buying a used 2003 WRX

[fadi]

Hello all,

 

I'm looking into buying a used 2003 WRX.

I need advice on the things i should look for, areas of trouble, or any advice.

one car i saw has an exhaust and a turbo timer with 51k miles on it what are the things that are know to go out around this mileage. It's a US spec car.

 

i am reading about the 1st and Reverse gear synchro/other problems, are they fixed in the 2003 model or are they still there? coz i'm not really into buying a car that is known to have a defect in the trany. are there any other known problems similar to this one? (like the deceleration noise in 3rd/4th gear)

 

Thank you all

[Ranger83]

I'd think NAISOC is the place to look for tips.

 

Physical laws are very strict. If you rev up an AWD car and then drop the clutch enough times, something is going to break. Clutch and transmission problems are common amongst exuberant drivers, and almost unheard of otherwise.

So choose the owner you are buying from very carefully.....

[fadi]

are there signs that one can see from hard launched subarus if one cannot know who the previouse owner was (like buying from a used car retailer or something)

[fastwgn286]

well, if the car has been launched (clutch dropped past 4k or so) enough times to sustain a lot of wear on the clutch, the clutch will disengage/engage real close to the floor. and 7 times out of 10 a car like a wrx with an exhaust has been launched before, however its hard to tell how many times until its too late....

 

what tires are on there? that might divulge into the cars history a little more

[fadi]

it has some custom 17"/18" wheels i fogot now cause it's not infront of me

[WRX2FFU]

Wow. Don't pay too much and be careful. Here's my take. I own a WRX.

 

Ok first. The 03+ gears are a wider width. They are actually the RA width which was supposed to take care of some of the breakage problems. I have an 04' with a stock trans and a mildly upgraded clutch with 347whp and 320wtq. My trans is still ok but i am careful. You still need to make sure the trans engages smoothly with no griding an any gear. You will not be able to downshift in to 1st and anything much faster than a stop. Just a quark of the wrx trans. Also to see if the syncros are good. I can actually hear mine on downshifts, which makes me happy cause i know that they are still there.

 

I would have a trans fluid service done asap and ask to look at the drain plug and fluid, or do it yourself. Do not run synthetic trans fluid. Do a search on nasioc for "uncle Scotty's Cocktail" and read up.

 

Second. Turbo timer. Completely unessecary on the wrx. The only reason you need one is if you run a non watercooled turbo. So either the prvious owner had no idea what they were doing. They wanted bling. Or they had an aftermarket non watercooled turbo on there.

 

Third. Wheels. If they are 18's be wary. If they are 17's you MIGHT be ok. Make sure they are the proper offset and that they don;t weigh like 25lbs a piece. It's been a while but i think a good offset range is +48 - 52. The reason you need to be carefull is becasue of the wheel bearings.

 

Fourth. Exhaust. Is it a Turbo back (TBE),cat back(CBE), or Just a muffler(abe). This is important. If its a tbe is it catless or not. Is it stainless or not. With a CBE or ABE there is really not much to worry about other than fitment because it would just be for the sound. Also look for an aftermarket catless uppipe. Getting the cat out of the uppie is important. It can fry the turbo if it starts to deteriorate. Running a TBE can be bad but most of the time it just gives the car a little more umph. It was not a good thing on the 04' + without engine management(em). Ok though on the 02'-03'. You really won't get the most out of it without Em.

 

All in all you need to look for any missing heat shields. And "fresh" looking bolts on the suspension, and in the engine bay. You should be able to tell if the turbo had be changed. Also look at the vacum connections around the boost controller for possible additions of MBC's. Also see if the dealer has any service records. If the dealer is not a subaru dealer, take the vin to a subaru service department and tell them what you are doing. They can pull the service records for it if the services were performed at any subaru dealership.

 

Also, IMO the most important thing you can do after buying any used car is to change ALL of the fluids. It is simple maintenanace. Also with 51k you might want to check/change the spark plugs, belts, and hoses. Also if at all possible ask dealer to have a compression check done. You could tell if the motor is tired from this. It's not perfect but if the numbers are not pretty close to eachother stay away from it. Also check for check engine lights and have the codes read. There is an index of CEL codes on NAsioc.

 

Nasioc.com is a fantastic resource. Also check the regional forums, and ask around. You might even find the previous owner on there. You can also look for posts of the previous owner like "is it ok to do a 6k clutch drop?". You get my drift.

 

Good luck and be carefull. BTW post some pics of it if you can. I probably missed some stuff but this may get you started.

[fadi]

Thank you WRX2FFU for the wonderfull post, i'll make a cheklist of it and go check the car.

 

 

Thank you all.

[WRX2FFU]

No problem. I hope if you get a used wrx you get a good one. Also on the wheels check the tire wear. If it looks good that is a good sign someone took care of alignments and such. Also check the front for "cone" damage. REally low on the front. You may see some orange ro yellow "scuffs". This would mean that the car might have been autoxed. Also run a carfax. It's worth the money.

 

If at all possible. Take the car to a trusted shop and have them throw it on a lift. Look under it for any leaks or anything funny at all. At most this might cost you 20 or a case of beer. If the dealer will not let you look under it, don;t buy it!