Thats a sweet ride and a great deal. You will need to change your oil often, maybe every two weeks to keep the performance up. You don't have to worry about buying a stock Imp and spending the dough on installation. The car is still basically new. I would jump on it if I had the dough. Its a good idea to work on a spare tranny because thats usually the first to go in most cases. Bottom Line, get the car, before someone takes it from you.
Zee

I'm almost positive that's what I'll do - just waiting for my own car to sell first. I think I've a buyer for it to.

You will need to change your oil often, maybe every two weeks to keep the performance up.

Every two weeks seems quite obsessive to me. I had always heard around 2,000-2,500 miles with a high quality oil and you won't have problems (i.e. coking the turbo(is that the correct term?), etc.

In two weeks some people here drive 2000 miles, while others may only drive 50 http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by AaronB (edited October 15, 2000).]

boing!

OK folks - I think I've done enough reading to be fairly confident of my own opinions, but it never hurts to throw out a question to the folks who have had the experience first hand. (Shiv, Nick, adam99 etc?)

The background story is that I've got an opportunity to buy a turboed RS. It's got about 30K miles on it, ~20K turbocharged. The owner runs around 7-8psi normally, on a Minnam Stage I with some upgrades, intercooler etc, and all the engine electronics, of course. (Short Version - Mike Jerry's turbo RS)(we ran 10psi on the blast we took a few weeks back)

I know him and his habits fairly well through a mutual friend (Strepto), and know for a fact that the car is not abused at all, although its been raced a few times (no drags, AutoX, tracks).

As far as my driving habits, I also do not abuse the cars I drive. No high RPM clutch launches, no powershifting, nothing like that. However, I do like to accelerate hard through the gears pretty commonly. (i.e. to the through the top of 2nd gear to get to 50mph around Fort Collins roads). I don't usually shift at redline or anything like that, only when I'm really in a hurry for some reason.

Both Mike and I heel/toe and match revs and stuff like that, so this car will be treated pretty well. It recently had a compression test and was 202 all across the board (5,000 feet elev), and the tranny seems perfect, from when I drove it.

Anyhow, my question is this - should I be worried about the reliability/longevity of the car, specifically, the motor, transmission, and differentials? If I'm not going to abuse it, it'll last for quite a while, shouldn't it? I'm planning on trying to find a used RS tranny as a backup, and upgrading it as time and $$ permits.

If you could relay your experience, based on:
1.) Boost levels
2.) Driving habits/skill
3.) # miles turbo'd (who has the most miles with a turbo anyway?)

I'd really appreciate the assistance. I'm trying to justify this purchase to myself since I LOVE the car - I've never had more fun on four wheels (well, that was due to the car, at any rate http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/biggrin.gif)

Thanks a bunch

-hopeful future Subie owner.

1) 8psi
2) A good mix of easy and hard driving/novice
3) 12,000

I drive a MY00 turbo RS with TEC-II. So far, nothing has broken on the car. I'm at 30,200 miles now and everything is fine.

So far, it looks like the tranny is the weak link. If the torque goes too high and you don't shift easy, BOOM! http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smile.gif But if you take care, it should last for quite a while.

Feel free to email or PM me if you have any further questions. Good luck!

Sean

That sounds a bit high in the boost range without an intercooler, butstill, as long as it's not abused, I doubt you'll have much to worry about. I would make sure you do a compresion test beforehand just to be on the safe side.
as for the tranny, a spare is a god thing to have whether you turbo or not..I blew my first one up when I was still NA and I am not abusive on it either!)

Adam - it does have an intercooler from JC Sports, I mentioned it real quickly above.

I'll definitely have it checked out by a mechanic (grease monkey...cousin of the trunk monkey?) beforehand to make sure everything's kudos.

1) 5psi
2) Very hard, abusive, insane driving. Hehe!
3) 35k

I drive a 1997 2.2ltr OBS. So far, nothing has broken on the car. I'm at 93,850 miles and everything is fine.

So far, it looks like the tranny is the weak link. In 3rd gear when accelerating abruptly, the revs rise very quickly then fall back down and pick up slowly again. But if you take care, it should last for quite a while. Had a compression test done on June and all cylinders where within specs.

If something breaks, you can't only blame the turbo since the 70 shot of NOS isn't helping matters.

Feel free to email or PM me if you have any further questions. Good luck!

*Sean, I hope you don't mind me using your posted format* I got lazy and didn't want to type much.


Adam: I blew my first one up when I was still NA and I am not abusive on it either!)
*You were joking when u said this right? I see the ')' at the end of it but couldn't tell if it was a smiley or the 2nd half of a parenthesis.


[This message has been edited by Kevin Thomas (edited October 16, 2000).]

So far, it looks like the tranny is the weak link. In 3rd gear when accelerating abruptly, the revs rise very quickly then fall back down and pick up slowly again. But if you take care, it should last for quite a while. Had a compression test done on June and all cylinders where within specs.

Wouldn't that indiciate a slipping clutch, revs rising more quickly than they should?

Thanks for the input ya'll - this is pretty much confirming what I'd read in the archives. Seems like some folks have gotten bad trannys and are breaking 'em N/A. Mike's quip was "mine must have been built on a wednesday, cuz it's still happy"

http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/biggrin.gif

Kevin is running an auto tranny IIRC, so no clutch to slip.

sounds good.

I was serious...I am ot abusive on it, aside from the hard launches, which are track-only occurrances. No problems though since switching to th WRX unit.

As for radiators, I am still on the stock RS one.....I have yet to have a heat problme, so it will stay in unitl one arises.

Sure, Kevin's auto tranny slips all the time. Isn't that how the torque split occurs at the "multi-plate transfer clutch" plates? I read this on page 22 and 23 of the Fall 2000 edition of Drive magazine, and they even use the word "slippage" http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smile.gif.

I think Kevin's transfer clutch plates might be a bit worn after all that hard work. Or has someone already brought up this theory?

-WaC
Wayne