bethpageblack75

my mechanic found a 2.5L for 1.6k (labor 1K +)....this is painful.

Hi fellow owners. BIG problems. First time poster from long island. I bought a 99 Forester last year. Loved it. Car had 100k miles (previous owners used to visit family in midwest canada often). I only used it locally for past 9 months. Suddenly, some funny "diesel" like noises. Take it for complete fluid change. Next day on highway, it ka-putts. Tow it home, a few days later, slowly get it going to a garage about a mile away - very noisey and wheezey. I don't know anything about cars but inside the handbook is a sub dealer work detail recommending fix leaky head caskets (??). As I pull in, mechanic friend says, "it's dead". Checks it out anyway and a few days later gives me these options: Subaru engine 6.8k re-manu engine 6k junkyard engine 1.8k (plus labor, 30 day gtd) Now, I only payed 9k for this forester. Book now is what 7k? (write it off?) what would you do? Body and everthing else works fine and I like driving it around town (very hilly). I don't drive it hard, only local stuff, no commute. Would you risk the junkyard model? My mechanic offered to buy it from me for a few grand. This hurts.