2nd Hand Subaru

The other thing to think about.. can you afford the petrol for the sti
 
dont do it...

when you see an STI up for sale, you can be sure it was driven like it was stolen and with 200k km on it, you can be sure its a ticking time bomb.

look for a WRX which would be much more likely to have been owned by a sensible driver with not a massive difference in performance.
 
FalconZA said:
dont do it...

when you see an STI up for sale, you can be sure it was driven like it was stolen and with 200k km on it, you can be sure its a ticking time bomb.

look for a WRX which would be much more likely to have been owned by a sensible driver with not a massive difference in performance.
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I see it exactly the other way around.

If it's been driven like it's stolen (which is a massive assumption) and it's lasted 200 000km then it's a pretty damn solid car and it should easily do another 200 000km without a worry.

The reality is any car with 200 000km is going to have stuff failing, regardless of how it's been driven. It will still be cheaper than buying the same type of car brand new by a huge margin.

Also I'm of the opinion that if a car has been looked after well on the inside and outside, chances are it's been driven much the same. You can drive a car any way you please if you do so with respect and warm it up properly before spanking it etc.

On the flip side you could buy a car with 50 000km which never gets warmed up and the person drives it flat taps from cold every single time it goes on a short trip because they live 5km from work. That car is just as likely to explode as the 200 000km Subaru.


If it's a car with a known particular problem, that's a whole different story.
 
SauRoNZA said:
I see it exactly the other way around.

If it's been driven like it's stolen (which is a massive assumption) and it's lasted 200 000km then it's a pretty damn solid car and it should easily do another 200 000km without a worry.

The reality is any car with 200 000km is going to have stuff failing, regardless of how it's been driven. It will still be cheaper than buying the same type of car brand new by a huge margin.

Also I'm of the opinion that if a car has been looked after well on the inside and outside, chances are it's been driven much the same. You can drive a car any way you please if you do so with respect and warm it up properly before spanking it etc.

On the flip side you could buy a car with 50 000km which never gets warmed up and the person drives it flat taps from cold every single time it goes on a short trip because they live 5km from work. That car is just as likely to explode as the 200 000km Subaru.


If it's a car with a known particular problem, that's a whole different story.
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I agree to a point...but when you are buying a high performance machine with 200,000KM you need to be much more careful than the usual car purchase.

My toyota land cruiser has 450,000km on it without any major repair but i can be comforted in the fact that it was looked after and driven well for most of its life because of the general demographic of people that use the type of vehicle.

When you buy an STI, you plan to drive it hard.....just need to make sure it was looked after properly...especially the turbo setup!
 
Yeah obviously due diligence matters, but so it should for any car purchase.

Not much you can do to check a turbo though, unless it's obviously buggered already.

They don't cost that much to replace/repair though.
 
That models engine is bullet proof. That model STi is considered a classic. Also there is not much that breaks on that model. Syncros can give issues (3 gear). Honestly not much breaks in that car. And they are easy to fix. The later models car gave issues.

SA had highly specced cars. Those parts were optional later.

A retune and and exhaust, makes it a beast and would still be reliable. Note we have many of the cars in the club, that stock ran well over this mileage.

1. Check for mods.
1.1 Check who did it.
2. Check for service history.
2.1 check when they replaced the cambelt.
3. Look at over all condition.

4. Get an inde mech to look it over. If you are in JHB. I can recommend a good one.

5. Oil service at an indie with proper oil = R1000

Apparently it is in good condition (interior/exterior)

The Reg is NSJ 753 GP

A dealer can give you the service history and if it was modded. They track those things at subaru.

With a good tune and exhaust, you can get below 10l/100km on the freeway. But giving it stick 20L/100km


BTW, with 200K to spend, you can use the savings in your bond. And have it as your own warranty. Full new short engine block from subaru = R35 000K .

BTW that car is the ONLY Subaru to have FORGED pistons installed at the factory. It can take alot of abuse.
 
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I would not recommend ANY of the 2.5 L engines out side warranty. As they all will, at some point, destroy the ring lands.

GhostSixFour said:
Here's one with almost half the KM's for 30k more
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And that is an old mans car. And it is not turbo charged.

And the turbo on that is water cooled. There is no special 'care' that you need to do for the turbo. Care = Regular oil changes. FORGED pistons for the win.

Beware advice on the internet!!!

Join www.socsa.org.za and get some opinions, from scoob owners. They might know the history of that car. Scoob owners tend to take care of their toys. Given the demographic that buys them.

BTW I have mine for +13 years. Will never sell it. I have other daily drivers. None are as fun to drive, none are as fast in the twistys.
 
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FalconZA said:
dont do it...

when you see an STI up for sale, you can be sure it was driven like it was stolen and with 200k km on it, you can be sure its a ticking time bomb.

look for a WRX which would be much more likely to have been owned by a sensible driver with not a massive difference in performance.
Click to expand...

If you have that much power its impossible to drive it like you stole it all the time if the owner used it as a track day car only maybe but that is pretty rare.
Like any second had item how it was looked after is the most important and getting a good mechanic to look at it will tell you a lot about the condition of the car.
 
Excuse my ignorance, but shouldn't the STi have the huge wing, not the "regular" one in the pics? Or could you get one with a normal wing?
 
Sepeng said:
Excuse my ignorance, but shouldn't the STi have the huge wing, not the "regular" one in the pics? Or could you get one with a normal wing?
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No. That is the only model that came with the small wing. STi wing was a 15K optional extra.


On the newer models

The regular wing is a no charge option. Dealership can sell the STi wing easily.
 
Thanks all for your comments.Does anybody know if there are known issues when a scoobie reaches 200 000 kms ? My gut feeling says that something is meant to fail around the 200 000 km mark , and that is why its on sale.Even if there was a problem i would still be keen but i would bargain with the guy to drop the price.
 
Hanks said:
Thanks all for your comments.Does anybody know if there are known issues when a scoobie reaches 200 000 kms ? My gut feeling says that something is meant to fail around the 200 000 km mark , and that is why its on sale.Even if there was a problem i would still be keen but i would bargain with the guy to drop the price.
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Your asking a how long is a piece of string kind of question but its best to google sti high mileage problems and take it form there.
 
On that model no.

OEM Radiator fails, replacement GOOD quality Alu radiator costs approx R5000.

Diff/gearbox is strong.

Engine is very strong. Only the cambelt needs to be done.

200 000km service is approx 10K (full cambelt replacement with all pulleys and both fan belts.) Way cheaper at indie mechie.
 
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