Foo - bought a used subaru OB. . .

Is there enough owner knowledge here or do I need to keep trying elsewhere? Subaruoutback.org forums so far less than. . . responsive. good stuff historically just no . . . interaction as it were.

I am not a car guy at all. Maybe I'm too n00b for them

A Lesbaru :roflmao2:

I've had four Subies, loads of them sold in the west, sorry most owners are NOT lesbians out here, must be a midwest thing.

The best forums to search for Subaru info is on ski forums, those folks have seen it all and love to help other owners.

They are great cars, fantastic snowmobiles. What year and model did you get?

Good choice, tell us more.

We just replaced our 2001 Forester with a 2010. I like the flat four engine and it seems very stable. Still like the new one but it's bigger, less like a car and more like a SUV. The 2001 was big enough for us. Good job the old snow tires fit the new one, but a new roofrack will be expensive.

Yea I herd they are a lesbian car too that why I drive beetle covetable and you should hear what I have been told about that. I hear the Miata has a similar reputation

A Lesbaru :roflmao2:

So this is how a Subaru rolls?

A Lesbaru :roflmao2:

Only if you are in Northhampton, MA:innocent:

My '87 GL Wagon was the greatest thing ever. Except maybe for my rusty trusty previa.
The flat 4 engine keeps the weight so low that the car handles really kind of nicely for what it is.

Our '91 Postal Legacy has 270,000 miles on it. The '97 has 380,000. I've done all of the work on them since they came out of warranty.

OP - pay attention to changing the oil & keeping its fluids at proper levels; there's a subaru additive that supposedly keeps the head gaskets from leaking (oh, what an expensive fix THAT was!). If the roads in TN are anything like the ones in WV, you might keep an eye (or ear) on the front axles. My last outback (2000) had 357,000 miles on it when my son missed a deer & hit a tree... a friend's son has it now & claims that - for $500 - it's the best subie in the state! Ignore the check engine light - there's an O2 sensor that just doesn't like regular gas.

Life Story Dept.

Yeah, so I've been digging around for the last year or so wanted a nice AWD vehicle. . . looked at. . everything OTHER than an OB but found things that. . weren't quite right (either too much [Pilot], too fuel inefficient [4runner], or too small or otherwise crappy[Rav4, Highlander, Endeavor])

Really came to a head after I was left with a partially wrecked 1998 Prism in the. . seperation

Wait I briefly considered an XC70, but it's AWD is SO meh. Also there was a reeeaaalllyyy nice A4 Quattro for about the same, but I decided: no turbos, thank you (see below).

So really that left the Subaru. I like the wagon. It looks nice. Has a fairly good reputation for longevity. . . problem was finding one for sale. I've actually been looking for a year. Lots of Gen 2s with 180k+ miles for less than 5000, but I think I'd really want a 2005 or newer. Played with the idea of an XT (go fast) but I was gently nudged to forget about a used one unless I KNEW it was properly maintained and all or I could pretty much expect to be replacing the turbo. . just. . about. . . now. "Unless your towing", I was told, "or driving up many steep inclines in the high altitudes, there's no reason for an XT." Let alone it eats 91 octane. . .

Thought I found one in Knox for under 8. . even had Thule 517 racks on top (although I like Yakima better). . 130,000 miles or so, but I've never seen a Gen3 for less than 11,000 in TN. . . After me calling every other day to check on the status, they ended up "mistakenly" selling it to someone else thinking it was me (or someone working with me) but it wasn't. . but it worked out because one popped up on CL for $200 more but with 20K less miles and a Limited trim to boot, so I drove to Nashville (112 miles) last Thurs (12/15) cashiers check and drove off-- - after checking for gasket leaks (largely fixed in the 05 and newer, anyway), rear diff shudder/torque bind.

The previous owners didn't do as much regular maintenance as I'd like (longish intervals), but they appear to have kept all the receipts-- such as: It had trans and rear diff service at the dealer at 98k miles. Hey. That's a relief, really.

I have no reason to believe it's had any of the 100,000 miles and beyond services so I went ahead and had the timing belt changed (along with all the other service things, like oil change). . . CV joints and boots look good, rear diff is still good. Rear brake pads are just about gone, I was told, but I spent all on the timing belt and oil, so nothing left for brakes. . . they want $230 for it. That's too much.

I have a 01 OB wagon. Bought it 4 years ago for $4600 with 110k on it. A real steal. The crackly paint job made it cheap. I now have 135k on it. (Ride bike mostly.) Plan on driving it til it won't go no more.

It is my third Subaru. My previous ones were both 1991 Legacy wagons (one after the other). Great cars. My last one was 17 years old, 165k, when I sold it, still running well.

Ultimatesubaru.org for all of your Subaru forum needs.

I've owned two Subarus (Subarii?) over the years. I've never been known as a lesbian, although I do like *****.

Just PM Ruben with any car maintenance questions and then do the exact opposite of what he advises and you are golden.

A Lesbaru :roflmao2:

Yes, it's a Midwestern thing, except around these parts it's specifically the Forester that is the lesbianmobile. Not really a generalization, either, as literally every Forester owner I know personally is actually a lesbian...it's a small sample, but it's 7 out of 7. And every Forester I see on the highway has a rainbow decal on the bumper. So that's 100% in my tiny world. :D

Life Story Dept.

Yeah, so I've been digging around for the last year or so wanted a nice AWD vehicle. . . looked at. . everything OTHER than an OB but found things that. . weren't quite right (either too much [Pilot], too fuel inefficient [4runner], or too small or otherwise crappy[Rav4, Highlander, Endeavor])

Really came to a head after I was left with a partially wrecked 1998 Prism in the. . seperation

Wait I briefly considered an XC70, but it's AWD is SO meh. Also there was a reeeaaalllyyy nice A4 Quattro for about the same, but I decided: no turbos, thank you (see below).

So really that left the Subaru. I like the wagon. It looks nice. Has a fairly good reputation for longevity. . . problem was finding one for sale. I've actually been looking for a year. Lots of Gen 2s with 180k+ miles for less than 5000, but I think I'd really want a 2005 or newer. Played with the idea of an XT (go fast) but I was gently nudged to forget about a used one unless I KNEW it was properly maintained and all or I could pretty much expect to be replacing the turbo. . just. . about. . . now. "Unless your towing", I was told, "or driving up many steep inclines in the high altitudes, there's no reason for an XT." Let alone it eats 91 octane. . .

Thought I found one in Knox for under 8. . even had Thule 517 racks on top (although I like Yakima better). . 130,000 miles or so, but I've never seen a Gen3 for less than 11,000 in TN. . . After me calling every other day to check on the status, they ended up "mistakenly" selling it to someone else thinking it was me (or someone working with me) but it wasn't. . but it worked out because one popped up on CL for $200 more but with 20K less miles and a Limited trim to boot, so I drove to Nashville (112 miles) last Thurs (12/15) cashiers check and drove off-- - after checking for gasket leaks (largely fixed in the 05 and newer, anyway), rear diff shudder/torque bind.

The previous owners didn't do as much regular maintenance as I'd like (longish intervals), but they appear to have kept all the receipts-- such as: It had trans and rear diff service at the dealer at 98k miles. Hey. That's a relief, really.

I have no reason to believe it's had any of the 100,000 miles and beyond services so I went ahead and had the timing belt changed (along with all the other service things, like oil change). . . CV joints and boots look good, rear diff is still good. Rear brake pads are just about gone, I was told, but I spent all on the timing belt and oil, so nothing left for brakes. . . they want $230 for it. That's too much.

Rear pads is an easy deal to do yourself, you should be able to get pads at autozone for $40.00 or less. Even for a noob it's not a tough project. I would also look at www.nasioc.com for info, I believe that your outback is an impreza under the skin, but even if not, the brakes are probably about the same. There are lots of good writeups in the forum there.

An Outback Sport is an Imprezza wagon with. . . larger tires. Forrester is also built on the Iprezza platform.

An Outback is a Subaru Legacy Wagon with better suspension, slightly beefier trans. . . different engine options. Kind of like Tacoma vs 4Runner

Oh, the Baja was also a Legacy. . Gen2 Outback, basically.

I wanted a Brat back in the day.

An Outback Sport is an Imprezza wagon with. . . larger tires. Forrester is also built on the Iprezza platform.

An Outback is a Subaru Legacy Wagon with better suspension, slightly beefier trans. . . different engine options. Kind of like Tacoma vs 4Runner

Oh, the Baja was also a Legacy. . Gen2 Outback, basically.

has subaru ever changed their imprezza platform since 1992?

has subaru ever changed their imprezza platform since 1992?

1999, and 2008 were complete re-designs.

I wanted a Brat back in the day.I've had two. They weren't terribly good cars, but then, I also bought them well used.

I wish they'd bring back the Loyale wagon. I had two of those, as well. Kind of tinny, but comfortable, reliable, and easy (30ish MPG) on gas.

Best truck I've ever had was my '52 Dodge M37. Flathead-6, 5:63 diffs, 4-speed trans with hi-lo, fold-up top and roll-down windows. As simple as it gets.

OP - pay attention to changing the oil & keeping its fluids at proper levels; there's a subaru additive that supposedly keeps the head gaskets from leaking (oh, what an expensive fix THAT was!). If the roads in TN are anything like the ones in WV, you might keep an eye (or ear) on the front axles. My last outback (2000) had 357,000 miles on it when my son missed a deer & hit a tree... a friend's son has it now & claims that - for $500 - it's the best subie in the state! Ignore the check engine light - there's an O2 sensor that just doesn't like regular gas.

The smart West-By-God natives keep alternating bigger tires on the front or back so you always ride level in and out of the holler.

I wanted a Brat back in the day.

I really liked the Baja, and almost bought one. Went with my Legacy GT instead.
I thought the Baja had big sales written all over it, but they didn't sell nearly as many
as they predicted, and they stopped producing them. Strange, because I know two dudes that own them, and they love them, even thought the pickup bed is not really
big enough for more than a few odds and ends.

They should consider bringing back the Subaru XT series. Those were pretty cool.

If you do a web search entitled: typical problems with Suburu and you will turn up some interesting things. The car is very reliable up to right around 140,000 miles give or take 40,000 miles when the head gasket blows. When I did the search some time ago a lot of pre 2002 models were showing, but then I realized most people don't have that many miles on newer cars; but the I did find a few and they too had the same problem. But that head gasket problem seems to be the only constant with the car. Obviously repairing a head gasket will be expensive by itself, but if it fries the engine the process then you got a pile of junk.

Personally I wouldn't buy one, but then again I hate newer cars, so I'm not a good person to telling you not to get one.

There are a lot of cars that have seen 350,000 plus miles not just a Sub, and some of those cars would leave you scratching your head because the car was junk when new! So just because someone says they got 350,000 miles on any car is not a true indicator of reality. Some cars are very expensive to work on like the smaller car companies such as Mazda. My daughter had a 97 Ford Probe and 3 years ago she was driving it in below 0 temps and the transmission froze up. We towed it into a independent garage only to find out the internal parts were made of plastic and the temp shattered a plastic part that then blew the trany. The cost to rebuild was $3,500 with no guarantee! And that price was the lowest price I got, but only 2 places where I live would even bother to rebuild it, the other 10 places or so that I called didn't want the job at all! So I junked the car and gave her our 2001 van since we no longer needed a van anymore and she did. I'm telling you all of this so you will check the internet before you buy a certain model car to find out what problems they have and how much do repairs cost.

If you do a web search entitled: typical problems with Suburu and you will turn up some interesting things. The car is very reliable up to right around 140,000 miles give or take 40,000 miles when the head gasket blows. When I did the search some time ago a lot of pre 2002 models were showing, but then I realized most people don't have that many miles on newer cars; but the I did find a few and they too had the same problem. But that head gasket problem seems to be the only constant with the car. Obviously repairing a head gasket will be expensive by itself, but if it fries the engine the process then you got a pile of junk.

Personally I wouldn't buy one, but then again I hate newer cars, so I'm not a good person to telling you not to get one.

There are a lot of cars that have seen 350,000 plus miles not just a Sub, and some of those cars would leave you scratching your head because the car was junk when new! So just because someone says they got 350,000 miles on any car is not a true indicator of reality. Some cars are very expensive to work on like the smaller car companies such as Mazda. My daughter had a 97 Ford Probe and 3 years ago she was driving it in below 0 temps and the transmission froze up. We towed it into a independent garage only to find out the internal parts were made of plastic and the temp shattered a plastic part that then blew the trany. The cost to rebuild was $3,500 with no guarantee! And that price was the lowest price I got, but only 2 places where I live would even bother to rebuild it, the other 10 places or so that I called didn't want the job at all! So I junked the car and gave her our 2001 van since we no longer needed a van anymore and she did. I'm telling you all of this so you will check the internet before you buy a certain model car to find out what problems they have and how much do repairs cost.

Head gasket issues tend to be turbo car problems, the regular NA 2.5 that they put in all the other imprezas are pretty bulletproof.

I always figue that, with a used subaru, if it has 100,00 miles on, you'll still get another 200,000.....

As long as you own a multi-purpose kitchen table to make any repairs when needed, any car is OK.

Head gasket issues tend to be turbo car problems, the regular NA 2.5 that they put in all the other imprezas are pretty bulletproof.

Not true. The 1998 - 2003 Foresters actually had a recall for head gasket problems....not the turbo model. I have a 2006 Forester with 85 k miles and have leaky head gaskets now. In speaking with some service managers at a couple subbie dealerships, they basically acknowledge that the Forester head gasket problem is still ongoing. Subaru of course denies this, and won't help me with the repair since I don't have maintenance records (the shops I use aren't that high tech, and I hate keeping paper - live and learn). It seems the issue is largely due to the open deck head block design being used in the non-turbo Foresters. The turbos have either a closed or semi-closed deck - more rigid.

In any case - as much as I have liked this car so far, there's not excuse for leaky head gaskets at 85k miles. When I go car shopping next May I'll roll right past the Subaru dealership on my way to the Honda place. Have never had that kind of issue with any of our Hondas.

I had several legacy's, most recently a 2008 GT, love that car.

Head gasket issues tend to be turbo car problems, the regular NA 2.5 that they put in all the other imprezas are pretty bulletproof.

You could be right, though when I did my research they didn't identify if they were turbo or not. I do know that Foresters were problematic and none of them were turbo; I knew two people over the years that had them and hated the vehicles. But to be fair I also known a couple of people who owned the Outbacks and love those; but even they thought parts were more expensive to buy then Toyotas and Nissans they had before. My daughter had a 97 Ford Probe, which is basically a Mazda, and parts for that car were expensive for such a cheap car, I asked a repair guy why and they said that the parts channels for odd ball cars are not as extensive as American cars or the big 3 Japanese cars.

Here's a site discussing the head gasket issue, note they make no reference about turbo charged engines: http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/

If I had my druthers I'd try to find a Euro-market e24 BMW 525iX wagon. That would be just about perfect for what I need an AWD car (as opposed to a truck) for. I really like BMW. Not only are they quiet, smooth and comfortable, they're tanks; easy to drive, cheap to fix and they run forever with reasonable care.

I hate newer vehicles due to all their electronic systems, and once something goes wrong with one of the systems it cost an arm and leg to fix something we really don't need. Then they put in micro motors to open various doors, like I'm too weak to open a door or a trunk, and when those motors die, and they do die, it cost around $800 to $1200 to get fixed. Then they make the cars impossible for a back yard mechanic to fix by bankrupting you to death with the purchase of new tools and scanners, and putting things in places that require removing half the car to get to it...No Thanks! Add on top of that most cars look the same and their so blah looking.

Don't get me wrong there are a few new cars I like the looks of, like the Toyota FJ Cruiser, the quirky looking (that's why I like it) Nissan Juke, the entire line of Lotus but especially the Exige, and maybe one or two others if I really thought long and hard about it.

I do own one "newer" vehicle, a 98 Ford F150 Super Cab, but I searched a long time to find just the basic 6cyl supercab truck without electric windows or seats; it seems dealers don't like to have those trucks pre-ordered on the lot, you have to special order a basic truck. But my main car is a 72 Chrysler Newport 4 dr! It's in mint conditon though I did have to get it repainted, it had insanely low miles on it when I bought it last year (42,000 documented), it runs extremely well, gets 20 mpg (after I put a new Flowmaster dual exhaust from the headers on back, and a open K&N filter). I also have 4 other older cars as well, three of them are vintage classics, the other is slowly becoming a classic. I like all my older cars because their easy to work on and, besides the two oldest, the parts are cheap and easy to come by.

My understanding is that the HG issue was largely fixed in the gen3 series especially 2006 and onward.

My understanding is that the HG issue was largely fixed in the gen3 series especially 2006 and onward.

I think that's the official Subaru story, but if you read around a bit ( I have, since my 2006 is currently suffering the HG problem), it might not be truly solved. Or maybe I just got a bad one.

But I did have one Subaru service manager tell me he thinks the issue is a design issue with the motor.

The site that I gave at All Wheel Drive Auto gave some pretty basic issues that need to be done frequently to a Suburu. One is to make sure the oil is changed frequently, meaning that if the Suburu owners manual recommends 7,000 mile oil change I would change every 3,500 to 4,000 miles. The theory is that gasoline is never fully burnt off and thus is deposited into the oil which in turns eats up the seals in the engine. The other advice was to make sure the antifreeze is changed more frequently, again I would probably half what ever the manual said.

Then there's this site: http://www.smart-service.com/blog/2009/09/prolonging-subaru-head-gaskets Talks about the stock water pump may not be very good; compare the photos they show of a Suburu water pump vs a high quality Japanese aftermarket unit. Then there may be an issue with the thermostat, that maybe the original thermostat went bad and was replaced with a inferior aftermarket one.

And yes, their still having problems with the head gaskets in newer Suburu's; here's one example: http://www.edmunds.com/subaru/forester/2010/consumer-discussions.html