I know nothing about WRX's, help me out...

Anything he should look for, car has 50k, bone stock, 02' for $12k, is this a good deal? Any problems he should look for?

He wants to start modding it if he gets it, any pages to staged upgrades, recommended vendors, or good parts catalogs, links to places that do ECU flashes and stuff like that! Thanks for your help.

 

sorry to hear he is buying a wrx and not an lancer

 

sounds like a good deal.....I'd check www.kbb.com to see for sure. Seems like a LOT of miles though for a 2 year old car. Good call though......WRX's are great cars if you want the performance and AWD and don't quite have EVO money.

 

^^ Same but best of luck with your modding.

 

Tell him to get a compression check done or a leak down test done.

 

Check out Vishnu's Stage 0. I had one on my wagon and it was the best bang for the buck hp upgrade out there.

 

Well the Stage 0 looked pricey as compared to a DYnoflash for the EVO...but if it is really worth it then why not?!

What kind of compression #'s should a healthy WRX get? I can easily run a compression test.

So somebody on this board has to have a friend with a WRX or something...what are some good upgrades and what should my friend look for when buying a used WRX? Also NADA says expected mileage for the year is 45-48k, so 50k isn't really that bad.

 

I think it's some where between 155-165 psi

 

b/c set to 16 psi, txs 4 in dp, cat delete,catback, uppipe.

check the tranny most of all new their rough going into first from anything over 5 mph. and reverse sometimes you have to mess with to get it so thats normal if it has that. mostly make sure no gears grind shifting with the tach high really check 4th doing this. the only cylinder you have to worry about if its been stock the entire time is number 3 the close to the turbo. sometimes the tend to warp allittle from the heat.

 

50 grand is not alot of mileage at all.

Well, remember, an 02WRX is really an 01. Car was released in MAR 2001.

Be leary of the transmission. That car has the weakest transmission of any sportscar out there

It is still pretty cheap. I would have him look very closely for evidence of modifications, like the fender liner on the passenger side. If it is missing clips or looks "popped out" where it meets the fender, the car was probably modded.

Other than the tranny, they are an awesome car with a great build quality. I recommend gruppe-s for helix parts. They are simply the best bang for the buck. Beware of Vishnu. That guy and his company are pretty contraversial in the WRX community. My friend (1WRX2NV on i-club and NASIOC) spent $5000 there, and was his stage 2 flagship test car, only to be told off with explicit remarks when he was having issues and seeking help. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

 

oh great sounds like a DSM tranny...

I will look into Gruppe-S....they make a 4" DP for the WRX!?!? That is huge! Vishnu is the only place I found that made a flash...is there any other companies?

BASICLEVO:
What HP should that give him with that setup you described above? Just want to get some ideas.

 

my wife drive a 03 WRX she loves it.....not too many mods, cobb cb, aem intake and boost controller. her car had been very reliable. she is planning on bigger turbo and front mount some time next year.

there are a few sites you can visit

www.nasioc.com
www.wrxfanatics.com
www.clubwrx.net

thats just a few. hope that helps

 

check out www.cobbtuning.com

 

Not a bad deal at all WRX are nice rides if I wasn't able to afford the Evo thats what I would have gotten. I would say Vishnu for staged upgrades on it.

 

Ahhh, no offense but i'd much rather have a wrx than a lancer. But I don't think I would purchase a 50k mile wrx either.