Looking for buying advice

[HOTSHOT_III]

Hi Guys,

I've done some phoning around and found changing my insurance over to one of these won't cost much more than i'm paying now:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602271432222/usedcars?logcode=visc

Is this particular model a good choice? don't know much about these cars so i'm looking for some advice:

1) Is there an easy way to distinguish between the different models (WRX, WRX STi etc.)? To my untrained eye they all look very similar.

2) What goes wrong/needs to be done and at what kinds of mileages/age? I'm a fairly competent DIY mechanic so as long as I know what to ask the seller it won't be a problem.

3) Are there any modifications which are desirable or best avoided?

Thanks in advance for all your help. Hopefully I can be patient, do my homework and buy a car properly! 

[martyc]

That's a wrx. Sti's have bigger brakes, sti seats with blue inlays, a larger intercooler, slightly lower ride height, a different spoiler (although that is the sti spoiler) and a few other trick bits.

Cambelt is a must every 4 years, or 40000 miles, regular oil and filter changes (I try stick with every 5k), check for smoke, clutch wear, engine knock (seems to be fairly common and requires a rebuild), piston slap when cold is common but not really an engine killer. Other than that check the consumables, brakes can seize, I like to look at the tyres, the brand gives a lot away about the owner, if he buys cheap rubber he probably skimps elsewhere (and has lots of kids [emoji16]).

Suspension knocks can be anything from drop links (made out of cheese) to bushes, top mounts or shocks.

Mileage doesn't really count, buy on condition and service history.

Modification wise, just look for quality parts not eBay specials like poorly fitting exhausts or induction kits.

Good luck and enjoy :)

Sent from the moon using telepathy

[HOTSHOT_III]

Thanks for your advice Marty, i've done a few timing belts on inline fours so I should be able to graduate to changing one on the Subaru engine if necessary.

Good advice about tyre choice too, I used to ride motorcycles when I was younger and found the same thing, lots of people want to be seen in or on something flash but when it comes to to owning and maintaining it the boot is on the other foot!

Is there much power/performance difference between the WRX and WRX STi? And where does the ProDrive kit fit into all that?

Also do these cars get stolen a lot, and is the factory fitted alarm/immobiliser good enough to prevent theft?

Not quite ready to buy for another few weeks so i'm trying to learn as much as I can so I know exactly what i'm looking at. Thanks again :-) 

[martyc]

An sti is quicker and more powerful and focused, a wrx is tamer and makes a nice daily drive, I haven't had an sti (Impreza) so it's hard for me to compare. A pro drive wrx is pretty much on par with a a standard sti, but essentially it's just a remap and exhaust with an uprated intercooler hose.

An sti has a bigger turbo, injectors and a stronger 6 speed box etc and more scope for power 'out of the box', a wrx needs bigger turbo and injectors over 285bhp ish and definitely to break the 300 barrier.

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