notoriousjin

Hey Guys,

Ok here goes... this is the story of my last three weeks. I found a trader (through a friend of a friend) who buys cars directly off the boat from Southhampton docks. I bought a silver WRX from him - due the fact it had only done under 30,000 miles - it also had coilover suspension and a full decat exhaust sysyem - and as far as i knew was running sweet.

I was not around when the car was delivered, but my old man was - the dealer told him that when she starts from cold there is a tapping sound which goes away when the engine warms up - his reason was because water had got into the engine en route and will eventually dry out... . When i was told about this i obviously was a bit suspicous as there was no ticking sound on the test drive etc. (Obviously the car had been warmed up before i drove it!)

The next day i took the car down to Scooby in Twyford for a full check up. There needed a few things done (air flow meter, rocker gasket cover etc.) but the main feedback i got was the fact that the car has PISTON SLAP. Now when i heared this i went onto your forums and did some research and got the general idea that if the noise goes away afer the car is properly warmed up then it is not much to worry about but it will eventually screw the engine. Subaru said they would get back to me with the final price of repair.

In the meantime i noticed the sound was getting worse - and not going away atall. I consulted a mate of mine who is also a mechanic and he said there was only two ways he could expalin the car having it; either the clock had been wound back or the car had been hammered when it was cold and there was no oil. This got me very worried indeed!

I then had the call i was dreading from Subaru - £2,400 for the repair. After calling around i found that I could get a full engine rebuild for that price but still that is money i don't have! I have stopped driving it and am in the process of trying to get the dealer to take it back - but guess what - he is being as usefull as an engine made of cheese!

I have thought about either dropping a new engine in it, trying to get my money back (which was only £400 more than the cost of the repair), having a n engine rebuild, selling it cheap as chips or taking the dealer to court.

Could i get some advise? I know dealers tend to be very crafty but i never signed anything to say "I bought the car as seen". Please help me!!

Thanks

Ben

Bubba po

So you think that it's reasonable that an eleven year old car has done only 30,000 miles, do you?

2,727 miles per year?

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

well,we are told many times that jap cars are run slower, not for as long, on shorter trips blah blah blah bloody blah.......

Bubba po

Who tells you this? Car Dealers with bags of ****e to flog, perchance?

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

That means theres loads of em on here !!!!!!

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

30000 km, I am sorry but the clocker was taking the ****, If it was bought through a trader I would try every avenue to get my cash back mate.
PS if you succeed I have a 9000km 96 sti for sale

Bubba po

There are loads of them EVERYWHERE.

History, history, history.

Mine is seven years old, has 110,000 miles on the clock and is absolutely sweet. If it was clocked to 70,000, no-one could tell the difference, barring all the dealer stamps and MOTs that come with it. Clocked to 30,000 would be absolutely taking the ****.

Am I speaking an alien language here?

Bubba po

This was a threadkiller.

They don't like it up 'em, Captain Mainwaring.

GC8

1995 WRXs with odometer readings this low are virtually unheard of, sorry; and in this context, I am an expert.

F*cking docks-auction ****e; again.


Simon

dougwrx

These things can happen I have just bought a Honda Civic 1.6vti as a second car and that has only done 11,500 on a Preg. So it could happen.

[Davey]

So you bought a clocked 1995 WRX straight off the boat for £2800..

OUCH!.. You wont make that mistake twice.

I think a good 80% of JDM imports have been clocked.. some have laughable mileage especially when its not reflected in the overall condition... I've seen cars with a reported 40k and anyone can see its obviously bull****, a 40k engine bay will not be full of oil leaks and noises unless its been THRASHED TO BUGGERY and generally not looked after.

[Davey]

I agree it can happen, my old dear sold a 91 XR3i Cabriolet in 2002 that she had owned from new, it had less than 20k on the clock.. But you have to agree the majority of Jap imports have suspiciously low mileage even when they are very tatty.

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

Good lesson to learn - DONT BUY CHEAP IMPORTS BECAUSE THE CARS ARE ALL DODGY !!!

If you want an import, get one with the original Jap auction sheet and history, or pay proper money and get one from a respected import dealer who isnt going to sell you a clocked car, and you'll get a warranty with it ( any dealer who says 'we dont warranty imports' should be avoided straight away - minimum you should get is 3 months ).

Yes, there are jap imports on really low mileages, but these are premium cars, and are the sort bought by the decent import dealers, who will pay more for them, and charge more for them when they put them on the forecourt.

On the good side, you paid £2800 for the car, get a second hand engine ( around £1000 - £1200 including fitting for a good tested one ) and your car will have cost about the same as buying a decent one in the first place. Make sure you get the clocks reset to reflect the actual mileage of the car so no future owners get caught out.

As for going after the dealer - if hes the sort who will happily sell you a clocked car with a knackered engine, then I dont think he'll be too helpful in sorting out a refund for you.