Wouldn't worry too much about damage from off-roading… most that go off-road with them in the UK tend to use them to cross fields, not the Sahara.
Mechanically, they're almost identical to an Impreza - given that you own one of those, hopefully most of it will seem familiar.
The one thing I would definitely check for is the rear suspension units failing. You'll notice this as the car will have a saggy arse. The rear struts on an XT are self-leveling and are known to fail. Replacement SLS (self levelling suspension) struts are dealer only parts and v expensive. The solution most people go with is to use non-SLS struts and get some replacement springs (as these are different for SLS/non-SLS). Aim for a £500 discount if the struts are/have failed and then spend £200 on the non-SLS struts and springs :biggrin:
Mechanically, they're almost identical to an Impreza - given that you own one of those, hopefully most of it will seem familiar.
The one thing I would definitely check for is the rear suspension units failing. You'll notice this as the car will have a saggy arse. The rear struts on an XT are self-leveling and are known to fail. Replacement SLS (self levelling suspension) struts are dealer only parts and v expensive. The solution most people go with is to use non-SLS struts and get some replacement springs (as these are different for SLS/non-SLS). Aim for a £500 discount if the struts are/have failed and then spend £200 on the non-SLS struts and springs :biggrin:
