Would you buy?
 

Hey guys,

Need some feedback from everyone here. Found a car I really like at a dealer out of state, was ready to buy but something

Info on the car:
2014 BRZ WRB Limited 6MT with 15,700 miles
One owner car with a clean carfax and autocheck. Apparently an older physician who traded in for a GT350.

Price: We agreed on $22,400

I had a 3rd party service (Lemon Squad) check it out for me because its 5+ hours away and some of their feedback has me worried, specifically the part in bold.

Feedback from Lemon Squad:

This vehicle shows well with a issue of note. The exterior shows very little wear. The interior is decent with only light wear noted. There were no floor mats in the vehicle at the time of the inspection. The coolant reservoir was completely empty, I did not even see and residue at the bottom. The radiator was about and inch below full with blue long life coolant. The dealership filled the coolant reservoir before test drive, from what it looks like was green coolant. This coolant issue will need further diagnoses. The test drive went well with no issues found. The engine had plenty of power and the transmission shifted well. There were no leaks to the underside found. The steering and suspension worked well. The brakes were nice and firm with no pulsation. There were no abnormal noises or vibrations. The computer system showed no current or pending codes. All live data showed no issues. All accessories functioned as designed. Overall a nice vehicle with some concerns. I would suggest making sure the coolant concern is addressed before making the purchase. If there wasn't a coolant issue this vehicle would be more in the B category for rating.

What do you all of you think? Would you buy it, considering the feedback? I'm going to have it shipped to me, so the first time i actually see the car will be when it's delivered at my house.

Buy it. Flush coolent (or better yet make that part of the deal). Drive it. Watch coolent level (bet it stays fine). Enjoy.

talk with the dealership about the issue and tell them that you want to buy the car, but the coolant issue is turning you off. see if they will bleed the cooling system for you. if they say they will, make them have it in writing and signed by the salesman just in case. they will most likely do it as long as they know you're serious about buying the car.

however, the issue with low coolant in the overflow is pretty common. so you will still need to keep an eye on it every gas fill up or oil change after you take home your car.

What Tcoat said.

Seems like there are two issues they mentioned that you might be asking about:

1. An unexplained coolant loss is normal in this car during the first several thousand miles. Nobody seems to know where it goes. The guy probably never checked it. If it didn't overheat, it's likely not a problem.

You can get an oil analysis for $28 to see if any coolant is going into the oil. I wouldn't let the low coolant stop me from buying it, but I would get the oil analysis done at the first few oil changes just to make sure that if there is any issue, it's caught early to prevent bearing damage. (I personally have an oil analysis done at every oil change anyway, just because I like to see what's going on in the dark recesses of my motor.)

2. Subaru blue coolant is rated for 11 years, but if you mix it with conventional coolant or use conventional coolant by itself the service interval drops to 30K miles. So I would simply flush the system, replace with Subaru blue and drive. Personally, I doubt I'll leave my coolant in the system for 11 years, but longevity is not the only reason to use Subaru blue. The chemical composition of the coolant is preferred for lubrication and conditioning of seals and components in this particular cooling system. The system is designed for it.

I wouldn't let it worry me.

the overflow tank looks like its about 12" tall. the low mark is about an inch from the bottom...guessing I would say 4 fluid OZs volume. (the high mark is midway)


the cap is the high point on the upper hose so I would say 5oz total. I would probably be ok with that. if it is not a Subaru dealer, I would assume that green coolant was added and flush it when it hits the 36 month mark. anything called longlife tends not to be in retrospect

That price is way too high, Geez! Not sure if you absolutely have to buy through a dealer because of financing, but you can find one through a private seller for several thousands less. Either way, I still feel that price is way too high for even a dealer

Price seems kinda high. But the coolant issue is some odd issue with the car. Over the past 2 years and almost 6 montha, I've used a gallon of coolant.

The price is not, IMO, crazy high, but I think the dealer is getting maybe a slightly better deal than you are. I can tell the exact same story about mine, except it had 6700 miles, and everything checked out as though it was absolutely new. I didn't try to negotiate with the dealer over the price, which was $23,000, so maybe I could have gotten it for your lower price as well. I really can't see a reason not to buy it. You even still have 20,000 miles / ~18 months of manufacturer's bumper to bumper warranty to cover you.

If the car was on CarGurus.com, it would probably have an erect green arrow pointing straight up, as mine did, as one of the better deals on the website!

:burnrubber:

See if they will replace with blue. If not you can do it yourself.

Or look for another car. Don't get emotionally involved it's a common vehicle. You will find another you like if this deal doesn't work out.

Also I see plenty of physicians at the track hammering their cars round. So try not to get caught up in the "driven to church by grandma" thing. Maintenance is the main thing. Of which with low miles is not much.

As other's have mentioned the price is definitely too high, regardless of location. People like to regurgitate the myth that car prices fluctuate according to location but there is no way in hell it should be this expensive in the continental US.

This ^.


Remember that

Thanks for the information guys. Puts me a bit more at ease. I'll ask the dealer to flush the system out with Subaru blue coolant, they told me they topped it with green coolant, but I'd prefer a full flush with the right coolant.

Yeah, I know. I've wanted this car for 4 years now, waiting a few more weeks wont hurt if this doesn't work out.

Oh, trust me I'm completely on board here. I made the same comment to the sales rep right after the brought this up. Also said you don't exactly buy a GT350 to drive it gingerly to the corner store.

Regarding the price, based off what I've seen its not really that bad.

Have you guys really seen this combination (I want a WRB Limited BRZ with low miles) for a few thousand less? I haven't seen it available anywhere for much less.

These cars are notorious for coolant loss through evaporation, the fix is to get new hoses with "worm" type clamps and the issue disappears, buy it, get the fix and enjoy it.