MrQaud

Hi, I've just joined the forums today and am looking for a bit of advice from someone in the know...
My neighbour has a 2002 WRX STI UK for sale. He owns his own independent car repair garage. The car had a full service history, with all belts recently done, replacement turbo and clutch recently fitted. It is standard apart from a cat back exhaust, HKS filter and dump valve. It's done 120K miles (I know the previous owner too and his mother used to run about in it - lucky if she got it out of second gear most of the time - LOL).
Anyway I'm getting the car from him tomorrow for a couple of days trial with no obligation to buy if I don't like it.
I trust the guy completely, but for my own peace of mind, could a kind, knowledgeable person please give me a few pointers on potential areas to look out for. I've had a quick look over the outside of the car and other than some slight bubbling on the rear arches, it looks pretty clean. I'll have plenty of time to go over the car in detail and I plan on putting at least 100 miles on the clock...

Many thanks.

yabbadoo4

iTrader: (8)

service record is key on that mileage. they need oil changes every 3-5k. if theres bubbling on the rear arches check underneath them to make sure its just surface rust as if its starting now it will need treated and repainted to halt it before it gets worse. the suspension and steering parts will be tired now so check for uneven wear on the front tires and the rear shockers if origional, tend to knock as the grease dries out in them and its a known fault on them. also check for history of cam belt changes they need done every 45k iirc and the idlers and tensioner bearings etc are not cheap and need changed along with the cam belt if the bearings are noisy and not smooth. its good its had a recent clutch as that can be an expensive job so at least you have no worries there and i just noticed (doh) about the clutch so thats all good as well. the steering racks wear too and get play in the joints and may give a clunking noise on full lock. what sort of money is he asking for it if u dont mind telling?

MrQaud

Hi, Many thanks for your response. There is a stamped service history up to 100K. The current ownser and the previous one are mechanics (I know them) so they have serviced the car themselves after this. I'm getting it for £3000. I've got it at home just now for 48 hours test. Just given the car a good wash. It looks really clean other than the little bit of rust which has started on the rear arches. I was surprised at how quick it felt and it sounds lovely
Since the owner owns his own garage, he's going to do the timing belts and oil and filter change for me. I'll pay for the parts trade price and he will supply the labour free of charge which I'm happy to pay...

yabbadoo4

iTrader: (8)

yep sounds good for the money and around what i paid for mine. check the condition of the struts tho as mine collapsed as the cup was rotten and dropped the spring onto the tyre shredding it to bits! got a set of red sti fronts off a breaker on here and 2 new tyres and its all good but something to check!. might be an idea to refresh the gearbox and diff oils soon if they havent been done for a while. just remember the quest for more power bites as soon as you get used to the power (which wont take long lol)

Infected by sti

iTrader: (6)

For 3k pal just buy it, you can have your fun and if it brakes then sell it as parts. You will pull close to your money back from panels, interior, box etc. as said 3k just go and enjoy it.

Check under the front of the car if the U shaped impact brace is still in place and if it's rusty. Dun really matter if it's on or off the car ( people's opinions will always vary on that one ).

Go through all the gears listening for any whines or unwanted noises, any crunching on the gear changes etc. Take it up in the revs in each gear and let it run down through the revs ( foot off the gas still in gear ) and listen again for whines.

Engine, listen to it from stone cold one morning, a bit of noise may be evident (piston slap) but should clear up when warm, any excessive slapping when warm means it's worn. Don't worry about the noise too much as many cars suffer from it from cold but as said does get quieter as it warms.

Oil and water, still check them even though it's owned by a garage. Check in the metal water pot on top of inlet for any speckle in the water like a metalic gold kind of fleck or similar, that's signs of k seal or similar being used for one reason or another (personally don't like the stuff).

And last off give it a good shooing and get it up in the boost, don't be shy with it as it's your money your parting with but don't take the pìss at the same time

As said above with mileage and age comes wear and tear so just be prepared to dip your hand in your pocket when needed as these cars ain't the cheapest on parts other than that have fun and enjoy it, hope it all goes well for you

MrQaud

Many thanks for the replies. One thing I notice, when I start the car up and let it idle, the engine rocks about quite a bit - so much that you can feel the car rocking a little bit when inside. On opening the bonnet, the engine is moving side to side about an inch. On revving it a little, this goes away. Is this normal or is it a sign of a worn engine mount or something?
Just checked the metal water pot on top of the inlet and the water is orange coloured - should I be worried?
Other than that, pretty happy with it so far...

Thanks.

Infected by sti

iTrader: (6)

Orange? Could be an antifreeze or could be water has never been changed and the orange is from what's coming off the water pump, as when you remove one that's not been changed you get the orange water there, more like a dirty water if that makes sense.

What's the water like in the big overflow next to the rad on the passenger side? And what's the colour of the bottle like?

MrQaud

It all looks clean - very slight pink colour, in the other tanks.

Infected by sti

iTrader: (6)

It's probably just the header tank then tbh and nothing to worry about.

If the temp is happy and your not getting massive clouds out the back or over heating then all is well

Just have a look at the rad level and see what the colours like there, a little orange around the cap is nothing to worry about if an old cap.

I would imagine if you know the garage and trust them then all should be good. They would be daft to sell you a problematic car being so local

MrQaud

Thanks for putting my mind at rest