brzmunky

I moved out to Riverside, CA a few months back and I don't know of any Subaru mechanics in the area. Does anyone have any suggestions for trusted mechanics in Riverside or nearby in the Inland Empire? I have a 98 Legacy Outback and I recently had misfires in cylinder 1 & 2. Thanks.

My 1998 Subaru Legacy Outback (~115,000) miles is having the same problem as everyone else. The head gasket is blown. I live in Baton Rouge and we no longer have a dealership here, and no engine repair shop would touch my car. So I thought I would have to sell my car as is. I posted on Craigslist and the best offer I got was $1,000. I was all set to sell my car and buy a newer car, until I got an e-mail from a Subaru Master Technician and ASE Master Technician who works at a dealership in New Orleans. He says that he has been working on Subaru's since the early 80s and that he could fix my car at his home shop for $1,600 including parts (all engine seals and timing belt) and that it would only cost an extra $100 for the water pump as well. These would be all Subaru parts. He also said that he would buy it from me for $800, then fix it and sell it if I didn't want to deal with it anymore. He claims that of the cars in my situation he has fixed, none have had another head gasket or major issue. Is this too good to be true? Here is my personal twist to the situation. I am moving in 3 weeks from Baton Rouge to Southern California to start a new job. I won't be making a lot of money, so the idea of fixing the car is much better than having a car payment and higher insurance. Here are my questions: 1) Assuming that he is what he says he is and he fixes the car, in your experience what are the chances of having another major problem (short or long term) with my car, especially since I have to drive for a couple days to get to California through some of the hottest parts of the country. I would also need this car to last me at least 2 to 3 more years. More would be preferable. 2) Would it be better for me to cut my losses now and just get a newer car and not deal with the hassle of future problems with the Subaru? Basically I am trying to figure out if it would be better for me to fix or sell my Subaru and get a newer car. I would rather not waste $1,600 right now if I could avoid it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the thorough and helpful suggestions. The cooling fan definitely works, I should have mentioned that in the original post. Thanks for the tip about the coolant not getting in the oil. Now that you mention it, I think I remember the coolant looking darker than it should. Probably due to the exhaust getting into it. I'll check that out when I get home today. I'm also going to check into the rebuilt engines, but I think I will still have a problem finding someone here to actually install it. I don't have the means to do it on my own, or the knowledge. Unfortunately my mechanic doesn't do engine work anymore, and the shops in Baton Rouge that do engine work, told him they wouldn't touch a Subaru. Therefore, I'm stuck with the car as it is. I'm also going to look up some of the other posts about similar cars with my problem on here and see what they have to say. Thanks again.

I have a 98 legacy outback, that has about ~120,000 miles. Manual transmission. I have had the radiator and hoses, and thermostat replaced. The over heating continued. My mechanic, who I trust, tells me that it is likely the head gasket going. Over heating is more frequent now and generally starts when I am stopped at a light, and then temperature goes back down while driving. Also, so far there is no detectable coolant in my oil. A) Do you think this is the head gasket or is my mechanic wrong? Assuming this is the head gasket, we do not have a subaru dealer in my city, or within a 30 mile drive, so a dealer fix is not an option. No engine repair shops here will touch it to open up the engine. My mechanic was also unable to find a used or aftermarket engine to replace mine. I love my car, but it appears that getting rid of it is my only option. Here are my options as I see them. If you know of another reasonable option, please let me know. 1) Attempt to trade in my car at a dealership with hopes of getting some trade in value. But do I tell them about the overheating problem? What is a fair trade in value for a car in this condition? 3) Post an add on Craigs-list that fully explains the problem and I sell the car, as is, to someone who might want to fix the car as a side project. If I do this what price should I ask for starters? I haven't been able to find a decent valuation of my car online, given the possibility of a cracked head gasket. Thanks for any and all help it is gratefully appreciated.