TheBrian

I dunno. That's a lot of miles, I don't care what kind of car it is. You can do much better on $3500. And you can't trust a professional car salesman farther than you can throw him. For all you know, it could have been a fleet car. But I admit most Subarus with 20k miles a year probably have seen lots of highways. Look in the Marketplace forum here and see what's being asked for an older Subaru.

Do test the O2 sensor before replacing it, seeing as it's so young. The "cat efficiency below threshold" code can also be caused by an exhaust leak anywhere between the engine and the rear O2 sensor. Make sure yours is sealed up tight. Did you switch to a more freely-flowing cat when you went to the Strömung exhaust? Maybe the ECU is still calculating based on the stock cat. Just a couple of thoughts.

How long's a Subaru water pump good for? The engine in question is my '96 EJ22 with 127k miles on it. So, will the water pump make it to 187kmi? Actually, I was thinking about installing a California-spec timing belt, so the next belt replacement would be around 222kmi, a.k.a. never. Is there a way to inspect the water and oil pumps to see how much life they have left?

I spent quite a while looking for my EGR system after I got the car. Haynes said I had one, and why wouldn't a car have EGR? But mine doesn't. I guess it's not practical to set up a "fake" EGR system?

Cross-threaded gas cap? I have a hard time buying that. I am an expert on cross-threading. I've cross-threaded everything from the lids on orange juice cartons to both of my transmission crossmember to frame bolts. (I swear, the crossmember changed shape while it was off the car.) Gas caps have very coarse threads, and you'd know if you were cross threading it. So, #1 and #4: just make sure the engine doesn't run with a loose gas cap, and if your cap is defective, replace it with one from the stealership. #3: Oxygen sensors wear out. Normally they go for 100k miles or so, so 30k is disappointing, but they're not terribly expensive or difficult to replace. #2: No idea. I'm glad I don't own an AT, though I acknowledge their place in the world. Anyway, my opinion is that you may have had a bit of bad luck, but nothing major. Hopefully, you'll get many issue-free years of service out of your Forester.

Standard. And it still applies to me, even though I'm the car's fourth owner. I'm guessing Subaru figures they can save a lot of money on lawsuits by spending a little on seatbelts.

On my '96, the seatbelts are covered under warranty "for the usable life of the vehicle". If you still have the warranty booklet, see if yours are covered. If you don't have the documentation, I'd check with a dealer. As for fixing your own motorized seatbelts, sorry, I don't have any idea.

Changing the pads at every oil change...What's your preference in rotors? Cheap chinese? OE? NAPA?

Hmm... I'm going to need a new battery for the upcoming winter. Maybe I'll drop a marine battery in there, if it can provide enough cranking power, and if a deep-cycle battery is worth the extra 30lbs of weight. AutoZone has a Miata battery (deep-cycle) for $84, versus $120 or 140 for the Red or Yellow topped Optimas.

Since your car died on the road, I'm guessing timing belt or possibly fuel pump. It doesn't stumble at all while you try to start it, does it? Has it been a while since the timing belt was changed? Pop off the timing belt cover and let us know. The T-belt cover is right behind the alternator and A/C drivebelts. It's a three-piece black plastic thing. Which engine is it? Year and displacement.

It wouldn't do a thing. If you put a car with a full 4wd driveline in 2wd mode, the engine spins the front wheels, the car moves down the road, and the road spins the rear wheels and axles. So you still have to accelerate all that weight up to speed, and you still have frictional losses in the rear CV joints and the rear differential oil.

Non-factory-installed seats can be safer than you think. You'll notice the seatbelt is bolted directly to the frame of the car, not to the seat. During a crash, a seat with someone in it is subjected to forces not much greater than those on an empty seat (assuming no unbelted rear passengers, and no unsecured cargo). The seat does have to be bolted down securely, so it won't go flying in a crash, but it's not like it has to restrain passengers.

If DupliColor doesn't make your color paint, CarQuest can mix you up a spray can.

Three factors (that I know of) worsen your gas mileage during the winter: 1. In some areas, a different blend of gas is sold. It may not get as good of mileage. 2. When it's cold, your engine spends longer warming up. During warm-up, it runs very rich. This is a much bigger factor for people whose driving is mostly short trips. 3. Cold air is slightly denser than warm air, so more power is available to you. The same throttle position will draw in more air and gas and produce more power with a colder air charge.

That round wire on my '96 was all rusty. Getting the wheel covers off without breaking them was quite difficult. Once they were off, they got sanded and greased. The wheel covers come off now, but still not easily.

Yes, it's normal. Just about every older Subaru I've seen has red-orange dust all over the area by the A/C compressor. I presume it's friction material off the A/C clutch.

I used to think my car made a sensible amount of power. Then I became comfortable with WOT at 5000 rpm. Now I realize 135 HP is really overkill. Don't forget the EF12, Subaru's inline three. I hear there was also a 1L version available overseas.

'96 Legacy wagon, 2.2, MT. 22 around town. 29 pure highway. Considering their size, Subarus are total gas guzzlers. AWD costs gas. Yours being an Outback and having an AT also cost you, as you know. Your mileage is what I'd expect from a car like yours.

My wiper arms are slightly rusty in some places, and very rusty where the blade clips in. Appearance aside, is the rust going to become problematic down the road? Inadequate roof rack paint, a recall on the coil spring paint on my car, body paint that chips and scratches, wiper arm rust, brake lines beginning to rust after less than a decade. Paint appears to be Subaru's weak point.

Best clutch? I don't know. Worst clutch: Fenco, sold as DynaPak or DuraLast. Not coincidentally, they're also the lowest-priced. Mine came with a bum bearing. A clutch change is not a job I like having to do twice.

I've got an instrument cluster here, taking up space. I can post photos of the back of it. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=35028

Here's how I rank them, from lowest prices to highest, also from most retared to most qualified staff, also from cheapest parts to highest quality: AutoZone (note the sign out front does warn you: discount parts) Advance Carquest NAPA And at the top of the list would be parts from a dealer or 1stSubaruParts. I shop at all five. The Zone is the cheapest for shop supplies that Wal-Mart doesn't have, Advance has good tune-up parts, Carquest has some good parts but some of their vendors are the same as AZ's and Advance's. NAPA hardly saves money vs. the mail order dealer, but they can get you parts faster.

Mine's rusty, too. A little (well, no, a lot) of WD40 restored its functionality.

You'd be going from tires 24" in diameter to 26.25", if my calculations are accurate. So your speedometer will be off by 9%, and you'll be an inch higher up. You *could* mount pimpin' 205/55R15 tires on the Forester rims to keep the speedo accurate.

So that's what my car would look like if it were pimped out. I'm going to have to think about tinting my windows. And wow, that's a very clean engine compartment. This is the right time of year to buy a Subaru. Enjoy your new car.