MnDel Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Hello ,just joined because we are about to buy our first Suburu, been toyota folk for 30 years.... We are in a fairly remote area, so dont see many fo rsale. Today we drove a 98 Forester . Might get it for 5 grand or a little less?. It has 195k, head gasket changed recently. At what point in price valuation is it worth it to gamble on all of the 98's problems? ....(which we now know of thanks to spending 2 hours reading the archives of this forum!) It looks like the sort of vehicle we are looking for, and I wonder how likely it is to find the more recommended 99 for anything like $5,000? We'll need to decide soon, thanks! Del Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FindingForester Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 Hello ,just joined because we are about to buy our first Suburu, been toyota folk for 30 years....We are in a fairly remote area, so dont see many fo rsale. Today we drove a 98 Forester . Might get it for 5 grand or a little less?. It has 195k, head gasket changed recently. At what point in price valuation is it worth it to gamble on all of the 98's problems? ....(which we now know of thanks to spending 2 hours reading the archives of this forum!) It looks like the sort of vehicle we are looking for, and I wonder how likely it is to find the more recommended 99 for anything like $5,000? We'll need to decide soon, thanks! Del You could look on eBay motors; many of the Foresters seem to be going for lower prices than average. Yahoo has used car listings, and so does cars.com and a lot of other sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomson1355 Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 Del, I have reservations about spending 5K on a car with 195K miles. Granted, the HGs have been done , and the car could go another 195K, but it seems high by at least a couple thousand. 195K is a lot of miles and the car should be discounted more heavily. Even if you don't buy on Ebay, it's a great place to do market research. Tom Murphy Earlville, NY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcousins Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 I would think that amount of money is too high. There are a LOT of Foresters and Outbacks running around in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...you might try a Google search for that region...(Subaru, sale, Michigan), or something similar, just to see what's available. I know that Subies are running around with hi-milage, but I wouldn't consider it a given that every Subaru is going to last that long, especially in harsh climates and conditions. I would try for a lower mileage vehicle at a higher price...might be cheaper in the long run. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelcycle Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Del, In addition to the points made by the other posters regarding the high mileage, I would evaluate the mechanicals of this vehicle carefully. Usually someone who spends $1500-$1700 getting the heads done on a $4000-$5000 car is looking to keep it for another few years (or more). I really liked my 98 Forester and I just got the heads done but I would never have purchased another one (I now have an 05 XT as my primary car, the 98 is bad weather back-up for the Mrs) if they hadn't changed the engine design. I'd keep looking, preferably for a 99 or 00. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MnDel Posted February 10, 2005 Author Share Posted February 10, 2005 Thanks all! - everyone has been so willing to give advice, with their great background experience. This has helped us make the decision,and decided to let this one go. Thanks all for taking the time to lend a helping hand in the advice department! Del Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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