Looking at buying a WRX, test driving it next week. What should I look for specifically when test driving etc!
Have asked in the General Thread but was told to ask here :)
jsbike,
Feb 16, 11:09am
test drive from dead cold.
foxdonut,
Feb 16, 11:11am
Any rice and you should walk away. Wheels, superfluous gauges, pod filter, etc. They're a lower cost car with a high performance per dollar but ongoing ownership costs balance them out. If the seller hasn't maintained the car then expect to have to pay yourself.
Also, check with your insurer.
skylinegtr_r34,
Feb 16, 11:13am
best insurance quote I've had is through club auto (i'm under 21) $500 for 3rd party fire and theft. didn't think that was bad compared to some of the quotes i got
foxdonut,
Feb 16, 11:20am
Thats pretty reasonable, they're supposedly an easy target for the steal and flog brigade but what about full insurance! Tread warily, I don't mean to be rude but if you're going to scrimp on insurance for financial reasons you may not be able to "afford" the car in the long run. Being able and willing to pay full insurance is a good indicator of how a car is going to be looked after.
Not trying to be obtuse, just putting it out there.
carkitter,
Feb 16, 11:39am
WRX has no inherent faults that I'm aware of, the only problems are those caused by driver abuse.
Because of Subaru choosing to install a Horizontally Opposed (Boxer) engine, the WRX has a very low centre of gravity which results in excellent road holding. The downside is that doing any maintenance is that much harder and therefore more expensive. Other Boxer-engined cars include the Porsche 911 and the Ferrari Testarossa/512 M so you begin to see the problem. Exotic car performance = exotic car compromises. This is why you want to be wary of abused cars which may require clutch replacements or engine rebuilds.
Find a good example and enjoy!
Edit: Specifically, Worn clutch, worn gearchange (2nd and 3rd gears), misfiring, overheating/using water, noisy turbo, excessive play in turbo bearings, thin and gritty feeling oil - all the usual telltale signs of abuse.
skylinegtr_r34,
Feb 16, 11:44am
352230863 this is what i am looking at
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 12:02pm
The money you spend on servicing could ultimately go towards a superior car. I would recommend a S2 R33 GTS25T which are very affordable. Not everyones cup of tea I know, & yes I've heard all the whale jokes but I and alot of others love the shape and performance standard is slightly faster than a WRX (non STI of course), not to mention they sound alot better imo. A downside is the unpredictable HICAS 4WS which wears out all too soon, although this can be removed with a cheap lock bar. I had one for 5 years and the only parts replaced were oil and oil filters, and it ran like a swiss watch, the same after 5 years as when I first bought it. It had never been in any shop for servicing, as changing oil and filters is very easy. Was great compared to some I know with WRX / Evo who ended up spending half to two thirds of the original price on servicingover a small period of time. Fuel costs for the WRX will be on par with the R33, even though the WRX is lighter with two less cylinders, it has 4WD. You would probably crash it however, as RWD cars with decent power are a tad unpredictable in the hands of the young.
carkitter,
Feb 16, 12:02pm
I'd be a bit concerned about these two things: "The kms showing is what motor has done . the body it self has done 280km."
".the only real problem to me is sometimes the gears have an odd crunch. but learn to drive the car properly and its sweet"
The first issue significantly affects the price of the car as it is not original and some parts of the chassis, suspension of gearbox may be much more worn than 140,000kms would indicate.
The odd crunch is likely the gearchange issue I mentioned above: specifically worn synchro cones from flat-changing during stop light drag racing. This can only get worse meaning the gearbox has to come out and be replaced or stripped down (whichever is cheapest) and that means $$$.
Up to you.
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 12:07pm
Also a 280 thou km body will need a complete overhaul of the suspension bushes / rubber mounts / subframe bushes, if you want to be safe and this will cost upwards of a grand if not more to do it properly, as its not a 5min job.
carkitter,
Feb 16, 12:12pm
Yes, but not necessarily straight away, plus the opportunity to kit it out with Nolathane throughout is not a bad one.
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 12:16pm
Yes I am a hypocrit haha too true. But anyway, there are much better ways to spend 6 grand
skylinegtr_r34,
Feb 16, 12:18pm
Na i got him down to $5400 :)
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 12:21pm
There are much better ways to spend $5400 then. Even though its a nice colour it has uugly wheels
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 12:25pm
And that gear crunching is NOT going to get any better, eventually once you have done a few launches or hard gear changes you will be stuck with a 1300kg paperweight or fork out over a grand if not more for a rebuilt / replacement gearbox.geez are you actually looking for opinions or just some fool to justify why you should buy that piece! Are you a bit of an idiot! is it your parents money! bacause anyone in thei right mind would not buy a car with a replacement engine, 280 thou km on the body and a dodgy gearbox. The differentials have probably had a hard life aswell, so thats just more $ to the service team you will become very good friends with. I mean think about it, who advertises their car as a thrashed piece of shit! no boost tap installed! yeah right, theyr like 100 dollars to buy and can install yourself, so the turbos probably on its way out aswell.
skylinegtr_r34,
Feb 16, 12:30pm
LOL no my money :) guess I am looking to excuses not to buy.
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 12:37pm
Trust me you may end up regretting that particular car, its just obvious it has been owned by some punk who has thrashed it to death, and realises it is in a semi saleable state so is cutting their losses. Go for a car with less mods, less kms, and you will not end up another poor guy who is always catching the bus bacause the car is at the mechanics. After a while you realise why most Subaru / Evo owners are keen to swap for Skylines / Silvias / Supras/ anythin really! . BEcause $ spent on repairs can ultimately go into upgrades, or other hobbies if you are just wanting to keep it relatively standard. People can go broke owning these, they should be outlawed.
skylinegtr_r34,
Feb 16, 12:50pm
Well you've officially changed my mind. What do we think about this then! Have been looking at it for a bit too. 355235643
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 1:02pm
Oh are you a girl!
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 1:05pm
No seriously they are ok, a good choice probably in this economy, as in petrols only going to get dearer I hear, as if it wasn't totally ridiculous now.
Front wheel drive I am not a fan of but still a decent car with average to decent performance. A very nice colour I must admit but the wheels don't do it for me. If the buynow was closer to the start price it would be a reasonably economical form of transportation.
skylinegtr_r34,
Feb 16, 1:08pm
yeah i asked if they would take 4500, see how it goes. many thanks for the AWESOME advice :D
pixieface11,
Feb 16, 1:19pm
Yeah cars are a hard one, theres always something better that comes along just after you have handed over ur cash. Good luck which ever way you decide to go. Also the gt starlet can be made quite a bit faster (if thats what you are into) for a small amount of $ due to being turbo and light as hell. But theres always drawbacks, more petrol and more chance of an unexpected breakage, not to mention the torque steer you may get which is dane-ger-ous.The small size of the vehicle is also a good reason to drive to the rules, as an accident in one of these or anything a similar size can be very bad.
desmodave,
Feb 16, 7:46pm
I heard of skimping on oil and tryes but insurance.Yeah mate i would have bought it but your insurance is to cheap and it put me off buying it.
foxdonut,
Feb 16, 8:27pm
No, thats not what I was saying. If the person buying the car isn't going to pay for full insurance then they probably aren't going to pay for regular and proper services or parts either, making a WRX, (especially the on in question now that we've seen it) a waste of money up front because it will fall apart.
The car in question is a heap. It failed on the first criteria which are the wheels and the shitty lowering job on the back end. Lowering a WRX is a dim idea, they don't need it in the first place.
Personally I'd save or find another couple of grand and buy this: 351606619. The third gen MR2 T from factory was managing sub 14 second quarters on factory tread, pretty impressive from an old engine thats fairly straightforward to mod.
sven007,
Feb 16, 9:41pm
You went from a wrx to a starlet! wtf
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