Flakne

Wow. I've had several older cars over the years and never have I seen a rear bumper shredded like these two. It looked like they had both been beaten by the same small socket wrench. But, you are right that the size of the marks are consistent with license plate screws. I wonder if the bumper and/or paint from this time period were more susceptible to damage or something.

We have a 2009 Forester and love it. We have been shopping for an older Subaru for a new driver and drove two today -- a '98 Outback Wagon and a '00 Legacy GT Sedan. One was from a dealership and one owned by an individual. When we put the first on on the rack we noticed an odd damage pattern on the rear bumper. Then entire bumper from top to bottom and end to end was pock-marked with small 3/4 inch circular and hex dents. We puzzled over this curious pattern and landed on the possibility that it had been carelessly hauling a bicycle on a rear rack. Later today I had the second car on the rack and noticed the exact same damage. Like I said, the vehicles are unrelated except for make. A Google search yielded no answer. I'm a curious dude, so this is bugging me. Any of y'all Subu-gurus know what caused this? I'm actually going to buy one of the cars. If nobody knows, I'll post a pic after I close the deal on Monday. Thanks.