krystolo

Thank you again for the many help replies. I have to admit that I shouldn't have been stranded by the starter. It had been acting up for several months, but every time I would make an appointment at the mechanic, it would start right up. Go figure! My driving pattern is typical commuting, never far from a tow truck and never far from my mechanic. I wouldn't have to walk miles in the snow (uphill both ways) to get help. LOL How do I know if my gas fill pipe is broken? I'm glad to hear that I should get at least another few years out of him. I love that car!

Thank you so much for all of the advice! Do you think the valve lash clearance would have been adjusted when I had to have the head gaskets completely redone after the overheating incident? I'll have my mechanic check the struts/CV boots, ball joints and tie rods (Those are all related to the axle and wheels, right?) and PS (?power steering) as well as checking/changing belts and hoses. I also forgot that I had the alternator replaced at about 150,000 miles. So maybe that will be good for a while. I don't think it was a Subaru part though...

First, please forgive me as I am not mechanically savvy. i do love my Ru, though! My 1997 Outback has had several repairs over the past couple of years and I am considering getting a newer car. Due to my job, I can't afford to be stranded. Recent problems: 2010- overheated (cracked radiator cap) causing headgaskets to need to be replaced. This had to be done twice because the first guy didn't use Subaru parts. 2011- Freon hose, starter cable and starter. It has 191,000 miles on it, I am the original owner, and have been good with maintenance. The only other problems I can remember are a temperature sensor going out at around 100k miles and redoing the brakes in 2008. The timing belt has been replaced twice when they had it open looking for an oil leak. (The fluid leak was finally found and repaired (after 5 years) by my new mechanic. I'm not exactly sure what the cause was.) Q1- What kind of annual repair costs can I expect over the next few years? My goal is to get to 250k miles. Q2- Would doing an "overhaul" (changing all the hoses, valves, belts and doing a good inspection) help prevent any problems? Q3- How much would such an overhaul cost? Thank you!