# Buying a car from a dealership that was/is modified...
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871
**Category:** NYSpeed Automotive
**Created:** [December 5, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871 "2010-12-05T15:43:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@ultradriver10000](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ultradriver10000)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/21 "2010-12-06T15:15:03Z")
> [@walter](#):
>
> What were you implying?
I thought you purchased the car modded and needed to replace the engine. I must be confused with someone else.
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### Author:  [@walter](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/walter)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/22 "2010-12-06T15:20:05Z")
> [@ultradriver10000](#):
>
> I thought you purchased the car modded and needed to replace the engine. I must be confused with someone else.
Oh… clearly. :lol:
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### Author:  [@burnt\_toast](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/burnt_toast)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/23 "2010-12-06T15:36:29Z")
> [@theblue](#):
>
> take pictures of the car with stickers and start posting them on forums and try to find the owner… ask questions.
>
> then again, why not just find your own car and cut the dealer out?
>
> also, now the new wrx has the sti widebody now I read, so it might be worth looking for a new one because that’s a nice feature to have.
Well, as others have posted, it’s difficult to find any around this area. I’ve purchased two cars blindly from across the country and haven’t made out so well. Plus i’m pretty much busy all of the time and having the dealer find it for me is much easier. At least if the dealer finds one for me i can work with them (hopefully) if anything seems fishy. If i buy private party i’m pretty much out of luck 1 second after the transaction. And that really sucks.
Now I found out that I’ll most likely be in germany for a few weeks in the beginning of the year, so i’m debating just holding off until i get back.
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### Author:  [@ultradriver10000](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ultradriver10000)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/24 "2010-12-06T16:50:28Z")
> [@walter](#):
>
> Oh… clearly. :lol:
Someone on here purchased a modded Subaru, the motor blew then they had to replace it. I mixed up the cars. 😕 I must be getting old and senile.
I’d say wait, hold on until you get a factory fresh one.
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### Author:  [@ieatpaint](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ieatpaint)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/25 "2010-12-06T16:57:16Z")
I think that was Maxwell with the STI.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/26 "2010-12-06T17:11:29Z")
> [@ieatpaint](#):
>
> I think that was Maxwell with the STI.
Yeah it was modified but it was done right. I even went as far as to get things checked out at Innovative before purchasing the car. (ie: comp/leakdown/history on the car) and everything looked good.
As is common with most subies I cracked a ringland. By the grace of god the aftermarket warranty covered a new block and the rebuild. I even went with a RAW stage 1 with forged CP pistons. $500 deductable later and I was rolling comfortably again. It was only because an interested party from PA came into the picture that I sold it, so it all worked out. I never so much as lost a penny on that car.
Back on topic; as others have said, check the car out thoroughly and make sure you don’t leave any stone unturned. I have had both good and bad luck with modified cars, but it was never due to “shitty” mods or a beat car.
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### Author:  [@Kramer](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Kramer)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/27 "2010-12-06T17:13:03Z")
> [@maxwell](#):
>
> Yeah it was modified but it was done right. I even went as far as to get things checked out at Innovative before purchasing the car. (ie: comp/leakdown/history on the car) and everything looked good.
>
> As is common with most subies I cracked a ringland. By the grace of god the aftermarket warranty covered a new block and the rebuild. I even went with a RAW stage 1 with forged CP pistons. $500 deductable later and I was rolling comfortably again. It was only because an interested party from PA came into the picture that I sold it, so it all worked out. I never so much as lost a penny on that car.
>
> Back on topic; as others have said, check the car out thoroughly and make sure you don’t leave any stone unturned. I have had both good and bad luck with modified cars, but it was never the car itself.
ha interested party to say the least
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### Author:  [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/28 "2010-12-06T20:32:43Z")
> [@burnt\_toast](#):
>
> Well, as others have posted, it’s difficult to find any around this area. I’ve purchased two cars blindly from across the country and haven’t made out so well. Plus i’m pretty much busy all of the time and having the dealer find it for me is much easier. At least if the dealer finds one for me i can work with them (hopefully) if anything seems fishy. If i buy private party i’m pretty much out of luck 1 second after the transaction. And that really sucks.
> Now I found out that I’ll most likely be in germany for a few weeks in the beginning of the year, so i’m debating just holding off until i get back.
I don’t know about you, but I’m happy to drive a few hundred miles to save $3-5k surcharge of going through a dealer (and I just did)
but if you’ve got the cash to burn…
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### Author:  [@Saxon](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Saxon)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 7:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/29 "2010-12-07T07:58:04Z")
if i was working hard to find you a car and you came in trying to offer me 2,000 less, + a warranty(usually 1500 for awd) and winter tires i would laugh and say “ok seriously whats your offer”
there must be alot of bad dealerships out there for people to think that every customer is owed the world just because they purchase a vehicle!!
should you get what you pay for … absolutely!
should you get great service… absolutely!
should the dealer take a loss or not make any money when you yourself said “i dont have the time so i’d rather have a dealerhsip do it for me” NO WAY!!
why not just wait and see what they say, see how the car drives and evaluate the whole situation like the dealer asked you to? who knows the car could be phenomenal, could drive better than stock etc… or like someone else mentioned it could possibly just be stickers??
i dont know about you but i would trust a tuned subaru more than the stock ones…
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### Author:  [@burnt\_toast](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/burnt_toast)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 11:46am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/30 "2010-12-07T11:46:08Z")
Yeah its all been said and I already said I would wait and see. And yet another person seems to have missed the part where I said I would LIKE to see something off and then immediately followed it by saying I didn’t think it would happen.
I can’t do anything until I can see the car and drive it… but now they’re waiting on getting the title or something so I can’t even do that.
And for future repliers to this thread, please understand that I clearly asked what you would do in my shoes, not if you were the dealer. Also notice that I was asking for advice, not declaring what I was planning on doing.
And for fucks sake I don’t expect the dealer to take a loss, just as I don’t plan getting ripped off.
And im not going to fly somewhere or drive for hours and hours to buy a private party car. I don’t want to. This thread isnt about anything other than this specific situation.
Finally, no I would not trust a modified subaru more than a stock one if its going to void the factory warranty.
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### Author:  [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 11:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/31 "2010-12-07T11:52:13Z")
lol… so you want to know what somebody would do in your shoes as long as it’s what you would do.
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### Author:  [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/32 "2010-12-07T12:28:43Z")
> [@theblue](#):
>
> lol… so you want to know what somebody would do in your shoes as long as it’s what you would do.
See “Has anyone had experience with Ryan Homes” thread.
At least Fry came around eventually.
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### Author:  [@neonglh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/neonglh)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/33 "2010-12-07T12:40:44Z")
Break in period, lol.
Just check it out first, it’s not like a brain tumor, and you’ll find out 9 years from now the car has a problem. It either has damage or not. Even if it was beat, it’s a performance car. I have owned 2 used evos, 2 used stis, 2 used srt4s, 2 used turbo legacys, all of which you could argue are “performance cars”, and had hard lives, and never had a problem. As long as they honor the warranty, then you’re good.
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### Author:  [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/34 "2010-12-07T13:25:55Z")
> [@walter](#):
>
> This.
>
> If someone has completely thrashed a car, you can tell. I don’t understand why people get so scared of this. Its the same people that say “omg, I’d never let anyone else drive my car” as if them taking it up to the redline is somehow different than when you do.
>
> Quite frankly, I’d be more scared of the one owner low miles car that some woman drove in stop and drive traffic for 30k miles without ever changing the oil and crap footing the clutch the whole time.
>
> I love the hard ass attitude of the OP too. “I’m the one with the $20k check that they want” before you even know what they are going to say. If you don’t like the fact that they are dishonest, then just go somewhere else. If you don’t care that it had the mods, then buy the car. Don’t act like some hardass. Lord knows there are plenty of people out there with stickers on their cars that don’t have anything done to them, just because they say the car hasn’t been modified, doesn’t mean you’ve caught them in some lie. If you don’t like the answer or the circumstance, then just walk away. D
BS: I traded in my bone stock STi with really nice paint, really clean underbody and very little evidence of being modified to a delaer in MD with a dead cylinder.
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### Author:  [@HotRodKid](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/HotRodKid)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/35 "2010-12-07T13:35:13Z")
^^^ was that the black one that you almost nailed a dumpster with less then 12 hours before you traded it in ?
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### Author:  [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/36 "2010-12-07T13:36:30Z")
No, black was was never modded. Blue one. 06
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### Author:  [@boardjnky4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/boardjnky4)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/37 "2010-12-07T13:41:47Z")
the one that was modded with a 35r, roll cage, all bolt-ons…then slammed into a curb, did 360’s in the snow, drag raced and shot flames, etc… Then blown up and traded in as if it were all OEM? Oh yeah…modded subarus are always really well taken care of.
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### Author:  [@dreid](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dreid)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/38 "2010-12-07T13:43:33Z")
OT whats the story with the dead cylinder? it never got brought up to you?
---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------
> [@boardjnky4](#):
>
> modded subarus are always really well taken care of.
damn makes me not want 1. plus the ringland BS
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### Author:  [@Quattro\_Krant](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Quattro_Krant)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/39 "2010-12-07T13:50:38Z")
> [@burnt\_toast](#):
>
> This has been in the works for over a month. The dealer has been working with me and vice versa. If they are going to lie to me and try to say a car was never modified in a performance manner, then really who should go fuck themselves? I’m the one with the 20k+ check that they want. I have no problem taking my deposit back and saying “sorry guys, shouldn’t have had the car shipped here from PA if you planned on lying to me.” There are plenty of other dealerships out there willing to sell someone a car. I’m not a punk kid test driving cars that i have no intention of buying just for kicks.
>
> I understand that asking for a shitload off the price may be extreme, but that’s why i was asking for advice or opinions from people who could see themselves in this position, not for sarcastic replies from a disgruntled salesman who obviously had a bad month end. Maybe try again and suggest what I should do, especially since you’re a salesman. Hopefully you have more experience in the field than just telling people to fuck off.
>
> ---------- Post added at 08:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:17 PM ----------
>
> Also, I don’t want to buy brand new, it’s a waste of money. You’re a salesman, you know how much a brand new car is worth the second the new owner drives it off of the lot.
> And i’m not looking at a 1995 transmarrowbird, it’s a 2009 with factory warranty still intact. Well, that is unless the ECU was modified and i get denied at a time of need because of it. See where i’m going with this? I’d like to figure out the appropriate way to handle this.
I hear what you are saying and I will tell you what I tell anyone that is on the fence about one of the cars I am selling. If you don’t think you are going to be 100% happy or if it doesn’t seem like a good fit for you, don’t buy it. In the end it is your money and you are the one that has to live with the car day in and day out.
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### Author:  [@burnt\_toast](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/burnt_toast)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-from-a-dealership-that-was-is-modified/206871/40 "2010-12-07T14:54:55Z")
> [@theblue](#):
>
> lol… so you want to know what somebody would do in your shoes as long as it’s what you would do.
Not at all, I’ve listened to everyone who has told ME what to do in THIS situation, which is: go in prepared, make sure they honor the warranty, don’t buy it if you don’t like it, etc.
What i’m not wanting to hear is “if i were the dealer i’d tell you to go to hell” etc. I don’t care if you were the dealer, that’s not the question. Why is reading so hard?
---------- Post added at 05:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:50 PM ----------
> [@Quattro Krant](#):
>
> I hear what you are saying and I will tell you what I tell anyone that is on the fence about one of the cars I am selling. If you don’t think you are going to be 100% happy or if it doesn’t seem like a good fit for you, don’t buy it. In the end it is your money and you are the one that has to live with the car day in and day out.
Thank you, you’re right. That’s where I’m at right now, and I certainly won’t buy if i’m not 100%.
---------- Post added at 05:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:51 PM ----------
> [@newman](#):
>
> BS: I traded in my bone stock STi with really nice paint, really clean underbody and very little evidence of being modified to a delaer in MD with a dead cylinder.
lol. my confidence is buying used has dropped. severely.
---------- Post added at 05:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 PM ----------
> [@neonglh](#):
>
> Break in period, lol.
>
> Just check it out first, it’s not like a brain tumor, and you’ll find out 9 years from now the car has a problem. It either has damage or not. Even if it was beat, it’s a performance car. I have owned 2 used evos, 2 used stis, 2 used srt4s, 2 used turbo legacys, all of which you could argue are “performance cars”, and had hard lives, and never had a problem. As long as they honor the warranty, then you’re good.
All really good points, they are certainly cars that are meant to be driven. It will all rest on the warranty, hopefully they let me go check it out soon so i can discuss this
---------- Post added at 05:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:53 PM ----------
> [@JayS](#):
>
> See “Has anyone had experience with Ryan Homes” thread.
>
> At least Fry came around eventually.
I’m really hoping that people can start to read eventually. Many people have been able to so far, so the points _must_ be there. I guess english is hard.
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