2005 GT with 120,000 worth $8975?

New to the forum so I was hoping I could get some advice from the professionals! I'll start with the reason I'm looking to purchase.

 

3 weeks ago I decided to free up some "play" money for the family as summer is approaching so I got rid of my 2011 f150 5.0 4x4 for a 2011 Civic. When this happened I gave my wife the Civic and I began to drive the 2004 Accord EX-L with 172,000 miles. I loved this car because I had it for years and I maintained it meticulously. Anyhow, Tuesday while leaving the mall with my wife in the pass seat, a man in his just purchased Lincoln MKZ blew a stop sign and totaled the Accord. I'm getting $7500 from his insurance and since I used to sell Subaru's back in '05-'07 I figured I would go for it if I can find one in that price range.

 

I found a 2005 GT in blue. All stock. 120,000 miles and 5 speed manual. No leather or moon roof. Question is, this would be my first forced induction vehicle and I don't know the life of the turbo, possible upcoming maintenance that might empty my wallet, and any other issues that you guys could inform me of. I've searched but it seems like a pretty broad topic. Would I be looking at a new turbo soon? How well the clutches hold up (with normal driving)?

 

Any help is appreciated. Freaks me out buying a vehicle with over 100,000 miles. Thanks

If the timing belt has not been done, that's an immediate need. There are issues with the turbo failing and the engine blowing ring lands on the pistons. A lot will depend on how the vehicle was taken care of. How often were oil changes done? 3k intervals would be ideal. Has the banjo bolt filter to the turbo ever been changed or at least cleaned? If not, there could be clogging that is starving the turbo from oil as we speak. Is there oil consumption? Anything at 1 qt. per 1k miles could be a sign of engine problems, and more than that is highly likely to be a problem. Get a compression and leak down check. I would have the turbo seals inspected, and if you can swing it, pay to have the turbo taken off and inspected for shaft play. A great way to see if the ring lands are blown or not...remove the exhaust manifold and borescope to look at the exhaust valves. If they are caked with crud, DO NOT BUY! My car was chewing a qt every 300 miles and compression and leak down checks were good, however a borescope through the exhaust manifold finally found the problem. These are a few major things right off the top of my mind. Rear wheel bearings can be an issue, but not too expensive to fix. Control arm bushings wear easily, but again, not too expensive.

 

If it's a good car, do oil changes with good oil every 3k miles. Warm up the car properly first before boosting hard. I think most problems probably happen where the car is started and then driven hard without proper warm up. Also, a stage 1 tune is actually safer than the stock tune.

 

Hope some of this is useful

personally I would stay clear

I would keep looking. Got my 2005 LGT for 11k with 60k miles.

I bought an 05 LGT sedan in November with 103,081 miles for $9700. I had it checked out at the local Subaru dealer who gave it a clean bill of health. Did not know about the banjo bolt or the rings. Previous owner had it from brand new to last summer. Had everything done at the Subie dealer he bought the car from. I check the oil frequently, am usually down 1/2 qt every 2500-3000. I have the oil changed every 3k. Car performs beautifully. I do let it warm up for about 2 minutes before leaving. Whenever I have to park, I let it run for 3 minutes before turning it off. When I park it in the garage, I pop the hood and let it run for 3 minutes. So far, so good.... Good Luck!

Since you didn't mention service history I assume there have been no major replacements?... be prepared for the turbo and/or clutch to let loose soon.

Yeah, 2005 was the only year they had a 2.5GT car without leather.

 

Your best bet would be to require a compression and leakdown test before even thinking about plunking down any cash. Shop manual says compression should be 142-171 psi @ 400 rpm (cranked @ 350-400 rpm with a fully charged battery using teh starter, throttle WFO), and all cylinders should be within 7 psi. Leakdown should be under 7% on each jug.

 

At least a turbo can be replaced in the car, whereas if a ringland has let a piece go but it is still running decently, if that goes badly then you can turn the whole engine into scrap metal. Even if you catch it, then you're still in for an engine R&R job and most likely, machine work as well as all the parts costs (pistons, rings, bearings, etc etc). Since you can't get the heads off this car in the vehicle, any valve work involves engine R&R cost/time too.

 

Looking at the exhaust valves is a good thing too, taking the manifolds off is not difficult. Borescope is a great idea, could do it through the plug hole also if able, to see if any chunks of piston top around the edges are missing. Exhaust valves are known to go at 120-150K depending on how hard it was driven, and many other factors.

I just bought my 05 GT with a 120,000 miles for $8800. So that sounds like a fair price.

Things to check out: Turbo (leaks), timing belt, leaks on valve covers gaskets, wheel bearings are pretty weak.

My 2005 GT Limited has Leather.

 

I got mine for $8,200

103K miles - new turbo, timing belt, hoses, belts, and tires, but has a couple dents in the drivers door.

The dealer I go to, checked for leaks and found nothing. Mine has heated leather seats. Also, side note, the dealer told me my car was shipped from Japan. Is that the norm for the GT's?