hello from the pacific north west!
im new to the forum.
i have until tomorrow to decide or its a lost cause.

to make a long story short im trading my stage 2 dyno tuned 316 whp black 2005 sti
140,000k
blitz fmic
grimspeed ebcs
cobb sf intake
perrin springs
turbo blanket
ect.

no internal upgrades.

had the car for about 1 year 5 months it was bone stock at 130k with the oem
seals still on all the parts.

my car is near pefect fully maintained couple scratches here and there but other than that
it runs perfect. its a great daily with some light power.

this is the evo i would be trading for. +3 grand

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/3864062877.html

he says he traded his 2jz swapped boosted e46 bmw m3 for the evo.
states that the engine blew and was rebuilt then a guy traded him across for it.

the guy seems alil sketchy about where the work was done and having the receipts yet he states where it was done and says he has everything... he took me for a drive in it and it was totally insanly faster than my sti but he doesnt have dyno sheets to prove its 477whp i highly doubt it is.

only thing i noticed is a slight clunking here and there while hes driving and taking corners he states its the exhaust bangin around. he also states he had the car for 2 months (slipped up and said 1 month a couple times) and is willing to trade it for my car and wants 3k cash on top on my end. he got kicked out of his house and needs first and last for an apartment...basically why hes letting it go. (According to him) (a random craigslist guy) haha.

small exhaust leak from the turbo flange to the header exhaust leak from the header to the block.

I 100% rely on my car to get to work and back i work 7 days a week usually 10 hours a day. (cant have it grenade on me)

so from my stand point

pros
-40k less miles.
-possible new built engine.
-faster.
-possibly more reliable in the long run since my sti is getting up there in miles.
-wont be another trendy subi driver (its getting bad around here).
-potential for alot more power.
-it will be what i wish my sti could be without taking out a house loan to build it.
-still an awd turboed car
-insurance is less

possible cons
- hes has issues and is ditching it
- trading my awesome perfectly good running sti
for a grenade and spending 3k on top.


please any info you could share would be much appreciated im really on the fence here. id like to join the family ive always loved evos and this is my chance.

biased unbiased hate flame doesnt matter throw it at me.

-Thanks!
P.S. i set up an appointment at the mitsu dealership that states they know what to look for in used evos to do a full inspection for $109.00
is this a good idea or a waste of money.

 

Well it seems you have the right mindset. Get as much info as possible, have it inspected, question everything the seller says. At this point its up to you if you want to take a risk. English racing is a respected company in the community and know what they are doing.

Did you look it all over yourself? My advice would be have it inspected, preferably by an aftermarket evo shop rather than the dealer, but if you can't having it inspected in general is better then nothing. I would not buy untill after you have it inspected. I would also be persistant about who and where the engine was built.

 

If you depend on your car so much to get you to work, why trade it? Do you have a payment on it? I don't understand why if you have a dependable car, you would want to trade it for something you feel has problems. In my opinion, I wouldn't give up a dependable car for something that may be fun and exciting for the first week, but then give me problems later on. If you have a gut feeling and the guy seems sketch, pass on it. No reason to get yourself into an issue you may not be able to get yourself out of. You also said that you only have a day to decide, that's not enough time to thoroughly go over the car and think of every little thing you would need to go over and/or ask. I would also want to know where he got work done, why he won't tell you screams sketch to me. I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but unfortunately people are scum and will find anyway to make a quick buck.

 

Sounds like a headache and definitely not worth 23k, not even if it was running in tip top shape.

Any bolt on solid running Evo is going to feel faster than what you're currently in. Don't get overexcited, be smart about your purchase.

I'd pass. Wait for something better.

 

You can always find something better. Skip it. If the guy seems sketchy he probably is.

 

Too shadey!! Wait for the right Evo man. You will know when you find.