[bluejays]

I was in the same position as you a few years ago. I was deadset on owning an sti. I didn't want to purchase brand new, so I spent months looking everywhere for a used sti and came up empty (couldn't find a well maintained one; money was never the issue). Eventually I broadened my searches and ended up with an evo x. If you're deadset on the sti make sure you get the compression and leakdown tests done as others have mentioned; if not, there are a lot of other similar cars you can explore. Happy searching!