WRX owner spies a Spec B in his area...what do?

[nik_nailor]

Hi, long time lurker, first time poster here.

 

I have a 2015 WRX Limited in DGM, and I absolutely love the car. I drive 35 miles one way for work every day, and the fuel efficiency is fantastic, but I can't deny the main reason I bought it was its driving dynamics and handling. Turbo power is an addiction to me now, thanks to this car. I've given it a mild Stage 1 tune with the Accessport and MAPerformance's Stage 1 tune (which combined, cost me less than a brand new AP from Cobb!). What originally got me into Subaru however...was the Forester XT and the Legacy GT. I love sleepers, and I couldn't find one that I could afford that wouldn't also end up being a money pit in the short term.

 

I do not however, like the amount of debt I currently have on it remaining; when I first bought it I was more likely to have a larger amount of disposable income, but my financial situation has changed a bit, and every so often I catch myself thinking about trading it in for something else fun. GTIs, Veloster N (Or the Elantra GT N-Line!), Civic Si...you know, all the cheap-ish, fun runabouts. I'm also looking at older WRX/STI hatches, and the premium on non-messed with ones seems to be in full effect even today.

 

So...there's a dealership in the area nearby that's got a 2007 Spec B for sale. 95k~ miles, roughly $10k. I'm debating investigating this and trading in my WRX for it.

 

I know that the Spec B is going to have the better transmission in the STI 6-speed versus mine, and boxer rumble that the FA20DIT doesn't have but...I am admittedly worried about jumping into an impending money pit.

 

TL;DR: 2015 WRX owner tears his hair out thinking about chasing a Legacy Spec B in his area...but doesn't want to end up balls deep in debt.

[dgoodhue]

A 2007 Spec.b could end up being a money pit, if you look around this forum you will see lot of blown/motor turbo's especially on used car purchases (that likely the prior owner knew about.)

 

Assuming you like your WRX, it may make sense to be patient and work on paying down the car loan. It is likely still reliable at this point. If the monthly payment is too much you can look into refinancing it, but more often than not it is cheaper long term to pay down the original loan.

[gkinslow]

Agree with above.

 

All depends on the condition of the Spec B. Pics of the engine bay and undercarriage would help us help you.

 

If the Spec B has been modded, keep the WRX. The known is almost always better than the unknown when it comes to turbo cars.

[nik_nailor]

I appreciate you guys humoring my question so much! I know in terms of pure objectivity, keeping the WRX is the more sound call but sometimes, we just want to be convinced to do a thing (or not do a thing!)

 

All I know for sure right now is that it's a 2007 Spec B with 94kish (I was wrong in the OP don't crucify me) that appears to be stock. Bolts in the engine bay are semi-rusty looking, and if the Carfax is to be believed it spent some of its life up here in the Northeast, and a good portion of it in Georgia.

 

I'm gonna see if I can get some more in-depth reporting from the dealership, but it's only like a 3 hour drive away, so I feasibly could just go kick tires and set up a test drive appointment...

[Holla]

I found the car on Autotrader. Overall it does look stock, not missing any pieces, original rims, engine cover and air box are all still there so it at least seems like a solid candidate as far as a used spec B goes.

 

You're rolling the dice with any used ej25. Countless cars on the forum have motor rebuilds, mine included. If you don't have an extra 5k+ laying around for a potential rebuild, you're probably better off sticking with the WRX. If you really want to save money and get out of a payment, going with a used Civic Si would probably be a safer choice.

[lilredwagon]

The other side of it is if you do end up spending $5K and dropping in a factory short/long block, you'd still be spending less money than paying off a new WRX. Are you going to do the work yourself? If so, you'd still be ahead if you needed to change the suspension/bushings/bearings. Not so, if you're paying for labor. Rust is the big deal breaker, that's hard to work around.

 

If you can get ~$20K for your WRX, you'd probably be fine, and you'd have the car you wanted in the first place!