Hi! Looking for an STI! any advice appreciated

[ptautscher]

Hi!

I am not an owner yet but i would love that to change soon! I am looking for a 02-05 plate sti either uk or import with the 2 litre engine. This is my first scooby (obviously) and whilst im still young finances are not limitless, but if the right one comes along then maybe ill take on a little more debt! Any advice on buying in terms of things to look out for. ive done my research and know the key problems such as head gasket issues but any tips for buying would be greatly appreciated. Also where would be the best place to keep my eye on for an sti. I check autotrader but are there any other places that tend to have stis for sale. I tend to prefer trade sellers based on the fact there is warranty and is easier to return if they have sold me a dud. 

Anyway im rambling, any advice on this would be great!!

Thanks

[Newman2213]

8 minutes ago, ptautscher said:

Hi!

I am not an owner yet but i would love that to change soon! I am looking for a 02-05 plate sti either uk or import with the 2 litre engine. This is my first scooby (obviously) and whilst im still young finances are not limitless, but if the right one comes along then maybe ill take on a little more debt! Any advice on buying in terms of things to look out for. ive done my research and know the key problems such as head gasket issues but any tips for buying would be greatly appreciated. Also where would be the best place to keep my eye on for an sti. I check autotrader but are there any other places that tend to have stis for sale. I tend to prefer trade sellers based on the fact there is warranty and is easier to return if they have sold me a dud. 

Anyway im rambling, any advice on this would be great!!

Thanks

I don't think there are many 02-05 2.0 litre models.

The 2.0 litres are mostly classics and bugeyes.

[ptautscher]

Thanks for the reply

i want to avoid the 2.5 litre due to reliability issues and its more costly on the insurance for me!

I may be mistaken but i actually seem to see a lot more 2 litres of that era than 2.5 litres on autotrader. I may be wrong though!

[ROSSCOSM]

The 2.0 is in the blob sti aswell (EJ207) so up to 05 you will be on the 2.0 was the american blob that had the 2.5 (EJ257)  im sure * might have they engine codes wrong ive got a wrx lol. The most important thing is a good service history with regular oil changes using good oil and of course timing belt cause regardless of miles a car that age should have had it changed at least once. Check for rust and what not. The bugeye stis are said to have forged pistons from the factory i dont know that for a fact bit if I had they money for an sti thats what id go for just cause i prefer the look of it. Theres a lot of small things to check but a quick google or youtbe search will give you all that info 👍

[ptautscher]

18 minutes ago, ROSSCOSM said:

The 2.0 is in the blob sti aswell so up to 05 you will be on the 2.0 was the american blob that had the 2.5 im sure. The most important thing is a good service history with regular oil changes using good oil and of course timing belt cause regardless of miles a car that age should have had it changed at least once. Check for rust and what not. The bugeye stis are said to have forged pistons from the factory i dont know that for a fact bit if I had they money for an sti thats what id go for just cause i prefer the look of it. Theres a lot of small things to check but a quick google or youtbe search will give you all that info 👍

ah thanks for this. owning an mx5 has taught me to look for rust! Yeah ive heard the bugeyes have forged pistons too!

 

[Siluro]

The owner is your best clue, if buying private. Find one that has been cherished they are out there. As Rosscosm has said regular services, I don't care if the guy did it himself as in my experience garages and even Subaru dealerships have not got a clue about these cars. You need proof that it has been done. Tyre rotation, if the owner can answer this then they do look after it. I meet an old guy who had a Hawkeye STI and he could tell me everything about the car, he had recorded every penny and had spent £47K on it including car, even down to the petrol in liters. That is the guy you wanna buy from. Look for standard but that is going to be tricky but they are out there. Always check for dried coolant around the overflow tank. If bad HG it can push coolant out of this tank which then dries on all the plastic. 2007 models heavy tax £525 per year and it hurts. Drivetrain are noisy compared to normal cars if you have not driven one before, and WRX brakes are awful. If all ready mapped you need to see the dyno results etc.

Go for an STI, I wish I had. I still love my WRX.

Good Luck

[ptautscher]

3 hours ago, Siluro said:

The owner is your best clue, if buying private. Find one that has been cherished they are out there. As Rosscosm has said regular services, I don't care if the guy did it himself as in my experience garages and even Subaru dealerships have not got a clue about these cars. You need proof that it has been done. Tyre rotation, if the owner can answer this then they do look after it. I meet an old guy who had a Hawkeye STI and he could tell me everything about the car, he had recorded every penny and had spent £47K on it including car, even down to the petrol in liters. That is the guy you wanna buy from. Look for standard but that is going to be tricky but they are out there. Always check for dried coolant around the overflow tank. If bad HG it can push coolant out of this tank which then dries on all the plastic. 2007 models heavy tax £525 per year and it hurts. Drivetrain are noisy compared to normal cars if you have not driven one before, and WRX brakes are awful. If all ready mapped you need to see the dyno results etc.

Go for an STI, I wish I had. I still love my WRX.

Good Luck

thanks for the reply this is some great help!

Yeah ive always wanted an sti so ive decided to be patient which im not very good at and wait for the right one to come along. the blob and bugeye are my favourite style but hawkeyes are nice too. im used to noisy drivetrains but what im excited about is the scooby burble from the uneven headers! 

Anyway thanks for your help!!

[AirGordon]

You gotta be careful with saying dealer only, because of the age of the cars lots of dealers will not want to offer a warranty. Additionally some extended warranty companies don't cover over 15 years old. 

I picked mine up my 2.0 STI in January. So they do come up, but I spent nearly 6 months watching and waiting for the right one (Blobeye, PPP with cert, not Jdm, low miles, stock, and above all in good nick) . I missed out of a beaut for £11k, and ended up getting mine for a shade over £10k with about 46k miles. 

Look for decent history. Money spent, the car taken care of. Get under the car, look for underseal and rust. Check for knocking rear shocks (I got lumped with these but it's £200 for new ones). 

 

[ptautscher]

13 hours ago, AirGordon said:

You gotta be careful with saying dealer only, because of the age of the cars lots of dealers will not want to offer a warranty. Additionally some extended warranty companies don't cover over 15 years old. 

I picked mine up my 2.0 STI in January. So they do come up, but I spent nearly 6 months watching and waiting for the right one (Blobeye, PPP with cert, not Jdm, low miles, stock, and above all in good nick) . I missed out of a beaut for £11k, and ended up getting mine for a shade over £10k with about 46k miles. 

Look for decent history. Money spent, the car taken care of. Get under the car, look for underseal and rust. Check for knocking rear shocks (I got lumped with these but it's £200 for new ones). 

 

hi. thanks for the reply.

thats a good price for that kind of mileage! Thanks for this information though. If you dont mind me asking how did you come across your sti?

[Siluro]

Check for knocking rear shocks. Common problem and you will end up with this if still original shocks anyway. As for a decent dealer stamp in my book means nothing. I would prefer to have the owner do it himself if capable and can prove it. Unless you get a garage who knows these cars forget it. My local Subaru dealers where caught on dash cam ragging it on test drive and could not even bleed the coolant from the highest point. Complete joke, my Dad has an XV and he lives in Bath and his local dealership is no longer a Subaru dealer anymore due to there poor servicing. In fact no manufacturer dealer is worth taking your car to in my experience, VAG being the worst. 

[ptautscher]

5 hours ago, Siluro said:

Check for knocking rear shocks. Common problem and you will end up with this if still original shocks anyway. As for a decent dealer stamp in my book means nothing. I would prefer to have the owner do it himself if capable and can prove it. Unless you get a garage who knows these cars forget it. My local Subaru dealers where caught on dashcam ragging it on test drive and could not even bleed the coolant from the highest point. Complete joke, my Dad has an XV and he lives in Bath and his local dealership is no longer a Subaru dealer anymore due to there poor servicing. In fact no manufacturer dealer is worth taking your car to in my experience, VAG being the worst. 

Yeah ive had experience with my current car that dealers are usually the worst and the most expensive! Shocks are added to the list of things to check for! 

Thanks!

[AirGordon]

On 6/3/2020 at 8:31 AM, ptautscher said:

If you dont mind me asking how did you come across your sti?

Autotrader for my one. 

[Tidgy]

if you can find a 2,5 thats been rebuilt then it will be fine, the 2,5's when they are built right make an epic road engine