I need some advice on a purchase, (JDM material)

[90rwd]

Hey, a while ago I was on here with some stupid crazy idea that I was going to convert a fwd legacy to rwd with no funds or materials. Lol. Young minds.
Well now I have a great job, long hours but now I got the money for the car I want.
After a lot of searching I have found a really nice JDM Turbo Legacy.
I got an email from the guy, he sounds like a very nice guy that took care of his car, he sent me a parts list of what's done, I'm just trying to prove to my parents that this is a good buy (I am only 18 by the way) lol.
I need to car to be able to handle winter, the reason why I chose a leggy. I drive 30-45 minutes to work with my buddy (depending on traffic).
The email is posted below, when I get on a computer I will also post pictures.
Also the price is $6000CAN.
Please let me know what you guys think, I shall also post this in the engine section cause that's what my parents are worried about lol.
Thank you kindly , leggy lovers!

Hey there Jack,
 
No, I havent sold the car. I had to take the ad down because I was in Fort McMurray picking up the new minivan for the family, and wanted to sell my old Neon that I drove up here. 
 
Before you come up, I want to make you aware of the car, and make sure you saw everything in the pictures and are interested. I'd love to sell the car, and to you as well because you are enthused about it.
 
So.
 
It has a newer engine. About 30,000km on it. It is from a WRX, and is in great shape. It has a transmission from an STi, and it's also in very great shape. It was just installed about 2 months ago from a donor car from Toronto. The differentials are out of an STi, as are the 555 seats, the steering wheel, the actual wheels, and the brakes. 
 
Problems. It needs a new O2 sensor. What I found out by talking to people in Japan, is instead of buying a new one, if you can find a 1990-1993 Subaru Legacy american version, you can take any parts, except the powertrain itself, and swap it over. The reason you cant take those parts, is the ECM is different and the plugs and what not are different. But the O2 switch is no big deal. The effect, when it's warming up, it rockets out of gears. But when it warms up, after about 4000 rpm, it stutters a bit when you put the pedal down. The dealership said it's the O2 switch, and I told them not to replace it, because they wanted like, 500 bucks to do it, because of the time and the cost of a brand new part. You can do it for 80 yourself, or less. It also has new tires.
 
Finally, in the picture of the front right side (driver's), a guy who I had it in to do a winterization on it the first year I had it, backed it into something. So the headlight is not the right size. It's a bit small. If you find a legacy, again, the headlight will fit in perfectly and it will be good as new. The paint he used on a second of the hood, about 6" by 6" is also slightly darker. Not a big deal.
 
Besides that, this car is a gem. I'm only selling it because I bought a van, have two kids and a new girlfriend and it's not practical. I LOVE the car, and want to find a good home for it. So far, I've put, including the purchase price, about 23,000 into it. I'm asking you for only 6000 because I need it out of the parking lot, 
 
Let me know what you think, Jack. Thanks!

[WagALeg92]

Hey there, I dont know about the money conversion but if its anyware around $6000 US its a no go for me it sounds like he used all STI Parts witch is ok but if its a 2.5lt motor you dont want to waist your time same with the 6 speed you want to get something with a 2.0 and a 5 speed in my opinion you can build something much better for $6000 get an old leggy and drop a turbo motor in it there only like $1500 then tranny and ecu. you might actually be able to get a set motor tranny ecu from JDM warehouse in New Jersey thell ship it to you for like $200

[90rwd]

As far as I know it's still a 2.0l though. He hasn't said otherwise?
And if the tranny has been swapped I have a spare tranny chilling in my garage that I was going to use for the RWD swap.
And I don't want to a project right now cause my old jet is on it's last legs and I would like something along the lines of buy and go.
Thanks for your help man!

[Apex3]

Are you in Canada?

I'd be weary of the 02 sensor thing, partly because I don't think that would cause that, but also why wouldn't the guy just fix it himself if it's really a simple $80 fix?

And I'd definitely ask him to clarify what exact motor it is, someone who's done that much to his car should know more details about it.

[90rwd]

Yes, I am Canada. From Calgary area.

As it splutters, I was wondering weather it was hitting fuel cut or weather the fuel pump/injectors cabt keep up with turbo?

I am a little sketchy about him not lowing what engine it is, for that matter he doesn't even know what turbo it has on it.

I'm trying to find details. And I'm going to look at it on Sunday maybe.

Wow, looks like I havent had my eyes open, I've been so rapped up in getting what looks to be a good car.

Thanks for the eye man!

[Aerotech]

Umm, you guys are aware they sold the STI in Japan as far back as '94 or '95, right? 5-spd transmission and 2.0L motor. He plainly says it''s a JDM car, they can import them without restrictions in Canada.

CN $6K is about US$5800 right now, so it's no bargain, for sure, but if it's in good condition w/ ZERO rust and a healthy STI drivetrain it's probably worth it. You certainly can find a N. American-spec Legacy turbo far cheaper, but the JDM car will run circles around it.
Don't worry about the warm-run stutter too much, it's definitely a sensor or electrical problem, not mechanical, not a fuel pump... not fuel-cut, LOL you'll know it when you hit that brick wall. It'll be a cheap fix if you have some time to look at it yourself. All the sensors etc will be available here. The JDM ECU is a nice computer, it's a really aggressive tune in STI form... that's where you get the extra power over our cars, along with a bigger turbo and intercooler.

[90rwd]

Aerotech, here are some pics for you to drool over, personally i think its a very good looking car, could use some paint TLC.
Now you have said all that i really want it even more! Its perfect for what i want.
If you really think its that easy to fix the stutter im even more tempted, im not profesional mechanic level, but im car smart in ways lol although i made myself look stupid with the fuel cut comment lol.
Id love the car, im just rying to show my parents that swapped motors in these cars are reliable. lol.
Do you know if a Revtronix chip would work with the EJ20?
Thanks.

[Apex3]

I'm not saying not to buy it, just mentioning things that would worry me, and saying you should look a little deeper into those things, there's a reason he hasn't fixed this $80 problem and it's not because he didn't have time...If that is why then there's probably more than just that wrong with it that he was also too lazy to fix.

Just get a PPI on it at a local independent shop, shouldn't cost more than about $100-200, and they'll tell you exactly what all is wrong with it so you'll know what you're dealing with.

You're kind of past the point of Revtronix at this point, I don't think it would work anyway, but you'd be better off just getting a tune IMO

Don't be too concerned about the stuff I'm saying, when I look at buying cars I look into every possible negative thing about it so there's no surprises. I'd hate to end up buying something I can't afford to fix, and I'm sure you feel the same. I don't see anything that screams "don't buy this," just some things that should be clarified.

Umm, you guys are aware they sold the STI in Japan as far back as '94 or '95, right? 5-spd transmission and 2.0L motor. He plainly says it''s a JDM car, they can import them without restrictions in Canada.

CN $6K is about US$5800 right now, so it's no bargain, for sure, but if it's in good condition w/ ZERO rust and a healthy STI drivetrain it's probably worth it. You certainly can find a N. American-spec Legacy turbo far cheaper, but the JDM car will run circles around it.
Don't worry about the warm-run stutter too much, it's definitely a sensor or electrical problem, not mechanical, not a fuel pump... not fuel-cut, LOL you'll know it when you hit that brick wall. It'll be a cheap fix if you have some time to look at it yourself. All the sensors etc will be available here. The JDM ECU is a nice computer, it's a really aggressive tune in STI form... that's where you get the extra power over our cars, along with a bigger turbo and intercooler.

Yea, but the guy simply states the engine is from a WRX and tranny/diff from an STi, that's a pretty generic description, I'd want to know exactly what I was buying, and I'd expect someone who dropped $20k on the car to know exactly what it is too.

[90rwd]

Apex 3.
I like your thinking. There's nothing screaming not to buy it, but as you say, the pricing and motor is strange.
I'm waiting on engine pictures.
I think now all of you guys have said all that I have been thinking, I pretty much just needed to hear it from someone else.
My best option is too look at it in person.
My buddy and I together shall know what's what (he knows subies better, I was vw guy lol), and my dad is a heavy duty mechanic so if I decide to get the car I can fix the problem one way or another. Lol.
Also the guy said it is around 250-300hp. That made me think because it's not an accurate estimate, 50hp is a lot to differ with.
Thanks for all your input guys. Great eye openers!

[WagALeg92]

its definatly nice but we need engine pictures and what motor and tranny if its got a JDM 2.0 from an old STI were good to go but still definatly no bargan try and get him down to like 4,300 thats about what id pay

[Aerotech]

Looks nice & solid; none of the usual rust points are popping. Can't really see the damage to the driver's front corner, but should not be a problem to fix, the front bumper looks OK... there's some very special pieces on this car; the front bumper, the skirts & rear under-lip, the rims, the rear wiper, & probably a lot of the RHD interior is strictly JDM. A lot of guys in here would sell their sisters for those parts, LOL... If you can swing it, I'd say buy it, we'll help you out as much as we can getting it running right. Show your parents this forum, there's a lot of knowledge here, and loads of folks who're running swapped cars.

Don't worry about chipping etc. just yet, I think you'll be REAL happy with the way this thing drives for the time being. Re-reading your original post, it doesn't say what ECU it has, hopefully it's at least the WRX box. Pretty much any JDM ECU is hot compared to what we got here.

Good advice from Apex, have a pro check it out if you're not sure, better to spend a little $ to be well informed, also might give you some ammo to talk down the price even more if you have a list of defects from a shop.

Great find, good luck! Keep us updated...

[Apex3]

Looks nice & solid; none of the usual rust points are popping. Can't really see the damage to the driver's front corner, but should not be a problem to fix, the front bumper looks OK... there's some very special pieces on this car; the front bumper, the skirts & rear under-lip, the rims, the rear wiper, & probably a lot of the RHD interior is strictly JDM. A lot of guys in here would sell their sisters for those parts, LOL... If you can swing it, I'd say buy it, we'll help you out as much as we can getting it running right. Show your parents this forum, there's a lot of knowledge here, and loads of folks who're running swapped cars.

Don't worry about chipping etc. just yet, I think you'll be REAL happy with the way this thing drives for the time being. Re-reading your original post, it doesn't say what ECU it has, hopefully it's at least the WRX box. Pretty much any JDM ECU is hot compared to what we got here.

Good advice from Apex, have a pro check it out if you're not sure, better to spend a little $ to be well informed, also might give you some ammo to talk down the price even more if you have a list of defects from a shop.

Great find, good luck! Keep us updated...

Agreed, with all of the above. Especially about the chip thing, I think you'll be very happy with the speed as it is, I was pretty happy with the power of my e30 at 17 and it only had 168hp, granted I did modify it a good amount trying to get more but that was down the road a little.

And something just dawned on me, I wonder if the motor he swapped in is just the stock motor but from a WRX...It's the same as the WRX motor of that vintage so it would make sense.

Also even if it has a few problems it may not be a bad idea, these cars are easy to work on, and at your age it's a good time to have a car that may not be rock solid since you really don't need a car, and aren't even used to having one, so if it breaks then no big deal.

[90rwd]

Yeah there is so much about this car that makes menwant it. I hadn't even noticed a few of those things you said an now I'm aching for it lol.
There is one thing though, I do need a car to be reliable cause I do work a full-time job of at least 6days aweek. But I really don't see this thing being unreliable? If it is another 2.0 ltr in there surely that's a straight over swap?
And as for chipping it I was just questioning cause of the engine side of things and just wanted to know lol. I know I will be happy with the power, I drive an n/a diesel 1.6ltr w/ 56hp! Lol!
I texted the guy. I should get the pictures soon. Would you guys be able to tell from pics weather it's a 2.0ltr swap or not? I probably only could in person lol. (if it was a veedub, I'd have no problems lol)

[Apex3]

Yeah there is so much about this car that makes menwant it. I hadn't even noticed a few of those things you said an now I'm aching for it lol.
There is one thing though, I do need a car to be reliable cause I do work a full-time job of at least 6days aweek. But I really don't see this thing being unreliable? If it is another 2.0 ltr in there surely that's a straight over swap?
And as for chipping it I was just questioning cause of the engine side of things and just wanted to know lol. I know I will be happy with the power, I drive an n/a diesel 1.6ltr w/ 56hp! Lol!
I texted the guy. I should get the pictures soon. Would you guys be able to tell from pics weather it's a 2.0ltr swap or not? I probably only could in person lol. (if it was a veedub, I'd have no problems lol)

Don't worry about me, I'm brain dead right now from engineering homework so I'm kinda speaking nonsense. I just meant if it needs a little basic work then it's not necessarily a bad thing, I'm sure it'll be reliable either way.

I'm sure someone would be able to identify the engine from a pick, but hopefully the guy will be able to tell you anyway.

[entirelyturbo]

If you're looking at this as your only source of reliable transportation, look elsewhere.

Take it from someone who just bought a JDM car, what, three weeks ago, and it's already been towed home once. And mine's a lot newer than yours and nothing's swapped on it.

Not trying to be a pessimist or tell you not to get the car. If you can find other modes of transportation and can afford this as a toy, then by all means go for it. It's just as unique as my car is.

But don't depend on this as a daily driver. Trust me.

[90rwd]

I share rides to work with my buddy so, if it does le me down I can just give my buddy gas money to drive me.

I really think I'm going to go for it. I know people that know enough to get it fixed fast.

I like the uniqueness of it. It doesn't sound all that bad of a deal. But I'm going to try and get the price down a bit.

[90rwd]

Here are some more pics the guy sent me of the interior. Real nice shape!
Are the front seats legit 555's?
And I found out that the swap was done in japan so it's deffinitly a 2.0ltr. But then he claims it had some work done at Edmonton Subaru.
It also cost him $13700 to import. (that I can believe!)







Thanks.

[Aerotech]

Holy. Shit.

It's got Differential bias control (the C. Diff switch on the dash, STI item, it's called DCCD now) and automatic air conditioning. The steering wheel is the same one I had on my '91 from a 22B. Whoever put this together knew what they were doing. No reason to doubt the seat authenticity... Everything I'm seeing screams STI donor car.

One thing that might not work for you is the stereo, if it's still a Japanese-market unit, I think the station tuning intervals are different than what we use (like 101.2 instead of 101.3) I'm not sure.

[entirelyturbo]

I'd inquire about the mileage... that's INCREDIBLY low, even for Japan. I got mine with 47k on it, and mine's a 2000.

Still... I agree, I'd strongly consider it if you can afford it. Those seats are baller.

Japanese radios only go up to 90MHz. I dunno what the frequency range in Canada is, but I can only get a couple news/public stations on mine.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

[evolutionmovement]

Who the hell listens to terrestrial radio anymore?! I pulled the radio antenna off my Mazda as soon as I got it since it caused interference with the Transpod in tunnels and haven't missed it once.

[90rwd]

The diff bias control is where you can alternate the power from front tobackright?
If so, that alone is a sick ass feature to have!
The interior in this thing is sexy IMO. The seats, even if they wearnt authentic they are still very sexy! Then theres the steering wheel, it screams comfort!
As for the sterio, my buddy drives a 93' Toyota Aristo, has the stock sterio, and it works fine. But i'd change it out for sure, i love my sound systems. I have one of the best in town in one the shittiest cars around, lol.
I'll be transferring the Type R and deck in to the leggy for sure.

Im going to question the milage, he said he bought it over, and had work done to the engine at edmonton subaru, he is looking for the reciepts that his ex girlfriend messed up.

Guys, this thing is eating my soul!

[evolutionmovement]

Yeah, that's super low mileage, er kilometerage, and doesn't tell you what the swap has on it in any event. That said, there's likely a bunch of these cars that someone could've chosen to go through the hassle to bring over, so I would think someone would pick the best of them or close to it. BUT, be sure you want to spend all your money on a car. Even a good one is going to cost. I've known a lot of car-poor people, but have never been one myself because of it. Some people don't care, some because they had parents that could pay for their school and other things that I didn't, but just keep it in mind as they always cost more than your estimate. Closest I came was with a Lamborghini, but I decided I wanted a life beyond it. This will be much cheaper than a Lamborghini, but it's all dependent on your percentage of income. That said, I'm not immune to emotion over practicality—the only reason I didn't buy a 1935 Morgan Trike barrelback was because I had no place to garage it. But before they take away my "knowledgeable" tag and replace it with "wet blanket curmudgeon", I have to say that this IS a pretty damn cool car.

[90rwd]

Yeah the kilometerage, as you called it lol, is really low. But for some reason i almost trust it?
And my financial sistatuation will be fine in a few months, i just havent had a job for a year due to school, and moving over from England and not having the papers to do so. I am not legal to work here and got the best job available to me! Im just scraping every penny together right now to get away from my Jetta as she needs huge work. (she may become a project in time).
When i get the car, i will definitely have the financial support to be able to fix anything on the car.
Like you say it is a cool car, im going to take that one further and say this car is just awesome!

[Apex3]

I don't buy the mileage, it's in no better shape than my Legacy(maybe worse) that has 170k miles on it, granted mine was very well taken care of, that's still not a 30k car. But condition is more important than mileage after a certain point, it's obviously not a garage queen, and time takes it's toll on cars, just make sure it checks out and forget about the mileage.

[90rwd]

Oh for sure I'm not believing the milage. I'm just going by how it starts and runs, sounds, drives and feels.
Looks don't bother me, adds to the sleeper looks I'm going for. I just love the engine and interior! I'm dying for it. Lol.