I know its a year late, but this, this is what ill be doing when it comes to buy mine. I know how ill want it treated and not do dumb shit to void warranty
I bought a 2006 Subaru wrx already modified with cat less down pipe, catback exhaust, bigger intercooler, intake, and a tune. It’s been running perfectly and I’ve been having fun with it. Not too sure of the power numbers but based on other stage 2 numbers I’d say it’s around 280hp 340tq
Tip, open a door and use it as a lever to rock the car on the suspension and listen carefully for clunking or other suspension issues. This way you don't have to push on body panels to load the suspension and potentially dent the body panels.
Glad that nothing was completely screwed on it for you, as long ad the precious owner maintained and cared for the car you generally should be pretty good. Jealous of your 05, I've always wanted a clean blob.
R.E.X my 04 wrx was my first car. I can’t recommend a car without knowing the person. My best suggestion is know your limit. If you think you’ll have a hard time going the speed limit or want to race people I wouldn’t suggest it. Just be smart and don’t show off.
Thank you so much for by this vid. Am currently saving for a 2018 Wrx. This is really helpful. Also, your vid about how to keep a subaru reliable really helped as well. Was a little concerned about reliability but, I'm not concerned anymore. Thanks again
I was lucky to buy a 16 WRX equipped with a cat back exhaust, cold air intake, D2 RS coilovers and it previously had a stage 1 tune on it. It was a great find. I have since had it upgraded and pro-tuned. Saved me some money. Plus it was only 22k in 2018
@@isaiah979 in my opinion thats an excellent deal if its stock. I'm from CT and just bought a 17 WRX Limited with 47k for 24k, it comes down to preference and what you are personally looking to do in the future. Honestly, that was one of the lowest priced for the mileage in my area and I jumped on it
I bought a 2015 wrx and wasn’t informed it had a stage 2 iag engine w a flex fuel tune on it supposed to be making 400 wheel, but then it turns out I was the guy that got the short end of it cuz it had low compression and needed a new engine😂 turn in concepts quoted me 14k for it and I went directly to the Subaru dealership I bought it from and raised HELL until they bought it back from me, I am now in the market for a 11-14 hatch
I spent 6mos looking for an STI. After test driving and looking at about 35 of em, I decided to just go with a brand new WRX for the same money. I honestly have 0 regrets! STI owners are hung up on the fact that; you have a WRX because you couldn’t afford an STI. Well that maybe true for some, but for the specific options I have, the STI didn’t provide those options. I have 3 Subaru dealers within 13 miles and yet I traveled 60 to get my car. MOTS........ do your homework and get a better grade (of car) You should also bring the car to another Subaru dealer to have it checked out!!!Very informative video.
I've never understood the stuck up issue with some owners, they're very similar in regards to one another. Especially now that you can start getting the WRXs with the BREMBO package. Glad to hear you got a good WRX though, what year did you end up going with? Also appreciate the feedback and support!
I ended up buying a brand new 18 after selling my fr-s and just threw all that towards the loan. Dealership effed up and ordered an auto on accident so I got the same thing with an sti short shifter and auto dimming mirror w/compass for wholesale. Shitty part was I got rear ended 6 months into having it. Got a payout from ins for that, which I threw on the loan. It’s a big risk finding one of these cars in great shape and unmolested. I’m stage 2 and I knew I was gonna do that going into the car. I understand that not everybody can do this or get lucky, but be patient and save your money so you can get new it as close to new as possible. The FA engine responds great to mods, especially e-85. Cheers from southern Oregon bro!
Probably the best informational video. I got lucky with mine. Watch a lot of these videos before I bought my 03 wrx wagon. Checked the car by myself, had no previous knowledge on buying used cars or project mined cars. Wish I saw this earlier, but I got really lucky lol anyone that reads this comment and buying from the previous owner a big make or break deal for me is how the seller treats you and if they have recipes of services or parts they bought. On the side still can’t figure out what’s causing the dam drop. Had put new gas in, reflashed, then reflashed with 91oct back up map didn’t relearn. It only drops at mid to full boost... not burning oil, no mechanical sounds, check engine. I’m hoping it’s bad gas, the tuner is looking at the logs but isn’t sure till he comes down to Hawaii.
Just found your channel during my research lol thanks for all the info, love how organized your videos are. I’ve been looking at some 2015+ wrx’s and might jump on a 2016 with 30k miles.
@@ovidiochavez6865 she's had zero issues I'm stage 3 now at almost 90k miles when I got her she went for a full Inspection and repair of everything failing and everything that would possibly fail so she went into tip top shape and she's still there truly my dream car in perfect health now
@@ovidiochavez6865 it honestly was a risk and I'm greatful I took it because this car makes super happy but for anyone else I'd be super careful buying a rebuilt title unless you have emergency money available
Thank you for mentioning all generations. Since I plan on buying another STI in the future, I've always wanted a blob eye or another newer gen in mind (probably a 16 or 17, since I've owned a 16 and appreciated the fog lights). Your videos are awesome, and if any questions come up, I know who to ask.🤗🤗🚘🚗
I bought my 16" WRX with Stage2 Tune from MAPerfomance also came with a bonus TMIC from MAperfomance installed. Been a year already loving every single moment!
from the sound of it sounds like i found a holy grail i really wanted a 2014 wrx wagon and i found one 3 hours away from me that only has 73k miles and a 5 speed manual, has a carfax with all the Maintenance since it was bought only thing i need to see is the engine bay when i get there if its stock and healthy im definitely gonna have to buy it im so hyped
Great video! I stumbled upon your channel and I'm glad RU-vid put you on my screen!!! You've got allot of quality content. I've watched several of your videos... but 1st time commenting on your videos. Keep up the great content man!!!
Appreciate the support! Spent a lot of time learning how to edit video and wanted to get the proper equipment to do so, after saving a while I was able to make it happen. I've got wayyyy too much experience with these cars so I figured I might as well share what I know with the world. The support is greatly appreciated and feel free to reach out anytime!
Great video just got my new 2017 sti few days ago. I watched every video you had before buying. Never owned a subaru until now always wanted one never could afford it. It had a cobb exhuast an down pipe everything else stock. 68k miles for 20,999 $
Good deal on the car! Mine is also a 17, couldn't be happier with it. If it has a down pipe did it come with an Acessport? If not that would be one of the first things I grab, the OE Tune on the car with an after market downpipe dont generally run too well together. Glad that you were able to find one! The support is also greatly appreciated!
Yea I'm looking at getting a cobb acessport an a cobb intake then doing the sf 93 tune I believe it is. Car runs great only thing concerns me is the boost gauge says 21.0 peak. These cars suppose to be hitting 21.0 pounds of boost ? Sounds like alot
@@Smeedia will do! It's on transport as vehicles of this category seem almost impossible to grab here is Saskatchewan Canada, it's a tough market thanks to Covid, I have my name as the first person who gets dibs on the car, and I want it! All stock, red in colour and low miles!
i think a stage 1 car should be relatively safe .Mine was stock as a rock with only 20k kms .I think a stage 1 tune just makes it what it should be from factory .Unless it's from a known person and full service history i'd be weary of it .But in saying that i know a lot of ppl who have bought and sold highly modified cars wrx sti included and they ran like a dream .
I bought an 09 hatch with a missfire for 5k thinking i could get it fixed pretty easily, still ran fine and took a shot. Got it fixed and broke down 2 months later for rod knock. Replaced the motor and still going strong for now. Now recently im having clutch pedal squeaks which to me it tells me i have the infamous spot welds issue with this generation. Oh well live and learn, still love this car as its my first manual. Owned it for a little over a year now.
My first STI was an 08 and I learned the hsrdway with that one. The welds were the most annoying thing to deal with when they started squeaking but for 5K I consider that a deal!
Just watching some of the old videos again. Definitely a lot of good points just makes me feel lucky I ran into a honest seller. I actually tend to trade parts with him on occasion lol
Smeedia I know what you mean. My boy just got a m35 with bags exterior was good but driving back home a bag blew out... 🤦♂️ feel bad he’s never had luck with cars...
Got a 09 wrx, 2 months after getting it, spent $2k over market cause it was clean, loved it, and boom rod knock, now I just not spent 16k on it, time for new motor
@@Smeedia going $16k more in the hole cause I wanna make more powa baby lol, iag shortblock 2.5 xtr e85 kit, bunch of other goodies, I was planning on doing it down the road so might as well make it a while your in there things
I bought a used STI from a Toyota Honda BMW Porsche Dealership (don't want to be specific) and the car somehow burned through 4 quarts of oil I assume in less than 3k miles from purchase it had less than 30k miles on it carfax showed no accidents etc but the engine started knocking and they had to replace the whole short block its a huge mystery to everyone because there were no signs of smoke coming out of the tail pipe but when I took it in there was no oil in it
i must have got kind of lucky. i picked up not to long ago a 2016 sti base. modded and protuned from PREracing in portland. came with cobb access port and a stage 3 tune with description of what the tune was for. I checked for all those parts and they are all still there. the unfortunate part is that i kind of over paid at 28k for it. had 91k miles and now i do need to do timing service on it. so far its been pretty good. i still have my worries on it.
Watching this video again cause I'm going to look at a 2006 Sti today. It has 98k miles, and reasonable mods. It's been tunes professionally, but man I sure hope I'm not about to buy a grenade. Lol
@@tynce563 6 months of owning it and so far so good! About time to change the timing belt and water pump here soon. Previous owner took really good care of the car. I didn't do a compression test before buying like Smeedia suggested though haha but he's right you should definitely have that done.
I bought mine brand new 19 wrx. (I love the sti but I think the wrx is much versatile in my opinion) 🤷🏾♂️. No regrets. Kinda forgot to do the break in period at 1k miles 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ mistakes happen.🤷🏾♂️ Probably gonna do a couple bolts on and that's it. Nothing crazy. But i baby the hell out of it 90% of the time.
The WRX is much more versatile in city driving aspects, with all of the TQ down low it's much better for shorter sprints around. As long as its babied i don't think missing that 1k break in will do too much harm much later down the road. The only real issue ones i've seen is where people go full send right off the lot. lol
@@JayPaperChaser lol I've seen people do it before 😅 they kill the engine at like 3k miles because they just full send everywhere right off the lot without break in
@@Smeedia damn that's terrible. Lol. Patient is a virture. I'm already at 11k still treating it like a baby. Despite everyone and they're momma tryina race me all the time lol. 😂😂😂
Disagree on 07 over 06. Good chance someone had really questionable tuning before they figured out the ECU changes for 07. 07's knocked even worse from the factory than 06's.
I got my 07 with 92,000 miles practically stock with a handful of mods done to it like AEM cold air intake, Mishimoto Radiator and Invidia N1 downpipe / exhaust but two months later found out it had low PSI in Cylinder 4. And I mean LOW. 120 PSI #1-3 and 80 PSI #4...
I think the "avoid modified cars" is misleading. The previous owner of my car dumped $10k+ into the car before he sold it. He had all the parts installed and tuned by a very reputable shop in our area. I paid the same price for his car that I would for a stock one.
If you've got a paper trail or know the history snd feel comfortable with it then send it 🔥 I was more leading to your buying a car off the lot. Have no history on it at all and are going in blind
Bough at '17 WRX, got "semi" ripped off, I just didn't know much and I didn't deal it, I paid full price for it (23k canadian) the car is super clean, but I found some scratches on some places, and a reallllllly small paint chirp, Never again I'm buying without bringing an older person with me, Dealers took advantage of the fact that I was 20, that I was absolutely impatient and that I absolutely LOVED the car and wanted it really much.
Smeedia super fishy. I think listing was asking 31K for 2018 STI. The dash showed it was still in Auto S and the miles, but i noticed it missing the bright yellow Brembos right away and the square shifter trim was from a WRX instead of the circle for STI.
Take it to a subi dealer and get a PPI even if it’s coming from a mom and pop or reputable Chevy dealer. Unless that dealer has a former subi mechanic they don’t know subi’s 100%
I sat in one today, ight price in my opinion.. lots of little bumps, clearly lowered, some stage 2 clutch, a short shifter 26 grand 2015 50k miles. highly suspect. I see these mods I want the car for less. of course the dealer has no clue about what's on it
What if you are planning on modding it yourself? Currently looking at a 2012 with all the mods I want to do, or a 2014 stock. Not sure whether it's worth saving the cash by buying the already modded one.
I stay away from any with modded engines, unless you have a full build sheet and receipts. You never know how the previous person ran lines, if there are issues, what parts were used, if they removed any parts etc.
Hey bro that would be nice if you could make a small video on how you installed your cobb accessport into your car with show me how you hit all the wires keep up the good work
I agree with you to an extent, with a lot of cheaper parts coming onto the market they're not always up to par though, unless I'm getting a full build sheet so I know exactly what's done to the car I wont buy a modified one. 9/10 I would say from dealers are scraped back together after the precious owner pulled parts off
With all due respect, no one will go to the trouble of taking off their mods such as exhaust, larger intercooler, bov etv and just decide to leave their accessport in it. Its literally a matter of flashing it back to stock and unplugging it.
Agreed, but time and time again I've seen people leave after market parts on the car and take the access port and putting the OE tune back on the car. The underlying issue is people who have never had these cars before buys one that had had the OE tune flashed back on with after market parts left behind and the car blows up because people don't know. Then they get made at Subaru thinking it was the cars fault
@@Smeedia Car looks great and excited for more content. I think this spring I'm going to trade in my WRX for an STI. Im not to happy with the sterling rack and gear shifts are sloppy.. Going to save a little cash for the difference and turn in my WRX ... Keep you in the loop :)
@@robertmacdonald3649 please do! I did the same traded in my old 16 WRX for my STI was not overly impressed with the FA20 as much as I thought I would be 😫 you'll love the STI!
Just got me a V5 wrx sti RA 1995 great car twisted turbo setup twisted manifold and gfb wastegate with a 10 psi spring goes hard pushing 400kw or 536hp
That's a different story, in that case yes buy one with those mods already done. The ones I was gearing to stay away from are the mystery engine mods that you don't know what is done to the car
I'm interested in buying a 2018 wrx premium. It has a cold air intake and an aftermarket exhaust. I test drove it and it drove fine, sounded good. How do I know if it's tuned correctly? It's a mom and pop dealership with older people and they don't know
I bought a 2012 Hatch a month ago for 22000 that had 41k miles and to be honest I was completely terrified especially with it being 9 hours away... But man I am happy I bought it. It was completely stock from the windows to the exhaust.
Smeedia I was dead tired walking into the dealership after driving for so long but the huge smile I had on my face as soon as I saw it in the showroom with my name on it was priceless haha. Awesome video man!
@@llMau5 I know the feeling! When I bought my 07 STI like 7 years ago I drove from Louisiana up to Missouri seeing it when you get there is so exciting lol appreciate the support 😁
yes buying a car which is as much stock as possible is good but the most important thing especially on older subies is the condition of the chassie (especially rust) suspensions, transmissions, differentials and engines can be fixed and swaped but a chassie which is just one big rust bucket or maybe is twisted because of an accident and half ass got repaired and sold is the worst what can happen to you. oh btw my gc8 sti has 5x100 but i dont see anything wrong with that?
nothing wrong with 5x100 just limits wheel options down the road. For some reason manufacturers just make more versatile options in 5x114 vs 5x100. Rust is a real killer especially in those states that salt a lot.
Extra tip - once the car is warm,let it run and check the coolant reservoir for air bubbles,if it does it,it’s got a head gasket failure! I had to learn it in a hard way 🥲
@Smeedia I appreciate you replying my guy! By far the best wrx videos, coming from a first time owner. This is probably a dumb question but would the shifter bushing, plate, and stop void the warranty?
@@Smeedia wow thanks for the reply. And it just needs an alternator in the near future as well as some scrapes on the front bumper. Think I’m going to go for it, just super worried ab the classic Subaru reliability on their turbo engines
Life Saver man. I am looking for a used WRX/STI and these are completely new to me. I am very familiar with american muscle but the JDM scene is going to be new especially a turbo car. It is a little out of my comfort zone when it comes to what to look out for especially with this make and Model. I am open to any other suggestions. Anywhere you would suggest to look? Craigslist has burned me in the past.
Auto traded would be my best suggestion, I would avoid private party sales as a lot of owners who sell privately mod their cars but don't always follow the best practices when modding
Smeedia Thats the issue though. Most people buy these to modify them. I also live in the PNW and people want waaaay more than their actual worth. I have been looking in other states but that’s a whole other issue. Then I can’t actually see the car myself. I will keep hunting though. Hopefully I can find a clean one.
As long as maintenance has been kept up it should be alight, 100K is about when the timing belt service needs to be done. Mainly look for leaks, get a compression test done and test drive the car
I'm looking to get a 2011 impreza wrx, but when you were talking about what to look out for you said 04-10 and then you said the good ones were 14-17, so what about the ones in between haha??
I’m looking at an 08 wrx with a 168000KMS it’s got a new turbo, vvt solenoid, timing belt, water pump, crank shaft sensor and o2 sensor. Should I avoid buying it?
9000obo but I’d probably only offer around 6000-7500? It is certified but all the parts that’s been replaced kind of concerns me it doesn’t seem like regular maintenance for that amount of Kms was thinking maybe they were trying to track down a problem then gave up and posted it for sale
So how am I supposed to know if the car was previously modded and reverted back to stock. Not trying to buy someone’s old project car that they threw together back to stock
Look for missing bolts, hardware, non OE clamps, gaskets missing or aftermarket, logos on any parts, pry marks. Helps to pull up a photo of an OE engine bay to compare against
Correct a catback does not require a tune, some dealers may reject claims with a catback however it can be pushed up to SOA and they generally overturn it.
I can get a real good price on a premium model 2019 with just under 10000 miles on it , im wondering if i should get an inspection and compression test on it and pull the trigger ?
@@Smeedia I didnt end up getting it as it was sold , at the moment in New Zealand the prices have gone crazy with the news of the end of the sti for now until it goes electric, anyways there is a blue 2019 with only 7040 km on the clock for about 69000 NZ and there will be a white 2020 on sale for about 70000 NZ that has 32000 km , im wondering if you knew of any improvements they did between those 2 years? the 2019 has the black or dark gunmetal mags and the 2020 has the more silver accented ones and the grills on the front underneath the lights are slightly different , ive heard things floating around that they did improve some of the pistons on the 20s and 21s or parts of the engine , do you know about any of that ? I just thought the lower km 2019 would probably be the safest and best buy of the 2 vehicles but damn the 20s and 21s are really in demand.
what is the worst thing that could happen to your car after buying a used car, that is realistic like if you buy a car that has 8k of Mods but you pay stock price, and the engine blows. like I get it it costs a lot but your getting a lot of mods for free.
I agree, but if so.eone does not have the intentions to build the block later on it probably wouldn't be the best option to do, you also dont fully know what has been done to the car.
Thr 08-10 are just more notorious fkr spinning bearings. The 10s havw a less chance but qhen subaru made changes from 07-08 they missed the mark a little bit. My old 08 was one of the effected that spun a bearing and killed the motor 😪
When subaru made the switch on chassis from 07 to 08 they did not get everything right. The 08-10 WRXs and STIs are both notorious for spinning bearings. Thats why those years are so much cheaper. As long as you know about the potential issue and are aware of the possible failure theyre not too bad
I'm attempting to purchase a hatchback 2012 wrx with 122,000 miles on it and already has an invidia exhaust I kno by then to check the coils and that bearing on the transmission
Smeedia however, I know nothing about Subaru’s, I’m a truck guy at heart and have my passion of mud running and rock crawling. So I’d have to do a ton of research! Haha
People make them off roaders all the time, not too expensive to do. No comparison to any truck or jeep but fun none the less. 😁 If you wanted a 2" lift 17" wheels and some good tires and your pretty much set
Smeedia yeah I seen that, but I’ve also heard that it can potentially destroy the car too, which I can’t figure that theory out lol but just a mild rally spec suspension/tire and tune, with maybe a few go fast parts and I’d be happy!
There is one issue with the 2015 wrx with cvt. They had problems with them and moved the warranty to 100,000 miles one of the pullys in the cvt goes bad and when they stick in a new transmission the car fells so slow after.
@@Smeedia it does have a nice stock feature and thats launch control when you are at stop light hold brake down and push the gas all the way down it will rev to 2500 then let off brake let the cvt do the rest. The only reason we go one before is my wife wanted a automatic. That lasted two months til i got the sti lol
@@Smeedia also will be do a video on it. Was thinking of review on if you should get a sti or wrx the differnce. And if you should get manual or auto and also trims on each.