Siluro

I told you not to go looking for horror stories cause you will find them, lol. As Stuartie and Ross have said if you look after it it will look after you. Remember the type of car it is and how it attracts idiots that launch and hoon them constantly, no car will survive that at this price. Buy a Hellcat if you want to do that, drag car for the public roads. Mine has a complete history and has never let any of the 3 owners down. I bought mine 3.5 years ago with only 28k on the clock, it now has 48k and never missed a beat. It has had an oil change every 3-4k never any longer, and all the fluids changed since I have had it. Biggest cost was getting cambelt changed which i paid scoobyworld to do, i do not fancy doing that in the street, plus i do not have the correct tools. I put new Goodyear Eagle asymmetric 3s on £100 per corner even though the Potenzas had plenty of tread they were over 6 years old. That was worth every penny. I have also rebuilt the rear calipers and replaced discs all round. Rear calipers were seized, another common issue with these, you can get rebuild kits from Godspeed. As for mods all I have done is put some Brembos on the front with 330mm discs from Godspeed, not cheap but look good and stop much better than standard (not sti brembos do not fit under standard 17inch wheels), performance panel filter, Grimspeed AOS and had it mapped (£420). Car now has 270bhp. The torque figure is the most impressive at 345 lbs at just 3500 rpm ( i believe this is similar figures to the PPP). Transformed the car and is well worth it. I guess you need the 2.5 for these torque figures though. The car is great fun as a daily driver and now the only problem is finding something to replace it when the time comes. I guess I will have to just try a newer one, I do like the new WRX/STI. Oh and the other thing to add is people are always positive towards a Subaru, everyone loves a Scooby it seems.

Good luck. Cold the engine will be lumpy but will sort it self out.. The drive train is quite noisy but without comparing to others tricky to know. Noisier than most cars. All subarus I have owned have always have a stutter on tick over which is regular so that is normal. Rear suspension design has a known issue which produces a knocking sound as shocks wear. Can Be fixed by greasing or new shocks. Common issue on salons of this mileage. Not sure on wagons but maybe worth asking. Not a big deal though. Oil change intervals etc... One owner sounds like it could be well looked after and they should know everything about the car. Again good luck.

You need to go see it. The descriptions sounds like a good start. Tbh if you did not know what a PPP version was you need to do more research before buying. The best thing about buying a car far away is you get to drive it back which is always great fun in good one of these.

Happy to report that the bubbling has disappeared (bet that just cursed it). I guess eventually the air worked it way out of the system.

If you look hard enough you will always find one that has been loved eventually. As Rosscosm says if you stick to the servicing and look after her she will be trouble free. This means not doing the extra 1000 miles on the oil change cause it is not convenient to you. Cam belt is also a must along with the idlers etc.. Defo worth doing the water pump if not already been done. I paid Scoobyworld just over £300 for cambelt only. I now which I had changed the lot including water pump think at 32000 miles it will be ok. Now in the cold mornings i have a squeak that quickly goes away, so temp related. May have to have an early cambelt and idlers etc to be sure. One thing i always check for is signs of coolant splashing around the expansion tank. If HG has gone it pushes water out of this tank as it not sealed and you get coolant stains on the cam covers and surrounding plastics. If this cannot be explained walk away. HG can be a ****** to diagnose on these. If you look for horror stories on these cars you will find them and that will put you off. Bad HGs, week 5 speed etc. The 5 speed is week but how many idiots launch these constantly and expect it to last. Many vids on youtube of the fools. Mods without a map is asking for trouble. Plus it needs to be properly mapped. You will find many different opinions on the mapping/modding subject too, difficult bit is trying to sort through it all.

Adverts tell me nothing. I would need to see the car and owner. I love the fact that Autotrader reckon Fuel consumption (extra urban)39.8 mpg, i wish.

I was not trying to put you off, mine (touch wood) has been totally reliable for past 4 years. Just need to find a good one like any car really.

Yes I have a 2007 Hawkeye and it does hurt a little paying the tax. I only do 5-6K miles a year so terrible value for money. These cars are fairly expensive to run unless you do the work yourself. Thirsty too, 22mpg round town. 28 is best on a motorway run. Full tank (£65) can vary between 200 -300 miles. I have dealt with Subaru dealerships that do not have a clue (caught on dashcam) so if not doing the work yourself a good mechanic that knows Scoobies is a must also. Hard to find.

Yes the 2 liter is a stronger motor than the 2.5. 2007 model is £535 per year to tax. 2006 model is only £325ish to tax. Also worth taking into account.

No idea about the Wagons but the usual. Service history, regular oil changes, when where the tyres rotated etc.... What I do know is that if you neglect these cars they will bite you. I look for things like cheap tyres etc... If they have cheap tyres then the owner has probably been cheap running it which does not usually work with a Scooby. Tyres should be the same all round and each axle the tyres should be evenly worn. If a mismatch of tyres walk away. You can tell a lot from the owner. If they have every receipt and documents then they probably looked after the car. At £2000 I presume it will be high mileage and if a 2.5 then the head gaskets are a concern. Have these been done? What mods if any? blow off valves are a no no in my book. Not needed unless you have serious power. Common sense I suppose.

The Cam belt tensioner can be known to make a knocking noise when it has gone bad. A bit like rod knock.

@ RPM150 How did you get on? I would love to hear a nice ending.

Now you have polished off all the UV protection these will turn yellow quicker. You need to re add the UV protection if keeping car for a long time. You can use transparent vinyl wrap to replace this. Spraying with clear coat can reduce lights performance but will work. When the wrap looks bad just replace it no need to polish again.

Car does not use coolant I have been keeping a keen eye on it for the last few weeks. It did drop slightly but that is due to the colder weather as expected. Annoying as it never bubbled for the first year and half of ownership. It now only does it sometimes. Thanks guys.

I am not sure about this but can you get STI Brembos under 17inch wheels? I doubt it but I could be wrong. I have WRX Hawkeye and I upgraded to Brembo (Not sti ones, smaller caliper from Godspeed) and they barely fit inside the barrel of the wheel standard 17inch wheels. There must be no more than 2 mm clearance. I have had a small stone get trapped in there and it scored the inside of the barrel.

It would be tricky I believe to measure hydrocarbons without there being load on the engine (on boost). Ticking over may not produce enough if any hydrocarbons to change the fluid. How about pumping/sucking the air out of the overflow tank into your sniff tester while the car is using boost. You could run a pipe from top of tank (sealed somehow) into passenger side and get a friend to pump/suck the air up through the sniff tester. Overflow tank is next to the radiator. You could also see if the pipe that goes into the overflow tank pushes fluid out when on boost. Extend this pipe into the car and catch it into a tank. If there is a large rush of coolant under boost and the HG has gone then you could catch hydrocarbons then. I am not sure but if the gushes out coolant then there is a problem with the HG or air getting drawn in somewhere (unlikely). The water pump seal could allow air in I suppose under high rpm but be fine with normal driving conditions. If the heads air lifting under boost only for example a ticking over sniff test would probably not see it. I have seen your story over and over again. Sniff test do not always catch a bad HG. Most of these cases I am afraid all turn out to be HG with one common symptom, overheating without reason. Now that you have bought one then it maybe best to try the tester when the engine is under load. Best of luck

Double thanks. I hope you are right.

For my first year with the WRX Adrain Flux where too expensive and advised me to come back after the first year if I have no accidents etc.. I managed to get insurance for less the £700 from a comparison site. After the first year I went back to Adrian Flux and their quote came down to £500 mark. Keith Michaels said the same but I cannot tell you their quote as I could not get through to them by phone and gave up.

I am in the horrible situation where my WRX 2.5 may have blown it's head gasket. I have no symptoms other than bubbling noises in the heater matrix. The noises only started when I had a blonde moment and opened the radiator cap. Car has since had the coolant changed twice once by Subaru badly and once by me (3 times as I ran for a few days on just water). Nothing seems to stop the bubbling noise. Sometimes it does not do it for days but then it comes back. Car never overheats and the coolant does not get pushed out of the overflow tank. The level rises and falls as expected. Coolant looks normal and I have no smoke from exhaust, oil is fine and no mixing with water. I have read many stories of the HG failing so I am ready for the bad news if it has gone. Anyway can anyone recommend a sniff test kit that is below £40. Kits I have seen vary from £10 to >£100. Are these cheap kits worth the bother? https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/273012579567 https://www.amazon.co.uk/RELD-Cylinder-Combusion-Universal-Motorcycles/dp/B07RS3N98V/ref=pd_lutyp_crtyp_simh_1_2/260-6536206-7860643?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07RS3N98V&pd_rd_r=5c62eab5-2d3b-4deb-b2e4-bcca93735b56&pd_rd_w=nCFFZ&pd_rd_wg=bkw0z&pf_rd_p=e1a45040-d2db-41e8-80fa-8f32b208956a&pf_rd_r=N1FJFN7HFBWKF8HX7ZC2&psc=1&refRID=N1FJFN7HFBWKF8HX7ZC2 https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Bt-3-2x50ml-Combustion-Leak-Tester-Kit-Co2-Head-Gasket-Block-Test-Fluid-2a/11026959824?iid=283484512010&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=283484512010&targetid=594652184600&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1006959&poi=&campaignid=6619152122&mkgroupid=84510981968&rlsatarget=pla-594652184600&abcId=1140496&merchantid=116618883&gclid=CjwKCAjw9L_tBRBXEiwAOWVVCWUKvgqvAn_erkGs3o5yfhgc7OhfBBsRckUiEG6tOP5h7pZP6R_snBoCuf8QAvD_Bw Thanks in advance.

Did it rain overnight before the noise appeared. Disk could have rusted and this makes a noise with your pad compound. The grinding noise only occurs when coming to complete stop, 10 mph or below. I have this issue with PFC pads and my disks. Just take it out for a good blast and all silent again. It comes back on mine but the 30 minute stop start daily commute cause this. I was concerned but after working it out it no longer bothers me, and if it does I just go for a spirited drive. Just a thought.

Thanks. I am sort of going through this. I get bubbling noise in my heater matrix it seems. Not always and seems to be related to how hard i drive it. My car however does not overheat. I use bluetooth dongle to see actual temps and the car does what is supposed to. This only started when i had a blonde moment and opened the rad cap. I gave it to Subaru but they !Removed! it up, caught on dashcam and that is whole other story. I decided to replace the coolant myself. I took rad out, flushed it and replaced nearly all coolant lines with a Samco kit. Replaced rad caps too. Car runs great, no oil lose, no sign of water mixing or loss of coolant. Hawkeye with map 270bhp fly. Only mods are performance panel filter and uprated brakes. Only done 46000 miles 2007 WRX. now used as daily driver. As i said previously I have read so many stories like your but the one thing they have in common is overheating. I hoping it is something else like all the others. Do you have a link to the test you bought?

Yes I have seen many stories like yours. No symptoms but was the HG. What hydrocarbon test do you use, same as the MOT tests or the liquid sniff test? @RPM150 i have my fingers crossed for you.

"could it hopefully be the thermostat?" Does the rad fan kick in? It should kick in approx 97 cool water to high 80s and turn off fan. It will just repeat this cycle if normal. The temp gauge is useless, try not to overheat it as you will blow gaskets or warp head/block.

From the little I know it can be tricky to diagnose. As you have had the rad changed recently I would like to think it is an air lock, which is easy to do on these motors. I would drain the coolant and refill with the front end pointing in the air. Fill from the filler tank near the turbo, fill slowly. Burp system and see if it still overheats. I refilled mine recently and it got an air lock which would allow the engine temps to rise. The temp gauge in the car is too slow, I used a cheap bluetooth dongle and my android phone to keep an eye on temps. I burped it and all is good now. If the above does not work then I would start suspecting the HG. I hear that an exhaust gas analyser sniffing the air in the overflow tank could be the best bet. Sniff tests have prooved to be not reliable based on other threads. GOOD LUCK Just a thought does the heater blow hot air, if not may be a sign of airlock.