Scoobywagon

In order to know what to not listen for, think about it in terms of it being your car that you're trying to sell. You'll want the car to sound like a good deal to the buyer, but you wouldn't want to straight out lie about its condition either. So think about the things you would say to the buyer and then listen for those things from the seller.

If you guys can get me samples of the material, I can probably find something appropriate to make new gaskets for windows and doors. I need to see what size shape the OEM gaskets are. It would probably be best if someone nearby had a car that I could roll in the shop and poke around on. The shop I work at does lots of custom work on hot rods and such. I'm pretty sure we can handle some Subaru work.

Frankly, the price seems high to me, but it does have low miles and appears to be in very good condition. Having said that, it appears to have been on their lot for over 3 months. Lean on them to get the price down. They start losing money on anything that sits over 90 days, so they'll be getting desparate. Buying from a dealer gets you a couple of legal protections that you won't get from a private seller. Additionally, there will have been a safety/mechanical inspection when they took the car in. Get a copy of that so that you can see what they noted and what they fixed. Make sure that the dealership you work with is respectable. I've bought lots of cars from both private sellers and from dealerships. I've had good and bad experiences from both. What I've learned is that it is important to pay attention to what the seller is NOT saying as much as to what they ARE saying. Read the body language. Go to the dealership with cash (or cashiers check or whatever) in hand, but be prepared to walk on the deal. Don't marry the car right there on the lot. You'll have plenty of time to do that later. If, at any point in the transaction prior to actually signing paperwork, you get a not so nice vibe from ANY person involved, walk. Remember that you are doing THEM the favor. Its YOUR money on the line, not theirs. Negotiate your price PRIOR to discussing anything else.

the Geos are pretty quiet. Like I said, they're VERY mild even for an AT tire. As for sucking in ice and snow...well, I admit that I don't know. 2 reasons. 1) we don't get enough around here to REALLY worry about. 2) I have two sets of wheels and tires for every vehicle I own. 1 set for summer, 1 set for winter. It is simply too much to expect any given tire to be great all the time. So I've got Geos (for the moment) on for Spring/Summer/Fall and I picked up some steelies with a set of sorta generic AT-type tires for winter. When those are done, I'll probably go back to the Toyo all-seasons for Spring/Summer/Fall and I'm looking at the General Grabber AT's for winter service.

I find that its best to have the dealership do this. As I recall, there's some BCM work that has to be done when programming new keys and remotes. I know this because one of my technicians lost a key to an 08 Legacy and we had to get a new key and remote programmed for the customer. We tried doing it ourselves, but it ended up having to go to the dealer.

I'm a big fan of the Toyo Z800 and Z800 Ultra. The General Tire Altimax RT is pretty much the same tire and Tire Rack has those at $66 each. The Dunlop SP60 has a pretty promising look, though I've never had a set. Also $60 each at Tire Rack. If you want something a bit more aggressive, you might go to the Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S. $77 each at Tire Rack. They're classified as All-Terrain tires, but they're VERY mild even so. They are factory equipment on the newer foresters as well as Mercedes G-Wagens.

Regular window tint will not work in this application. 2 reasons for that. 1) the tight radii of the lens covers means that the film will have to be heat shrunk a LOT and that risks scorching. 2) the adhesive used on standard window tint does not adhere well at all to plastic surfaces. This WILL eventually lead to bubbling, discoloration and peeling. There IS a film made specifically for light covers. You might try tintedtails.com. they can pre-cut a piece of appropriate tint for you.

Ok, here's the deal. My 93 Legacy wagon spit out its driver's front wheel bearing last night. I've known for a while that both front bearings were on their way out, but last night the driver side one suffered catastrophic failure. So here's the question. Can a bad wheel bearing (or two) cause enough of a camber problem to scrub the shoulders off of a pair of tires in less than 500 miles or is there something else I should be looking for while I've got it all apart? I've never been into a Legacy like this before, so this is kind of uncharted water for me.

Been doing glass for a LONG time. Never seen the arms stripped out except where they had been installed improperly. As far as the hair drier goes...you're right. I should have issued a caveat with that. Be VERY careful if you're going to do it that way because you CAN crack the glass very easily. The bottom line is that the most likely mode of failure is the motor.

Troubleshooting process: Step 1) Ensure wipers are not bound (i.e. frozen) to glass. Apply hair drier as needed. Step 2) Set wipers to "High" Step 3) Smack wiper motor with hammer. If motor begins to operate, replace motor. It is REALLY unlikely that the arms are stripped out. The motor just doesn't make that much torque. You CAN, however, burn up the motor if the wipers are frozen to the glass.

OK....so I asked about this. The splines on the steering shaft should be the same, so I wouldn't worry about that. Pull both airbags and check their impedences with a meter. If they are both the same, then, with the battery disconnected, simply swap the connectors from your 95 airbag onto the 97 airbag. Problem solved.

The most common cause of leakage in a factory sunroof is clogged drains. If you open the sunroof and stick your head up through it, you will find small drain lines in all 4 corners. These tend to clog up over time. Clean them out with some compressed air. Just be prepared because this procedure makes a mess you won't believe until you see it.

I buy subaru's for a lot of reasons. Phenomenal gas mileage isn't one of them. Besides...26 isn't bad.

top 10 things to do when you pick up any Ea82 vehicle... 1) Basic tuneup 2) timing belts 3) Water Pump 4) Test battery and alt. 5) Cut off crappy muffler and weld on a pair of Harley straight-throughs (see my avatar). VERY cool noise! 6) Consult USMB thread callled "You might be a soob owner if" 7) Find another of the same car....you know...for parts. 8) Find another of the same car....you know...for parts. 9) Find another of the same car....you know...for parts. 10) Find another of the same car....you know...for parts.

I'm totally digging that. I think I'd like to see either a lower roof line or a slightly higher hood line. I looks sorta squished in the front, to me. As I look at it a bit more, I think the trick to this one would be to raise the back of the hood up just a bit. Give it a little more slope for a bit more aggressive look and also change the overall windshield height without affecting head room.

125K. 8 kilo-dollars out the door. I'll be adding a trans cooler sometime in spring. I'll also be converting to a dual-head remote filter oil system. As near as I can tell, the cars to have are the 04 and up EJ25 cars. The 99-03 EJ25's are the ones with the head gasket problems. As I understand it, though, there is a revised head gasket design that makes the problem go away. If so, then once the head gaskets have been done, no worries.

Make sure the headgaskets are done. I just bought an 01 Forester and the dealer did the head gaskets as part of the deal. Which is to say...I told them I wouldn't do the deal unless the headgaskets were either done in their shop prior to delivery or there was evidence that they had been done recently. Also, make sure the timing belt is good. That should be covered in the mechanical/safety inspection anyway, but it doesn't hurt to ask. That's all I know to look for that is specific to this type and vintage of vehicle. Of course, all the usual stuff applies. Rust, all the electronics work, dents, etc.

I work in a glass shop and, though it isn't Subaru-specific, I have found that I can sometimes get glass parts that are otherwise very difficult to get. For those of you who are local, I can get you a hookup on the glass and install. For those of you further afield, I can get glass shipped sometimes. If you feel that your local shop is trying to hose you, I'll be happy to provide wholesale prices. I can't SELL at wholesale, but I'll be happy to tell you what the local dealer is likely paying for his glass. I can even get you NAGS and OEM part numbers to help you locate your part. If you need glass or glass-related parts, PM or email me and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. **EDIT** Just talked to the boss-man. USMB members get an automatic 10% off.

I've seen LOTS of those with the Thule Rocketbox mounted. It seems to ride far enough forward to avoid tailgate problems.

I'm looking for a tailgate bar for my wife's new 01 Forester. I found one at http://www.subaxtreme.com.au/subaru/bullbars/forester97.html. Gives you a spare tire carrier and a small storage area. Perfect for my use. Anybody know if there is a US Distributor for these or if there is something equivalent that I can get here?

3 words...."Small Block Chevy"

That price seems high to me, so I looked around on craigslist. Found this particular ad, even. Having dug around just a bit, it looks like Subaru's are significantly more expensive there than in the lower 48. So, if the car is as advertised, it might not be too bad a deal. Having said that, I'd pass on this one. The ad says "185K on car, engine has 114k". So he replaced the engine with one from a wrecking yard or something. Has that engine had its other maintenance? Head gaskets? Water pump? Rear main seal? I think I'd pass on the stripped down Brighton, as grossgary pointed out, and go for this one. 98 Impreza, extra wheels and tires, same miles, less money.

Well, my wife and I are starting off the new year with a new car. Well....new to us. Her 1990 Ford Ranger finally died with a mere 272,000 miles on the clock. Very sad. So we shopped around, drove 12-15 cars, talked to AT LEAST 8 dealers and 24 salesmen (the cretins gang up like pirhana!). We were just about to pick up an 05 Grand Caravan but decided to look around just a BIT more. We landed at Mike Scarff Subaru in Auburn where we drove a 2000 Legacy. When we were done, we weren't sure, so we asked if they had anything else in that price range. We were told that they had JUST taken in a Forester that should be in about that range but that it hadn't been inspected yet. We could look if we wanted, but not drive it. So we looked and the INSTANT her butt hit the seat, she fell in love with her first Soob. It got safety and mechanical inspections today and we got to drive it for the first time. She's still in love, so we signed the paperwork. We are now the proud new owners of a red (maroon?) 2001 Forester S. Pretty much loaded with everything but leather. We had them add in the heavy duty rubber floor mats, cargo mat and dog barrier. I knew that this vintage of EJ25 engines has head gasket problems, so I made sure to ask about it. When they did the mechanical inspection they decided that, in fact, the head gaskets had not been done and were beginning to show signs of failure. So they are doing that repair prior to delivery along with a few other small items. They even gave us a loaner until the car is ready. How's that for service? If anyone is looking, I HIGHLY recommend Mike Scarff Subaru in Auburn, WA. So, having had the head gaskets dealt with, are there any OTHER issues with this vintage car that I should be aware of? Its an auto trans. Any known issues there? Might a trans cooler be in order? Any nifty new-gen tricks I need to know to help it stay alive as long as possible?

I sent a nasty-gram to the folks over at Subaru and all I got back was a cut and paste reply about "maximizing the management resources". Frankly, it seems odd to me that they would decide to maximize management by abandoning their core customers. Very strange, indeed. I admit, though, that, in light of the Super 2k rule, I can see their point. But if that was the problem, you'd think they'd say that. Why look like the bad guy to your customers when you can throw FIA under the bus?

There are essentially three batteries in the US. They are made by Johnson Control, Exide and Interstate. Most Die Hard batteries (Sears) are Exides as well as Napa and Parts Plus. Wal-Mart's batteries are mostly Johnson Control as are Autozone's and (I think) Schuck's. Interstate largely makes batteries for its own purposes, though there are some places that rebadge them. Napa's "Orbital" batteries are rebadged Optimas, for example. If you want to find one, talk to a car stereo shop. Lots of them are INterstate dealers so that they can get the Optima's that are so popular with the stereo crowd. They may not carry the regular Interstate batteries, but they can get them. Just might take a week. They'll probably also want you to pay up front since, for them, its a special order item.