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I do not know any, but why not take a saturday drive up to denver, have the shop do the work and spend half day downtown or catch a movie?? You will be shocked at home much better a subaru only shop is than the local fix all type shops.

Great advise but do not forget engine block plugs also for a true flush.

Yea broken lock is pretty standard on 1st generation Legacy's. I have a door lock from a 92 I snaged from a junk yard. I will sell it to you for what I purchased it for.

I would NEVER buy a used Rental Vehicle. 1st with Carfax today, you will have a very hard time re-selling the vehicle. Other buyers will see that it was an ex-rental vehicle. 2nd Do you know what people do to rental vehicles? I travel a lot for a living and I get rental cars and beat the crap out of them every chance I get. Neutral drops, hitting pot holes, curb shots, e-brake stops, etc. 3rd They do not maintain rentals very well. They get rid of them after a year so why should they? Also it is hard to do oil changes and other maintenance on time when you never know how many miles the vehicle will go in and come back out with. Example, we rented a car for a road trip, it had 6k and the sticker said it needed an oil change at 6300. We put 2k miles on it in a 2 week period and took it back. There are a lot of very nice used Subaru around, and now with the new 05 being so damm nice the prices will be right on the 04s.

And it is the #1 car I see at the mtn bike parking lots, ski resorts, etc.

Depends on the Area, here in Colorado 97s sell for 9-10k range. FYI

That is kind of high, you can get timing and water pump for $400 ish in denver, and do the battery yourself ( under $50). Might be worth the drive??

I agree, I have been there done that with cheap wires. I have no experience with Magnacor wires, might just go with OEM. Thanks

How much for the Magnecor wires?

I am looking for replacement wires and plugs. Should I only use Subaru oem wires? I know some makes, this is very important. What about plugs? Thanks

It sounds like you need a Subaru shop. Is the one you are going to now a specialty shop? I do not know any in the springs, but do know several very good ones in Denver area.

Be careful about HG, that is probably why it is at the auction.

How do you just get the glass?Dealer will not just sell the glass?

That does suck, but you were/are going to have to change them sooner or later. There is a know issue with 2.5 and everyone that owns one should be ready to change them at some point. I have 5 friends who all have had them replaced. The good news is it sounds like you found it before further engine damage.

I would change them before the road trip. If they break on the road you will be paying way more, probably no choice on shops, have to pay towing, etc. It will be cheap insurance to do it before you leave, imo. What shop are you using, there are a lot of very good subaru only shops in Colorado, let me know if you want a reference.

I have a strange little miss on my outback. It happens only now and then, under load. I can notice it with the AC is on and going up hills. It is a small miss, but now that I have noticed it, I want to fix it? The car has 77k on it, factory wires, and possibly older plugs. I was thinking plugs and wires first? Any ideas?

The outback is based on the legacy, the forester on the impreza. The outback is a bigger vehicle but both are excellent choices for both mountain driving and camping. Drive them both and see which one you like.

Look at head gaskets, this could be why someone sold it or traded it in. The 96-99 2.5 are notorious for blowing them. They will start by occasionally overheating here and there, and then they go. Otherwise you have mentioned all you need to change out.

I agree, I have seen them on ebay for $89 but nothing cheaper!! Anyone have any ideas??

Are you sure it is a 96?I was under the impression that heated windshields did not start till 98 with the all-weather package? (changed name in 98 from Cold weather package 96-97) I have an 96 and do not see anything, did someone replace mine with one without it? How does it get activated? Thanks

There are replacment parts, I am sure. I found the issue on Sunday so just took the extra 5 minutes to fix the part rather than wait for a part and replace it on monday. I would think the part is under $50, but I am confident my fix will last at least a few years if not longer.

I could not agree more!

96 was first year of the 2.5 but it was only in the Auto.

Get it!! Best year of the 96-99 outback!! 96 + 5 spd manual = 2.2!!! The 2.2 is a very good motor! No HQ issues, will go 300k easy!!!

Do not get me started on stealerships!! Anyway looks like an oil pump or cam seal issue to me.