Buying a used STI--what should I check?

[Grinder34]

I have a good friend in the market for a used STI and he asked me about what he should look for and check when seriously considering a car. I could think of a few things off the top of my head, but I was hoping that you guys could give me a comprehensive list of things to be on the lookout.

Some of the things I told him:

1) Broken Ringlands (leakdown/compression test)
2) Rear strut clunk
3) Appropriate tune for mods (eg, stock tune with intakes, downpipes, etc...)

What else should he look for?

PS. I'm trying to get him to join.

 

[IGOTASTi]

Good start.

Also check to make sure the car was never wrecked. Ask for receipts as most people keep them who own these cars.

 

[Grinder34]

Compression check
Look for signs that it used to have a large rotated turbo and or fmic.

What would signs of big turbo and FMIC be?
Cut bumper beam for FMIC?

 

[Vermont]

Cut bumper beam for a FMIC is very common but not always do you need to cut the bumper beam for a FMIC, so also check to see if anything has been rearranged to make room for the piping. For a large turbo just check what current turbo is on the car and also if the oil/coolant feed/drain lines look like they have been tampered with. A good indication would be to look at the paint strips on the bolts in that area. If they do not match up or are not there then that is a good indication that turbo has been tampered with. Also check to make sure the stock heat shielding is on the turbo. If not than more than likely the previous owner put a new down pipe on. Take a look at the BPV on the front of the TMIC and make sure it is the stock unit, anything other than a stock unit indicates that the owner liked the sound of a BOV and probably drove the car hard (as people who like BOVs usually drive like they are filming a F&F movie....) If the black gasket on the BPV (connecting it to the TMIC) is frayed and beat up then that is a good indication that the previous owner removed the TMIC for what ever reason. Make sure the stock Air box is on the car. If not find then out what brand it has on and also if it has been tuned for that intake. Often times when buying a sports car, or any used car for that matter, it is a good idea to due a personal sale and not from a dealership. This way you can see for your self what type of person the owner is and if he seems like a air brained turd burglar who drove the car hard and did little maintenance you can walk away. At the dealership you will have no idea what type of person owned the car before you.

 

[Robert Viehweger]

I don't keep receipts.. Scott Stokes is my receipt. lol. Just take it to a qualified tech/mech to look at it up and down. I'd never buy a used car without having Scott and Justin practically pull it apart first.

 

[Vermont]

I don't keep receipts.. Scott Stokes is my receipt. lol. Just take it to a qualified tech/mech to look at it up and down. I'd never buy a used car without having Scott and Justin practically pull it apart first.

From my experiences with multiple used car purchases, both private seller and dealerships, is that the dealerships will not let you take the car to be looked at in a shop. They usually have no problem with you bringing someone with you to check it over though. Now on a private sale that changes. Most owners will want to come with you too the shop to make sure nothing fishy happens, if the private seller says no then walk away as 9 times out of 10 they are trying to hide something....