Ranger83

Budget? How much does she drive? Need a wagon, or sedan?

And the above worked great!

Why don't you try the NW regional forum at legacygt.com?

Really? Even though GM sold off their share to Toyota? I don't know if the new ones are as reliable as the old ones, or better. My 06 only has 18,000 miles on it thus far.

You can buy spray Lithium grease at any hardware or auto parts store, not to mention a hardware store. WD40, being a penetrant, would penetrate a rusy surface but not provide the lubricating coating needed.

The root of the recommendation was that the variable valve timing mechanism would not work properly. The dealer service guy showed me his notes from the technical briefing the got from SOA - who now says they didn't say it..... Porosity of engine castings sound ike it would be fun to talk about. Maybe get Jay Leno out on the street to ask people.

I've asked SOA. Three times. Then, when I said, basically, "BS":

What are you trying to accomplish? That is a really lot of money to spend. Putting grippy summer tires and a rear sway bar on it would get you most of the benefit at much lower cost. Bigger rims and tires are heavier and more expensive.

IMHO, zero. Adding a solvent to motor oil just doesn't seem like a good idea. Seafoam workes great on the top end, though.

I dyno'd my 2006 H6, rated at 250hp. A stock 2.5 turbo has about 15% more wheel hp - despite the same 250hp rating. They are rated very conservatively. But they do not get great mileage - perhaps because drivers keep on the loud pedal.....

Costco has Michelin HydroEdge. They've lasted over 66,000 miles on our 97 OB.

Don't forget http://www.lesbaru.com Man, some people have a lot of spare time.....

The Hella SuperTones are 118 dB. They're about $75 a pair delivered on eBay or from Susquahanna's website. I bought the "Compact Trumpet Horn" because it's a wider pattern and sounds better. There's an install thread on legacygt as well.

Only if you negotiate a huge discount when you buy it. Which is very possible.

Yeah - at least once, anyway. Otherwise - what Martinjmpr said. Take it from the guy whose primary off-road transport was LPC's - Leather Personnel Carriers. I went up a log skidder road in Kingfield, ME and highly recommend one of these if you have to do that regularly. With $4.00 per gallon gas looming, for everyone else go OBW. You can buy some Australian springs for $300 that raise the Gen I and Gen II's. Check out subaruoutback.org for pics.

You should be able to do much better than edmunds. Bajas are selling extremely poorly - less than 1,000 a month or so nationally, with a perennial $2,000 off. Be really, really sure you want one, as the depreciation in the first two years will probably be astonishing. If SOA kilsl the model it will get even worse.

Why do you think Subaru introduced a 2.5?

Does your car have 14" wheels? Are you going to 15"?

You should be able to find a 2000-2002 Outback, Limited, or possibly LL Bean (H6) in that price range. They are generally very solid vehicles. The AWD system is virtually transparent, and more capable than the early XC's. Try craigslist.org.

Find out of the head gaskets have been replaced. Otherwise it's about a $1,200 job. I'd guess at least half have been. Price should be around $2500 or so. We replaced ours at 140K preemptively. My sister in law bought it and now has $185,000 and it's still running well. The Michelin hydroEdge have plenty of tread left - with 65,000 miles on them.

Get rid of it. Aging AWD cars are not good bets on a budget. Is gas really cheap in NZ? Fuel costs in the US are about US$0.12 per mile or so, plus overhead. The IRS rate for car use is over $0.40 per mile. Soulds like buying a brand new radiator at the dealer would have been less expensive?

What Subaru do you have? The MDX is probably faster 0-60 than any Subaru but the turbos.

After you try it with tire irons, you will happily pay them whatever they cahrge.....

What he said. We drive our minivan down some really bumpy roads regularly and wind up replacing the bushings about once a year. For most cars there are urethane replacements that last longer and are a little harder. Take alook at the bushings and see how they look.

The TripleTreds did not fair well on ice in CR tests, FWIW. The Michelin HydroEdge were recommended for areas with snow and ice. We put them on our 97 currently have over 6/32nd tread depth remaining - after 63,000 miles. But you can get the Goodyears for $10-20 per tire less.