Welcome to FTE.

First, the dollar sign goes first, like $1000.

Second, you want to sell your truck, so scroll down to the Marketplace forum and post an ad.

Third, you'll be 18, have a used car, no money and what's your next step?

Cars cost money. Money comes from a decent job. A decent job comes from secondary training or education or both. First things first.

Good luck.

 

Chances are that you're interested in modifying the Impreza in question and given the situation, I in all likelihood would do so as well. I'm not one to blindly follow or dissuade one from a course of action without solid reasoning to back up my position either.

If it were me in your shoes, knowing what I know now at age 32, I would keep the truck and save up for the Impreza. Also, I wouldn't necessarily 'halo' a GD-series Impreza, a GC-series one can be incredible in the right hands. Pretty sure you're familiar with Initial D, Bunta Fujiwara ends up in a GC8 Impreza WRX STi Version 5 coupe. In stock form, it's just as quick as a Lancer Evolution VI. It's actually what inspired me to get my RX-7 back in 2007.

The North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club (www.nasioc.com) is the best Subaru forum I know of and the best resource you can ask are seasoned owners who know the car inside and out, including its faults such as the infamous Head Gasket failure(s). A seasoned owner will be able to offer firsthand experience on solutions to these issues. Amongst most clubs, there's an inside joke about a shady guy trying to lure in a Subie owner into an alley like this:
"Psst...I got head gaskets"

If it were a RX-7, I'd steer you to the RX-7 Club (Mazda RX7 | Owners, Parts, Repair, Performance, Mods, Wheels - RX7Club.com). Then I'd suggest reading the FAQs and using the search feature. Chances are that either myself (moderator Akagis_white_comet) or whom I learned from, Aaron Cake, can or have answered most any new owner question you could ask.

I say this without ego of any kind, but when it comes to technical and mechanical prowess, Rotary Engines turn average men into master mechanics by throwing them right into the fire from Day 1 by forcing you to get your skills up to par. Things like doing a continuity test, reading the Factory Service Manual and testing the resistance of your grounds becomes second nature, skills that carry over to everything else you'll encounter.

I had to do a battery relocation on my RX7 to shoehorn in the 20B-REW. So I taught myself how to build battery cables from scratch (soldering with a propane torch), fabricated a battery box (welded angle iron & flat steel with an arc welder) that bolts into the car using only factory holes. Since I had to use a Haltech EMS, I learned how to do wiring correctly and built my own harness. Didn't like the fuse/relay setup it came with, or how it added on/replaced existing circuits, so I retrofitted the fuse/relay box from a Durango and re-routed every underhood circuit into it. ALL of the original fuses/relays are gone now.

These skills have carried over to my 1997 Expedition to solve its maladies such as its completely dead headlights. I traced the circuit, found the grounds to be in horrific condition and determined that was what burnt up the dimmer switch. Added some relays to the circuit (Every 97-03 F-Series/Expy owner should do this), replaced the switch (thank you Rock Auto!) and all was happy again.

Just for fun, I dissected the old switch so everyone can see what happens when it fails. It's in the Expedition/Navigator Section and is a good lesson. Since I already found two grounds in abysmal condition (they were CYAN!), I figured it would be best to examine every single one on the truck. Time well spent, as ever single one I have rehabbed has made the truck work better. One of the G200 (Passenger kick panel) ones was in extremely rusty sheetmetal and there was simply no salvaging where it attached as it had been repeatedly encountered moisture from the carpet. So I relocated it to the same bolt as the other G200 ground in the same area. It sits higher up so no possibility of rust/corrosion.

I follow Aaron Cake's proven method of cutting off the old ring terminal and any corroded/nastified wire, crimping on a new one packed with dielectric grease, then attacking the contact area around the bolt hole with a dremel untill it shines. Give the exposed bare sheetmetal some dielectric grease and bolt the ring terminal back down with a Stainless Steel bolt. It will be reliable for as long as you own it. Just doing this on the headlights restored the previously dead flash-to-pass function by itself. And adding in the relays means my switches will last forever too. A cheap mod that's easily/cheaply replaceable and far less costly than a new headlight main switch ($100 from Rock Auto) or a Dimmer Switch (~$75). I got lucky with a goldmine find for $12 in RA's closeout section for an off-brand dimmer switch, and they sent me an original Ford part (priced normally at over $100). You probably won't be as lucky.

Besides, having a truck means you can build your dream car at your own pace. Rent a trailer and bring home a roller, then build the engine with your own two hands. You'll end up with a far better end result instead of taking over someone else's hacked up project that they bailed out on halfway. Happens more often than you'd think.

The right approach with the right parts/tools/knowledge and right conditions will yield the desired result. Start with a Factory Service Manual, it will earn its weight in platinum every time you need it. Dealer parts catalogs are extremely useful too

 

You might also want to check out the Ultimate Subaru Message Board Ultimate Subaru Message Board

Tons of great information and a very friendly and helpful community.

You're asking good questions and being honest about your age and circumstances, those traits will serve you well.

Best of luck.

 

Here's mine. I've owned others too, but I'll always keep this one. Subarus are fun. Any turbo RWD or AWD car is fun. Only you can decide if a truck or a Subaru will be best for your uses. If you go with Subaru try to find one that is relatively un-modified and preferably less than 75,000 miles. You will need timing belt service at 100,000 miles (DONT SKIP THAT). Also keep in mind that any modification you do will benefit greatly from a ECU tune. Things like catless exhausts, atmospheric blow off valves and front mount intercoolers absolutely need a tune to keep your engine healthy. Also remember that the non-STI transmissions are not very strong. If you keep the mods simple you can have a lot of trouble free fun for many many years.

 

We've owned 2 Subarus & are currently looking for another one!

My husband sold the 91 Subaru Legacy (automatic) 2 yrs ago with 208,000 miles & it had delayed shifting problems unless we shifted it manually. Our 2001 Subaru Legacy (manual) has 325,000 miles & it currently needs a u-joint/driveline, but other than that, it's in great condition.

It's been, in my opinion one of the best vehicles weve owned. We're considering getting our 2 teenagers Subarus for school, etc. They are a great all season vehicle especially in the snow, have excellent gas milage, (like a Toyota) they are dependable & it's nothing to see 300,000 miles or more on a running Subaru and it has a kick-*** factory stereo! The only downfall I've experienced...(as with all foriegn vehicles) parts are more expensive, most or all of the tools are metric & there's no room to repair it.

I like some of the replies you've received. Especially the ones with the links...thanks! Good luck in whatever vehicle you choose.

 

Hate to say it, but lack of room to maneuver your hands to repair things isn't a Japanese car thing, it's a newer car thing. My 1987 Mazda RX-7 has always been pretty easy to work on because they engineered it so human sized hands can reach things. For example, the spark plugs are all visible with nothing obstructing access to them. On the other hand, my friend's RX-8 has quite a bit more in the way.

As for parts cost, there's a simple, clever solution: be creative. Don't like the price of a new alternator from the parts store? Visit the salvage yard and adapt one from another car. I've been using a Ford 3G Alternator from a 94 Taurus in my RX7 for 5+ years now.
"Imagination costs nothing! We can build square locomotives or fly to Mars" -Felix Wankel

This site has proven especially useful in figuring out what tools you need for any job: Metric Nut, Bolt, Screw, Washer Threads, Dimensions, Sizes, Tap Drill Size, Hole Size, The only thing I should point out is DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) fasteners is what you can find at your local hardware store. JIS (Japan Industrial Standard) hardware is what comes on a Japanese car from the factory. Generally speaking, the rule for JIS hardware is "Thread size plus 4=wrench size". The only exception to these two standard I've seen is from Ford. When redoing grounds on my Expedition, almost every ground bolt used an 8mm socket, hinting at a M5x0.8 thread size. All of them were M6x1.0 which normally uses a 10mm socket. Every single one along with their terminals was thrown away and replaced with normal sized stainless steel bolts and new ring terminals coated with dielectric grease for reliability.

Let's say I needed to swap out my alternator. Since I reused the long bolt from the stock RX7 Alternator but gave it a fresh M10x1.5 nut, it will use a 14mm wrench on the bolt and a 17mm one for the nut. For the other long bolt (from the Taurus). it will need a 15mm wrench on the bolt (Because of Ford's odd downsized standard) but a 17mm one on the nut.

6-17mm sockets and wrenches will cover almost everything on any Japanese car and can fit in any emergency kit easily. The only things that it couldn't do are big jobs that are not practical or safe to do on the side of the road.

 

Personially if I was in your shoes, actually I was in your shoes metaphorically once, I would hold on to the truck, yes I wanted a mustang but all the ones I had found were out of the price point I could afford (even with payments) so I bought my 1995 F150 worked with that, made it into a reliable truck that served me for at least 5 years before I finally grew to the point if having to get a bigger truck for the needs of me and the family (shoving two people and two or three animals in the cab on a bench with someone who is taller then you is not a fun experience, ask me how I know....), I saved up got the bigger truck, and kept saving, aquired my parents Nissan Altima which I hated due to it sitting so low to the ground and being a pain to get in and out of, sold that and took that $$$ and what I had set aside found a nice unmolested Mustang that is relitivly new model year (2004 Muustang) and it has exactly what I wanted, standard in it...

I will admit it took longer getting to this point but I am happy I kept my 95 as long as I did and got the trucks I have now along with the Stang...

I would suggest if you own your truck out right with little to no car note on it KEEP it, save the money for the Subaru you want and just take your time looking for one, and if you find one you can use the truck to bring it home on a trailer or what ever you wish, having a truck does have its up sides!!


And while were on the "emergency kit" while this is for my truck I keep an emergency tool kit of sockets in the Stang and the two volvos as well as the truck, just incase something goes wrong I have a good chance of being able to impliment a fix on the side of the road, granted if its a large job like head gaskets or something horrible thats a bit tricky, but typically for the small fixes like a CPS this is intended for (I do keep a spare in the glove box of my truck) Pictured below is what I use in the truck, the mustang has a similar one, also helps if I have to help change a battery or something like that)



Sorry for the long winded post!