new here. my WRX engine blow up story
03-17-2003, 01:00 PM
#1
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new here. my WRX engine blow up story
Hi,
I'm new here, after someone sent me a link to the post about the guy who blew up his engine and tried to defraud SOA, i thought it'd be interesting to post my WRX story. It's kinda outdated because I didn't know about this board until now.
First, a little about myself. I'm a proud owner of a 2000 Blue (can't remember the name of the blue out that year) Impreza 2.5 RS. Before buying this, I was one of those people who just though of buying a Honda because...well...they're hondas. Glad I had some co-workers that got me into cars (car magazines, test driving, all that jazz) So I ended up with that car. But, being a girl who's completely unfamiliar with mods and the like...when the WRX came out, I though...well, it'd be great to have a car with a turbo charger already warrantied instead of trying to mod out my 2.5. So I decided to trade my almost brand new car in for one in 2002.
Well, I ordered one in may of 2002 and had to wait 3 months for one. (Special ordering was the only way to get one for the "cheap" price of $1000 over invoice). When my car came, I was visiting my parents in Tokyo and wasn't able to pick it up for about a week. My dealer thought this was "suspicious" but kept that to themselves. I showed up at the dealer, ready to pick up my car and of course, spent the next 3 hours there discussing whether I was really going to get it for $1000 over invoice or $1000 over invoice plus dealer charges plus other "fees". When I finally got to drive my car off the lot, the dealership was just closing. I was pretty d*** excited to drive my car with only 2 miles on it though...that was fun. HOWEVER...5 miles down the road (now the car had 7 miles on it) I heard a loud BOOM...and smelled burning oil. My boyfriend and I pulled over and he lifted the hood and didn't see too much trouble....but as soon as he lowered the hood...smoke started pouring out of it. Hmmmm....
Had to have the car towed back to the dealership and luckily...my trusty 2.5 was sitting in the lot ready to take us back home. They call me the next day with the news....there's nothing wrong with the car. According to them..."what must've happened was, when they washed it, water got under the hood and what I saw was steam" LOL!! I may be a girl...I may not know a lot about cars...but I know what burning oil smells like...and I know the difference between steam and smoke. I told them to take it back and I'd be keeping my old car. They told me how "suspicious" they already were of me because it took me so long to pick up the car. I had to call SOA and report the incident before they even considered giving me my deposit back. THEN, I find out, the only reason they've agreed to give me my money back is because they've found another buyer who would pay more than I would. AND before they even give me my money back, I hear from SOA they found a problem with the car (supposedly a coolant hose popped loose and was leaking on the turbo...which I find unlikely because from my experience, burning coolant smells a lot different from burning oil) and sold it. Am I wrong, or did they just sell a car that was still legally mine??? (the contract was still in tact, I still didn't have my deposit back)
Well, that's about it. Still have my un-modded 2.5 RS. Would love to do something with it, but really unsure where to start. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Sorry for such a long post. Thanks for reading it.
I'm new here, after someone sent me a link to the post about the guy who blew up his engine and tried to defraud SOA, i thought it'd be interesting to post my WRX story. It's kinda outdated because I didn't know about this board until now.
First, a little about myself. I'm a proud owner of a 2000 Blue (can't remember the name of the blue out that year) Impreza 2.5 RS. Before buying this, I was one of those people who just though of buying a Honda because...well...they're hondas. Glad I had some co-workers that got me into cars (car magazines, test driving, all that jazz) So I ended up with that car. But, being a girl who's completely unfamiliar with mods and the like...when the WRX came out, I though...well, it'd be great to have a car with a turbo charger already warrantied instead of trying to mod out my 2.5. So I decided to trade my almost brand new car in for one in 2002.
Well, I ordered one in may of 2002 and had to wait 3 months for one. (Special ordering was the only way to get one for the "cheap" price of $1000 over invoice). When my car came, I was visiting my parents in Tokyo and wasn't able to pick it up for about a week. My dealer thought this was "suspicious" but kept that to themselves. I showed up at the dealer, ready to pick up my car and of course, spent the next 3 hours there discussing whether I was really going to get it for $1000 over invoice or $1000 over invoice plus dealer charges plus other "fees". When I finally got to drive my car off the lot, the dealership was just closing. I was pretty d*** excited to drive my car with only 2 miles on it though...that was fun. HOWEVER...5 miles down the road (now the car had 7 miles on it) I heard a loud BOOM...and smelled burning oil. My boyfriend and I pulled over and he lifted the hood and didn't see too much trouble....but as soon as he lowered the hood...smoke started pouring out of it. Hmmmm....
Had to have the car towed back to the dealership and luckily...my trusty 2.5 was sitting in the lot ready to take us back home. They call me the next day with the news....there's nothing wrong with the car. According to them..."what must've happened was, when they washed it, water got under the hood and what I saw was steam" LOL!! I may be a girl...I may not know a lot about cars...but I know what burning oil smells like...and I know the difference between steam and smoke. I told them to take it back and I'd be keeping my old car. They told me how "suspicious" they already were of me because it took me so long to pick up the car. I had to call SOA and report the incident before they even considered giving me my deposit back. THEN, I find out, the only reason they've agreed to give me my money back is because they've found another buyer who would pay more than I would. AND before they even give me my money back, I hear from SOA they found a problem with the car (supposedly a coolant hose popped loose and was leaking on the turbo...which I find unlikely because from my experience, burning coolant smells a lot different from burning oil) and sold it. Am I wrong, or did they just sell a car that was still legally mine??? (the contract was still in tact, I still didn't have my deposit back)
Well, that's about it. Still have my un-modded 2.5 RS. Would love to do something with it, but really unsure where to start. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Sorry for such a long post. Thanks for reading it.
03-17-2003, 01:24 PM
#2
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Posts: n/a
Yeah, that's an easy one. First, go get a bunch of aftermarket parts catalogs. Put a catalog under each one of your tires and do a burnout (flinging shreds of ripped paper everywhere). Then, drive to another Subie dealer and trade your RS for a brand new WRX.
Oh and post pictures of yourself, everyone is doing it.
Oh and post pictures of yourself, everyone is doing it.
03-17-2003, 01:54 PM
#3
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Posts: n/a
Here's what I'd do:
#1, Never go to that dealer again. They sound like a bunch of complete morons, and yes, I think they broke the law and sold a car that was technically still yours
#2, Don't heavily mod the car. Maybe an intake and an exhaust, but that's it. Wait one more year and trade it in at another dealer for an STi.
#1, Never go to that dealer again. They sound like a bunch of complete morons, and yes, I think they broke the law and sold a car that was technically still yours
#2, Don't heavily mod the car. Maybe an intake and an exhaust, but that's it. Wait one more year and trade it in at another dealer for an STi.
03-17-2003, 02:34 PM
#4
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Posts: n/a
thanks :)
I'm so holding out for the STI!! When I heard about that, it was the first time I ever felt happy about my experience at the dealer. I will probably NEVER go back to that dealer again (unless I can leverage what happened to me to get a better deal on my next car...unlikely since it's been so long though...they can always claim change in management and be free) Sad thing is, that's where I bought my 2.5 RS. They fired the guy that sold me that car thought because he didn't give me a hard enough time 
I guess there's something to be said about being a girl when buying a car.
I'll have to try a few simple mods just to prepare for the WRX. I'm just a little scared because, as I said, I've got no experience. But I have friends with plenty of it, and I have this forum to check for what not to do....I think it'll be a good experience. Thanks for your advice, I'll definitely be checking back in again after a little research on parts/prices.
I guess there's something to be said about being a girl when buying a car. I'll have to try a few simple mods just to prepare for the WRX. I'm just a little scared because, as I said, I've got no experience. But I have friends with plenty of it, and I have this forum to check for what not to do....I think it'll be a good experience. Thanks for your advice, I'll definitely be checking back in again after a little research on parts/prices.
03-17-2003, 02:43 PM
#5
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Posts: n/a
Yeah, the STI is going to be a cool car.
I have never had a problem getting the cars I want at a good price (normally about $500 over invoice). Things go especially well when I do my Lou Ferrigno impression and flip the Salesman's desk... Then the prices just drop like rocks!
-Bryan
Hulk Smash!
I have never had a problem getting the cars I want at a good price (normally about $500 over invoice). Things go especially well when I do my Lou Ferrigno impression and flip the Salesman's desk... Then the prices just drop like rocks!
-Bryan
Hulk Smash!
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