elsiejazz

You folks are marvelous; I can't thank you enough for your generous advice! The debate was taken out of my hands, lol. The seller went with another buyer who came with cash in hand - thus saving me from making that "Sorry, I don't want it after all" call to him, lol. I don't want to impose on you folks, but if you have the time to respond to the next plea for your expert opinions...well, here ya go: Yes, I'm seeing the Foresters at much better prices here than either the Outbacks or Imprezas. Are the Foresters as long-lived as those two models? What tends to fall apart and needs replacing at around the 100K mark...head gaskets, water pump, timing belt etc.? I have the same question about the Imprezas. I've made a point at only looking at Outbacks or Legacys that have *already* had the head gaskets and timing belt replaced. Oddly, I haven't seen a single Forester or Impreza for sale that mentions that such work has been done (I see it frequently with the Outbacks.) Are there any other engine components I should fret over/look to see if they've been replaced in the Foresters/Imprezas? Thank you all, and I'm so very sorry for all the questions! Augh...wishing I still had my old Corolla wagon right now, lol.

Hello, all - Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Laurie, and I am an automotive idiot. So I just joined this forum in the hope that some of you fine folks might possibly be willing to share your opinions and advice with me. I desperately need to find a new used car, and I've been looking at Subarus because of their reputation for long-term reliability. (I've been driving my friend's '98 Impreza; 278K and she's still running like a rock star). The problem is that I'm on disability with a horrifically limited income. While I would love to get a plain old outback or impreza, I have not found one with decent mileage (as opposed to astronomical) that I can afford. Then...this car came along. It's an '05 Legacy GT 2.5 Turbo Wagon. The mileage is quite good (135K) and the price is right for me (under 5K). The head gaskets, timing belt and turbo have all been replaced and the service records available. The turbo concerns me, though, because I've heard that they can be a frequent source of repair/failure. In my situation...it's gonna take me 20 years to pay off the loan for this car; if *anything* major goes wrong with it in the first couple of years, it would be financially catastrophic for me. So...I'm worried about whether or not this will, in fact, be a wise choice for me. The turbo's overkill; I don't need a fast, powerful car. I just need a wagon! (I supplement disability by hiking other people's dogs; I often have over 400 lbs. of collective dog riding with me for the day). Would anyone be willing to help me out in my decision making process about this model - yea, nay, buy it asap...or run for the hills? Any info would be hugely appreciated - thank you, folks!