viceversa

It has held up incredibly well for these 7 years / 150K miles.. No major repairs. No dreaded head gasket issue even though everyone else seems to have an issue with 2.5L at one time or another. I will check on the timing belt issue.

Just hit 150K on 2000 Outback. 2.5L, automatic. Tranny flushed recently. What repairs to expect in the next 20K miles?

Are there any newer Imprezas or other models with the infamous 2.5L head gasket problem fixed? Has this ever been fixed, or is it an ongoing issue? Are 2004 years and up safe? is there a Phase III engine?

thanks for feedback

Are 5-speeds reliable? Circa 2000 in Impreza? http://carsurvey.org/review_25251.html http://groups.google.com/group/alt.autos.subaru/browse_thread/thread/d242a949cc28b6ad/bdec2cb3995c0278?lnk=st&q=2000+Impreza+Subaru&rnum=2&hl=en#bdec2cb3995c0278 http://groups.google.com/group/alt.autos.subaru/browse_thread/thread/d9544bb56db4a9f/0e49256455acd182?q=Impreza+transmission&rnum=6#0e49256455acd182

Am going to buy a 2000 Impreza with 2.2L and 5 spd... 70,000 miles... Any issues to watch out for?

I need a definitive answer whether year 2000 Legacy with 2.5L still has the same issues Gen. I had with headgaskets or some other nonsense. FWIW, a family member with 2001 2.5L had no problems up to about 135K miles .... (then an accident)

these are my thoughts also. It seems it's bigger brother, the Legacy Outback is larger and more desirable. Furthermore, it seems that among the general public, 5 speeds are generally not desirable.

also, did that year have rust issues? There was a 02 legacy in the family, and it had rust developing. also, can I expect about 30mpg on highway-only?

I am looking at a 1998 Impreza 2.2L / 5 speed tranny 66K mis one owner, all looks good. I think it's the base model. Is $6K a decent price for it? It has new timing belts.

I plan to get a '98 or '99 with around 60-80K miles, I don't anticipate many problems the last subaru I had, Loyale, developed some of these problems, like worn out axles and electronic/ignition problems I couldn'mt even figure out at around 190K miles. It had 1.8L and I hear 2.2 is better. how much of a MPG hit do you take given the 4WD feature. Someone said 10%, is that so? Is there any way to turn it off. the really neat feature is the wagon model. Hardly anybody makes wagons anymore.

I am looking for a 98-99 Impreza with 5-speed and 2.2L engine I want to know about problems to expect, what to look for when checking it out.

Thanks for the pointers. I plan to get it off ebay, from someone with high ratings, but it still doesn't eliminate innocent ignorance, so yeah, I intend to look at it with a checklist. Look at exhaust, listen to engine, look under it for any leaks, etc. You get something and you take your chances. I have more faith in 5-speeds than anything else. I want something 5-8 years old and 100K miles with a known repair history - and I am patient enough to wait for the right buy. My last car was cheap, but came from an auto salvage auction, and what a repair nightmare that was (and is).

I am looking for late 90's Impeza wagon, base model with 2.2L engine and 5-speed. No turbo. Questions, what was the last year of 2.2L, I don't want 2.5L. Any known issues, comments are welcome. What kind of mileage does it get on highway-only, can it do above 30mpg? It seems a pretty light car, smaller than Legacy. I am looking something that's easy to fix with a well designed engine bay and a reliable 5-speed tranny. I already had a Loyale and it wasn't too hard to fix. I have a Mazda and maintaince on it is a nightmare. (Never again a transversely-mounted V6 in a FWD.....)

It sounds like too much trouble doing it 3 times in a row. Silicon.. .gasket... it scares me I will do something wrong one of these times and it will leak all the fluid out. Is it worth it, or is it better to take it to a shop for a pro flush?

Does Walmart sell tranny fluid which would work in Outback?

2000 Outback, 2.5L auto, 89K miles How many times do I need to change it to equal a "flush"? What's the best oil to use? And how many quarts? Do I need a Subaru filter or will an aftermarket suffice?

I am looking for a 95-96 Legacy with a 5-speed and 2.2L engine. Any thoughts on its vulnerabilities, etc? It's getting good reviews at carsurvey.org

It may be Subaru's fault. But it's really your responsibility to make sure it's full of oil, regardless of what happened. Sad facts. I have a truck where the engine was replaced because it was burning a lot of oil. Big block gas engine. I don't know if it actually blew up or not. You should have seen this coming and talked to Subaru _before_ the fact and with evidence. Now they can blame you. The fact that you had DIY oil changes aggravates the situation and gives them more ammunition. But I am not telling you anything you don't already know. Sorry, everyone makes dumb mistakes. I once blew an engine because I screwed up the oil filter, couldn't remove it and drove a screwdriver through it. When all I could do was twist the casing and not still remove the filter, I decided at this point to take it to a shop a few miles away. Now I know exactly how far a car will go without any oil in it whatsoever - 2 miles.

I also looked at Nissan Maxima, same year, '96. Nice. Only problem is, it needs 91 Octane, which is a problem in our times. I will look for a '95 Subaru with 2.2/MT and without AWD....

>>> With all the headgasket problems and AT tranny problems of the mid to late nineties Get a 2.2L with a manual... Japan doesn't know how to make autos. Neither does Ford. Or Chrysler. In fact, the only auto tranny I trust is 700R4/4L60 found in full size GM vehicles. Maybe old 3-speeds from Ford. Everything else - don't be surprised by a failuire around 140K miles. You should see trannies in Mazda 626. Hardly any make it to 100K miles. I got a 626 off an auction for a good price - or so I thought - until the tranny was toast at 108,000 miles - the rest of the car was nearly mint. Subaru trannies are junk too, had one fail on my Loyale at 150K. I won't get an auto from any maker anymore.

I am looking for a wagon with 2.2L and 5-speed manual and no AWD. What's the last year this configuration was available? Is an outback model necessarily AWD?

Even if you change oil every 3K, you get sludge in Toyota motors, both 4 and 6 cyl. I don't have experience with 2.2L, just the smaller 1.8L. The latter is OK on power with the small Loyale, great on gas but likes to crack heads if overheated, or even if not. I also have experience with phase II 2.5L. Lots of power and astounding mileage, 30mpg. But, I don't know if they still have head gasket failure. Whatever you do, don't get a Japanese with an auto. In worst case, they don't make it to 100K (i.e. Mazda 626) and in best, you might get 160K miles out of it. But forget super extended mileages like 250K. IMO anyway.

I think I am going to look for a non-AWD model, the last year of it. Maybe.

Maybe... Avoid automatic trannies. Avoid the smaller 1.8 (EA82) engine as well as that newer 2.5L engine. 2.2L is supposed to be good. Volvo isn't that good either, I've seen a 88 740 self-destruct by the time it got to 200K miles. But I think it had to do with lack of care more than anything. I think the key for reliability is to avoid automatics except on domestic models, I am convinced Japan doesn't know how to make autos.