Palouse Rider Posted February 14, 2004 Share Posted February 14, 2004 I am purchasing a '98 Forester S 5spd with 82k on the odometer. What is the opinion of synthetic vs dino oil in the 2.5l engine? How about timing belt interval? I will be doing mostly highway driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted February 14, 2004 Share Posted February 14, 2004 You are aware that the 98 Forester has the 2.5L Phase 1 DOHC engine, aren't you? I would recommend that you run a search on that engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted February 14, 2004 Share Posted February 14, 2004 Change the belt every 60k miles. Do a search for synthetic oil on the board here. Results here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/usmb/forum/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=39336&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending Towards the bottom of the results are some pretty good hits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagonsOnly Posted February 14, 2004 Share Posted February 14, 2004 Run, don't walk, from that car. Get a '99 Forester S with 100K+, or a '99 L with comparable mileage. The Phase I engine has numerous head gasket and head issues, as well as spotty assembly quality in the 1st year models. In particular watch out for the clutch (not that the '99 clutches were any better) and rear wheel bearings--and try to get a written warranty on them if you're buying from a dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palouse Rider Posted February 14, 2004 Author Share Posted February 14, 2004 Thanks for the info guys. I'll see what I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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