I'm in the market for a used WRX. Many of the used cars out there have been modified, which is cool. But I'm leery about buying a car that's been modified for fear that it won't be reliable and will cost a lot to own. It would be my daily driver, hopefully for some years to come. I'm not afraid to turn a wrench now and then, but I don't want to spend every weekend laying underneath it like a previous car I had. I'm sure I couldn't resist driving it somewhat hard, but I wouldn't be abusing it. For example, there's a car for sale on this site, a 2009 WRX that's been built and dynoed at 368hp. Can anyone offer any general advice about a car that's built and tuned like this? Or about buying a built WRX vs. an STI that was designed to have more power in the first place (stronger drivetrain, better suspension, etc) ? Anything to avoid? Thanks in advance, I'm sure this is probably kind of an annoying noobish question but I have to start somewhere.
i know your looking for advice on what to look for but if your in the market theres a white stock 06 or 07 wrx on craigslist in new hope for 19k.. looks SUPER clean and its a limited.. heres the link... 55k miles.. looks like a good deal. http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/2938847840.html otherwise, take it for a drive to make sure it feels right, nothing rattling, weird noises.. ect. you could also ask one of the gurus on here if they had time, they could look at it for you if you bring it to them. just some thoughts. I bought my wrx with just a cbe and 70k, i went stage 2 within a couple months and at 88k my exhaust vales had issues. id say look for a stock one and get the history of the owner and maintenance.
Offering what little advice I have on this subject . . . after owning an 05 sti (basic 'stage2' with tune) and a big power wrx (current), based on what you've told me you're looking for, I'd look for something similar to my old sti. Basic TBE and tune should be plenty of power for you on the street (it was for me) and many people run this level of mods on DDs with very few issues. Good luck man
If the car is coming up on or just passed a schedule maintenance interval, make sure it has been done already or be prepared to do it yourself. If you can find a stock one, that would be the best option for reliability. For modified ones I'd avoid cars with no receipts for parts, installs or service. Also make sure it has been properly tuned for the aftermarket parts.
I appreciate the advice. As much fun as it sounds to get into a modified car, I might hold out for something stock or at least closer to it.
That sounds like the best advice, that way you can track what has been/what needs to be done. Just do research before you do any upgrades. I would recommend a warranty if applicable. Just ensure you have a good subaru mechanic go through it prior to you buying it. If you do just a small bit of research you will find what years have issues and where they are. There are some topics on here that will help as well. Good luck.
The best thing you can look for is a WRX with a rebuilt engine. You really do want to see new pistons in the car because that means it's largely bulletproof to modding. It also means the previous owner has already forked over the $5k+ to do that work and is selling the car at a loss. You effectively pay a lot less for the upgrade. Other mods generally come along for the ride, typically at least a larger VF if not something like a 16G to 20G which in turn requires other mods like fuel pump, injectors, larger exhaust, and intake. In the end, you get all these mods all wrapped up for you in a nice bundle for super cheap. Modded cars are very nice in this aspect. However, you do want to do some research on the mods and which are good or cheap. At the very least, schedule a tune the instant you do buy the car. You want to make sure whatever you have is set up well and running well as opposed to something that can destroy itself. Second, you want to make sure the transmission is in good condition. There's nothing to fancy here. Gear wear means gear whine. These transmissions and differentials don't make gear noise normally. Even with upgraded bushings and mounts, it's not loud. If there is a whine, there's wear. This doesn't mean it will fail on you, but wear is wear and wear makes more wear. You also want good syncro function. These transmissions feel notchy and mushy (until you upgrade bushings) but they don't grind. They are somewhat sensitive to the type of gear oil you put in though, so the wrong oil will promote poor syncro function. Most of the time, it's not an oil issue and is straight up someone shifting gears forcefully. Once the syncro's damaged, things won't get better. They won't get worse as long as you drive lightly like you should, but the gear will always grind until the syncro is replaced. If the transmission is in good working order, there typically are no additional surprises. A very rough driver may have shock loaded the gears many times, and unfortunately this can create micro fractures and weakness. This is undetectable but can result in magically losing a gear for no apparent reason. Without knowing how the driver drives the car, it's hard to tell. Understand that these transmissions are actually pretty durable and will take abuse. They'll take high HP and a lot of racing and never fail, but they only do so with smoothness. A possible sign for the driver's nature may be the clutch. If the clutch was replaced under 75k miles, even on a modified car, they are likely driving the car a big hard. Even with a lot of racing and many launches, the stock clutch will actually last well into the 75k-100k range when used intelligently. It's more the people that run through clutches in 15k miles that are the scary ones and some people do. I think the only other thing I might do is check for accidents, things like running into curbs and such. In some cases this can be bad enough that it throws off alignment and can't be fixed easily. Visually camber shouldn't be weird. Some people won't replace slightly bent wheels, so there may be some vibration at speed. Without having a shop look at the car and check alignment, it may be tough to notice at all. It's never fun to find hidden problems later on.
