Need advice for going to look at LGT tomorrow....

its an 05 ltd. manual with 35k miles for 18,500

price seems good and maybe even too good?

im pretty good with cars but never owned a turbo.

what things should i pay specific attention to while checking out the car?

what questions should i ask?

any ideas would be helpful. thanks in advance!

its an 05 ltd. manual with 35k miles for 18,500

price seems good and maybe even too good?

im pretty good with cars but never owned a turbo.

what things should i pay specific attention to while checking out the car?

what questions should i ask?

any ideas would be helpful. thanks in advance!

On a used turbo car, I would insist on maintenance records, specifically oil changes. Test drive the car, let it get to operating temp and romp on the gas. Listen for screaming noises or anything of the unhealthy nature. All other regular used car stuff should apply.

great. thanks!

any way to determine if the car was previously modded?

great. thanks!

any way to determine if the car was previously modded?

Most common modifications would be UP/DP. With a flashlight, you can look at the turbo area and see if there are wrench marks on the nuts that are visable. Also, the back of the turbbo heatsheild might have been cut to allow for a larger downpipe. And then there's the straightforward approach, you could ask (assuming its a private seller).

Look over the engine and suspension components for bolts that look like they have been taken on and off. It should be pretty obvious typical rounded edges and scrapes of paint from wrenches/sockets. Look around the intercooler, exhaust manifold, and turbo. As well as sway bar, struts, shocks, etc etc

 

As with any used car look for overspray and uneven body panels. A true sign for a Subaru is lack of rock chips on the front end. If has'em your likely OEM paint if it doesn't then its likely been repainted.

thanks everyone for the great advice! went to look at the car today and looked pretty good. wasn't 100% clean but ran well. worked out a decent price (18k).

i think i am going to purchase but have a question...

 

the engine bay felt REALLY hot. is this normal for a turbo car? i took it for about a 15-20 min drive and pushed a little but felt much hotter than my (140hp non-turbo) car ever gets? should i be concerned?

thanks!

The turbo engine bays generally are a good deal warmer than your normally aspirated engine. After all, the turbocharger and associated piping keep the heat in the engine bay longer than just ushering the exhaust gases out right away like an N/A car would. If there isn't any mods done, I wouldn't be too worried.

should have come out and seen mine!!!!

thanks sube555.

 

sorry casopolis. your car is a beauty but just too far and i decided to buy an unmodded car so i can mod it myself and make it my own. there is just more joy in spending 10k in mods and doing it yourself!

 

thanks for your help guys. looks like i will be buying this one! worked out a deal today for 18k. it will be official next weekend and i will finally be a real lgt member after almost a year of wanting to be!