What to look for when buying an '07 TbSTi

[seanes619]

Hey all,

Seriously looking into buying a Liberty TbSTi and was wondering what there is to look for when buying second hand? And also would love to hear any input from owners of these cars with anything of value about the car or possibly about servicing costs ect.

Thanks!

[HardwareBoB]

* Servicing
* I wouldn't buy an 07 TBSti with under 100kkms on it if it has the original engine - They had a manufacturing problem and they throw big ends. Subaru replaced those that popped, but ones that didn't do enough km or get driven hard enough to die are ticking time bombs.
* Servicing
* Retune is ideal - if it hasn't been tuned I would get it retuned ASAP - the stock tune is likely to blow up your engine (ask ferret - his exploded on the dyno doing a 'before' power run)
* Servicing

That covers the critical points

[HyRax]

In addition to the above, look for the "Paint OK" sticker behind the driver-side headlight in the engine bay. If it's missing, faded, peeling, or painted over, there's a good chance that it has been in a frontal and repaired.

[imania]

Bruce put together a great list for a GT back when i was helping a mate find a car:

Exterior

Subaru blue paint across all nuts on the radiator support panel to mark they're original and haven't been tampered/repaired.
Same as above for the engine bay.
Spare wheel well for dodgy welding etc for repairs

Engine

Excessive Noise
Oil colour
Coolant in the top reservoir for any milky signs.
Check all the spots and nuts and bolts where you'd likely to have a car modded and then returned to stock for sale.
TMIC on the turbo side for nuts worn.
Holes or slits in the firewall grommets for signs of extra gauges etc.

Get the car warmed up and then do some slow full lock turns to check the centre diff for binding. Also good for CVs.
Check for oil around the turbo, weeps or greasy hoses etc. Or even coolant leaks in that area.
A trimmed heat shield or no heatshield around the dump area.
Belts should be checked as normal.
Check all hoses
etc

[seanes619]

Bruce put together a great list for a GT back when i was helping a mate find a car:

Exterior

Subaru blue paint across all nuts on the radiator support panel to mark they're original and haven't been tampered/repaired.
Same as above for the engine bay.
Spare wheel well for dodgy welding etc for repairs

Engine

Excessive Noise
Oil colour
Coolant in the top reservoir for any milky signs.
Check all the spots and nuts and bolts where you'd likely to have a car modded and then returned to stock for sale.
TMIC on the turbo side for nuts worn.
Holes or slits in the firewall grommets for signs of extra gauges etc.

Get the car warmed up and then do some slow full lock turns to check the centre diff for binding. Also good for CVs.
Check for oil around the turbo, weeps or greasy hoses etc. Or even coolant leaks in that area.
A trimmed heat shield or no heatshield around the dump area.
Belts should be checked as normal.
Check all hoses
etc

Thanks for all the help guys! Definitely going to be a big help while I'm looking.