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My dealership just got possession of a 2005 STI with 40K. KBB value is $22K, my price is $14K.
The car looks overall great, wear and tear is obvious but otherwise fine. It runs awesome and I am really interested in it.
What are the things I got to look out for this car. I know people who own these cars really punish them and I wanna know what to look for before getting it.
The mileage is really on the low end for that year car, only about 8k per year, normal is between 12k and 15k. What makes me concerned with that is the type of car it is. Low mileage can be indicative of a weekend car that was taken to shows and raced.
Assuming that everything else checks out (no accidents, thefts, etc.) the first thing I would be looking for is aftermarket modifications or evidence of them being on the car. If the car was modded it sets up a red flag that the car was most likely raced or at least driven hard. Additionally you will generally not know exactly what was done and who did the work. There is a big market for used parts off STI's and WRX's. Most owners that have modded them do their best to return them to stock and sell the parts. Additionally it isn't unheard of for STI owners to swap the STI specific parts (suspension, brakes, seats and even transmission) for stock WRX parts and cash.
The last thing is that it was maintained properly. You may get lucky and pull a CarFax that supports the mileage and shows regular dealer maintenance which will allay all your fears. If there is no maintenance history, you may be taking a bit of a dice role especially as a lot of these cars are "ridden hard and put away wet". An enthusiast would have most likely done the proper maintenance and let the turbo cool after hard use, but that takes us back to the list above.
If you really want the car, I would find a local Subaru mod/tuning shop and schedule an appointment to have it taken over there and have them go over the car. They may even know the car and the previous owner which could answer a lot of questions. At the very least they can tell you what's done to it or what has been done to it in the past. Also, since this is at your dealership, see if you can get the previous owners number and call them about the car. Most people who own enthusiast cars would be more than happy to tell you about it's history. You can also hit a Subaru forum and post some info on the car and see if anyone knows anything about it.
At the end of the day it could be a great deal on a great car, or a complete nightmare. You need to do your homework.
If this was a WRX I'd recommend an insanely thorough checkout (incl. draining the transmission to look for filings), but this is an STI, and even when driven hard and careless, they would generally withstand it.
I know some 2005's had some issues with the rear dampers, in which case the would've been changed out on warranty at least once by now. The easy fix is to install uprated dampers or coilovers if it happens again.
Transmission is bulletproof, should withstand up to 450WHP without modifications. If it feels funny for some reason, it's usually down to the transmission fluid, when it comes to the STI. The differentials are also very strong, and there shouldn't be any problems with them, but a simple way to check if there is, is to put the car in reverse, turn the wheel to full lock (both ways) and roll slowly whilst listening for clicking sounds.
The only thing I'd really be super duper careful with, is checking if the ECU has been piggy-backed (OBDI II tuning), and if it has, if it's done by a reputable company (generally only COBB), these engines can get big end failure / rod rattle, if tuned poorly, ideally they need ECUTEC or Autronic etc.
Generally the STI is pretty damn bulletproof though, and track, auto-x, hard street driving shouldn't repel you from buying it, especially at that price.
These cars are used hard, because they're built for it, but as long as regular maintenance is done, and any modifications are performed wisely, using good parts, I'd say you have a great deal on your hands.
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