2004 Suburu wrx

DWBOX2000 · 03-06-2020, 06:46 PM

Any suggestions on what to look at when I go to look at. 185k on it but supposedly the engine and tranny are in excellent condition. I will get a ppi but before I get to that stage, what should I check out?
Thanks,
David

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

Head gaskets...

DonDavis · DonDavis's Garage

Depends on your plans for the car.

Will this be a DD, or a camping only, just a hobby car?

Find a trusted Independent Subaru shop. Very good ones are plenty. Easy to work on for the most part.

I paid $600 for my 300,000 mile ‘96 Outback. Did a ton of overdue maintenance and cleaning and it’s a gem. Love that car. Currently have about $3,500 in it and it drives great. It’s my hobby car and use it for camping, kayaking, hiking, etc., not my DD.

Crowbob · 03-06-2020, 07:14 PM

Rust!

Keep in mind also that they have usually been run HARD. No one buys a WRX to lollycoddle to and fro. If there are any suspension upgrades they were most likely not added for comfort, either. That means everything gets loose. 185K is a lot of miles even for a religiously maintained engine and trans.

Bill Douglas · 03-06-2020, 09:03 PM

It's probably had a VERY hard life.

Arizona_928 · 03-06-2020, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

It's probably had a VERY hard life.

Yup. Those are popular tuner cars. If its stock, and reasonably priced. I'll be surprised.

2.7RS · 03-07-2020, 03:10 AM

What to look on a 2004 WRX ???

Look for another car

DWBOX2000 · 03-07-2020, 03:27 AM

Good one. It’s for my son. His money. Offered at 4K. Not sure what I could bargain down to. Maybe it will be okay for a while, maybe it will be a lesson not to buy someone else’s junk. Who knows.

DanielDudley · 04:57 AM

Factor in the cost of a motor, unless you know it has been done. Look for signs the turbo has been recently swapped, look for a stock exhaust, and look for a tuner access port. You want to use a more robust oil like a 5/40. The oil should look clean, and be at the top of the stick. Make sure the transmission is decent. Whine is OK, growling isn't. They rust out at the back of the rear wheel arches first. Look there for signs of repair, and look at the front lower control arms for rust. These cars have no oil pressure gauges, and like to throw rod bearings. There is no easy way to just split the case and throw new bearings in. If you could, they would run forever. If your son gets one, doing donuts or launching hard are tough on these cars, but they don't really excel at 0-60 without a hard launch, done by slipping the clutch instead of doing a burnout. they can stand a little clutch slipping in first, using the clutch as the shock buffer. They cannot stand burnouts, too much drive line shock. Rear wheel bearings on these cars are a known weak point.

Stock WRX will put up with high miles in general, a tuned one will not. Great cars with a fresh motor and a tune. Stock ones feel a bit sluggish. You shouldn't put a tune on one with those kind of miles. We used to say every 911 was a 20,000 dollar car. Most 4000 dollar Subarus are 10,000 dollar cars, if you need a motor.

I have a 2004 WRX with an exhaust and tune. I love it, but I was careful to buy a low miles unmodified car. My 2002 WRX had 188K on it when I sold it. 100% stock, it was a good runner. WRXs like a robust oil, like Rotella T6 5/40, and they like the oil to be about 1/4 of a quart over the full mark. They need frequent oil changes, synthetic or not. Like 3000 miles frequent. Screwing around, or driving and cornering hard when the oil is low on the stick is very bad. It needs to be full at ALL times, and it needs to be checked at EVERY fill up, or whenever you plan on using the car hard. Using a little oil is normal for these cars, and they use it more rapidly the lower the oil gets on the stick. They suffer starvation under hard cornering when the oil is low, and they have no oil gauge.

If a WRX knocks starts to knock at idle, it will be distinct and louder than a little boxer motor tapping. If you hear A sudden increase of noise at idle, DO NOT PASS GO. Turn the engine off immediately, and have it towed home. Rebuilding a motor at this point is easy. Rebuilding a motor that has been driven to failure is not. Buying these cars from a mature enthusiast is a better bet than buying one from a young Subie Bro. 4000 is a fair price for a car with high miles that runs.

slow&rusty · 03-07-2020, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2.7RS

What to look on a 2004 WRX ???

Look for another car

hahaha

aschen · 03-07-2020, 06:28 AM

As a previous owner of 3 wrx and someone who
Really loves them, id say to pass

Its not a good car to shop the bottom of the market on.

Bugsinrugs · 03-07-2020, 07:15 AM

My 04 has 277,000 miles on her. Completely stock. Still running strong. I change the oil every 3-4,000 miles. Only one clutch replacement. Look at the power steering pump and hoses. They run near the turbo and are prone to leaking. Same with all the vacuum hoses. Check when the timing belt has been replaced. Except that the cars metal is tinny it has been a very good car.