcome to the forum Kris! So around 10k is the budget? Finding a WRX with that low of mileage seems like it may be a challenge. 2002's have weak transmissions. Other than that, you need to make sure that any of them that are near or past the 100k mark for mileage have had the timing belt and water pump done(have them provide the reciepts). Having the exhaust valves relashed is a must on these cars or the exhaust valves burn out and will end up costing you around $1000 or better to fix. 2003-2005's don't really have the transmission issues. But all of the rest applies. Timing belt is a huge deal, exhaust valve clearances are a huge deal! And again, you want to see the maintenence records in black and white. Taking someones word on it could be devastating to you in the near future in expenses/new motor/etc. If you buy one with just under 100k on the odometer...plan on spending around $4-500 to get the timing belt and water pump done. Unless you can do it yourself($2-300). No exceptions. Getting a compression test done on all 4 cylinders is a huge benefit if you can find someone to do it when you look at/test drive the car. Also, keep an eye out for cold air intakes. There are very few things that can be modified on the engine without needing to retune the car. CAI's, downpipe/exhausts, boost control selenoids, turbo timers...all stuff to look out for! Just be careful, there are plenty of people that have bought a used car that seemed to be fine, and then they found out the motor was toast in about 50-100 miles. Best of luck to you! Any other questions, just ask! -Josh
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/3080717291.html looking at this one. what do you guys think?
Welcome.. My old WRX spent some time in Hibbing before it's new owner moved to AZ. Best of luck with your search!
Welcome to the site. I would agree with Josh, hes been around the block afew times..... If ya find one locally, I work in Hibbing and live down by Duluth, I could possibly come along to check the car out.
False, Josh... Izzy has not been around the block.. He has been over the crest, around the right caution where he didnt want to cut, jumped into 3 right, and through the chicane before crossing the finish line.. A few times
This is some great facts! I am too in the mission to find my first Subaru and ill def use this information next time I test drive another Subaru! Thanks
personally, I don't like buying salvaged titles. Simply because it could be a serious problem down the road maintenance wise, and it's usually harder to resale as well. That being said, it's not always a bad wreck that salvages a vehicle and could just be some minor damage that was fixed. So it's not always a bad choice buying one, but I will say the price does seem a bit high. Good luck on your search, hope you get what you're looking for.
^NP Weird0! Just tired of hearing of our Subie brothers getting screwed on their new purchases. I don't want someone's first experience buying a Subaru to leave a "bad taste in the mouth". These are great reliable cars...if you are careful and know what you are looking for when you go to buy one.
