The search for a Subaru continues. Our parameters are quite specific. Low mileage, model years ’22 to ’25, preferably just coming off-lease, no performance mods, and it has to be World Rally Blue. That last part is non-negotiable.
In Ontario, this limits the market to six used cars, and we’ve gone to see them all! Starting at a used car lot in Oshawa, 100 km east of Toronto. They had a current-gen WRX and a previous-gen car for comparison. The older car was kind of funny; the original owner had put a massive STI wing on. The kind of thing a 16-year-old boy would love. By comparison, the current-gen car was more refined, had a nicer interior, and slightly bigger exterior dimensions. But it was a base model, and the missing features and blank buttons hinted at what we were missing.
Next it was up to a small-time Subaru dealer in Barrie, 100 km north of Toronto. Their ad on Auto-Trader claimed they had a top-of-the-line Subaru WRX GT for sale. Just one second in the driver’s seat and it was obvious this was not a GT. It was a base model with a dishonest advert. No Alcantara seats, no steering responsive headlights, no adjustable suspension. When the error was brought to the saleslady’s attention, she apologized for the mistake and offered to show us a real WRX GT but it was several thousand more. Wow… the old bait and switch.
Now we’d become experts at identifying specific models just from the upholstery. Armed with knowledge and a pocket full of deposit money we took a drive up to Newmarket to New Roads Subaru. Their ad listed a 2023 WRX Sport-Tech; not the top-of-line model, but certainly one with the high-tech features.
Far from perfect, the WRX has visible rusting on the underside. The WRX was put up on the hoist at Can Jam Motorsports for a pre-purchase inspection. They noted that the entire exhaust system is pockmarked with rust, and some corrosion was visible on the the rear differential and front knuckles. The original owner should have invested in some oil undercoat.
The rear bumper was askew, something the guys at Can Jam noticed right away. This was indicated by the nice, tight panel gap (between the fender and bumper) getting wider at one eld. This is the type of misalignment that occurs when a car is involved in a minor rear end impact. Might just be a mangled bumper bracket, but this is the time to address such issues..
Ironically, this high-tech car has ‘rear-collision mitigation’ which mean it’ll slam on the brakes if you’re about to back-in to a garage door… but it won’t prevent someone from bumping into you! At least all the sensors are still working.
To be continued…