Not That Easy

Following my last post, this is the continuation of my viewing of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The salesperson came back with the key and unlocked the car. I was nervous but excited to finally able to sit inside an STI after looking at tons of photos online. I opened the door and admire the frameless doors, usually only available on 2 door coupes. The first thing is to try on was the seats. It was weird to me that a sports car like the STI did not come with Recaro seats and instead have seats that look too fat and sits too high. When I sat on the driver seat, I was surprised the seats provide good side support. I started messing with the gear shifter, testing how hard the clutch feels, sizing the steering wheel and look around at the basic interior design of the STI. The clutch was hard but it was expected from a car that has an output of at least 280 bhp. It is common for enthusiast to change stock clutches to a more sporty twin-plate clutches that could handle more power. Overall, the interior is very clean and only has a Turbo Timer installed. I would have hoped for a 2 din touch screen and some Defi meters. I also had to find evidence that this is a Version 9 and not a converted unit. I learned that the DCCD adjustment switches are different for each different model. So, I took a photo of it for comparison.

I put the key into ignition and start up the engine. Just as it was starting, I heard a hissing sound and I did not like that. I went over and open up the hood to take a look at the engine bay. The first thing I noticed is the add-on oil catch tank, blow off valve and cold air intake which goes into the fender. Since I do not know much about boxer engines, I did not know what to look for. I only saw the shape of the fuse box, which tells me that this is definitely a Version 9 model. I took a look at the chassis code and year manufactured and it all checks out. I am definitely convinced it is a Version 9. I began talking to the salesperson, mainly on the bank loan because it is a fairly old car and is a sports car. I was told I need a large sum for the downpayment and the amount that can be loaned is very low. This is really some bad news for me. While I was talking to the salesperson, I noticed something off about the engine. It was idling all the way but it would stop for half a minute and continue running. I am not sure whether that is normal but it sure seems like a bad sign. I went back into the inside and step on the throttle to hear the exhaust note and I was not disappointed. I love the low bass grumble but could not hear the blow-off valve. I turned off the engine and let the Turbo Timer do its job, gave the key back to the salesperson and left. 

What do I think about this particular unit ? From what I noticed, I could definitely confirm that this is a real, Version 9 and has all the features from the exterior to the interior to the engine bay. However, the salesperson insisted that this is a Version 8 converted into Version 9. Usually, owners only convert the exterior but this is too much. I like to modify cars but it seems this has been overdone and I get the feeling the engine internals have been modified but I cannot be sure. I give thumbs up for the excellent paint and the clean interior but the engine bay modification and engine idling issue turns me off. The financial side is really not to my advantage and that is the main issue. If I have a big sum for downpayment, I would not need to wait for a sports car to be so old and cheap to consider buying one. It is really not easy to purchase a used sports car, especially with my limited savings.