2002 Subaru WRX.. 300,000kms

[Skurj]

Any in the know?... if it was cheap enough would you touch a 2002 WRX with 300,000 kms, one owner car, supposedly subie serviced, suffering from a little rust? Unmodified
Looking for potential track beater/ winter car

[gramicci101]

That's 186K miles, for us non-metric types.

Is it still on the original turbo?

[suaveflooder]

Price would play a major factor for me. If it was well cared for, why not? Just realize you will probably be "rebuilding" the entire car to a certain extent with that mileage. For a track car, and for the right price, I'd do it.

[strat61caster]

I'm with suave, for a couple thousand bucks could be a great deal. It may be best to find a local expert to check it out though, lots of things can be missed on a modern car that could become a headache later (belts, boots, hoses, emissions equipment, clutch etc.).

Edit: Kelley Blue Book claims it would be under $6k for a perfect condition one. If I was looking at this seriously I wouldn't put down more than $5k along with an inspection by a third party.

[Atropine]

Yeah I agree with Suave too.

How mechanically inclined are you?

Lets not even talk engine and transmission...

Your wheel bearings will be going out soon if they haven't been replaced.

Does the car looked raced?

I have owned an STi...those WRX and STi's do not age well without serious money being put into them.

If you can get it cheap, then why not.

If its "market price"...then steer clear.

And I would avoid a used car dealership on a high mileage WRX/STi. They will know how to conceal shit that is about to go wrong.

[dem00n]

Gonna hit the infamous Subaru 200 soon, they mostly need engine rebuilds at 200K....

There's plenty of under 100K miles WRX's around here, good prices.

To me it's not a good idea to buy a car that is known for shitting out at 200K miles.

[Skurj]

I don't know a lot of the details... haven't actually looked at it yet that's why I thought I would ask. I think he is asking a lot too much for it:

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/c...ationFlag=true

If I could talk him to around $3k it might be worth it.. love the bug eye and I love the colour.. but.... there is another which looks to be better body wise, and less than half the mileage for a $500 more..

damn decisions... can get a mint Miata for not much more, that has no rust and a lot less than 100,000miles.. make a better track car, cheaper parts and easier to work on, but not so good in the winter. Thinkin with my budget in this neck o the woods, the Miata mebbe the better option (what would you spend $7k (canuck bux) on for a car to serve as 50% DD/100%Trackday and possibly winter duties)

WRX are expensive here.. and not that common on the used lists.

[Jegan_V]

Subarus are at a premium price in the GTA. My old Impreza 2.5RS got surprising amount of money even when I sold it at 245,000 km.

As for the WRX, the condition is really the main thing about buying any car with that many kms. The slight issue with going with a WRX, the chances of the car being beat on are simply higher than most other vehicles. For the 2002-2003, the transmission is a known weak point, its simply less tolerant of abuse, it should be ok if treated right but its something to note. The usual head gasket issue is also another downside, so check for coolant leaks, if its a small leak there's at least a chance at preventing a repair bill. The rest of the car though is pretty much Subaru Impreza, the only other item is really the catalytic converter possibly going bad. Everything else is not known to break, I had a very pleasant experience owning my Subaru compared to my sister with her Honda Civic.

[n2oinferno]

Originally Posted by Skurj

damn decisions... can get a mint Miata for not much more, that has no rust and a lot less than 100,000miles.. make a better track car, cheaper parts and easier to work on, but not so good in the winter. Thinkin with my budget in this neck o the woods, the Miata mebbe the better option (what would you spend $7k (canuck bux) on for a car to serve as 50% DD/100%Trackday and possibly winter duties)

Get the Miata. Then "winterize" it.

[Atropine]

Originally Posted by n2oinferno

Get the Miata. Then "winterize" it.

OMG that is awesome

[dem00n]

People still buy 4WD cars for winter use?

It only has all go, even which if you use all season tires will just be pathetic compared to a FWD/RWD car with winter tires. You brake and steer just the same as us.

[sshole]

Things that can go wrong with a high mileage WRX:

Everything.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by sshole

Things that can go wrong with a high mileage car:

Everything.

Fixed that for you.

[Atropine]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Fixed that for you.

That is true..

My "bomb proof" AW-11 MR2 eventually needed stuff fixed on it...and it was hard to source certain parts...

Still loved that car though...heck it even popped on Craigslist last week...and the wife had to talk me out of re-buying it lol.