R8JimBob88

Evening folks,

I'm looking for a 2005(ish) WRX STI.

I'm just looking for some advice on what questions you would consider essential to ask in the first instance.

(please no reference the the Cheshire Performance Cars thread in here!)

So appart from is the deposit refundable under any circumstances what else would be on your list?

I'm intending to buy from a dealer EDIT - or privately.

So in addition to the usual general bits and bobs, what can you add to this list.

How much is the holding deposit and is it refundable under any circumstances?
Is the car modified in any way?
When is the next Service and MOT due and were their any advisories on the last MOT?
Has the cambelt been changed recently? Milage dependant
What condition are the tyres / brake pads in?
What is the service history like? Full? Main dealer?
Does it come with any warranty?
How would you describe the overall condition?
Is it HPI clear?

Thanks guys

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

Search Hurst cars in Bedford they have a very good reputation and usually have a lot of decent cars in stock

R8JimBob88

Will do, thanks. I'm just anticipating finding a car which is some distance away. My first action would be to email them a bunch of questions.

jayallen

iTrader: (31)

Why are you intent on buying from a dealer? You'd get a better deal hovering the Scoobynet classifieds because that's what a lot of the dealers do anyway.............Well, apart from inflate the price that is.

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

why the need to buy from a stealer? sorry i mean dealer?

why not try and buy from an enthusiast? any warranty given more than likely wont be worth the paper its printed on.

as above what porky tom said have a look at hurst cars

http://www.hurstcars.co.uk/used-cars

R8JimBob88

A dealer would give me the option to trade my car in against it. I would be able to sell privately but that would make things a bit trickier for me.

So let's say I'll conider privately too then for the sake of this thread.

gazzawrx

iTrader: (11)

What car are you looking to trade in?

R8JimBob88

Peugeot 308 2010 1.6 petrol

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

and whats your budget

R8JimBob88

Around £10k. Could stretch a little further if need be

plenty

iTrader: (13)

Firstly I would get on the phone as it's more efficient than email, and most sellers would take a phone call more seriously than an email query. A phone call also allows you to evaluate the seller and get a sense of how genuine and knowledgeable they are.

History is everything and I would be asking for details of work done in the last 2-3 years. Look for evidence of recent spend on things like cambelts, brakes, rocker cover gaskets, hoses. How often has the oil been changed. Has the car been lavished with attention as someone's pride and joy, or has it had the minimum required.

I personally would not buy from a dealer as these are enthusiast cars and buying privately not only usually yields a better deal, but allows you to assess the previous owner. You can tell a lot about a car by its owner and I have learned to trust my instincts. In 25 years of buying cars the only time I've ever bought a dud was when I bought from a dealer.

Buying from a forum member (while not foolproof) is more likely to net you a car that's been enthusiast owned and maintained, and you may even be able to track back the car's history on the forum.

Not saying there aren't good cars at dealers, and clearly OP wants the convenience of PX facilities, but buying from a dealer you need to go in with wide eyes open particularly as with the honourable exception of Hurst and one or two others there are too many dodgy traders selling Subarus.

huzzy1

iTrader: (1)

Mate, I've read the CP thread from the first to the last post. I'll say 2 words on what you need to google and where you need to go to get a car.

Hurst cars.

R8JimBob88

Thanks that's great. I'll pay more attention to the private adverts now too

**jay**

iTrader: (1)

If your going to buy from a dealer id recommend maks at Hurst cars , bought 2 cars from him in the past and parts.
But still prefer to buy from and enthusiast, before cp get there mits on them and double the price lol

R8JimBob88

Hurst cars seems to be mentioned a fair bit so I'll definitely keep an eye on their stock

romford-boy

Consider the big consumables, make sure there are receipts and stamps for all the major items.

Servicing an Impreza isn't too bad, however budget £500 for a service including the cambelt, a set of discs and pads plus labour is £500, new clutch is £500+, four tyres is £500, in fact doing anything to an Impreza seems to come in at £500!! So a car with all of these done recently could justify a premium.

Some mods are quite common and certainly not frowned upon, including remaps, different exhausts, coil overs etc. Again just make sure these all have receipts and aren't done on the cheap.

Some people have a downer on the hawk eye shape's 2.5 litre engine which can suffer failures, so if you get one make sure it has a huge stack of receipts.

And do use scoobynet. The guys and gals here know their stuff and can point out flaws in potential cars you are interested.

Personally, on your budget I would be looking special edition vehicles, so Spec C, early Litchfields etc.

http://www.hurstcars.co.uk/used-cars...01410158243647

GH80

Wide tracks will probably be needing more than consumables at this age, mine has needed a radiator, brake rebuild, rear brake backing plates and a few other bits and pieces in the last year.

Generally these cars when treated well are probably one of the strongest non import cars you can buy, gearbox and diffs are very robust as is the 2.0 engine.

I would put more value on a specialist service record rather than main dealer to be honest, and I would like some proof that it has been run on 97 or higher octane fuel, which is the absolute minimum you should be using.

Mine had a slight air lock in the heater matrix which seems to be a common problem after coolant changes. I suppose if this is bad enough or left long enough it could cause overheating, and putting head gasket at risk. Worth having a sniff test done on a private sale imo as head gasket problems will not show up like other cars, but in general the 2.0 does not suffer the same HG problems as a 2.5.

I was considering Hurst cars too although I found what I was looking for much closer to home. Whatever you buy get it round to a specialist to check over, before or after the sale, so you can relax and just drive your new car.


Edit

Ask if there is rust on the roof at the leading edge, ask about knocking rear shocks too.

GH80

http://www.hurstcars.co.uk/used-cars...01412239787096

Hmm that is what I would be having if I was to change. 400bhp APi Forged spec D

JDM cars (jap imports) have twin scroll engines which have better power delivery, but you lose the characteristic Subaru rumble. Depends whether you value the noise more than some low down pull, although the JDM's sound great at the redline!

R8JimBob88

Thanks guys, I'm new on the Scooby scene so I'm trying to do some research on the different models / spec etc.

If anyone can point me in the direction of some newbie advice that would be great. Just getting my head around the JDM's, twinscrolls, spec this and spec that. Pros and cons of imports and what not.

Pretty sure it's a 2.0 sti that I'm looking for.

hodgy0_2

get the manual, look at all the warning lights on the dash, and check that they come on for the "bulb" check when you turn the ignition on


I had had my car for 3 or 4 years wondering why the occasional limp mode would not illuminate the engine management light

until I realised than not even the initial "bulb" check would - lol


a simple check

romford-boy

Model wise - dozens and dozens of different models! You will also find there is always an exception to the rule.

However typically JDM's have twin scroll engines with a higher red line. JDMs and UK limited editions hold their values better. After a remap (or with the PPP option) they all produce pretty similar power out puts!

Popular cars to google for research on are:

STI Type UK widetrack
WR1
RB320
Spec D
Spec C
STI RA
S202
S203
S204
Anything by Litchfield

(You probably won't be able to afford the S203/S204 - they can fetch over £20k, or crazily one is for sale at £30k on Pistonheads).

Here is a review of the standard STI Type UK following it's update in 2005:

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evoc...u_impreza.html

Tony Harrington

iTrader: (8)

A few years ago I was seeking my first performance car and had a host of questions eg. where to buy, what model, budget, colour etc, after much research I made a list of what I required in terms of spec.

The key in my search was patience as any performance car can be a can of worms or a financial black hole therefore as time passes you can easily compromise your spec list. If you can get someone who has more knowledge & experience then take them along.

Make you questions more specific because sellers will give you fabricated information, for example regarding tyres ask how much tread the tyres have all round, is there even wear, what make are they & is there any feathering. Regarding overall condition split it into exterior & interior, ask them to score 1 - 10 & why they give it that score. Ask what dents, dints, scratches, scuffs, repairs, respray are on the exterior & where. If a seller has nothing to hide & has confidence in the car they will give you the answers you require otherwise they will get shirty and possibly angry hence beware/suspicious.

The person that purchased my car asked if it have full service history then asked how many stamps did it have, the reason for this was that he had previously looked at an STI & been told it had full service history but upon inspection only had 3 stamps.

Hope this helps.

fatboy_coach

iTrader: (1)

I'll save you a phone call, that's gone. The bloke who owned my old Classic bought it a couple of weeks ago and I was chatting to him about it at the corner shop.

Worth a call to see what else he has though

Lunchmoney

Stretch a little further? Has your budget included running costs? Are you aware this car will be considerably more expensive to run and maintain than your current Peugeot?

R8JimBob88

Yep, that wont be a problem. Its probably on par with the Peugeot if you include the depreciation.

plenty

iTrader: (13)

"Able to pay" and "want to pay" are not necessarily the same thing. You are assuming that OP is maxing out his total available funds whereas it could just be that £10k feels like an appropriate price point for a decent Impreza.

Lunchmoney

No assumptions were made at all. I asked a question and the OP has answered that he is aware and has it covered.