danzman1991

Hi guys,

Very new to this, I'm going to look at a Subaru WRX Estate details are:

2002,Totally standard, 93,000 miles, FSH, 12 months MOT, recently serviced, 2 keys etc. £2000.



Just wondering what I should look out for when I view? What kind of costs should I expect for a cambelt change / clutch change? Any other high maintenance costs to expect?

Much appreciated,
Daniel.

d4vidh

Classic shape, newage shape?? Classic rot around the rear arches. Newage rusty front subframes

danzman1991

Yes, sorry that would help.

Added a picture, 2002 on an 02 plate.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Usual stuff, but also make sure the brakes and tyres are in good condition because if they are very worn then your looking at circa £6/700 to sort the lot, regular servicing is a must, so make sure everything has been done and is up to date, cambelt can be done for £3/400 clutch about the same.

danzman1991

He says the tyres are 6 months old, not sure about the brakes though. Will bare this in mind. Should I just check the usual discs and pads?

What kind of things need doing for regular servicing? (Oil, oil filter, ??)

ST-X

Try to get a cold start up, that way you can listen better for any funny noises like piston slap etc.

Tyres may be new(ish) but check brands as cheap Linglong's or the equivalent could be a warning sign that money's been scrimped elsewhere on maintenance too. Also check wear patterns, and heavy scrubbing on the outer edges which can be a sign of either thrashing, or someone who can't drive it and just understeers everywhere.

Full service history can mean different things to different people, but for £2k you can't be too fussy - evidence of stamps/bills etc can give you a picture of either scrimping maintenance, or a fastidious owner.

Brakes are a difficult one as you can only see the front face and on mine, the rear face had less than half the disc actually swept by the pads on the front. It was a sign that mine hadn't had heavy use, and luckily the pistons were all in great condition. If you factor in a potential £250 at Godspeed for new discs/pads all round then you won't go wrong. If they don't need doing then brilliant, but if they do, it's not unexpected. You may need to replace a couple of pistons if they've done 90k but lighter use or motorway miles may reduce the chance of this needing done.

The gearbox isn't the smoothest but it is positive. Second gear can be a little tight when cold so don't worry too much as this seems to be very common across pretty much every WRX! Check the dipstick on the box for colour of the fluid, or metal particles (it's a metal kebab skewer style handle just below the drivers side of the intercooler).

If you crawl underneath, check that the undertray is in place or, if not, check for any impact damage that may have torn it off. If it is in place then again check for scuffs. They're inevitable, but they do show what the car's been driven over in the past. Likewise, check under the rear for a leaky diff/excessive corrosion on the suspension. If you shine a torch under the car to the opposite sill you should get an indication of surface rust on these too. They should be ok, but its best to check.

IIRC, the subframes on the bugeyes can rot pretty chronically too so check them out (I also seem to remember talk of these being removable so again, I wouldn't stress if you find it a hideous warren of tinworm). Also worth checking that the recall has been carried out if needed on the front suspension arms.

That all sounds a lot but it really is just basic stuff. Check out damage to the wheels, wobble at speed, straight accelaration/braking etc...all just as you would any regular car. It looks pretty tidy and genuine, and for the money sounds even better!

alphaj12

Rear shocks will likely be goosed and calipers seized if they've not been refurbed with stainless pistons, I would guess disks and pads on a car like this - generally they get passed on when things are needed.

Firez34

iTrader: (5)

Car looks nice in the photo fella and FSH. Price seems cheap but fuel cost's are making them bargains at the moment. Good advice above. Would be worth paying for a full inspection to be done on it.

danzman1991

Went and looked at this tonight - lots of cosmetic defects and cambelt needs doing (was last done at 42k miles in 2005)

The main reason I walked away though was the performance was thoroughly underwhelming! Foot to the floor in 2nd gear from 30mph didn't pin me back in the seat like I was hoping! So surprising for what I thought was a really powerful car :/

danzman1991

Edit: double post

Iain250

iTrader: (1)

then i suggest a classic wagon with subtle mods - far far rawer

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Well not too surprised, what do you expect for £2k at least the bloke had it realistically priced, if you want a decent quick ish Newage your going to have to up your budget to between £3/4k and more the latter than the former, that one was a fixer upper which needed a couple of grand spending, ergo £4k to have a sorted newage.

Another thing as standard a Newage WRX is not a quick car by modern standards, you need at least a PPP, decent brakes and a few handling goodies before they start to get interesting, and decent classics are £3k+ otherwise your in the fixer upper class again.

In short you need to lower your expectations OR up your budget.