LocalHero

I'm not sure which year your addressing at this point but I've had older cars all my life (currently '89 Accord) and I'm wanting something newer. 2.2's are hard to find in newer cars and Subarus are already hard to find around here. I'm watching Ebay but I'm not sure I'm ready to buy a car unseen. Thanks, John (still reading this thread)

At least 02 and later cars might have some sort of warranty. Does Subaru make any diesels? I took this pic of a Subaru in Costa Rica this Oct and it opened my eyes to the fact that they make some cool vehicles that we don't see in this country. (hope this pic attachment works)

Hi Gary, I'm moving my choices up to the 02 and later models and so decided to look again at consumer reports data and lo! I found the original page that rated the 98 and 99 engines as "poor" (big black dot). It seems CR has some minorly conflicting info up there. If you type subaru outback into the search page, then click on model overview of the Subaru Outback it shows up as I first saw it. Just important to me to prove I'm not crazy I guess. J

Here's one for instance: item 4601550454 on Ebay. Assuming this guy's story is true, why would the ins co total the car as soon as they heard the computer got wet? Will that create mega problems in the future? Otherwise this seems like a good deal. Also, he says it's a limited. Wouldnt' a limited have leather seats?

Sigh. Ok, as Gary pointed out this is where I'll hear from folks with complaints and issues but not from those with no problems. I guess I remember reading that the issues with the 2002 and later were much fewer and Subaru seems to be taking some responsibility for them. If I buy an 02 with 60K on it isn't it at least under warranty for another 40K?

Keeping up with this thread (I thought the site would email me with new posts to the thread but I guess only with replies to my own posts?) I gather that I want to stay away from the phase 1 2.5 engines and maybe even the early phase II 2.5's unless its a great deal. What about the 2002 outbacks and later? Are they still beset with the higher rate of HG failure? (I haven't had time to understand torque bind yet) I'm looking more on Ebay and coming across some that seem interesting at least. Haven't found anything more local yet but I'm just trying to educate myself further so the next one doesn't disappear while I research. Thanks, John

I didn't realize the Impreza is an outback...is that just for the wagon model that they call it that? I also thought the Legacy outback was what they were called in the 90's and that the legacy and outbacks were different now a days. I don't mean to be splitting hairs, just trying to be not mixed up on the terminology.

I hadn't thought of looking at the impreza....isn't it smaller than the outback? Thanks

Sure I can travel, if it seems worth it. One difficulty in a vehicle from a distance is that I'd want a mechanic to look it over so I'd have to find one near the vehicle.

Well the OB I was looking at sold today but I feel like I've gained a lot of knowledge to help with my future search. Much thanks to all who contributed to my knowledge gain! A final question would be where to look. Charleston's local paper has nada and the one I came across on Craig's list was the first I've seen. Ebay vehicles do come up on occasion and I'll continue to look there. I'm wanting a wagon for the space and the awd and clearance would be nice as I kayak a bit and sometimes am traveling unpaved roads. Still I've also cast my eye on Jetta/Passat largely because a girl I was seeing has a diesel Jetta that gets 48mpg. I was going for Subaru because of their reputation. Seems like that's a little less stellar than I thought but I'll still keep them as one of my top choices. Thanks again for all help, John

I definitely wouldn't get it without having a mechanic look it over first. Now I can direct the mechanic to look hard at the head gasket issue. Yes, I'm suspecting he doesn't really understand what he's saying. Maybe paper records would clear it up if he has them but he's just moved from CA so I'm unlikely to talk to the shop where he had it done. Again, paperwork might clear this up. I'll look at the tires, thanks. Being not-a-mechanic, I'll probably pass on the change the motor option. (you can really buy and install a motor for less than replacing head gaskets?) I had this done once, on the first Subaru I'd ever bought and it was never right after that. There's just too much I don't understand about it. Gee Gary, you're efficient! You found the one I'm considering on Craigslist? There aren't that many Outbacks around the Charleston area to choose from. I've bought plenty of stuff on Ebay but I'm leary of buying a car that way....how do you check it out? Anyway, thanks for all your advice. I'll proceed with caution and report back here if I do buy the car or find another. John

That's enough $$ to scare me a bit. I'm a carpenter and too many times when I play mechanic I end up with skinned knuckles and lots of frustration. I don't have the tools or knowledge to make it "easy". I'll call my mechanic and see what he quotes in case there's an issue. thanks, John

Seller referred to the 70K mile belt replacements as "a maintenance item". I hope he has records, he may not have even had the T belt replaced and only thought he did. Torque bind. Now you've given me another term to research. It is an automatic and does have the 2.5 engine. Thanks for the help. John

Hi to all here from a newbie! My first car was a '74 Subaru GL coupe and was maybe the best car I've ever owned. Now I'm 30 years older and looking at another. I'm considering a '98 OB limited that has 84,000 miles on it. My eyes are buggy from reading posts about head gaskets, phase I engines, overheating, etc and I get the general picture but have a couple of questions. The current owner of the car tells me the timing and all other belts were replaced at 70K. He also says "the rear transaxle was replaced about 1,200 miles ago". He reports never having any other problems with the car. I'm confused on the phase I engine references on this board...would that include all '98 Outbacks? Does the fact that this car has 84K on it without problems suggest that it won't likely have them in the future? If I do need to replace the head gaskets, is it an expensive job and can I then figure the problem fixed or will it likely be recurring. I'm not a mechanic and I'd have the work done professionally. Finally, not a mechanic, I don't even know what a transaxle is but it doesn't sound like routine maintenance to have it replaced at 80K. Does this event point to another potential problem? The ask is $6,900 and it's 1 1/2hrs away so I'm trying to fortify my knowledge before I go look and maybe take it to a mechanic to go over. Thanks for all help, John