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Hi all,

 

 I am poised to buy a 2003 Forester with only 91,000 miled on it. One previous owner, no accidents, carfax looks great mostly dealer serviced local to where I am buying it from. $6995, with tax and conveyance fee it'll be just shy of $8,000.

 

Dealership did timing belt, waterpump, and head gasket. Tires look new.

 

1: Would you say go for it? This is my first sube and I'm switching from an '01 camry. I really need a wagon for this summer. I hear these last forever so when I saw one with less than 100,000 miles I pounced on it.

 

2: Where/how can anyone suggest I get an extended warranty? The dealership is only offering a 60 day warranty. While I consider myself a fairly educated person, I don't know much about buying cars as I've been driving my camry forever- so feel free to point out anything you might consider obvious that I might not have considered yet. I will be making my decision on it very soon, I have paid them to hold the car for a couple days while I come up with the money.

 

A big thanks!

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My only concern would be if they just replaced the timing belt, but not the idler pulleys that guide it. The pulleys are just as important as the belt itself. If the bearings in the pulleys to bad they seize and cause the belt to break. Water pumps on these practically never go bad because they get replaced with the timing belt, but some shops neglect to replace the idler pulleys, and those are the big trouble makers. Especially the one with the teeth.

If the dealer you're buying it from is the one that services the car ask to see the work order for the timing belt replacement and see if it includes all 3 idler pulleys, and the tensioner pulley assembly.

 

Other than that, just take it for a good long drive and see if anything seems weird or catches your attention. Sounds like a solid car though.

Ask the salesperson about an extended warranty. There are tons of 3rd party warranty companies out there that dealers often use and they may offer an extended warranty package at the time of sale. Usually sale of extended warranties is left up to the finance person. If not, research some of them on your own online and check reviews from other people who have used that company.

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? the quality of the work on headgaskets is easy job to mess up or hurt engine who why ect is always a gessing game but make me wonder why you whould sell right after head being done makes me think trying to hide somthing. Here fix the heads quwik so we can flip it and make it somone else problem. comp test oil preshure test cheap inshurance ask for specs

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^^^^ what he said! Sounds like what we saw last week at the shop with GD and I. A 03 out back that had just gotten all done up and turns out they put cheap after market head gaskets on it from car quest. Poor quality. And another thing, I'm not terribly familier with how often the head gaskets should be done, BUT at 91,000 miles sounds fishy to me. I have 250k on my 00 forester and as far as I know they've never been done and it runs strong.

 

Personly I'd as for the documentation on the parts they used and then make your choice.

 

 

-Prwa

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The phase 2 2.5 is known for seeping at the lower corners of the head gasket. Not a surprise to me that someone traded the car in becuse of a high repair bill, and the dealer replaced the gaskets before putting the car on their lot.

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You gotta be carefully with the change of the head gasket because if they didn't do it right it can cause you a lot I just bought a 05 forester with a bad head gasket  and if you don't know about this car it will be hard to determine if the car is any good my best bet find someone that drives one and knows about subaru to check the car out dealers are not always truthfull to what they say now if you where buying it from a subaru dealer than you are good 

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