well it aint really a new car, actually 2 yrs older then my current vibe but i've wanted one of these for ever...ever since i started to drive...anyways..im looking at an 2005 subaru impreza wrx sti, in the rally blue, comes with 2 sets of bbs rims and the same tires on both sets(if im not mistaken), which are falkens of some sort..car has 42,000 miles(or 66,000kms) which is 30k more then what i got now..but i cant seem to pass this opportunity up, the dealership which is selling it(which is a division of our main group) is asking 19,700 for it..which i can afford..and my insurance is $20 more a month..so im gonna be getting it, hopefully by next week..but got some questions for the subaru folks here about tire bolt patterns and size of winter tires that'll work..keep everyone updated since i havent been here in months
Congrats on the new ride... I am curious how the previous owner drove that vehicle - just a thought. Do not want you to replace an engine/tranny any time soon.
2009 Jet Black 2.4L Auto / Fogs / 17" Alum / Clear Bra / Camry Leather Shift Knob / GT Rear Spoiler
2013 Polished Metallic Honda CR-V EX-L Navi
the STI is so tempting, eh?! I passed a similar deal up last year, a coworker of mine gave me first dibs on his heavily modded '05 Stg. II with 60,000kms. He sold it because his wife hated it. He actually let me borrow it for a date night with my g/f to try and get us to like it. My g/f hated it (still does), and in the end I decided the purchase would have put a 1-2 year hold on my home ownership dream, so I ended up sticking with the Vibe. He put it on Autotrader, and it sold in a week for his asking price of $22,000. So, it's the Vibe for me, probably until I own the garage I can park a better car in.Man, that's a great car though...have fun!!!!
03VibeOttawa–’03 Salsa 5spd. Fast Wheels Blade 17â€s/Fuzion Zr1s (summer),Blizzak Revo1/’04 WRX rims, (winter),Tokico HP Struts,Tein S-Tech Springs,Progress RSB,K&N Typhoon SRI,SLP ram air hood,Magnaflow CB,DC header. Sold 11/9/2012 w/ 217,633kms.
First off, make sure you get a run down of anything that's been done to the car. Engine replacements are very spendy (speaking from experience). If it's been modded, it will have an even lower life span. If your dealer isn't a Subie dealer chances are they aren't gonna have a clue what to look out for or what issues may pop up. $19700 isn't a bad price provided it's in good condition and has a very very clean record. I suggest you start diving into the subie boards as there is A LOT of info about them: iwsti.com and nasioc.com. Just beware of used STI's: make sure you have all maintenance records, oil changes, etc. EDIT: I see you had some questions about bolt and wheel sizes. Due to the larger brakes, you will need to pay special attention to what wheels will clear. 05+ STI takes 5x114.3 bolt pattern, 17" or greater. I recommend Blizzaks or Hankooks for winter radials. I don't know about the laws for studded tires there, but here I swear by them! We are picking up a 99 RS that will become my winter/daily beater while my 08 is garaged this winter. Gets better fuel economy and won't require 100 octane! LOL. It comes with some Blizzak studless winter tires, so I hope those will suffice since I drive a lot. If you look on NASIOC, in the wheel and tire thread, there is a STICKY on what wheels will fit on the STI. Too bad, I just sold my set of black 18" BBS rims to a fellow in CA. Remember, there is a HUGE difference in power from the Vibe to an STI of any year. Please don't go crazy and wrap yourself around a tree like we see so many new STI drivers do up here! Don't start modding the car until you feel comfortable driving it. If you have any questions, PM Mavrik or I and we can help you out.and shameless plug: I am a Vendor on the NASIOC boards: Hi-Speed Solutions. I can drop ship just about anything to anywhere except wheels/tires. If you need something, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you (shipping to Canada can be spendy depending on item/size).
lol thanks, and ya i've taken the car home for the night..sitting in my drive way as it is..the guy who previously owned it drove it nicely..i actually met him cause when i was talkin to the manager about the car the same guy who traded it in was there getting something for the new car he got..so ya..he seemed like a good guy..believe he was 35 or so..car is in mint condition cept the passanger fender, a lil touch up that was badly done..maybe the size of a quarter but can have it fixed for $20 or so. no accidents or anything major, also the car is stock, no mods except the tinted windows. plus it comes with the original 18" sti rims aswell as 17" bbs rims that pretty much look identical so im most likely gonna sell those and pick up winters, or quite possibly just sell the tires themselves and my current winters(16") and pick up winters for the 17" bbs..i guess time will tell but i'll definitly hit up one of the 2 forums you've posted, i'll post pics once i get it, will have it definitly before the weekend as most of the paper work is done and im approved and my insurance is pretty much taken care of, just need to call them and have it switched.
lol ya im not the biggest guy..5'10 and 145...might have some stuff up for sale aswell...TRD oil cap, rad cap, strut bar and shift knob..will keep posted on that
lol..i actually have the sti in the driveway but just heading out to work..im hopeing to get the car today..if not tomorow so i will have pics up by the weekend
hey shaynenice purchase! although i hate to see the vibe go, i'm glad you picked up a nice subystick around genvibe! this is your first home I CALL DIBS 0N THE TRD 0IL CAP
de-badged o4 vibe
tein s-techs | 17" msr 105 wheels | 235 45 17 nexen n7000
weapon-r short ram (thanx BC!) | typeR sport pedals | LED 3rd brake
o2 triumph speed four
lol thanks man, and sure u can get the oil cap, gonna put the stuff on here for sale..im not gonna bother with the springs cause its just to much work, but it's official im picking up the subi on friday..the business manager who's doing the deal wont be in tomorrow so im having my good friend/tech at work to do a safety on it, just to get the certificate and a drive clean(canadian things) so friday morning at about 10-11am i will have the car in my name and all
well it's the 17's that are inside the car on summer tires..then i have 18's on the car that are similar, same spokes but they're smooth spokes instead of the little groove and they have the "sti" in the middle..if i can find a pick i'll show ya, if not im getting the car officially on friday so i'll take pics and show that way
Congratz...!!!Can't say i'm the expert that Hope and Mav are, but I've had a LOT of Subaru seat time as well.... The BIGGEST issues (as Hope Eluded too) is Superman Syndrome.. BEWAREThis Superman Syndrome is where you become fearless of driving and you try and bend the laws of physics... Well, they don't bend, but body parts on the car and you DO... So as stated, taqke it easy and slowly push the envelope until you are comfortable with the car... It's a nice ride, especially in the snow, but it's not infallible..
lol gotcha man, im not gonna drive like an idiot at the moment..getting used to it still and how it handles under certain situations and what not, so far i've driven it quite abit and love it..my buddy at another dealership owns an 07 sti in grey, some special edition model and went over the car aswell and said it was in great shape..so im super excited, got the safety done today, all it needed was 2 bulbs, license plate bulb and one of the brake light bulbs..the one filament was broken so all in all i needed to buy $3 worth of bulbs..lol cant complain...brakes are about 90%, oil is brand new, tires are good for atleast 2 more seasons..gonna be selling the 17" stock ones with the rubber to get some winters, but not sure how much they're worth..any help would be great!
why sell the stock 17's? Just get rid of the rubber and get some winter tires to mount. Finding a good lightweight rim that fits on these cars is VERY difficult (and expensive!). I ran the 17" BBS rims for winter wheels and have a set in white for my race rubber.
oh ya, as I said take it easy. these cars are pretty great, but they aren't awesome or perfect. In fact, I'll most likely be taking mine back to just stge 2 over the winter time and maybe yanking the built motor to swap with a stock. I'll most likely be driving a different car for the track next season.... G.... T..... R.... mmmmm
Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »why sell the stock 17's? Just get rid of the rubber and get some winter tires to mount. Finding a good lightweight rim that fits on these cars is VERY difficult (and expensive!). I ran the 17" BBS rims for winter wheels and have a set in white for my race rubber.+1000Look around and see how many forged wheels you can find in a +53 offset 5x114.5.... lol... They are out there, but they ain't cheap.. lol.. You need to be on NASIOC or any of the other Subie forums NOW.. lol... you can judge price through the classifieds, I bet you find 10 or more people, selling the very same wheels.. (the community is HUGE, i mean HUGE, welcome) I wouldn't sell'em though...
lol ...im actually on nasioc...my name on there is "(removed)" not sure why...my cousins call me that so i couldnt think of a name right away lol..anyways..here's some pics..took some shots of the subi..gotta wash her up..then the rims and the 17" bbsthats the only rim with the curb rash...it aint to to bad..but i mean if i use them for winters it wouldnt matter
Looks great man...!!!! congratz..!!! You gotta get rid of those taillights ASAP though... lol... Other model years have better, less "altezza" looking lights.. lol.. (personal preference, keep'em if you like'em)Yeah dude, i'd put snows on the stock 17's... I'd like to know more about the 18's, those are NOT stock.. and i'm sure they aren't forged either (which again, I could be wrong) they look like a Rota, with a STi center cap.. lol... not that Rota is terrible or anything..
Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Looks great man...!!!! congratz..!!! You gotta get rid of those taillights ASAP though... lol... Other model years have better, less "altezza" looking lights.. lol.. (personal preference, keep'em if you like'em)Yeah dude, i'd put snows on the stock 17's... I'd like to know more about the 18's, those are NOT stock.. and i'm sure they aren't forged either (which again, I could be wrong) they look like a Rota, with a STi center cap.. lol... not that Rota is terrible or anything.. Agreed. no way those 18's are BBS. Look like Rota take offs to me too. We also did the taillight swap on Mav's 07: 04/05 Tails for his 06/07 tails. WAY better. but that's just me. I don't care for the ricer altezza look. Keep it simple... Congrats!
thanks u two...and i agree..i dont like the taillights..i'd like to get the 06-07 tails..which are all red cept the top half right? i've seen them at andysautosports.com or whatever the website was..but im gonna look on nasioc and see what i can find there..and i knew the rims on the car werent stock or anything..but i like them..and gonna keep the 17"s for winters..trying to sell just the rubber right now to go ahead and get tires
Quote, originally posted by WaveAction »thanks u two...and i agree..i dont like the taillights..i'd like to get the 06-07 tails..which are all red cept the top half right? i've seen them at andysautosports.com or whatever the website was..but im gonna look on nasioc and see what i can find there..and i knew the rims on the car werent stock or anything..but i like them..and gonna keep the 17"s for winters..trying to sell just the rubber right now to go ahead and get tires04-05 Tails are the red. Mav did the taillight swap on his. You just can't tell from the pic. Also, for OEM parts and accessories, check out subarugenuineparts.com. Subiegal (Jamie) runs that. Not sure on shipping to Canada, but I'm sure she can accomodate.
awesome..thanks..hopefully i wont need anything anytime soon..cept gonna put my alpine deck into the subie since i hate the stock deck..no aux input..no readable mp3 cd's..only decent thing is the 6 cd changer..which is useless for me cause i think i only have 1 cd..