I want to trade my '98 Impreza outback sport in for an sti. i cant afford a new one so i was thinking used. My ex said its an awful idea because of the turbo being beat on by the previous owner. is he right? or are there other factors to consider?
Would a New WRX or Forester XT be options? I have seen new WRX's as low as 19,000 and XT as low as 23,900. I owned a Forester XT and it was by far the best vehicle I have owned. Even better than my 03 WRX. With the current economy, I would wait a bit. The deals will only get better. Subaru is one of the few car companies that did not suffer as Toyota, GM, Ford, Dodge.....
You own a Subaru so you know how reliable they are. Consumer Reports rated Honda, Toyota and Subaru as the most reliable cars by FAR. On the other hand, buying a used sports car is iffy.
Take a good look at the paint and interior. It will give you a good idea on how the previous owner took care of the vehicle.
Myself buy turbo imports all the time and the best bet is to buy the car from an enthusiast and not someone whom just wanted the car to muck around it,source out someone whom may have done mods thats the norm but decent mods and has looked after the car they don't have to be old but ,myself will mail and chat with them and you get a good idea of the person other idea is get on the subaru forums and find one for sale on there as 99% of owners will not sell a bad car on there do to the hassle they would get from other enthusiast also looking at the sellers past forum post gives you an idea of the troubles if any they have had on there cars,and how they fixed it.
As said i buy turbo cars all the time and touch would have not had any probs at the moment my car is 13 years old and still going strong,Most cars are hardcore now days on these levels of car class and they can take punishment but there is a limit of driving the car to what it is make for and killing the car.