FWIW a 96 subaru legacy near me with 177k sold for 4k a couple of years ago. Was sold before I could even lo at it. So 4k would be good price IMO. 6 is fair I think.
2005 Subaru WRX - buy or pass on by?
- Thread starter FXjohn
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96, that is crazy.
Pass ... everyone I know that has a WRX ends up dumping money into it.
You can have fast, cheap and reliable - pick two. The WRX are fast and cheap but definitely NOT reliable.
You can have fast, cheap and reliable - pick two. The WRX are fast and cheap but definitely NOT reliable.
Its probably ragged out, performance cars that attract younger buyers tend to be beat.
Originally Posted By: FXjohn
175,000 miles. manual transmission. some dings and minor cosmetic damage.
what would you offer, or just pass for something a little more reliable?
I think you should have provided a little more info (owned by a middle aged female). Apparently people on here seem to think only young kids ever own these cars. They really are great cars though. You don't have to live in an area with nasty weather to appreciate them. Plus, if you ever visit an area with less than pleasant weather you'll already be prepared.
175,000 miles. manual transmission. some dings and minor cosmetic damage.
what would you offer, or just pass for something a little more reliable?
I think you should have provided a little more info (owned by a middle aged female). Apparently people on here seem to think only young kids ever own these cars. They really are great cars though. You don't have to live in an area with nasty weather to appreciate them. Plus, if you ever visit an area with less than pleasant weather you'll already be prepared.
I'm telling you guys it is adult owned.
No headgasket issues, but you've got the following that can go wrong:
-Center differential/viscous coupling
-Driveshaft support bearing (junkyard source a new driveshaft)
-Rear differential (cheap online, usually)
-Turbo with unknown maintenance and 175,000 miles on it (these can be found for cheap)
-Just a matter of time before the radiator fails - plastic ends like any other japanese car. (replace with OEM or a completely aluminum unit if you have the money)
-Could be beaten to death already
-Wheel bearings definitely aren't the best and are usually expen$ive to replace unless you've got a "nice" shop nearby or you're lucky enough to catch it early.
-Center differential/viscous coupling
-Driveshaft support bearing (junkyard source a new driveshaft)
-Rear differential (cheap online, usually)
-Turbo with unknown maintenance and 175,000 miles on it (these can be found for cheap)
-Just a matter of time before the radiator fails - plastic ends like any other japanese car. (replace with OEM or a completely aluminum unit if you have the money)
-Could be beaten to death already
-Wheel bearings definitely aren't the best and are usually expen$ive to replace unless you've got a "nice" shop nearby or you're lucky enough to catch it early.
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Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Turbo subaru motors do not blow head gaskets whether 2.0L, 2.2L or 2.5L. A non-issue.
Like you say, $4K would be awesome, but I say best of luck with that in today's market.
Joel
An 02 doesn't go for $4K in my area.. a 03' wants $3.5K with blown engine. I think number going be more $5-6 range at least.
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Turbo subaru motors do not blow head gaskets whether 2.0L, 2.2L or 2.5L. A non-issue.
Like you say, $4K would be awesome, but I say best of luck with that in today's market.
Joel
An 02 doesn't go for $4K in my area.. a 03' wants $3.5K with blown engine. I think number going be more $5-6 range at least.
Originally Posted By: FXjohn
175,000 miles. manual transmission. some dings and minor cosmetic damage.
what would you offer, or just pass for something a little more reliable?
Odds are that little guy is pretty much used up at this point.
It's always possible to find a 'cream puff' but this sure doesn't sound like one to me!
175,000 miles. manual transmission. some dings and minor cosmetic damage.
what would you offer, or just pass for something a little more reliable?
Odds are that little guy is pretty much used up at this point.
It's always possible to find a 'cream puff' but this sure doesn't sound like one to me!
I'd want to see service records. If it's a one-owner car with all the records from purchase onward, looks good mechanically, and usual wear/tear for the age, sounds like it could be a fun little car. Being owned by a middle-age lady is a better indication it's not ragged to death, although I'd want to have it gone through before buying just to make sure it is in okay shape.
Originally Posted By: FXjohn
It's a middle aged woman who owns it, and I doubt it was beat. She told me she only used subaru oil and didn't trust synthetic.
You posted at the exact same time I mentioned kids.
But middle aged owner can still mean teen drivers. I know.. Even though the cars were owned by me, my teen drivers wreaked havoc on the cars till they got their own. They were never the same, I sold them or gave them as first cars. If you've had direct conversations with her, you could easily find a way to discuss that without asking her directly.
The flip side could be missing out on one of the few deals out there over a false worry. Your not paying a ton for it. You know you could turn it around, get the same or better for it if you encounter problems.
It's a middle aged woman who owns it, and I doubt it was beat. She told me she only used subaru oil and didn't trust synthetic.
You posted at the exact same time I mentioned kids.
The flip side could be missing out on one of the few deals out there over a false worry. Your not paying a ton for it. You know you could turn it around, get the same or better for it if you encounter problems.
Originally Posted By: Chrisfromalbany
An 02 doesn't go for $4K in my area.. a 03' wants $3.5K with blown engine. I think number going be more $5-6 range at least.
I hear that. My one brother has bought and fixed up several late 1990's early 2000's Subarus. He is quite good at pulling EJ 2.5's and replacing gaskets. His 1996 Legacy Outback wagon that he had for 4yrs he just sold for $1600. It had just under 200K miles on it and had a fair amount of rust. He paid about $2K for it years earlier and probably put $1200 into it over the years.
He recently bought a beat 2001 Forester with ~140K miles on it for $2000 and has another grand into it between HG replacement. New front half-shafts, new rear subframe, etc.. He does all the work though. I admire his perseverance. I'd almost rather have a root canal.
Joel
An 02 doesn't go for $4K in my area.. a 03' wants $3.5K with blown engine. I think number going be more $5-6 range at least.
I hear that. My one brother has bought and fixed up several late 1990's early 2000's Subarus. He is quite good at pulling EJ 2.5's and replacing gaskets. His 1996 Legacy Outback wagon that he had for 4yrs he just sold for $1600. It had just under 200K miles on it and had a fair amount of rust. He paid about $2K for it years earlier and probably put $1200 into it over the years.
He recently bought a beat 2001 Forester with ~140K miles on it for $2000 and has another grand into it between HG replacement. New front half-shafts, new rear subframe, etc.. He does all the work though. I admire his perseverance. I'd almost rather have a root canal.
Joel
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Originally Posted By: FXjohn
It's a middle aged woman who owns it, and I doubt it was beat. She told me she only used subaru oil and didn't trust synthetic.
You posted at the exact same time I mentioned kids.
But middle aged owner can still mean teen drivers. I know.. Even though the cars were owned by me, my teen drivers wreaked havoc on the cars till they got their own. They were never the same, I sold them or gave them as first cars. If you've had direct conversations with her, you could easily find a way to discuss that without asking her directly.
The flip side could be missing out on one of the few deals out there over a false worry. Your not paying a ton for it. You know you could turn it around, get the same or better for it if you encounter problems.
That's a good point. My niece is in her 40's and has 2 teenage sons. You would think that a 1 owner, 6 year old Civic with over 160k miles would mean lots of highway miles. But in her case, her 2006 Civic has a ton of city miles as it is their only vehicle and all 3 drive it at various times. Thank goodness she keeps to the scheduled maintenance religiously. It still runs flawlessly.
Originally Posted By: FXjohn
It's a middle aged woman who owns it, and I doubt it was beat. She told me she only used subaru oil and didn't trust synthetic.
You posted at the exact same time I mentioned kids.
The flip side could be missing out on one of the few deals out there over a false worry. Your not paying a ton for it. You know you could turn it around, get the same or better for it if you encounter problems.
That's a good point. My niece is in her 40's and has 2 teenage sons. You would think that a 1 owner, 6 year old Civic with over 160k miles would mean lots of highway miles. But in her case, her 2006 Civic has a ton of city miles as it is their only vehicle and all 3 drive it at various times. Thank goodness she keeps to the scheduled maintenance religiously. It still runs flawlessly.
buy it and do not expect it to be reliable. pretty much every wrx out there is not a good deal at all. if you want one, find one with the engine pulled, and buy a fresh reman or rebuild one yourself if you want any piece of mind.
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
buy it and do not expect it to be reliable. pretty much every wrx out there is not a good deal at all. if you want one, find one with the engine pulled, and buy a fresh reman or rebuild one yourself if you want any piece of mind.
wow, that bad huh?
buy it and do not expect it to be reliable. pretty much every wrx out there is not a good deal at all. if you want one, find one with the engine pulled, and buy a fresh reman or rebuild one yourself if you want any piece of mind.
wow, that bad huh?
I'm a bit torn. On the one hand, middle aged woman could mean it was spared abuse. On the other, who buys a WRX if they don't like to open it up every now and then? I suppose there is a line between a good fun run on the highway and "abuse", but I doubt this is like buying Grandma's LeSabre.
Originally Posted By: VicVinegar
I'm a bit torn. On the one hand, middle aged woman could mean it was spared abuse. On the other, who buys a WRX if they don't like to open it up every now and then? I suppose there is a line between a good fun run on the highway and "abuse", but I doubt this is like buying Grandma's LeSabre.
I have a friend (30s woman) who has one and drives like an old lady. Veterinarians get a discount on subies and tend to be docile drivers.
I'm a bit torn. On the one hand, middle aged woman could mean it was spared abuse. On the other, who buys a WRX if they don't like to open it up every now and then? I suppose there is a line between a good fun run on the highway and "abuse", but I doubt this is like buying Grandma's LeSabre.
I have a friend (30s woman) who has one and drives like an old lady. Veterinarians get a discount on subies and tend to be docile drivers.
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