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should I buy a 98 forester?? scared now!


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For that price (too low) two words come to mind: Salvaged Title

...if not in your state, than possibly in another, and the title has been "laundered".

 

First, pay or borrow someone to run a Carfax on the VIN. Get under vehicle and check for bent frame (re-staightened), weld marks, repaint and/or new undercoating.

 

Good luck, PK

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Look at eBay: '01 Forester S needs an engine, currently under $2000, in Georgetown, MA. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13484&item=4545607006&rd=1Is that close to you? Put a new engine in it and have not much more invested, with a new engine. Other high-mileage Foresters are going for a little more than you're spending, sounds like you're getting a good deal.

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Well, in the matter of two minutes the bid went up to $2500..
Perhaps I should've sent it to you privately.

Scary thing is, I just spent a little time looking for used Foresters, and found a lot of them needing or having new engines. All with less than 150k. This winter I spent some time recovering from an accident. I searched extensively online for a quattro or 4motion, then for 2.2l Subarus. I looked at hundreds of cars over months. I found a only a few mentioning bad or new engines. So those 2.5l engines are reliable? I don't know the statistics, but this seems ominous.

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I hate being stranded, its happend to me a few hundred miles from home. I think that if your nervous about the car now than you always will be once you own it and may limit what you do because of it.

 

A few extra thousand dollars is worth the piece of mind of having something you trust.

 

I bet with a little waiting and some searching one could find a newer model with less miles for around 5 to 6 thousand.

 

The car is probably fine but what is your piece of mind worth.

 

I live in Maine and have been looking for a forester too, if I see anything that seems nice I'll let you know.

 

-Dave

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dklien90 gave some great advice. If you can afford it then I would wait a while. Meanwhile considering something else. You may already know this but the Forester is kinda a cramped ride as it is. If you have driven the Forester and you like the style then wait and get one with less miles.

 

$3000 is a really good price. I have tried to sell Cars in the past and I know how hard it is. She may just want to get rid of it.

 

I know a few Folks who let cars go for much less than KBB just because that is what it is worth to them. I just put a clutch in my 85 Wagon got it running great and gave it away. I no longer needed it but I didn't want to give it away until is was fixed. So maybe this girl has a similar philosophy.

 

Oh and thanks to Nixon for his insults.

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I passed. As much as I'd like to get into a subaru and this was a great deal in my opinion, now just wasn't a good time for me to drop money I shouldn't be spending...

 

anyways, she reposted it for $3500 now, but its up for anyone who wants...just know she was giving it to me for $3050 and was eager to sell it to someone who knew about fixing them since it had high millage...she didn't want to sell it to someone who had no clue about what a hig illage car might require. I drove it and its smooth, never beat on and has a clean carfax. This isn't someone trying to sell a lemon, just a college girl moving and looking for a downpayment on a lease. Tell her Matt sent you.

 

http://boston.craigslist.com/car/70742044.html

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