What to look out for.

[Skinz]

Hi there. I'm thinking of buying a Impreza 2.5 WRX 2006. Can you give me any tips what to look out for, to avoid getting my fingers burnt.Cheers.

[Gambit]

1) Check the Head Gasket for leaks...

a) Look for oil seeping or dripping from the engine. Is it
anywhere near where the heads meet the block?

  B) Open the radiator fill and look for grossness on
the cap that may be a result of oil in the coolant.

c) Check the oil...
if the dipstick is charred, oil is blacker than black and lumpy, or there is non
oil gunk (sometimes red/orange or white) attached to it then those are bad
signs.

d) When you test drive
it make sure the temp gauge stays steady. If the compressed gas from the
cylinder is being pushed into the coolant you will get random temp fluctiations
and lots of bubbling in the overflow tank.

2) Losing/Burning Oil
When
you start the car have someone watching the tail pipe. You dont want to see too
much dark smoke or really blue smoke come out and if it does it should be only a
small ammount before resuming normal exuast color.

Look for oil leaks
again after road testing it. Sometimes the dealer
will powerwash the car so all the leaks are invisible until after you drive it.
Refer back to the dipstick... charred is bad.

3) Clutch
Try to start
the car from a stop on flat ground in 3rd gear. if you can get it to move then
there is a good chance the clutch is bad.

4) Alignment and brakes
Look
for uneven wear on the tires and
the brake rotors. Funny grooves in the surface of either is a bad
sign.

When test drive give the brakes a good test to make sure they either lock up or ABS kicks in. If
you can stand on them and not have either result then they need to be replaced.
Also take note of vibrations and whether the car pulls to one side when trying
to stop.

Find a long stright strech of road and let go of the wheel. Does
the car continue straight? Is the wheel exactly straight? You may need an
alignment.

5) Body
Rust = bad. Dont forget to check in the door frames
and around the sun roof where the glass mates up. Check everything you can see.
If you find ANY rust it will only get worse from there.

Look for
discoloured body panels,
look for paint in areas where the car didn't come with paint. Make sure the body
panels are equally distant from one another and compare both sides of the car.
The factory will not mess this up because it is done by a machine, but body
mechanics don't always line the panels up right. If the car was in an accident it
is best to know about it before paying.

Always check the back of the
rear wheel wells right above where the bumper attaches. This spot is a notorious
rust collector and usually one of the first places to go. a definite indicator
for rust appearing in the rest of the car.

6) Engine
Listen to the
idle, spastic idle is bad. If it is cold out the engine will idle fairly high.
Let the car warm up and let the idle drop. If the idle doesn't drop or drops so
far the car stalls you may have a problem. If it is warm out the idle should be
smooth and level. Make sure the fans go on.

Some people like to take it
to a mechanic for compression testing. It couldn't hurt.

If there is a
CEL make sure to pull it before handing over the cash. Some are worse than
others, find out what it is. If you have your own code puller check to see if
the codes have been cleared lately. It takes a couple of cycles for codes to pop
after being reset. Don't let them fool you into thinking there is no
code.

7) History
Get a car fax report. This will tell you all of the
service records
since it was bought if they were done by a dealer. Check the mileage on the car
to see if it matches up with the mileage on the MOT. Easy
to swap a new console in and knock a ton of miles off the car. Look for times in
the MOT where it looks like the car wasn't driven. That could be a sign that
it spent time in a shop or in a junkyard somewhere.

Look out for a car
that has been handed over often. There may be something wrong that makes people
not want to hold onto it.

Look out for a car that has been recently
bought by the current owner. They may be trying for a quick turn-around in order
to make a buck. That means you are probably overpaying.

 

[simon poole]

buy mine 

[Davsurfa]

Loving Simons comment!!! Lol

[Jay762]

As Gambit says plus noise from main bearing

 

but Simons is a tempting option ;)

[Skinz]

Thanks Gambit. Plenty for me to check out, and as for Simons offer, sounds tempting but I dont fancy a 6 hour drive to Cornwall to check it out.. Cheers anyway.

[simon poole]

14k for quick sale

[Gambit]

I have to say 14k is a snatch!

One in Scotland was 16K+ I was looking at... Just need to find a buyer for my kids... Shame Jimmy saville isn't alive could try the BBC..... Ohhhh!. It's a joke before I get any hate mail :D