I am purchasing a '98 Forester S 5spd with 82k on the odometer. What is the opinion of synthetic vs dino oil in the 2.5l engine?

 

How about timing belt interval?

 

I will be doing mostly highway driving.

You are aware that the 98 Forester has the 2.5L Phase 1 DOHC engine, aren't you? I would recommend that you run a search on that engine.

Change the belt every 60k miles.

 

Do a search for synthetic oil on the board here. Results here:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/usmb/forum/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=39336&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

 

Towards the bottom of the results are some pretty good hits.

Run, don't walk, from that car. Get a '99 Forester S with 100K+, or a '99 L with comparable mileage. The Phase I engine has numerous head gasket and head issues, as well as spotty assembly quality in the 1st year models. In particular watch out for the clutch (not that the '99 clutches were any better) and rear wheel bearings--and try to get a written warranty on them if you're buying from a dealer.

Thanks for the info guys. I'll see what I can do.