blainej1

ibe been looking for a 2001 - 2003 subaru impreza wrx ive seen a few around 115000 to 130000 in my budget most have decent history. Just curious to is there many with high mileage wrx's and if so how are they or do you steer clear

Tidgy

depends on how welll looked after, what work they have had etc.

Soup

A lot of cars that age are sitting around that mileage. Better to have a 100k full history cared for example than a 40k dog that's had the **** booted off it every time its been taken out.

Jonnys3

Exactly what Tidgy & Soup said - history is more important than mileage for me. I sold my bugeye wagon earlier this year with 120000 on the clock, and all work carried out by Scoobyclinic or Europa Subaru - I had receipts for every single piece of work carried out whilst in my ownership (so there was 8yrs worth) so the buyer had piece of mind knowing it had been well looked after and maintained.

Tidgy

My dads is a good example. 140k miles 51 plate sti bug. new engine 10k ago, rear arches done, shocks repalced 5k ago, new clutch when it had engine, oil change every 5k or anual etc etc

acutaly thinking of having it for the mrs when he gets rid. if she does will more than likely get broken, cracking car for someone but people just wont pay enough for it as a whole car.

Yardz

iTrader: (1)

I baught mine in a similar suitation last year at 125k looked after by scoobyclinic and slowboy after the main dealer coming on to 145k now. Like any car service history is key. And with any second hand car things do wear out. Buy with your head

blainej1

Thanks for all the advice guys just brought this ideally didnt want to pay that much would of liked it closer to 2200 the pictures and not great however i seen the previous add where it was clean and it is in good condition the guy says it has a lot of history and the belts have been done just didnt quote full history as it isnt

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KH02NPP-/2...p2047675.l2557

Tidgy

mmm, pics don't really make it out to be well looked after.

blainej1

yeah there was a previous add from a week ago where it was all clean and polished up

Tidgy

hmmm, so he went from clean pics to dirty pics? i;d be very suspicous of that myself.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

my view on high miles is, if it wasn't looked after, it wouldn't have high miles.

Car is in a muddy car park, so no surprise it's a bit muddy.

At the end of the day when buying £500 / 5k cars I don't care about history, because as has been said on here before spend an hour on a computer and you can knock up anything you like. I view the car on the day, have a good old poke around, check colour/ level of the oil and water, take it for a drive and put it through it's paces a little, get it up to temp till the fans kick in and just let it sit there idling, listening to it, and a few other bits. BEFORE I even talk about money. I also interview the owner to see if they know about the car, if they're all vague, they just get an ok mate, thanks for your time.

If the owner is not happy to let me do all this then I just walk away.

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

I know the three previous owners of my Blob JDM WRX that now sit's just over 103k.

The history is mainly own service and parts etc but I know some very experienced people have completed the major service and parts replacements when needs.

Be concerned about what people do not say.

Have you run the plate through the DVLA?

https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/Default.aspx

Lillyart14

Stay well clear if rear arches are showing any signs of rust. A proper arch replacement job can cost you around £1200-£1400. Also, ANY rattle from the engine on start-up is signs of potential bottom end failure. Had that go on me before, not nice.

A Subaru full-service history isn't paramount, but car must have at least a shed-load of receipts because many owners do the work themselves. Ask some general questions about the cars and gauge his responses, if he's quite passionate about the cars and happy to talk about all the little things on them, the different models available it's more than likely he actually cares about his car, rather than use it as an a-to-b tool.

Matt_STi

At what point would you consider rebuilding a high mileage engine and how much would it cost? Not that mine is, I only just turned over 74,000 on a 2005 plate. Only done 8,000 in nearly 2 years.

Paben

iTrader: (5)

Before marrying a girl the old advice was always to have a darned good look at the mother before committing. I always follow similar advice when buying a car - have a darned good look at the owner before parting with the cash. This especially applies to cars that are frequently owned by enthusiasts - Evos, Imprezas, Skylines, Type-Rs etc etc. Spotting an enthusiast is not difficult. Their cars, irrespective of mileage, are lovingly looked after and want for nothing. Fortunately the Chavmobiles and their owners are usually easy to identify too. Buy from the first type, run away from the second.

Matt_STi

Why weren't you around when I got married?

Paben

iTrader: (5)

That's not a proposal is it?

goatblower

iTrader: (6)

I bought my one owner bug wrx just over 3 years ago for £1500 with 103k on the clock, some service history but not full.

It's now showing just over 133k & still going strong. Since I've owned it the only things that have needed replacing are the radiator, cam sensor & front calipers.

I had a cambelt service back in November & decided to get the original clutch replaced as well just as a precaution.

I drive it daily to work & back which is around 20 miles each way & apart from the usual little bit of piston slap when cold & the gearbox being a bit whiny in 2nd & 3rd it's still a good strong motor.

I would say don't be put off by high mileage, as long as the car has been looked after & not abused it will keep on going.

Matt_STi

What's your mother like?

blainej1

Well that was a lucky escape was having trouble finding the Reg so I checked the vin off the mot and it was a total loss

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Goes to show, do the checks and don't take people's words for granted.

Of course it being a write off doesn't mean it's a bad car, depends on why it was written off, but regardless the cars value is heavily reduced by the stigma attached to cars like these no matter how good it's condition is.