mthoudek

Thanks again, everyone. We have decided to move on after all. Much appreciated for your time.

Hello everyone, I am new to the community and about to take my first step into the Subaru world. Please keep in mind that I have little car experience and almost no mechanical savvy, and that we are in need of a car and have a pretty fixed income (grad students). I am seeking advice about purchasing the following used Subi with the following specs: 2003 Forester XS Wagon. 170k on the body, but with a 40k engine in it (a 2L engine as opposed to the XS's 2.5 - avoids piston slap problems, increases gas mileage a bit?) * No accidents * Not a salvage title * 3 month/3,000 mile warranty * The engine was replaced because the previous owner ran it out of oil * Leather, sunroof, heated seats, 6-disc changer * Interior/Leather is in great shape The dealer did the following: * New tires (80%+) * Replaced front and back pads and rotors * Replaced timing belt kit (water pump, etc.) * New doors and bumper (the previous owner had spray painted the old ones for some reason) * Willing to replace windshield (a small chip) * Willing to fix leaking right rear strut (after our mechanic discovered it) They are asking $6500 to have all this work done and the car is ours. We know that a new(er) engine does not mean a newer car, but I understand that it can add up to $800-1000 to a price at a dealer. Given all the other work they have done and are willing to do, what are your thoughts on this price and purchase? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Hello again, everyone. One additional question here about pricing and shopping for a used Subi. Here are the details/specs: 2003 Forester XS. 170k on the body, but with a 40k engine in it (a 2L engine as opposed to the XS's 2.5 - avoids piston slap problems, increases gas mileage a bit?) * No accidents * Not a salvage title * 3 month/3,000 mile warranty * The engine was replaced because the previous owner ran it out of oil * Leather, sunroof, heated seats * Interior is in great shape The dealer did the following: * New tires (80%+) * Replaced front and back pads and rotors * Replaced timing belt kit (water pump, etc.) * New doors and bumper (the previous owner had spray painted the old ones for some reason) * Willing to replace windshield (a small chip) * Willing to fix leaking right rear strut (after our mechanic discovered it) Asking $6500 to have all this work done and the car is ours. We know that a new(er) engine does not mean a newer car, but I understand that it can add up to $800-1000 to a price at a dealer. Given all the other work they have done and are willing to do, what are your thoughts on this price and purchase? Please keep in mind that I have little car experience and almost no mechanical savvy, and that we are in need of a car and have a pretty fixed income (grad students). Any advice would be much appreciated.

Rooster, you are correct - some of their "lower priced" inventory is bought at auction and then re-done in house. As for your first point, they deal with many of the same customers on trade-in deals, so the engine work that they do is mostly precautionary (for example, they do the gaskets on cars approaching the 150K mark, and do any other preventive work like this as well). Apparently, they have done 115 Subis and have not had any returns -- again, they are highly recommended by pretty much everyone I speak with for the work that they do (and the three-month warranty is nice, too). lstevens76, thank you for passing these links along - much appreciated. Being mostly "automotively illiterate," I fear buying cars that need a lot of work, as I am unsure of what kind of money I will need to put into them after the purchase among other concerns based in my general ignorance. The 2003 Forester that they are dropping the 40k engine in had 180k on it (acquired by them through a trade-in) and so they decided to just put the new engine in as it needed a lot of work. I will find out more specs and get back to you all. Again, I am feeling much better having received all of your feedback and assistance -- everything that I hear about the Subaru community is certainly proving true. Thanks again!

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will let you all know how it goes down. We found out today that they are working on a 2003 Forester (non-salvage title) and are dropping a 40k motor in it, but I am unsure of any other details at this point. Either way, I appreciate your time and feedback. Enjoy the weekend.

Thanks again, Tom. Yes, it was declared a total loss and is indeed a salvage/re-built title. We would have no intention of trying to re-sell it, and so we would probably hold on to it until it doesn't drive any longer. Does that change anything? My concern, as I'm sure it is for most buyers, is trust, and that is definitely a big factor in why I am drawn to these guys (given everything we hear about them around town) - especially given that you just don't know what you are getting through private sellers, whether via Craigslist or otherwise. We also only have liability, so buying a salvage title should have no bearing on whether or not this will affect our insurance. I'm not pushing back against you here, just trying to provide a bit more context. Thanks again for the feedback.

Thanks for the confirmation, Subaru Whisperer.

Matt and Tom, Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. They did a full rebuild on the engine (rings, bearings, water pump) - not just the head gaskets and timing belt. I should have been more clear about that. I will ask about the cam and crank shafts, but I get the impression that they are thorough. From what we hear they are the best foreign dealer in the county and some say the state, so although I am new to the area here, the trust element is important to me and word on the street is that these guys are great. I will be sure to ask further questions as per the points you bring up about the rebuild, Tom. The same goes for the breaks. It is technically a rebuilt title, but it was really just some front-end damage due to a collision and there was no impact on the engine itself. They didn't rebuild due to damage; they simply rebuild (to whatever extent necessary) all of their inventory before selling. The body has since been fully rebuilt up front as well - car looks great. QUESTION: Should I have other concerns or questions about a 13-year old Forester? Are the fuel pump, catalytic converter, and wheel bearings things that I should be concerned about giving me troubles in the near future? Anything else with these 02 Foresters? Of course, re-built titles should have a lower value. The CarFax says $2300 below book price ($4k). That would take me to $1730 - but they have put $1600 into the body + whatever the rebuild cost (they are getting me the work sheets today with the details). I am going to shoot for $4700. Does that sound reasonable against a $6300 asking price given all of these other details and if everything else (breaks, water pump, etc.) checks out? I am trying to learn more about cars as I go along here. We've had a Hyundai Santa Fe for the past few years but was just lost it in an accident, and we are trying to get ourselves into a Subaru. That said, all of your feedback is very helpful. Thank you.

Hello, We're looking at a 2002 Forester with a rebuilt engine. The shop deals exclusively in foreign vehicles, they have a great reputation around town, and they deal exclusively in foreign cars. They also offer a three-month, 3,000 mile warranty. They are currently asking $6,200. New tires, sunroof, leather seats, new front breaks, and the body is in beautiful shape (the "best they've seen for a 2002") + the rebuilt engine. The price is high, no doubt, but we're not sure how much we should reasonably be paying given the condition of the body (pretty much perfect) and the rebuilt engine. Kelley Blue Book has it listed for $4030 at good condition "fair purchase price," $4614 for a "perfect condition" vehicle, and with a suggested ticket price of $5110. A few questions: 1. how much should we reasonably be paying given all of the above (the condition, the rebuild, etc.)? 2. what questions should we ask about the rebuilt engine? (they've done the belts and the head gasket) 3. is the high-mileage worth the purchase given that they've rebuilt the engine? They think it still has 100k in it. 4. what else might we be wary of for a Forester with this mileage on it (rebuild aside)? Any advice would be much appreciated. We're in Iowa and are poor graduate students. We're new to the Subaru world but are excited to purchase our first given the culture. We are also mostly naive in the way of cars, regrettably. Thanks. --Matthew