In the middle of buying MY01 Subaru WRX. Need some Advice.
 

Hello everyone, I am newbie in Perth-WRX. Currently i just sold my car, and i intend to buy this Subaru WRX MY01 which i found on gumtree. I just paid my deposit, but i am abit worry with the condition of the engine.

The mileage is 180000++, and the car is popping white smoke. My friend saw the white smoke when i change gear and accelerate. The smoke is very obvious under the sun, and it is pure white colour. After i finish test driving the car, i off the engine and start it again. My friend stand behind and i rev the engine, but everything seems fine which means no white smoke coming out from the exhaust.

The car drives smooth, just the body needs some work. I need some advice from beloved Perth-WRX members, and i really appreciate the reply. Thank you all !

[QUOTE=xspeedsimon;704649]Hello everyone, I am newbie in Perth-WRX. Currently i just sold my car, and i intend to buy this Subaru WRX MY01 which i found on gumtree. I just paid my deposit, but i am abit worry with the condition of the engine.

The mileage is 180000++, and the car is popping white smoke. My friend saw the white smoke when i change gear and accelerate. The smoke is very obvious under the sun, and it is pure white colour. After i finish test driving the car, i off the engine and start it again. My friend stand behind and i rev the engine, but everything seems fine which means no white smoke coming out from the exhaust.

The car drives smooth, just the body needs some work. I need some advice from beloved Perth-WRX members, and i really appreciate the reply. Thank you all ![/QUOTE]

Hey Mate & Welcome.

Best advise someone can give around here would be to browse the Perth Workshops thread located:

[url]http://www.perth-wrx.com/vb/mechanicals/6775-perth-workshops.html[/url]

Have a reputable workshop have a once look over at the car. Any problems will be reported there & then, it Should/Will give you piece of mind prior to your purchase.;) Better to have a shop go through it then to find out you purchased a dud.

White smoke is not a good sign.

Does the Car have Service history? Query the last Workshop to work on it also.

If your not feeling right about it. Definitely have someone have a look at it.

[IMG]http://your2pence.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/my-two-cents.jpg[/IMG]

White smoke is never good. No point getting involved with a car that might cost you a large proportion of the initial cost.

A good trick i read about is to start the car up, and pull the oil cap off and see if any smoke comes out through that. If not then thats a good sign.

However, if you're set on this one, get an inspection done at a subaru specialist workshops (stechnic, mms etc) and see if it's anything major.

1. Get a MY02. The gear ratios are worth the extra money.

2. Get the car inspected by a Subaru specialist i.e. STechnic. They will tell you more about the car than anyone guessing on the internet.

What Kato said.

Also, there are lots of WRXs for sale.. if one is suss, just walk away and look for another.

1) Get car inspected by reputable [URL="http://www.perth-wrx.com/vb/mechanicals/6775-perth-workshops.html"]workshops[/URL]
2) Get report and opinion from mechanics
3) Decide
4) ???
5) WRX!

[QUOTE=xspeedsimon;704649]I just paid my deposit, but i am abit worry with the condition of the engine.
[/QUOTE]

Why did you pay the deposit before getting the car checked out?

Also 180,000 kms? lol. In b4 bla bla km's doesn't matter if it's been looked after.

A little bit of prior research could of gone a long way here.

Good luck.

How much was the deposit if u don't mind saying?

Might be better to walk away

Congrats on the purchase, but I hope you didn't pay a lot for it.. an MY01 that needs body work and the mechanicals are suss, sounds like it could be a money pit.

MY02 STI..

That is all.

I paid 50 dollar for the deposit. I really like the car, but just the white smoke popping out makes me worry. Therefore I didn't put down much deposit, (maybe I am lucky after seeing all the replies?)
To be honest, the seller is having an urgent sell due to moving interstate, and the final price will be 7500 dollar. The value of the car is worth more than 10k with a 230000++ mileage on it. If I fix it after I buy, it's still a good deal for me. But I have no idea what's the problem with the engine, therefore I have no idea if its a good buy.
I am now having a road trip to Monkey Mia with my friends until this coming Friday, and I had agree with the seller that I will pay him the full amount on Friday, if not the deposit will be taken by him. I believe I have no time to bring a mechanic to the place due to the limitation of time. Sigh...

white smoke could be blown head gasket, look for bubles in the radiator overflow tank at idle ;)

For the sake of $50 I would just walk away and wait until such time as you can organise an inspection on another car that doesn't blow smoke. As mentioned, there are lots of WRX's currently available. Just be patient :)

Don't buy someone else's problem ..

Cut your losses... a $7,500 WRX with a head gasket problem could become a $10-15k WRX depending on the extent of the problem (as little as replacing the gasket for 2.5-3k, as much as a new motor which could easily soak up $7.5k).

Don't get me wrong... the problem COULD be minor i.e. for example, smoke on gearchange could be a blocked PCV, and the white smoke could actually easily be mistaken for bluish oil smoke which is a symptom of a blocked PCV, which is a $40 repair. BUT, because you've got no chance to get a mech inspection done on the car to confirm the severity of the problem, its worth losing your $50 and finding something else.

PLUS you need to fix the bodywork as mentioned. Just not worth it mate when there are so many clean WRX's out there for only a bit more than what you're willing to pay for that one.

Here's a tip for the future... please make sure you get any car inspected by one of the Subaru specialists that are recommended by members of this forum, before you lay down a deposit.

I am no expert on Subaru's or Wrx's for that matter..

But there are some wise heads asking you to really think about this car.. as some have said $50 is F/A to lose as a deposit..

But ultimately its your money .. If it was me I would look for a different wrx in your price range or slightly above as some have said there's..
Plenty tidy Wrx's out there :D just need to search and have a good look

Again just 2 cent's worth..:cool:

Agree with all of the above bro - Walk away and keep looking. Impulse buying will cost you 15k in 18 months like it did to me :|

$50 is fuck all. I wouldn't go near it. Listen to everyone and walk away. WRXs are not hard to come by and you'll easily find a much better deal.

Adding to my Original Post & by the updates.

If you Cant get it inspected. $50 is Nothing to lose.. Its fuck all... Fucking leave it to be somebody else's problem. Wait & Look around. Don't impulse buy as many have said. $7.5k problem will turn into $10k + problem to fix easily later..

+ Don't go putting deposits on car's unless your 100% Certain in the future.

Walk away. Not worth the risk.

[QUOTE=xspeedsimon;704813]I paid 50 dollar for the deposit. I really like the car, but just the white smoke popping out makes me worry. Therefore I didn't put down much deposit, (maybe I am lucky after seeing all the replies?)
To be honest, the seller is having an urgent sell due to moving interstate, and the final price will be 7500 dollar. The value of the car is worth more than 10k with a 230000++ mileage on it. If I fix it after I buy, it's still a good deal for me. But I have no idea what's the problem with the engine, therefore I have no idea if its a good buy.
I am now having a road trip to Monkey Mia with my friends until this coming Friday, and I had agree with the seller that I will pay him the full amount on Friday, if not the deposit will be taken by him. I believe I have no time to bring a mechanic to the place due to the limitation of time. Sigh...[/QUOTE]

Walk away and you have effectively fined yourself $50 for being too keen.Sounds like money well spent to me.(the fine not the car)

Thank you guys. I really really appreciate the reply and advice that you all gave. I will most probably bring a mechanic on this Friday to hve a look with the issues. And I will definitely walk away if it's a major one. 50 dollar is definitely a fine for me for not checking it properly.
I really love WRX so much, and I will definitely buy a better one! If there is anyone selling, do PM me as well hahaha ;)

Can't the seller take it to a workshop for a diagnosis or can you not organise a mobile mechanic like Jim @ Bluestar to go around and look at it while you are away?

That's what I'd be doing first.

Yes. I asked the guy to go all star garage this afternoon. Tomorrow I will call them up and see what they say. Luckily I could manage to ask the seller drive to all star and have a quick check.

got a link to this car?

trying to work out why the fuck you are so set on it

been having a boo peep on gumtree not able to find it