"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
03/26/2018 at 16:05 • Filed to: None
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"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
03/26/2018 at 16:05 • Filed to: None | 0
| 28 |
I should probably start off by saying I’m not seriously considering buying this car.
I’ve made it well known that I intend to
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before the year is out (but
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Nah,
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Probably). That day has not yet come, as I intend to completely pay off all my other outstanding debts first and still have a bit left on one credit card, but in the meantime I like to occasionally window shop just to get a feel for what to expect and look for (and look out for) when the time comes.
One of the things I’ve been trying to get a handle on is mods. Not surprisingly, the BRZ has a sizable mod scene, and a fair percentage of ads I’ve looked at have shown at least some amount of modification (usually tint and/or an intake). Some mods aren’t a big deal, little things I can just remove or change back if I don’t like them, others are red flags as to the previous owner and how they likely treated and maintained the car. Which leads us to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! which just popped up for sale within my planned price ranged and a mile from my workplace.
The subwoofer definitely isn’t my kind of thing. If I were to buy this car it would be on craigslist the next day. Admittedly I don’t know much about aftermarket subwoofers and their installation. Does it just sit there? Do I need to worry about possible drilling/bolting/damage that may have been done putting it in there? Or things that may be loose/worn out thanks to constantly being rattled by the sub? The sub also leads us to...
The backseat. Wait, what’s that red wire coming through the back seat? Is that the battery cable?! Is he running the battery cable through the cabin and into the trunk via the split in the seat? I’m kinda amazed the dealer didn’t hide/remove that. I now also wonder where the sub’s other wiring goes, since there’s no other cables visible here. Let’s follow the red wire...
There it goes, leading us to...
Under the hood and boy is there a lot going on. PO seems to like red. Strut tower braces, intake hoses, battery tie-down. Well alrighty then. PO also apparently replaced the filter with a K&N and installed an Optima marine battery. And on said battery we can see our old friend the red trunk wire.
The rest of the car looks mostly stock to my somewhat untrained eye, aside from some WeatherTech floor mats and, um, replacing the handbrake button? Is that a thing?
Okay then. There’s also these exhaust tips...
All in all there’s a lot going on, but just about all the mods seem to be style oriented, not performance. No crazy brakes, no aftermarket tires, no apparent suspension mods, no apparent engine performance stuff. Does that mean performance wasn’t one of the PO’s priorities and it may not have been driven as hard as some other examples? What about maintenance, is there anything here that makes it look more likely/less likely the car was routinely and properly maintained? Where would this car land for you? Acquire and undo what’s been did, or hide in the bushes until it leaves and wait for the next one? What are some other mods to look out for when looking at BRZs (or cars in general)?
CalzoneGolem
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:10 |
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I rate it: I’ve had worse.
Takuro Spirit
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:11 |
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You missed the hole in the bumper above the driver’s side exhaust tip
Wacko
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:11 |
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that red wire is the power for the sub directly from the battery which is normal and how you want to do it, but in my days of Sub installations, I would remove trim and parts carpets to hide and route my wires way better than that. I hate it when people do half assed jobs like that.
HammerheadFistpunch
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:11 |
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The mods don’t seem too bad...but...the worst types of people for modding are generally speaking DIY car audio people. So that gives pause for reflection.
AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:13 |
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He’s obviously clueless. Which means he’s probably clueless about proper maintenance too.
Long-Voyager
> CalzoneGolem
03/26/2018 at 16:15 |
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I rate it: I’ve done worse.
Then again, that was on cars I spent less than $1k on, sooooo.
CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:17 |
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Run away. Clearly an idiot.
HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:17 |
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See kids this is how trap cars become a thing
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Dusty Ventures
> Wacko
03/26/2018 at 16:19 |
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Yeah, that was my biggest issue with the wire, the way it’s not disguised at all. I’ve got wires in my car for the dashcam and the aftermarket bluetooth mic and they’re all concealed under the trim.
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Dusty Ventures
> Takuro Spirit
03/26/2018 at 16:19 |
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You’re right. That must be the purpose of those exhaust tips, to distract you from the hole
E90M3
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:23 |
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You know it’s a quality stereo install when you can see the wires on the inside.
So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:24 |
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That red parking brake button looks like those ones budget drifters use. If it’s what i’m thinking of it doesnt lock unless you pull the ‘button’ out. That allows you to do handbrake turns and just let go of the handbrake without it staying engaged. Mighty Car Mods did an install video on them i think, if that helps. Might want to look closely at the little access panels in the bumpers where you install the tow hook. If it’s been pried off a few times (messed up plastic, scratched paint) It’s a good bet it’s been tracked
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Wacko
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:24 |
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plus a sub power wire is always live, so keep adjusting your seat on it and break off insulation little by little, then it will short out, start a fire.
Arrivederci
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:27 |
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Been out of the 86 scene for a bit, but I think that e-brake button is a “drift button”.
Run.
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Arrivederci
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:28 |
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Been out of the 86 scene for a bit, but I think that e-brake button is a “drift button”.
Run.
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Dusty Ventures
> Arrivederci
03/26/2018 at 16:34 |
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Takuro Spirit
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:34 |
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What tips, OH THOSE TIPS
RacingShark
> Wacko
03/26/2018 at 16:39 |
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The exposed wires on the capacitor are also super dangerous. If something conductive touched both of those, it would dump a few hundred amps instantly. This install is so half assed. A child owned this car and it’s been beaten. Stay away.
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Dusty Ventures
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:42 |
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...I just realized I’ve now done two straight posts about running away from things
Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:45 |
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Guessing that the clutch is fried
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Dusty Ventures
> Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
03/26/2018 at 16:50 |
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Guessing that the PO is fried
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Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 16:56 |
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probably touched the red wire.
merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Wacko
03/26/2018 at 17:25 |
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They have a fuse underhood right off the battery terminal, so that’s okay there, but yeah, still don’t want to be able to see the wires. And it looks like it’s running to a capacitor not an amp, so that’s wired, where’s the amp? Normally the cap is right next to the amp, if needed, so the wire run to the amp is as short as possible. But yeah like others have said.... run. It wasn’t owned by some nice old lady who only drove it to church on Sunday and Bingo night. With the “drift button” mod, this ones probably had a rough life.
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Wacko
> merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
03/26/2018 at 17:28 |
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The cap powers the amp, most likely on the back side of the sub box.
What I find weird is that we don’t see the other wires with the red, like the acc power and the rca cables
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merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Wacko
03/26/2018 at 17:53 |
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The RCAs you can pull off the rear speakers with an adapter that converts the two speaker +/- into two RCA channels, so that could be by the amp too, as for the remote power wire, that could be run down the same side as the power, but being such a small wire, might be better hidden. It’s all pretty janky though. The big ground should just go to the chassis right by the amp so I’d hate to see the rats nest of wiring behind that box.
Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ
> Takuro Spirit
03/26/2018 at 18:58 |
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Looks like they just drilled out one of the covers in the back where the tow hook goes, so they probably had one in there semi-permanently. That combined with the drift button on the handbrake is a good sign that this car has seen some serious abuse. I’m guessing that since they didn’t bother to replace that cover which is probably 10$ at the most, along with the poor wiring for the subs makes me think the current owner has put the bare minimum into maintenance.
TheTurbochargedSquirrel
> Dusty Ventures
03/26/2018 at 19:59 |
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Handbrake button is a drift button. Push it in and it stays in and the handbrake won’t stay on. Pull it out and it ratchets normally. When engaged pulling it out will release it.
StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> Dusty Ventures
03/27/2018 at 09:57 |
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Having had a full stereo in my current car and my previous one, my god is that a horrible install. All of my wires are hidden in the sides and under carpet when I can. The less you see the better. Also, if it was done at least remotely correct, the RCA cables should be on the other side of the car from the power cable so as not to get interference. But who knows since they didn’t bother to hide the power wire.