New Subaru owners beware of previous Subaru owners. 💀💀

I had the exact issue you explained. Previous owner traded his car into a dealership, car had an intake and downpipe. Cobb AP was unmarried. I bought the car with codes, but a retune fixed the problem.

Great channel just found it. I just bought a 2019 STI, previous owner had blown the engine. He paid out of pocket to essentially rebuild the entire engine and all components, so I got a 50,000 mile car with brand new short block, head gasket, water pump, all the belts cooler lines etc. No plans to modify it, just enjoying the ride.

I really appreciate this video! Smeedia you're the man bro!

Thank you for the information 🙏 I am looking for a sti but didn't know witch one to look into.

Best part about this is that it applies to every sports car platform and even to just buying a car in general. Appreciate the advice. -11' hatch owner

picking up a 2017 sti everything stock besides nameless axle back. this video helped

Thanks for the video Tanner! I installed my oil pressure and oil temp gauges yesterday on my 2019 STI. I attached and molded into the A-Pillar a double 2 5/8" gauge pod from autometer and it looks and works sick! You always inspire me to keep going. By the way, if you hate brake dust like I do, spray Armor All brake dust repellant on clean wheels. Mine would get black after one day of driving, today they looked brand new after all day driving. A+ 100% recommended product.

My 2014 Wrx hatch has been great. I definitely keep up on the maintenance and have it properly tuned by a very reputable shop. Car runs like a clock and has for 4 years. I hit 6k rpm every day.

All great tips Tanner well done .

My 2015 WRX is the first Subaru/boosted/awd car I’ve ever owned. Before I bought it, I had never been interested in changing my own oil. Two years later, the only stock parts under the hood are the longblock, turbo, tranny, and intake manifold. 15m worth of KZfaq videos gave me the confidence to do all my work (thanks Grimmspeed :D ). The FA20 is extremely easy to work on! It’s just a big lego as far as I’m concerned hahaha

Well said, previous owners are a big problem with Subaru's, on 'sale'. Great video T, Im keeping mine.

As soon as you posted I’m here woohoo 🎉!

You know what your doing with the timing of this video... Great vid man!

I needed this so bad!

Love the guide. I bought my 2015 sti summer of 2020 for 20k. At the time everything else I was seeing was at least 22(usually closer to 24-26) and had way more miles (this one had 85k) Now I’m at 110k, engine is holding strong with some bolt ons and a proper tune. It did have a downpipe when I got it but still had an accessport tube loaded so I got lucky there (no AP tho) so I ended up buying one and getting retuned. I am building a spare shortblock as of now (2012 sti ej257 crank and rods, type RA pistons, stock rebuild heads) Right now I’m tuned low and on only 91 octane with about 290 wheel. I’m hoping to get up to around 330 wheel (bascually max out the stock turbo) and keep it like that for a while or a 20g for a little more power. With injectors etc, and I also want a ewg. Bought the car at 17 and mods are going slow because of college so I don’t have a steady full time job to support it but it’s coming, Thanks for all the inspiration

Found a 07 STI Limited out of state. I couldn't resist , so I bought it. Not exactly in the condition the seller stated, but it does have a new short block. I'm approaching 10 grand ,on top of what I paid for it, but I think it will be a fun car when its done. Thanks for you're expertise

New sti owner here just picked up my 2016 sti last month it was modified by previous at the dealership I got it from well taken care of only 55k miles It got the Cobb stage 2 set up catless downpipe and thankfully it’s been professionally done and pro-tuned the turbo was replaced under warranty about 1k miles ago, had spark plugs replaced and also was checked for ringland failure and passed I’m aware with these cars being temperamental I baby it and once in a while I’ll let it rip I’m extremely impressed with this car I used to have a ‘96 2GA eclipse GSX back in the day and a 03 neon srt4, I love your channel very informative!

I have a 2014 Satin White Pearl WRX with excellent mods and two pro tunes to make her run right!. . The car has 161,000K Klm on it and it runs like a champ at 18Lbs of boost max with a 3 port boost control solenoid. The car is a daily and I could not be more happy with it. I also swapped out the stock brakes with STI brakes and it is just wonderful. The body of the car is in mint condition top and bottom. Its all about proper maintenance!.. and spending that time to maintain her. Do your OIL CHANGES!.. lol and also other fluids. Thanks again brother for the great videos as always.

Well I can tell you my 08 STI is teaching me how to absolutely repair everything on the vehicle. But its so worth it learning new skills👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Doesn't matter what platform your looking to buy find someone who really knows the platform. If you don't know someone then reach out to a local subaru, evo, Honda, k series group Facebook ect.... there is always that one guy like me who is willing to donate there time so someone doesn't get screwed over.

Nice summation. I think I'll keep my 2014 (just built) STI for quite a few years. GR = best version IMO. Love the vids man!!

Previous owners is why I always stayed away from Subarus for yearssssss. I really wanted a 06-07 Hawkeye STI growing up, but since becoming a mechanic I’ve learned finding a Subaru sti/wrx that hasn’t been FBO or messed with is extremely rare. Luckily I found a 2014 WRX sedan with a full car fax history, no bolts ons ever put on, super clean, 68K miles, 1 owner, full maintenance history, spotless interior. All for around 19K in December 2020! I’ve put 8-9k miles on the car in a little over a year and I do not regret it!!

I was able to score a 15 STI that was bone stock with 40k miles on it. Just did intake/exhaust/tune/FA coils. Runs great, I'll never sell.

Great info!!!

One day I'm going to pick a WRX Type-R STI GC. It's so rare and unique and it will skyrocket in price in few years for sure even tho it's not cheap today!

One thing I’d also like to add is if it is an older model with mods make sure they spent money were it matters. Most of these with over 120k miles has probably had the head gasket go at some point so make sure to get some information about what they did as far as getting it rebuilt and where they had it built at so you can get some information about what all was replaced from the shop at the time. This will also tell you exactly how many miles is on the new engine build as shops will record how many miles were on the car when it was rebuilt. Personally if it has a closed deck block or sleeves I’d pay a premium on that because it’s a very expensive thing to do and allows you to increase the power without having to worry about ringlands or rod knock and most likely it’ll have a beefier mls head gasket as well. Getting the normal Subaru problems sorted out is a major plus so you won’t have to worry about getting them done in the future. Don’t be afraid of mods, be afraid of the back to stock cars that were traded in. My best friend bought a wrx one year old, didn’t realize it was modded and back to stock. Blew up after a couple hundred miles and the dealership wouldn’t give him anything for it- plus because it had tuning software on it the warranty was voided by the previous owner. Talk about sh*t out of luck.

This video makes me feel better about buying my 16 wrx with 7k miles one owner and completely stock besides axle back

I bought the fully built 05 STI with race car problems. Hella worth it. lol I've already had to tap one of the water pump bolts and currently saving for new timing parts. Still worth it! Every penny! lol

Where was this video when I was in the market for my Subie? 😂 But educational as always Tanner, keep it up!

Bought my hyperblue back In august and could not love it more

Such a fun car... I hope it's not the end of it. Subaru, please don't stop making it

Legit, thx bro. ✌️👌

Yeah so you made my 07 cry a little when you said they are old...Great video man completely spot on

I made all these mistakes when I bought my bugeye--I had just turned 17 and was wide eyed and set on anything I could find without worrying about what had been done to it or the mileage on the chassis. My neighbor put his car for sale and I ended up buying that, had 185k miles at the time and had full bolt ons with a 16G turbo. I've had to fix so many issues with it over the years, it had a sketchy open source tune and an HKS bov to begin with so had to correct that, and eventually had to replace the engine last winter when a rusty head bolt cracked and the driver side head started lifting. I had to rebuild the transmission as well, ended up doing a torsen front LSD with an STi RA gearset and a rear AP Racing suretrac diff. Now I'm having to replace all the worn out bushings, axles, rusty suspension bolts, and fix the incorrectly aligned steering rack. It also has the classic rear quarter rust spot that I'll eventually have to fix. In hindsight would have been much better to wait and buy an unmodified low mile chassis, but now that I've had the car for almost 7 years and have dumped so much money into it, makes sense just to finish correcting everything and continue driving it.

Great vid as always man! Love my '08 wrx, she's my little shitbox for now lol (currently broken)

Just traded in my 15 wrx for a 2020 Sti, in world rally blue. So stoked, got my dream car finally 😁✨

Great video. Little advice, harder to follow if you don’t know the chassis acronyms, so sticking to years when talking about them is easier for newer crowd to follow

Doing plugs this weekend along with some killer b stuff, punching bag is going to get some work on it as well.

2021 WRX Limited with 8300 miles coming in a couple weeks. Can't wait!

Good info... would mention about potential Rust issues.. and where to look :)... Shock towers, Quarters and Rockers... A no-rust GD is worth way more that even a built GD.. IMO.. :)

Good info thanks

have my 06 wrx wrb and my 08 dgm sti both bone stock (mechanically) and never had a problem, treat them nice and keep oil in them and they will treat you nice back

Any chance you can do a video like this for the WRX? Non STI. I'm curious of your opinion on those cars as well. Love ya bro

If you're somewhat garage/driveway-mechanic savvy, and if the facility you're purchasing from has the equipment, insist that you be allowed to view the car while it is on a lift. Look at the exhaust bolts from downpipe to muffler and check the nuts and bolts. If you see tool marks, you can pretty much assume that it's been modified at some point. If you see marks on the downpipe-to-turbo fittings, it's been modified to at least stage 2 levels (see Cobb Tuning website for details), hopefully with a retune which is mandatory to reduce risk of overboost/boost creep, lean conditions, and potential engine damage. From here, I personally think it is safe to assume there were other modifications which means that you are looking at someone else's old toy. This comes with inherent risks and depending on mileage and how well the car has been cared for you could be paying for a headache. Never take the sellers word at face value, especially where modifications are concerned.

The 2015 STI I just bought has a single pipe invidia, grimmspeed 3 port boost control solenoid, Cobb sf intake/box, gfb respons adjustable bypass/bov(bov is closed)..still need to get into it more but the access port is the first thing I’m buying.

Got a 2016 WRX premium running As safe as possible on 🌽 with 72k miles and the FOMO on the STI getting the best of me 🥴🥴🥴… been thinking about just keeping it and finding a hatch 🤞🏼

Got a one year old 2021 STI with 6k miles. Bone stock. I figured it's new enough and hopefully the previous owner didn't beat on it too much

great info

Thanks for this vid. Im 17 rn and cant drive yet but i got a learners license. Going to Test Drive a ´16 STI in Saturday… im Super excited lol 😮‍💨

Wish this video came out a while ago 😑. Bought a used WRX under the impression it was stock *I knew nothing about wrxs at the time* and just to find it it has STi heads and unsure but maybe a while EJ257. Definitely look at everything

I bought a subaru WRX STI from 2012 last Friday with 55k miles on it. Everything original except for the brake discs. Best day so far

If your buying a STI keep an eye out on the brakes I bought my 2006 STI and didnt realize it had the WRX brakes not the Brembos found that out when i bought new pads and rotors for it had to find used calipers and rebuild them

I’m trying to pick up a STi before the market gets too expensive. Probably going to rock it stock. My FA WRX (which I’m keeping) is already plenty quick at 400hp 390tq

Thanks to you said a new sti 2022 should not be trusted because a different engine to wait a few years before pull the trigger that make me go strait to the dealership cioca subaru and they told me there was only two left a white pearl & a rally blue I got the white one that's was last week October 2021 up to March 16 2022 just put 3312 miles on it I got a 2011 accord for 5 days and use my sti for 2 days love your channel Thanks so much I can't stop turning my head around when I close my car door & a stupid smile

If I was looking for an STI, I would want an undamaged, low miles, unmodified one. I’m not tuning mine because I think it will be worth worth more if I don’t. I’ve only changed wheels, suspension and added an AOS.

Should do a video like this about “ now you have bought a used STI an everything seemed great when doing a over look. Here is the first things I would do within the first 2 weeks or so of owning it” or something of a video like this .

wish I saw this when I got mine Im just thankful the previous owner left the v1 accessport still installed with the ecu lol

If I was given the choice I would maybe take the Sti but the first gen brz would’ve the go 😁

I couldn't help but stop by the dealership today to find out for myself if what ever left of the new older generation WRX STI was going to cease to arrive at local dealership and the truth disappointed me. I was looking into replacing the STI that I lost from a Gaylafornia tailgater but it's not looking like it's going to happen. The new body style that they came out this year I would call a "Subada" because it almost resembles Subaru/Honda body all together, WTF. I can only hope that the makers will come up with a better body style in the future. Nothing too crazy. I really miss the enjoyment I got out of the car. RIP

What’s up Smeedia!

Dude, I just love working on my Subaru. They are so easy to work on, so simple and streamlined across their fleet. But only stick to the Tokyo Roki filters from Mazda.

Nice vid. Wish I saw it 2 years ago and just went with the damn sti. I have a 2019 wrx... and apparently I am one of the rare few who have had issues with the cam gears (not a STI issue, but still...) wondering if anyone else may have had this issue. RH cam got stuck, had to be replaced, 3000 miles later LH cam now threw a CEL and needs to be replaced along with the timing components and ecu. At least on the east coast, no help from Subaru. My tuner had to take over and do the work on my dime.

When I got my '13 Hatchback STI about 7 months ago I was too excited, had too much awkward anxiety, and knew too little about cars to make sure it was a good one. The more I learn about these cars, the more I realize how well cared for my car was by the previous owner. They loved it and now I love it and I'm very happy to get one of my dream cars. I just wish I had known this information first so I didn't have to take to KZfaq in a panic after hearing "all the problems these cars have". Though I'm glad I did because I have learned sooo much and get to watch some pretty great videos now. The Subaru community is awesome. Other Subaru owners wave at me now, its wicked!

Whoaaa, is that a Hawk eye wagon on the left? Looks CrAZYYyYyy 🤫

Can you make a list of things to ask a dealer though? I'm looking to get one as my first "enthusiast" car and when I look at listings online I have no idea what to look for. So far the only thing I look for is the engine swaps because at glance if it says 2.0L I know to skip over for the 2015-2021 gen.

Yo @smedia, what radiator brand do you recommend most for reliability and power/heat capabilities? Im ready to pull the trigger and need aome brand insight. Thx bro, u are the reason I own a 20 sti!

Great video! Does anyone know if this news from Subaru is also affecting the prices of WRXs, or is it only STIs?

Trying to sell my 2020 wrx for a 2015+ sti but these prices man keep going up😂

Hey Tanner, orig owner of 17 year old 05 sti here. Love the car and still going strong at 120k and an IAG built block! I'm I the market for a hatchback but may have to hold off for another year or so due to finances. I'm rebuilding my orig ej257 (based on your specs ) so I will have an extra shortblock on hand. Do you think it's a good route for me to find a hatch with a blown motor at a discount and plan to swap in my extra built shortblock or should I try to find a hatch in better condition from the start? I can do some work on he car myself but would need my mechanic to do the engine swap for me.

I have my sti with just catback, coilovers, wheels and exterior planning to keep it like that as I drive 4K miles a year and it’s a 2021 😅

With my 16 wrx, full bolt on and running STi brembos, when I go built motor... I'll prolly just go EJ. No lie. Lol Get the drivetrain obviously too.

Hi tanner, just wanted to know what are your thoughts on a gc8 platform, we’re planning to get one here in the Philippines. What we’re looking at right know has a bigger turbo, bigger piston, coils, safc neo, killer bee oil pickup and baffles. Currently making 235whp

I’ve been looking into trading my car in for an sti and every sti I’ve found in the past has sold. Every day i look i find a bew one and then it sells either that day or the following day. Hoping that the right subie comes when I’m ready to trade it in

sweet I will poste mine in every video comments when tis time to sell.

06 still regarded as the most sought after STI...the original HAWKEYE model.

I put mine back to stock beside the AOS, not worth the effort of removing. Then sold everything else to put toward new mods!

i was waiting you to speak about 2002 sti prodrive ide like to have an explain about this car from you

Thank you so much for all the information! So informative especially considering I’m probably going to full send it and follow my dreams getting a wrx sti! I’ve been on the hard debate between getting a brand new GR86, but the full dreamer and enthusiast side is coming out of me and I’ll probably be looking around for a VA chassis. Just everything about the car is so beautiful, but I will take my time and do the research to make sure I buy the right one. For sure like you mentioned, look for one stock as possible and under 60k mile range, What price range would be considered fair in terms of buying one in the end? So far all the ones nearby me are 30-33k

Whenever I encounter a modded vehicle I throw a fit about it's going to be so much trouble returning it to stock. Especially with bikes when people think their 100$ slip on exhaust adds value of some kind

Great info. I found a 2011 sti for $15k stage3 plus a lot of add-ons, tuned by a reputable shop and papers to back it up. What do you think?

what’s your opinion on a 2005 STI clean tittle NEW STI RA shortblock, arp head studs, IAG oil pan, IAG pickup, IAG oil baffle, all new seals and gaskets, intake, full exhaust, 2013 STI intercooler. the dude who sells these only works on subies and ppl all over my area are saying he doesn’t sell messed up ones. dude wants $19.5k tho

i still love my 04 Sti with an EJ207 had to swap it

You know you’re old when you thought of a palm pilot when describing what an access port looks like lol

Whats up Tanner!, The Blue Devil looking mean on the background

You should find a nice sunny weekend soon and get a little Subaru rally together... we could all BS about our cars.

Found a 2009 WRX Base Hatch with 101k miles, and I talked the guy down to $10k. Clutch and timing done 10k miles ago. Says it’s always been stock, but I noticed a Mishimoto turbo inlet was in the photos. I know narrow-bodies aren’t the best, but this is the only good deal around me I can find. Thoughts?

The end of an era...what shame. I own 2 Saabaru's, 1 is a Linear the other is an Aero(WRX). They are great vehicles and I won't part with the Aero but I was looking to get an STI. Unfortunately you can't get a new one, so I've been searching for a hatchback. I would love to score an unmodified hatch with low mileage.

the dearler mark-ups are actually insane right now..... looking around in canada a 21 sti sport-tech is easily 50-70k right now. just bonkers.

GR is 👏🏾built boosted I had Multiple check ups

I was told never modify my STI now. Even though I have cylinder 4 ringland failure, and have a out front closed deck block for it now. But was told not to throw it in cause of the value on it now

Kinda miss my 07 Sti….. but my 13 dgm Sti sedan is so beautiful it’s so hard to give up

Avoid buying modified if at all possible. I just looked at the subaru dealer I bought my 2019 wrx and I looked at a used 2019 and it had a cold air intake on it in the pictures and no accessport with the car. This is something you avoid. Especially since the dealer notes never mentioned it.

The subaru sti is definitely that car you gotta know about or else you going to shoot yourself in the foot I'm looking one for one as daily so my best bet is getting a newer one even tho the hatchback version looks really good

i made a mistake and didnt bring a flashlight to inspect under the car. the previous owner parked it in a parking garage for me to look at. and i did my best to check everything, and it looked fine. but i couldnt see under the car..... well. rust, and lots of it. turns out the original owner lived in a snowy state. they let the salt rust the underside away. and now im in thousands of dollars of parts (not including my own repair time to remove rusted parts and install new parts).

Just a thought looking to get into this year sti my dream car I've had my honda si for a while looking at a sti it is a 16' limited with 40k miles 32k 1 owner stage 2 with all the supporting mods. Clean carfax 1 owner Asking the dealer if it's protuned my guess it is but how would I know that exactly? Already asked for compression tests to be done and records of any kind.

I am still waiting for my 2022. I have no desire to mod mine. It is just going to be my daily ride and have some fun in. I just want it to last.

Aside from newer sti’s, I’ve had trouble finding good places to find older sti’s for sale, predominately the early 2000’s models. Is there any places such as an online marketplace or other platform that is good to use to find these cars for sale?

Just looked at a 2015. Low miles, clutch doesn’t engage till almost at the top. Feels normal otherwise, normal??

I bought my bone stock 2016 STI 2 years ago @ 31,000 km (19,000 miles). It’s now at 63,000 km (40k miles) and still bone stock! I plan on lowering it a bit with coilovers and some mods to prolong the life of the car. Which coilovers are you running and is it a better ride quality than stock? I want to lower it without sacrificing ride quality.