I agree, maintenance is key. It is helpful that the one post mentions all of the work he has had done while the other does not. I could still always ask about what that guy has had worked on though if I were to choose that one. What would you recommend?

i like the 00 because it has the US bumper but maintenance history is a big unknown at this point. but i do see a specialty subaru license plate frame on it though, despite it having been bought from richmond subaru, which i don't have much faith in as a business. maybe you could ask specialty if they have service history on it.

i like the 98 because most of the required major mechanical work is done... but it's older and has that CEL (again, needs to be checked to confirmed if major/minor). the 2 sets of wheels are a bonus too...

i don't know. i'm leaning towards the 98, because not enough is known about the 00. but i need to keep stressing on the mechanical inspection by a mechanic that knows subarus. the ej25 is known for head gasket failures and it's a big mess when they go bad on a boxer, which is what i suspect happened with the 98 and the owner chose to fix it right rather than do a mickey mouse special on it.

gonna look at the m3 tonight

Im definitely getting a car inspected prior to purchase - a family friend in abbotsford is going to do it for me.
Both posts mention rear wheel well rust (a common problem for this model as you probably know). How much should I budget to fix the this would you say? Respray isn't too much of a concern and can always get it done at a later time (or wrapped depending on $$)

"integra type R"

okay......

edit: i realize that is your footer now and i dont know how to remove posts just ignore this

Wow that m5 looks cheap. Maintenance though.

2000 Acura Integra Type-R (Phoenix Yellow)
Rebuilt title PY ITR

again, make sure your family friend knows all the specific stuff associated with subarus. i once had bcaa do an inspection and it was a joke... "noisy engine" was the comment, because it was a boxer :rolleyes:

if it's just rust bubbles or surface corrosion (ie. not perforated), and you don't care about a full respray, grind it down or use por-15 and clean it up just to stop it from getting worse, hit it with some self-etching primer and a rattle can of touch up paint. or, there are places locally that do spot repairs on the cheap that aren't worth the time for bodyshops to profit from. a lot of subarus see heavy winter use, and they tend to see a lot more corrosive road crap in their lifetime. leave it unchecked and it can spread like cancer. a quality wrap will cost more than a full respray sometimes.

hm. the obvious assumption is that it was in a front end collision, hence the jdm conversion. since garagefive did the swap they can do a pre-inspection and tell how good or bad the repairs were. if it all checks out it can be a daily that needs a bit of tlc you don't have to worry about being a show quality all the time?

just wondering: why all that maintenance work, but no head gasket replacement before swapping the engine in? did they get good compression numbers and decided against it because of cost?

can anyone read the serial number? is it 00-1132?

http://images.craigslist.org/00A0A_1...7G_600x450.jpg

how did it go? any news?

if it was just the crash bar that bent from impact, and the frame rails are actually ok and not bent... not too bad of a deal...


phoenix yellow ftw.

Damn I know this school... :denied:


Used to... ahem... "know" a lot of chicks from there... :badpokerface:

Rebuilt JDM front PY ITR to beat on? :considered:

The EDM steering wheel is a nice rare(ish) touch.

2002 Acura TL Type S
What do you guys think?

2003 bmw m3 coupe Outside Victoria, Victoria

03 M3 manual coupe 158kms, stock, silver on red. $16k
No pics and who knows about accidents.

transmission is a ticking time bomb. and the fact the seller can't even be bothered to check what the CEL is dosen't give me any confidence...

Honestly im unsure of his experience with awd cars, all I know is he used to be a mechanic for a bigger shop in abby (idk what it was called) and now he just does work on the side in the shop at his house.
I'm relatively new to the car scene as you could probably tell, would you have another suggestion perhaps I could go instead for an inspection?

If it is a Subie inspection that you need, I can hardly think of any shop that knows their Subies better than HBL Autosports (in Richmond).

I second HBL for inspecting Subies.

Just keep in mind Eric will give you worst case scenario for everything, but at least you know he looked thoroughly.

have you been to nasioc.com? they have a vancouver section there, and it's a pretty good community so i'm sure someone can recommend a good mechanic for you. who knows, they might even know both of the cars in question:

Vancouver Impreza Club Forum -- VIC - NASIOC

good luck :thumbsup:

Thanks! If the initial test drive goes well i will check them out.
Do you know what I would be looking at for prices for an inspection, it couldn't be too expensive I'd imagine.

I have done some of my research on their website (about what to look for when looking for a subie) but I was unable to locate a thread about shops for inspection. Would you be able to point me in the right direction?

I've put 25k kms on my 02 type s already and has been relatively trouble free! My tranny was rebuilt not too while ago though by the previous owner..
I never bothered looking at any with no transmission history/paper work to prove. It is indeed a ticking time bomb