ONEREDRYDERONE

gunner and grossgary, thanx for your comments, repairing a subaru would be a new experience for me, the challenge and potential of low-cost transportation is appealing. i'm patiently awaiting the owners decision as to which direction he should/will go. will keep you posted. thanx red

almost forgot 4 cylinder/ no turbo engine..... thanx red

neighbor offered me a 55k mile--2004 legacy, said it was driven to work, started-it-up to return home, it idled a moment, started making 'never before heard' engine noises, then stopped altogether. would not re-fire, a friend checked, it turned-over freely, had spark, fuel, all cylinders had no compression, [said the timing belt moved when the motor was turned to get compression]----when i looked the car over, very clean, appeared well-kept. the timing belt looks like new! they asked me if it was worth $2000, i'd take a chance on repairing it to drive---however my limited internet search has not rewarded me with any clues as to what might have failed! seems extremely early for a timing belt failure. any suggestions? thanx red