2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS. Anything in particular I should look out for?

So, I've been scouring Craigslist for the past couple of months trying to find a replacement for my rotting Saturn without much luck. Just this evening, I figured I would try out Autotrader. I managed to stumble across this car in my search:

http://www.vadirectauto.com/2002_Subaru_Impreza_Virginia%20Beach_VA_257289999.veh

It checks off quite a few boxes for me, specifically it's manual, has aftermarket support, and is likely a bit more fun to drive than my SL2.

Now, I'm new to Subaru's, so I'm just curious if there are any specific issues I should be wary of, beyond regular maintenance items. It's an NA car, so I'm hoping that will remove one area of concern (turbo issues). The mileage worries me a bit, but I have heard of these motors lasting quite a bit over 300K with regular maintenance.

This might be all for naught, since it's likely the car will be gone by the time I round up the money and actually make the drive across the bay, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Timing belt. Read yer dipstick.

I think a few of the issues all of those imprezas share (NA or Turbo) are:

1) rubber fuel lines in the engine bay in cold weather areas should be checked and or replaced. They have issues leaking.

2) Wheel bearings.

I had an 02 WRX wagon that I loved should have never ditched and didn't have any issues besides those two and a few other minor things in the year of ownership.

All 2.2 and 2.5 will get piston slap over about 150-200k. Sounds like a bad rod knock that goes away when warmed up. Just ignore it, it isn't really hurting anything. However there will come a time when the car will become absurdly slow off idle then come on like a light switch over ~2200rpm. This is the adaptive ignition timing talking, the piston slap is now bad enough that it registers as knock. So you relocate the knock sensor 3 inches away to a conveniently located threaded hole on top of the bellhousing, disconnect the battery for a few minutes (clearing codes does NOT reset learned timing, have to do it the bad old way) and it will be right as rain again.

Probably not a problem for you, but it seems to be a given that any strut rear suspension Subaru has body rot issues. I haven't seen one yet over 5-6 years old where I couldn't reach up opposite the rear springs and reach in through the inner fender. Subaru put a kind of shelf in there that accumulates dirt and moisture and salt.

Likewise, there is a nice plastic shield over the filler neck whose main purpose seems to be to concentrate dirt and moisture against the filler neck. Haven't yet seen an evap leak on a Subaru that didn't involve replacing the neck and dropping about 20 pounds of grit out of the plastic shield.

None of this dissuades me from wanting an '04 STi.

Headgaskets.

Thanks for the info so far gentlemen. I'm hoping that rust won't be as big of an issue with a car from Va Beach. I don't know what is so different over there compared to the Eastern Shore. I'm thinking they don't use as much salt during the winter time.

I'm kinda getting excited, because I've wanted a Subaru ever since a friend let me drive his WRX. Granted, that one was modified a bit, but still. I'm hoping to get to Va Beach this week, since I need to rent a tux for my wedding in Oct. Right now, it looks like funding is going to be my biggest issue, since I don't have $4,000 laying around, and most banks won't lend for cars over 6 or 7 years old.

If it's got some miles on it and nobody has thrown a gasket kit at it yet, expect it to leak oil. Like old chevy levels of oil leaks.

Make sure the trans is reasonably quiet (there will be some gear noise) and the fluid is at least free of glitter (there is a dipstick on the pass. side near the firewall).

It will have some weird noises and vibrations, these are not Toyota grade Japanese cars.

Educate yourself and be aware of the 2.5 head gasket issues of that era (it would be a Phase 2 engine in that one). Subaru HG wiki

Timing belt replacement is essential every 90,000 miles.

Coil packs can sometimes crack and cause misfires. They seem fussy about plug wires-need to be in good condition and only using NGK or OEM ones.

P0420 engine codes will drive you insane if they start. Just search on any of the forums and understand O2 sensors and new catalytic converters typically do NOT fix this code. The infamous $5 Fix workaround usually does.

Those are really the only big issues on these cars aside from rumbly wheel bearings. They are fun cars, better than the sum of their parts. Aftermarket support is huge. Parts swap-a-bility between models is like Mr Potato Head.

ddavidv wrote: Coil packs can sometimes crack and cause misfires. They seem fussy about plug wires-need to be in good condition and only using NGK or OEM ones.

They're no different than any other car in this regard.

P0420 engine codes will drive you insane if they start. Just search on any of the forums and understand O2 sensors and new catalytic converters typically do NOT fix this code.

Have never seen that as an issue. OTOH as a repair facility we don't use crap converters. Subarus put the converters necessarily very far away from the engine, while the branched Y exhaust manifold added lots more surface area in areas of low flow, which is the worst case scenario basically. A lot of heat gets lost before the exhaust can make it to the catalysts. Cats that work properly are not cheap but they also don't give problems.

Another thing to consider is that any exhaust leaks upstream of the catalysts will also cause efficiency errors. That nattering exhaust isn't just an annoyance that requires the radio turned up a bit louder, it is also causing those annoying codes to keep coming.

Look for all the rust. Hopefully it didn't get hit by salt air for any length of time

Someone already mentioned rust.

Interesting: Did a search on an online tech hotline. Did in fact find a lot of P0420 hits. Maybe 95% of them were "fix was removed aftermarket cat and installed OE cat." (at great expense, amid much wailing and gnashing of teeth, etc)

The interesting, were the hits for the P0420 being caused by an electrically noisy alternator...

Head gaskets. Usually either slowly dripping coolant/oil out of the head-block interface or it's been (not paid attention to) and run out of coolant and overheated. There will be no in-between state, and 99% of the time you can drive it with a bad head gasket as long as you monitor the coolant and oil to make sure they aren't mixing.

I did an '08 Legacy that was not leaking externally but was mixing coolant into the oil. But yeah, usually they drool out the drainback passage, which is the whole length of the bottom of the deck surface.

By the time that is drooling bad enough to warrant fixing, the oil pan is also drooling a bunch and it's easiest to just yank the engine, which is nowhere near as traumatic an experience as in most cars. I think my engine-on-ground record is 45 minutes on a nonturbo 5-speed car...

sobe_death wrote: and 99% of the time you can drive it with a bad head gasket as long as you monitor the coolant and oil to make sure they aren't mixing.

I've got a friend who is a testament to that, he's had a full felpro gasket set for the car since 2013, it's just worked out cheaper and easier for him to dump a jug of Rotella T in it every month than a spend a weekend yanking it out and resealing it.

as if you need to hear it again, but headgaskets. if they're original, its a matter of time. if they were replaced with the turbo MLS gaskets, you're good to go.

timing belt is a 100k item but also be sure the idler pulleys were replaced with it. often the pulleys are left alone and come apart between the 100 to 200k belt change.

otherwise, just keep the oil topped up and expect a few rattles from old exhaust shielding. the subaru N/A 2.5's are pretty tough.

Yeah, definitely never leave the idler pulleys, even the factory ones are loose by 100k. You want the full kit with water pump.

I've heard that the water pumps basically never fail but the cheap aftermarket ones do. I always use good name-brand ones (don't buy Autozone or Rock Auto crap) and don't have problems either.

The idlers seem to fail before the belt itself looks bad.

Suck it up and buy the all inclusive kit that has the belt, all the idlers, and the tensioner. Have seen way too many hydraulic tensioners fail 30k into a new belt to EVER re-use one that has done an entire timing belt life's worth. If you see oil seepage or wetness on top, it's already bad but just hasn't hard-failed yet.

Yeah, I've never seen any Subaru water pump fail. Never even seen rust in one without it being removed and left to weather outside.

So, head gaskets? ;)

It may be a non-issue since I have yet to find anyone that will lend the money. The banks I've talked to said that the car is too old, and that they lend out a minimum of $5,000. A friend of mine suggested some credit unions, so I'm going to keep trying.

Dood,

As a 45 year old who has hopefully matured, let me give you one piece of advice. One that it took me a couple times to learn:

Don't take out a loan on a toy. They will rape you. Especially the credit union. Multiply out your payments and understand the difference between that number and what they want for the car is money in which you are getting NOTHING for.

Start saving for your car now. Trust me, every one that comes up and looks like a once in a lifetime opportunity isn't. There will be MANY more.

It's a shylock's game (I mean Shylock the character and am not referring to any particular ethnic group). Don't play it for small stuff. Homes, businesses, cars you need for work --that's different.

Anyway..that's my 2 cents

Do the math and figure out if it's worth it to you. I got a very affordable loan for a toy last year.

In reply to Carro Atrezzi:

Trust me, if I didn't need it as a daily driver, I wouldn't even consider loans or credit unions. Unfortunately, my car just isn't safe to drive, and nobody wants to attempt to repair for fear of liability if it failed. Add to the fact that I haven't had much luck finding something I would trust as a DD for $1000-1500, and I'm getting a bit desperate.