Should You Buy a Used Subaru WRX STI? 

Short Answer: Yes. Long Answer: Absolutely.

Here’s my checklist based of previous experience with the GDs 1: Check arches for rust 2: Have them take off the intercooler and inspect the coupling and throttle body of oil that means signs of blow by 3: check valve cover gaskets 4: check the coil pack wires they tend to break right at the connector 5: Check the turbo inlet because they can break if it’s stock plastic 6: Check all 4 axle boots for leaks 7: Inspect doors, hood, and roof for sun fade. GD are known to sun fade in those areas. 8: If possible check turbo shaft play 9: Check if stock downpipe is coming with the car(if not don’t buy because they’re hard to get due to how highly marked up they are). THIS IS JUST MY LIST, but hopefully it’s somewhat helpful to anyone looking forward to getting a GD. I’m sure I’m missing quite a bit, but I can’t remember at the top of my head.

The best key of advice you gave, “make sure it’s mechanically safe before modifying” If treat your WRX/STI right, the owner will be rewarded with a enjoyable a reliable car.

What I was amazed by when I first started looking at Subarus especially WRX/STI was the "save ability " of even an abandoned car. They are so rebuildable and worth their accumulation of parts. When done you will know well what you have and that's worth a lot.

Love your enthusiasm and knowledge. After 20 years of Subaru ownership one thing I’ve learnt is become knowledgeable enough to do as much work as you can yourself, cause no one will do a better job than yourself. They great cars especially when well maintained.!👍

I'd only pay "needs an engine" price for any turbo subaru out of warranty. Seen too many people pay full price then need a new engine

Great info as always. Thanks for the tips! Just had the 96,000 mile service done to my 2015 STi yesterday. All is well.

Man I love ur content. Can't find anybody with content this good covering the FA But ur still one of 3 youtube channels I follow and try to catch daily. While I want u to grow and benefit from subscribers I hope it doesn't become too much for u with the growing requests for knowledge and time. I wish u and melanie the best. Feel like we are friends since I see u guys so often (but I'm actually more of a stalker I guess cuz y'all never see me rofl) try not to burn out, my man. Take breaks if u can. We will be here.

When looking at a used car, always check if it has been in an accident. Best way to check is by looking at the paint. If the color is off from one panel to the next, or if there is 'dirt' in the paint, or a run, thats a dead giveaway that the vehicle has had some repair work done. Also check the coverage of paint in non visible areas, like the engine bay. If the left side is spotty and the right side has full paint coverage, thats a sign of collision repair work.

I think it's also important to check the guy selling a wrx/sti. If he build his own cars, has a shop etc. He might grab the good parts out of them. No offence to the people who are honest and build their cars, but my sti hatch was suppose to have a built motor. I think it did, but the dude who sold me the car probable swapped it in his car.

You probably should buy a used, grandma-driven Forester XT like I did lol. The freaking thing is mint , 100% stock and in perfect mechanical condition.

Cheaper to build one now compared to 10 years ago

Spitting the truth once again! If you guys are looking for a used wrx/sti, I highly recommend looking around communities such as NASIOC. I think for the most part the community is filled with members who are knowledgeable enthusiasts that take good care of their cars. Always try to get that PPI and compression test too!

Hey man we’re in the same boat at the moment ;) have fun and stay positive man you look like you always do but doesn’t hurt to say it! Good luck man

Bought my STI brand new a year ago and I made a binder containing all invoices and work-orders detailing everything I’ve done to it. I don’t plan on selling it, but it’s always nice to have a record like you mentioned.

I took a gamble on my one (2003 blobeye, Type UK WRX STI PPP) It was advertised as "stock no modifications" ..except the Prodrive performance pack that was done from brand new by those great guys in Banbury (certificate was included). Two previous owners, not including the dealer who had acquired it after having been "ten years in storage". 50k mileage. The seller (ebay) had 100% positive feedback and were specialists in Jap cars. With my limited mechanical knowledge but 30 or so years of car ownership experience I inspected it underneath, inside its bodily crevices and in the engine bay and it really was as good as the pictures showed. I test drove it and all seemed fine. HOWEVER ...a few things showed up after I'd driven it for a few weeks: stripped threads on the wheel studs, stripped threads on one front calipers (requiring a new one) ...aaaaand the clutch slipped in high gears. Luckily I had some financial backing to cover anything unseen that may have popped up later, so those problems have now been sorted. Most recent issue: the fuel pump sounds like it's about to give out ...but that looks like a simple job. Anyway, it looks great inside and out, drives like a dream. That said, I should have brought a mechanic to look it over properly. Thumbs up.

Bought my 16 WRX with 29k miles from big local dealer, bone stock. Great car, highly modded now. Very rare to find here in Lexington KY

I think you're the only person deserving of the new subie. After 18 subarus, this is like the ultimte tedt lol. Car must be so happy with its new owner taking care of it 🙂

Japanese Import one owner 2004 Sti limited edition with all the good bits, I knew it was an offer of a lifetime I had to go for it, worth every single hassle

RU-vid should push this content more, very informative and very entertaining videos every time. T.j. Hunt? Who tf is that 👊🏿

Been there done that got the tee shirt! I bought my 05 STI and all the other people got the good out of it and I got the rebuild 🤣. Nevertheless it's worth it to me for the end result. Now I'm the one having fun. And it's exactly the way I wanted it.

I think its worth it if you have the cash flow to have it as a project not a daily. Great vids bro love it!

I was lucky I got all the build list also spoke to the builder.and the prior owner. Great video brother

Got lucky with my 04 wrx i got it at 158k miles 3 years later its at 213k miles still running strong not once gave me a problem all i have is an intake and catback and v3 accessport stage 1 tune

Just discovered your channel. It's pretty interesting seeing your journey. I just bought a 2011 sti with 132k miles with an IAG stage 2 shortblock put in but everything else was oem. The previous owner bought it from someone who just replaced the shortblock and it spun a bearing again (probably a builder mistake). So the previous owner put in an IAG stage 2 block with a few minor mods and left it stock for reliability sake. I like you did not do a compression test but I did do one when I changed the sparkplugs and everything seems sound. I have minor oil leaks and power steering pump whines I'm trying to chase as well. Nice to see that other people are as ocd as I am when it comes to fixing things and chasing them down

Saw this video coming lol. It’s what you said around the 7:00 mark that reaffirmed me getting an older GD STI model as opposed to a new VA STI chassis. Either or, the drivetrain is identical, so at some point, I’d be replacing the internals with forged units. Rather buy a $15K GD nearly close to being paid off outright with little to no monthly payments while keeping a beater on the side as a daily than a near $30K VA with $4XX-$5XX a month owed to the bank after my Civic for a trade-in and a down payment. This reality is probably another reason why your Blobeye build is more popular: it’s much financially feasible for most of your viewers, myself included. I still plan on getting one because of this channel. Just keeping my Civic as a daily and buying an IAG motor right off the bat first.

Thank you so much for these videos! I've owned all Hondas before purchasing my wrx and honestly I was really intimidated cause I didn't know a lot about this platform at first but it's videos like this and people like you that really mad me feel a lot more confident on working on my car myself and taught me a lot about these motors again thanks a lot

Worth it, if you know what you’re getting yourself into and are able to do the work yourself, and have the budget set aside for those unforeseen skeletons! Loving the content!! Keep it coming! 👍🏽👍🏽

Love the info man. Ever thought of a patreon or something to help fund stuff? I'd like to give a bit but I can only buy so much merch 😂

I did it right and bought one that was blown up already lol. The guy had completely disassembled the entire engine and sold it to me in pieces. I had never own a wrx or ever worked on one. Got it back up and running in 2 months. Was a great experience and have since gone over everything on the car most recently was the entire suspension was replaced, all bushings, feal coilovers, sti front control arms, sti brembos. Ive touched 90% of bolts and nuts on the thing and now it runs and drives better than new.

Well said... I gave up on finding a good stock one and ended up buying new as a result. Definitely touched on all the right things for a used one in the video. @Car Wizard has a great video too on what to look for when buying a used car, and one of the tips I really like is taking a mirror to look underneath the car in some of those spots without needing a lift or getting on the ground to check for rust and such. Keep up the great work!

The key is reliability diligent maintenance, knowing that subarus maintenance schedule is the bare munimum for a factory setup. mods like air oil separators bigger intercoolers. making damn sure that your tuner knows that you don't want to take that thing to the knock threshold and dial it back. If you let somebody try to squeeze every last horsepower out of your setup they just won't last. Second part is doing enough research to understand what these cars like and putting it into practice. The tuner isn't going to tell you how to drive your car you have to figure that out. two years ago I gave 13,000 for a bone stock 2008 outback XT with a automatic transmission. It came with paperwork on a new long block. I've got about 16,000 into various mods including a manual swap (5mt). She pulls as hard as a stock STI. looking back the only thing I would have done different is a little more research on the tuner/mechanic. buying used with out knowing is just that. one of the best things about this car is when you get pulled over for 27mph over the limit the cop writes you up for 24 over and keeps the reckless driving off your record. I don't think that happens in a boy racer straight pipe STI.

Keep speaking the truth 🙌🙌🙌 I've been going through the same issues with my first ever 04 WRX.... can't wait to see your car on the road

Yes! Absolutely maybe!

Here in Australia it's nearly impossible to buy an older STI without paying epic money. Even very average condition is hugely expensive. Probably been looking for over 5 years now, an STI like Smeedia's would be up for $30k+, really good condition around $40k and all would be 100k + miles, probably supply and demand as so many have not made it this far and suffered a horrible death. Newer models are actually the best value, but awesome resale value if you do happen to own one.

Merry Christmas bro and thanks for everything you do.

Aw man about to buy a 2017 wrx been a little nervous but I’m for sure I’ll be all through your channel trying to figure out wth I’m doing lol

I Soo appreciate your intention to swing through every comment! I've never seen anything similar before.

20k engine 50k chasis, 06 sti. Short answer no. Long answer yes. Short answer it's gonna cost a lot to fix what the previous owner did wrong. Long answer. You're gonna spend a lot of money fixing it, modifying it, customizing it. You're gonna fall in love with it and it will be a love hate relationship. You'll love how it runs and the car itself, but you'll hate shelling out the money.

bought an 05 sti 79,000 miles from a one owner who only drove it on the weekends. It was garaged the whole time, even so there is a lot of maintenance to be done.

I think it would be cheaper to buy a new WRX. Take your time with mods. I don’t have the skills to work on them like you do. I wish I did

I'm sorry to hear about your bad luck with you 05 STi I know how bad that sucks we bought our first car from a dealership last year it has been a nightmare and of course everything was working fine until the 90 warranty expired lol. however we did luck out when we bought my 03 WRX the family we bought it from had copies of all of the repair records and upgrades they have ever done while they owned the car. we were strangers when we met that day but ever since that day we have been friends I give them updates on the build of the car and they give my updates on their project Subarus. That is one thing I love about being a Subaru enthusiast is that it is one big family.

Also don't be hung up too much with mileage... my 05 wrx with 150k was PERFECT and never had an issue for almost 2 years. 05 sti with 60k I replaced it with has been nothing but problems and has left me stuck on the side of the road 3 times... finally fixed everything and got it running nice and it threw a rod lol

Most of the STI is good and solid and reliable. If you can get one with a healthy engine it’s a fun experience.

I disagree with the as stock as possible because an Sti without cob acessport and something basic like an intake and exhaust could easily overboost and run lean causing damage. I would definitely do your research on what parts are quality and look for one with as many good quality parts/mods and obviously you don’t want to buy one that had aftermarket parts and then reverted back to stock parts. The aftermarket tune will still be on the car and if it has stock parts that will cause major issues. I would look for one with as many mods as possible but make sure those mods are good mods such as forged pistons and other mods that will increase reliability. Also ask for how much boost they are running or how much power it makes. That will tell you how hard the engine has been driven. Look for any area where the car could have been cheaped out or reverted back to stock. Beware the cars that look to have had mods and have been reverted back to stock, my friend bought one that looked completely stock but I looked over the car and for that it had numerous aftermarket parts and in the end that car had a blown motor but was cheaply patched back up to be traded in to a dealership who also thought the car was always stock but in reality was seriously damaged and eventually the patch job gave out and costed him thousands. So beware “stock” cars at dealerships the were traded in as they most likely couldn’t be sold by the owner to someone who knew the car had issues and their last option was to trick a dealership into giving them decent money for a “stock” car. It’s important to know the cars history so make sure before you buy any Sti/wax that you know the full build history. Local tuner shops may be able to identify the car and tell you exactly what mods the car has along with what issues the car could’ve had in the past. I found out the history of my Sti this way as I was able to contact the previous owner who took the car to the shop to be worked on. You do not want a car that has numerous mods but is on the stock block. This means they owner spent money on mods to make power but didn’t want to spend the money on important mods that increase reliability. Especially if you are looking to do mods yourself, it could save you thousands if the car already had a closed deck block or forged pistons. These ej motors have known issues like the stock pistons and rings so look for one that has fixed those known issues and isn’t making tons of boost so you know that car is going to last. Just remember most Subaru’s don’t stay stock so if you find one that is stock I would definitely take it to a mechanic or find someone who has dealt with these cars in the past to look over it before you buy it because they could definitely be trying to pull one over on you by saying it’s one of the only stock cars that haven’t been modified because chances are it has and they wanted to get their money back out of them.

My impreza daily i've had for over a year is leaking oil everywhere! A subi expert shop is pulling the engine and fixing everything, probably will swap a V7 non DCCD JDM sti 6 speed next summer and have a SICK daily :D

Have you ever made a video on how you started building cars and how you learned over the years? I feel like that'd be pretty good content. Im am interested though, is it pretty simple with YT tutorials these days? I feel like they miss out on tools needed etc. Thanks!

Haha literally commented 4 days ago on your vid that I'd be linking your blob eye vids on r/wrx to help guide people in their decision to buy q used wrx/sti. Gunna take a lil credit here hehe. Jk but seriously everyone thinking about buying one needs to see this. You're doing god's work man and I am really looking forward to when you channel completely blows up. This info is so incredibly helpful and the videos you make are even more appreciated. Cheers!

I think most people that think about getting any subaru look at the engine and don't understand what they're looking at. My dad saw my FA20 and scratched his head in confusion.

Hell yea man! love the vid and the information. Great as always. Happy holidays! Stay safe, stay healthy.

When buying any used car and not just Subarus, is generally a good idea to either bring an OBD2 reader with you and ask the owner if you can plug it in, or take it to a professional mechanic to do an inspection of it to tell you the overall quality of the car. If the owner doesn't agree to either of those, then run away and don't look back. It probably has more problem than he lets on.

I have a 2007 black wrx limited for sale. Original owner, stage 2 with records from Authorized Subaru service provider and Cobb certified tuner. Will pass along the access port.

Highly recomend learning wear to look on these blocks for head gaskets leaks if u dont know and want to buy one.. Subaru did make head gaskets out of toilet paper there for a hot minute! But once replaced its all good! Love this vid! Merry Christmas tanner!

My 2020 WRX arrives in 3 days! Found one with only 3,250 miles on it 8)

I lucked out when I bought my 17 sti. It had 100k miles on it and mud flaps. Paid $20k for it. The engine turned out to be healthy so I sold it for $3k and use the $3k to put my old built engine on it

Yes, but I’d prefer to buy one that has something wrong with it, that way you can get it for cheap. Then you can fix it up and have it mechanically good for the price you could’ve bought one that was in good shape but could have something go wrong any day.

Your videos are exactly why I bought a new WRX, and didn't really consider a used WRX or STi. I have been a Heavy Duty Mechanic for fourteen years. I test drove an 2016 STi that was used and the kia dealer hadn't even done a safety inspection. The brake rotors were worn as shit plain as day. Went to Subaru. Bought a 17 WRX new... Had it for three years. Next week it gets its second clutch release bearing, ten thousand km after the first one. Other than that. It's great.

Hey Smeedia, I would like to buy a modified 2015 STI and would appreciate your thoughts/insight. Seller has shown me the build sheet, given me tuner information, and has maintained it pretty well. I believe he changed his oil every 1.5-2k miles. It was tuned to 380 WHP and has a lot of reliability mods to go with this power (i.e. equal length headers, AOS, turbo inlet, EWG, catless downpipes). I test drove the car and it felt amazing. The only bad thing I noticed was that the idle would surge/hunt between 600-1000 RPM. Seller claims it is because of the tune and has driven approximately 10k miles with no issue. Also the seller is a detective/cop and claims to be selling the car to buy another home. Should I buy this STI? It has everything I would do to it mod wise and has Volks wheels and fender flares too. Let me know what you think Smeedia.

I bought the cheapest WRX I could find. It was crashed and the clutch was gone. I did everything, Engine, trans, drivetrain, suspension, brakes, bushings, and much much more. I brought it back from the dead. I probably wouldn't suggest this unless you're crazy like I am and are only comfortable when all the work is done yourself.

Great video. Will stand the test of time too.

Scooped a used 3owner 2014 hatch, so fucking nervous dropping the money. Changed all fluids, did compression/leak down, installed all supporting mods, baby it and I still worry is moments away from blowing up... but she’s up to 60k miles going 💪 I think for the majority of issues are irresponsible owners give these cars a bad rap

7:00 man that helped me I was hung up on getting an STI probably gonna get a WRX since it’s gonna be my first manual

Buying a used WRX/STI? Ask yourself the following questions- What are your plans for the car (groceries, track, commute)? Can you fix your own car? Do you have a lot of cash stashed for parts and repairs? Can you afford to be without a car while you are fixing it? Finding and buying a used car is a skill and many people would come out way ahead hiring an experienced person to help them do it. Is it worth $500 to help you from buying a $20,000 paper weight? Buying a modified Subaru has to be the highest risk unless you have a lot of verifiable information/history about the car. The fact is most people don't sell cars that are working properly. So, always try and figure out why they are selling it. That is one big downside of buying from a dealer. You wont get any information. As Tanner points out- a thorough inspection and engine testing by a qualified mechanic is a must and will help avoid making a big mistake.

I wish I ran into this channel before buying my Wrx

Awesome video, great advice!

Hate to say it, but at this point, the newest GD you can get is just about 14 years old. You almost gotta expect Murphy's law on the mechanical parts and try to find one with good body condition, basically exactly what you did. Just about all the parts on a car that old will have ran their lifespan. This is all why I went from an 02 to a 13. I'm not 25 and need something more dependable. It was cool having a bugeye, but it was breaking down at a rate you'd expect from a 200k mile car.

Great Video

I didnt believe you about the button turning black but it does for me lol 😅

Like you sead there are some people that should not drive. I had my kids and my wife in the car scary moment.

Yes, of course you should, but not before fixing your current project car. 😅

Great advice, I didn’t know much when I bought my legacy 2 years ago so I didn’t really know what to look for and it turned out the car had a vf52 and bigger injectors lol

So I just bought a 2013 STI and it has a whining noise that sounds like a boost leak. Would love for you to take a quick second and tell me if you’ve heard the noise before. It’s the only video on my channel. Would really appreciate it!

Tanner, you have been naughty. Why didn't you go through the proper steps yourself when you got your BlodEye? 🤣🤣🤣 Great vid brother!

In my case I bought my red 15 sti and after a little over a year and modifications ended up with an oil leak. Previous owner "repaired" the oil feed line. That was fun

I bought mine at a used car lot. Rod knock within a few weeks as well as bad radiator & turbo. He offered me $500 to remove the bad review & not to mention them on social media. $8,000 it took to make it work. $7,000 to buy it. $500 he offered and wouldn't budge. So I took it and my wife left the bad review instead. He really cared about his image in a round about twisted way. Horrible experience.

I want this man to have 1 mil subs

2nd owner of a 13 wrx, bought it at 9,980miles new motor at 17k (consumed all the oil) replaced under warranty, new motor at 86k for the same reason (replaced under warranty 4months before it ran out. never modded until after i got the 3rd motor.

Every time I work on my project subie I ask myself this question

I bought mine used, but I already knew the previous owner I was happy he kept it stock. Picked it up for 24k! No regrets. Tho the old owner did regret it - me 🤣

Yes, 05-07 stis are a better buy than 15+.... a guy with an 18 wanted to trade straight across for my 05 and I told him no thanks 😂

Maybe this is a rhetorical question, but would you still have bought the blob eye had you known all this information about the motor beforehand? Good luck and keep up the great content 👌👍💪

The blobeye sti is Subaru best creation.

this video is definitely gonna help a ton of people! Also do you know if the mishimoto tmic with the s hose is any good? looks like with that design it isn't a pain in the ass to install but i know some mishimoto stuff isn't great

Spitting facts tho. u really knowledgeable tho. And great education. You need to really love them to have them,

Right now, I would tell everyone RUN! Don't do this! But I might be biased cause there was a pool of oil in the cold side of my turbo this morning, and I found out the shaft wobbles. Now I know why the IAG AOS didn't seem to stop the oil consumption it had since I bought it off a used car lot. FML

Facts. Ooooouuuuuuuuuuuu 🔥🔥🔥

I am literally going through this right now, found a STI at a car lot but under the hood there are grimspeed logos everywhere.. /sigh

Yeaaaah buddy!!!! Mine was a lease, Have all the paperwork and even has the new car smell hahaha and it’s a 2015, 😎👍🏻👍🏻

And this applies to EVERY tuner car....

A buddy of mine bought a 2013 hatch for 17k here in CA off of a local dealer, the car is super clean was all stock, three months later spun a bearing. Once we tore it apart turned out to be fully built 🤦🏿‍♂️

Thank you so much man

Did you mention anything about multiple owners? Basically all 4+ owner turbo subarus are sketchy

There is a deal for a 2017 Wrx STI with only 23000kms on it but it was damaged in Australia but has been repaired here to meet our countrys mechanical requirements of the transport association , I wouldnt be tracking the car , they are selling it at nearly the price of of the few other 2017s and 18s available and it is the later model with the neon yellow brembo brakes as they release them earlier than USA here. The 2017 to 21 stis are generally selling within 5 days of being listed , should I take a chance on a damaged title ? Considering its only a few thousand dollars cheaper than non damaged I feel like they might be taking advantage of the current market in Australasia and subarus news 2 weeks ago ,23000kms the engine should be really good. Is there anything I should really look out for or should i just bang it through a pre purchase inspection and pull the trigger ?

I will be purchasing a used STI and it does not have an AOS on it yet and the Top mount intercooler looks like it needs to be replaced. Does The Mod Garage do installations? Or are they only a party shop. I was considering taking my car there asap to get an intercooler installed and possible an AOS if I can afford it.

Thanks man jus got a 06 wrx

Yoo thanks for this man! Going to college next year and planning to get a 1998-2000 sti, should i pursue this ?but I’m afraid the maintenance/fixing it would be very costly the other car I’m planning to get(if I can’t find a good sti) is an s15. Btw Merry Christmas man!

Hello! Legendary your STi!

Own a 2011 wrx, sometimes (not always) when idleing or in reverse the Rpms drop almost to the point of stalling, it has stalled one time because of this not sure what it could be?

Subarus aren't bad cars they just have bad owners for the most part. No one wants to admit it but that's the truth.

I have a 2002 wrx bug eye that has gone through my family and it was bought brand new from my dad and it hasn’t had any problems since my dad had it but head gaskets have to be repaired soon