Trade my 06 for an 04 subi or an 05 evo?

I have a guy whos offering me either an 04 subi or 05 evo plus cash for my truck. Both are very similar they have 3inch turbo back exhaust, adjustable coilovers, BOV, stage 3 clutch around 350hp buuuut they both have 130k miles. I want to know what you guys think. Is 130k alot for these cars? Which one do you think is better?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/3481684061.html

 

My friend has a 03 Subi with 190k on it if that helps. If it was maintained well it should be fine, but its all up to you.

 

If the STi has a BOV run away...far far away. BOVs are not good for those cars and are typically a sign that the owner was clueless.

If the STi has a 3" turboback, make sure it has been professionally tuned, or at a bare minimum has an AccessPort Stage 2 or equivalent base map on it. If not you're asking for trouble.

130K is actually decently high mileage for an STi as they tend to explode around 100K for whatever reason (my friend has a 2006 WRX Wagon (2.5L) that's at 140K+ miles and hasn't gone blooey).

If you check the STi out, make sure you have a compression/leakdown test done on the car. It's also a good idea to check to see if the oil pickup tube has been replaced and/or replace it with a KillerB Motorsport unit.

The only other advice I can give you is that the Subaru interior materials are not high quality at all, so chances are the interior is going to be quite worn inside.

I cannot give you any insight on the Evo, but all I've ever heard is compared to the Subaru, the Evo is much less reliable, although I have no firsthand experience with this.

 

I'm sure those cars weren't driven nice at all. You know the saying "drive it like you stole it" keep the truck

 

Why are bovs bad if you dont mind me asking? I forgot to ask him if its tuned, I will today. Idk about subis blowing at 100k, though. I have a few friends who have almost 200k with no problems and one is a subi freak all his life. But I guess I wont really know til I check it out in person

 

He says it was tuned after he got the exhaust

 

I had an Evo and man I miss that car. before I bought it I planned on buying an STI, after driving both the Evo was a way better car for me. More fun to drive and way easier to mod if you're into that.

I'd go for the Evo if you are gonna do it.

 

ya from what ive heard everyone says its easier to mod n you can get more power for less. Ill just have to test em both out

 

I had planned to join this forum a little bit closer to when I'm able to purchase a Taco, but I decided to pop in just to reply to this.

A chunk of the quoted post is accurate, but a bigger chunk is inaccurate.
1.) Traditionally, yes, a BOV tends to be pointless unless you're some teenager who thinks it sounds super duper cool. Otherwise, if the tune came AFTER the BOV, no harm done. Pointless unless it's pushing 22+ lbs of boost, but no harm all the same.
2.) With turbo-back exhaust a tune is critical. Sounds like you've covered that base.
3.) WRX's and STi's don't blow up at 100k unless you drive it like you stole it for all 100k of those miles. I've owned Hondas, Toyotas, Subarus, Chevys, etc... The top two brands for reliability in my book are Subaru and Toyota. I have a Stage II WRX (puts down about as much HP as an STi, but my insurance is much lower), and it's got 105k miles and I've not had a single issue with it. In fact, I did more repair work to all 3 of my Toyotas than I've had to do to this WRX. 130k on a Subaru is about the same as 130k on a Toyota - if the maintenance has been done, she's good for another 100k easily.
4.) Leak down test and good thorough inspection is a good idea. Not everyone drives these like an idiot, but plenty of people do. Make sure there are no CEL's, no boost spikes when you drive it, no grinding gears, no leaking fluids, etc...
5.) Interior fit and finish is just fine. The carpet tends to be low quality, but everything else is good.

As for the Evo - it is a faster car to start with and a better base for big HP numbers. That being said, 130k miles IS a lot for an Evo. They are not as reliable as a Subaru is. So, basically it boils down to what you want out of it. Autocross car? Grab the Evo. Daily driver that can be fun in the twisties? Grab the Subaru.

All of that to say I'm in a similar situation as the seller. My '05 WRX has been great, but it's time for a family car. When kiddos come, I don't want to be trying to put a baby sit in my go kart.

 

It just depends on the history of both cars. I had an Evo and miss it sooooo much. Such a raw and fun car. Minimal mods will easily net 300hp 3xxtq. They can last if maintained right. One guy on the evo forums is almost at 300k miles and is making 420whp.
Plenty of owners abuse them and blow motors left and right pushing the limits. People went 9s on the stock motor....
Not sure on the STi but as a former Evo owner, I can tell you the car is unreal. I cant wait to get back in one.

 

Thanks for the info. Def goes with what most of my subi owner friends said when I asked them. It all depends on how he drives it i guess. The pics he sent me of interior and engine look prime. I'll let you guys know what my decision is

 

Sure, if you're tuned, you're going to be better, but you'll still going to go super rich the second you let off. To me, BOV screams that you are a wannabe. The more I've been reading, it seems less bad than it was considered say 2-3 years ago, especially if it's a 50/50 atmospheric/recirc, but still, when I see a BOV on a WRX/STi, I just envision an owner that doesn't know what they're doing.

Maybe I've spent too many hours on Nasioc, but it seems like there's just fewer 100K+ STis than I would have expected. They seem to be VERY finicky when it comes to the oiling system. How many times to do see a WRX/STi that's spun a bearing due to using M1 or running the car low on oil. The MY2007 STi model is junk in stock form with the stock tune, and the MY2008 models had the stop sale. Then there's the oil tube crack that can take the motor. That being said, my friend has a MY2006 wagon self-tuned at 22 psi that's been that way for maybe 60K.

Agreed 100%.

Disagree with you 100%. Compared to my old 1990 Accord, the Subaru's interior quality just isn't there. The plastics scratch if you sneeze on them, the seat foam collapses over time (my friend has replaced his lower bolsters twice now), the carpet is junk and thin. EVERYTHING RATTLES, and the frameless windows don't seal all that amazing. I long for my old Accord's interior.

Let's not even get into the paint on these cars...

Again, just personal opinion based on personal experience, but that's my take on things.

 

I've had both...






Grieby pretty much hit the nail on the head. had a couple issues with the STi..had a ton of issues with the evo. I owned them both at different times and they were both my DD. That being said if I had to trade my truck for one..I would take the Evo back in a heartbeat. That car was amazing, and for every headache it gave me, it made up for it with pure, roaring, driving delight. make sure it's not a lemon and snatch that up! or sell your truck and buy one with less miles, because for both 130 is quite a bit

 

Yeah I might just look for a stock one then. Id rather have a reliable car I can build up myself. Its gonna be a couple weeks before I can see either car anyways cuz hes going to glamis. Lucky fucker.

 

My Evo was 100% reliable. I didn't mod it much at all however and while I had fun with it I didn't thrash it. But I had zero reliability issues. I sold it with 100K miles on it and it still drove like new and had the factory clutch which everyone told me was unheard of. When I had the 30K mile service done on it, the technicians were freaking out that I still had the stock clutch. Said that they hadn't seen one last past 18K miles. Proves to me that there are a ton of people that don't know how to drive and/or are launching the cars.

It's been 3 years since I sold it and I recently heard from the guy that bought it from me. He's done a few more mods and is sitting right around 375hp and still has had zero issues with almost 150K miles on the car now.

The Evo can be very reliable if it hasn't been driven by a retard. (I mean that in the most sensitive way).

couple pics of my Evo.

 

Beautiful Evo sir.

I think you hit the nail on the head about the treatment versus reliability.

I will say I haven't had a single mechanical issue on my MY2006 STi. I am still on the stock clutch and even the stock rotors at nearly 60K.

I am running a professional tune and am putting about 280 to the wheels (stock STi on the dyno I was tuned on is putting down approx 200-215 whp) so my car is plenty fast. I service the car frequently and try to use high quality fluids and get frequent UOAs. The only thing I have replaced on the car is pads and rear struts due to the common STi strut clunk.

I do think I am maybe a bit too hard on the car from a quality standpoint but I think once I got my Tacoma and everything was so quiet I realized how loud/low quality the Subaru is from an interior standpoint.

I just instantly write these cars off in the used market when I see them modded with a blowoff. Maybe that's super judgemental (and I'm sure a perspective buyer would say the same about mine).

Good luck in your purchase, whichever way you go.

 

Yeah I really can't decide what I want. Im not gonna be moving to the city for a while now, so I might just stick with my truck or get a nice 1st gen yote. I would feel bad taking a little car up my dirt road it would eat it up haha

 

4g63 bra! Haha nice whip. I did forget to mention, although mine was practically a lemon, a lot of of evos had no problems. I babied mine but it still gave me millions of issues. Although I bought it used and pretty heavily modded, which was definitely a factor.

 

Man I miss it now

 

Sexy!