Should the miles scare me off?

Hi everyone. I'm looking at this legacy gt wagon and have a few questions. First off I feel it's been modded almost exactly the same way I would've done it if I started with a stock legacy, the only thing I would've done differently is upgrade the fuel pump and injectors. What my main concern is is the amount of miles on the car - 167k. The story is the car was stock two years ago with what I gather to be around 130-140k miles. All the aftermarket parts were purchased new with the exception of the turbo which was out of a 8000 miles car. The exhaust valve cracked at one point causing a poor idle (which I guess is somewhat common?) so the heads were removed, valve replaced, heads decked and pressure checked. Re-assembled with all OEM gaskets etc. The cruise/CEL is on because of a sensor tripping it up (not sure exactly what that is) and the car cuts boost around 5000rpm which the owner said is from a two port boost control valve (he has a grimspeed 3 port which is uninstalled and will go with the car). It was an open source tuned vehicle. I'm relatively new to these cars so is everything he's saying make sense or indicate something bad is about to happen? He said he'd let it go for $7500. Has mild wear and tear/bumps and bruises.

 

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/nicholaschase29/legacy_zpsa4abdfdb.png

 

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/nicholaschase29/legacy2_zps64de844c.png

Welcome to the forum.

 

I wouldn't pay $7500 for that. Maybe $5k?

 

Also, there's a dedicated subforum for prepurchase questions, where this thread may be better suited - http://legacygt.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/pre-purchase-questions-41.html

 

I posted several threads in there when I was shopping and got great info each time.

 

The cruise/CEL is on because of a sensor tripping it up (not sure exactly what that is) and the car cuts boost around 5000rpm

 

Sounds like the P0244 code I got after I owned my (125k mile) car for a couple months. My problem was a broken wastegate hose. Easy fix, but, at the same time, I would not buy a car while the issue is occurring...I would only buy a car with a CEL if I knew 100% what the cause and fix are.

Yes. Walk away.

 

Seller suggests CEL is due to tune. Any tuner would kill an o2 sensor cel.

Yes. Walk away.

 

Seller suggests CEL is due to tune. Any tuner would kill an o2 sensor cel.

 

No, run away!

 

X

I had a similar situation with my car I never should have bought it, but I did anyway. Fortunately for me it worked out the previous owner rebuilt the motor at 70k miles and traded it in at 80k miles. the dealer had no idea.

ringland failure (on piston) is common on these cars. A cracked exhaust valve is unusual.

 

As others have said, the check engine/cruise control is the key to much bigger & more expensive issues. "The cruise/CEL is on because of a sensor tripping it up (not sure exactly what that is) and the car cuts boost around 5000rpm which the owner said is from a two port boost control valve (he has a grimspeed 3 port which is uninstalled and will go with the car)." The parts in red are danger signs.

 

If you absolutely need to have this car, get inspected by a respected tuner in the area (not the shop that did the work and/or tune). Then factor in the cost to fix the issues. Also, note the turbo being replaced; if it was done because the last one failed is sign of a pending engine rebuild on your part.

too many nice wagons out there for the money, don't dick yourself over. plus your always better off getting an unmolested car unless you have faith in the previous owner...

I would buy it assuming it needs a new motor. If you could pick it up for under 5k it might be worth it but then you'll still need to hassle with getting it rebuilt. You may get lucky, but I wouldn't chance it for $7500.

 

The only way I could buy a preowned LGT (again...) was if it came with a 100% clean bill of heath with an oil analysis and a compression check. Or pick it up for dirt cheap and rebuild the engine.