I’m interested in buying a WRX 02 or 03 5 speed with out too many miles; I’m searching the ads and most sate (well maintained) I’m sure some are but I know for a fact that some have been flogged on a regular basis .My question is are there any visible, audible, or physical (handling or shifting issues) that will tip me off that the car I’m looking at has been overly abused?

 

take the car or cars your interested in buying and take them to a shop for a prepurchase vehicle inspection.

 

Yup. Always a smart idea. If the seller doesn't agree to that, walk away. And there are always the general signs of abuse of all types- worn/mismatched tires, dirty oil, spongy brake pedal, aftermarket parts (which might indicate the owner works the car harder than he'd care to admit), and anything else that works on other cars.

 

Eh, I think all Scoobies have been run hard here n' there. I'm sure more mashed than others, but you have to keep in mind they bought the car just for some of that. But yes there are some taken really good care of to mash on, and others not so quite.

 

i bought my bugeye from a mid 60's ex CHP (and original owner) with a large collection of cars. in the owners manual he had a log of the mileage and date of all self performed oil changes, and other fluid/filter/spark plug changes. the only mods were sway bars (understandable on a car with such understeer) and a short shifter (pretty universal "sporty" upgrade). clean bugeyes like that are getting harder to find, but definitely dont settle for something that has been thrashed. also, clutches obviously wear out on their own, but if it is a relatively low mile car be suspicious of slippery clutches, they can help you evaluate the condition of the car