Advice needed
 

after speaking with Arkwright said would be a good idea to show you people what im going to view tomorrow and get help with what i should be looking for with this car

ok heres the pics of it there from his facebook so there not the best as they look like camera phone pics

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._4126425_n.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._7410664_n.jpg

any advice would be very helpful thanks in advance

What advice are you after Joe ?

My advice, take an expert. I didnt, but I was lucky!

He is looking to buy a scoob and is going to view this one tomorrow. He wants advice on what to check and look for.

Joe tis a nice looking car love the wheels just remember looks are`nt everything. :thumb:

just gonna make sure its heathly engine etc i do have someone coming with me also to have a look etc

So much to list really, any spec Joe ?

Find out when it was imported, then how many owners. This is important as you can gauge how many people have had a chance to rag and ruin it since it was imported.

Rattles, boot leaks, smoke, rust, rotten arches, leaking diff, worn subframe bushes, leaking header tank, impending radiator leaks (check plasitc end tanks), old hoses, uprated pressure cap without accompanying uprated cooling parts. Wanky induction kit without proper installation, dirty induction kits without proper maintenance. Rotten battery, evidence of flamer kits, dodgy wiring. Nasty dump valves, chav engine dress up poorly executed to the extent that pipes aren't doing their job properly, fuel cut defenders that help the car sh1t itself because the boost is not being managed properly etc etc etc............

I can see FMIC, so there will be an induction kit under the bonnet. You want to see a clean/cleaned filter with proper clamping and proper maf mounting (assuming it has one).

Very minimum it should have a chip, although I wouldn't buy a scoob with one.

Really you want to see evidence of a remap or replacement ECU on this year of car.

I'd want to know the claimed power. If it's over 300, i'd want to know what injectors it has. 380's as standard + induction kit + FMIC + decat (must have one) = impending problems and more than likely BANG !

I am not gonna lie, 'cheap classic' is a short term expression !!!

I would also want to hear it start from cold. If you have det cans this is a pretty quick way of hearing what your buying into.

Once/if you buy it, it will need....

A proper service, quality oil like Motul 300v 15/50, gear box/diff oil which will show if the box is full of metal. Plugs, check the coilpacks on test drive by proper full load funs to see if you lose the spark, possible evidence of a cracked failing pack. These cost £200 a set so don't underestimate their importance. Cambelt, when was it changed ? I would do it anyway if it were me. Coolant get it changed, good opportunity to upgrade the thermostat to a 71dg opening stat which fails open and will take the strain off a hot system with the mods it appears to have. Check the overflow tank for evidence of excessive loss indicative of HG problems or a over pressurised system.

What brakes does it have ? 1995 WRX's are just short of god awful:)
What wheels does it have, size and tyre condition ?
Leaking track rods ends, gease on the inside of the wheels aint good, suspension squeak, knock free, lowered? how much? roll centre adjustment is a good idea if it is.
You want to check for poorly installed flaps, drilled arches, unprotected metal etc...

Working wipers errr, working a/c, instruments should all work. If the speedo is still in KMs the digits should line up perfect, if its been converted to MPH it may look a bit iffy but probably ok. If it has an aftermarket steering wheel check its all as it should be, wheels lining up, affixed properly.

Gear box should feel tidy, standard clutch should be judder free and pull well. Any slippage is gonna cost money, and if the power is up 300+ that means exedy clutch time....

End of brain dump :lol1:

oh and 3 kids in proper legal seats at the ages you mention will NOT fit in the back of this car.:)

ok im gonna print that off i think lol theres no way im gonna remember all that on sunday so if its with me then i cant miss anything

thanks for taking the time to write this all out for me

- edited with engine pic -

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._3167002_n.jpg

Well done stu you are de man. :notworthy

Legendary post from Stu!

Looks a genuine red top ( sti ) engine with it`s flaky paint. And a strut brace and sti sticker on the belt cover. All can be reproduced but from the pic they look genuine.
What do you reckon stu if you`ve recovered from the last post LOL :thumb:

1st job after buying a 2nd hand car :thumb:

if its a sti it shouldnt have fog lights , i thought it was wrx,s that did and sti,s covers.
looks nice though

stu

HKS mushrooms aren't very good but not a reason not to buy. Certainly better than the 'piper cross' crap I have seen. Looks clean:thumb:

It has a forge header tank and uprated cap from the looks which means this person changed for dress up or failure. Failure is common on the plastic tanks where the chrome seam starts to leak. The rad is probably standard, which isn't a problem, but, mine failed shortly after a failed header tank forge/cap replacement. Rad hoses all look factory and therefore original most likely. I can see one rad fan, does it have the other. If fitted well there is no reason why the second fan need be removed on a standard rad FMIC install.

Is it me of is that yellow and green thingy one of those fuel saver things off ebay.

FMIC is autobahn. Not universally respected as the best but more importantly a sign that perhaps this is a scoob on tight mod budget. The snob in me would guess that this hasn't been mapped, more likely chipped although we live in hope.

Has an STi strut brace which is good. Is it and STi ?

Has power steering cooling, although the lines look a bit leaky green.

Turbo heat chimney still looks like its there ? you need to bin this and get a jacket of a modified new age one and give that I/C pipe a bit more room.

It has an after market DV.

It has a dress up oil cap.

Generally the car passes the 'looks ok in the photo' test. Price dependent i'd have a look. The seller will reveal many good and bad assumptions about the sale depending on your experience of scoobs, oiks and buying cars generally. The surroundings without being a snob look like I would want to check the body work for dings etc, certainly the tax and insurance, it might be garaged but the photos don't tell me that. When I bought mine I did various searches and it it wasn't taxed or insured :nono:

Depending on how you intend to use the car many people have scoobs on varying budgets with various outcomes. However, whatever you do/or is done to the car needs to be sympathetic to the overall longevity of the engine etc. There are bargains to be had, less so for modified examples, but buying from someone who understands the implications of the modifications on the cars performance AND health is a good indication that it isn't gonna be a sh1tter.

Good luck mate:thumb:

thanks again for the post mate yea is an Sti, im in no rush to get one as theres many for sale all over but will go look as its only down the road etc

Good post Stu. :thumb:

i think it is and sti. ariel is on the back wing not on the pilar near the drivers window. badges are in the right place on the wings. crinkle red looks the right red and is super flakey. sti badge on the belt cover too. strut brace is the right brace and no abs either. do a search for the model code list and check the code from the vin to confirm.

top marks for 53wrx!!:thumb:

always helpful

:lol:

^ Only in the presence of arseholes ^^^^:hjtwofing:D;):thumb:

Was it any good after :)

was really good mate all your points helped me alot.

payed £1800 quid for it in the end MOT runs out couple of days so getting it booked in this week and then will be all road legal :)

maybe i'll be able to show my face to a meet sometime once i get it all sorted should only take a week or so fitting it in on my days off

gonna pop outside in a minite take some pics with my cam so you all can see some better pics etc

Pretty much on, or even under the money tbh, what's the score on the ECU with all those mods ?

i have a recipt from engine advantages that says

"DAST EK Uni Chip"

and a rolling road print out of 314bhp

I see my snob'o'meter still works lol.

EA's don't exist anymore they went bust in 2009 IIRC.

If it has the 380 injectors they are maxed out at the claimed 314, does it have a boost gauge ?

If the cars a keeper, it would be worth your while getting ESL fitted to the board and getting it mapped by someone like Jolly Green Monster. Fuelling is key to getting the best and safest fun out of these early crackers:thumb:

some detail here:

Unichip description, Performance Tuning Chips, Plug Play Installation

engine advantages are no longer there, they only done piggy back chips, I have heard they used to over fuel there maps so it might be best for another re-map:thumb:

im not sure when the date is when the car was at EA will look

was in there ( 15 / 01 / 2008 )

was some time ago.. can see no recipt for injectors so good chance might still be standard ones i will have a look at what you said see if i can find sites that sell those etc..

car does have a boost gauge also

weres jolly green monster based ?

www.jollygreenmonster.co.uk travels to you mate. Would be very worth your while having a conversation about your car and the way to make it the best it can be.

im not looking to mate it silly quick as i think 300bhp is more then enough

but i do wanna make it safe as i would like to enjoy the car in driving it etc

i cant seem to get onto that site ?