I just purchased a 2000 Impreza Outback L, just over 157 thousand mile. Tiny little spec of rust on a rear fender. Only a few things that need attention for now! I bought it from a family who bought it from the orignal owner in 2003 and has taken care of it ever since. 
 

My questions are pretty basic, and I've been doing some research, I just figured I would post and see what recommendations you all have!

Bumps in the road cause excessive bouncing in the front end, as well as hard braking causes front end to dive. I know this means some front end work. Which parts, brands, ect, do you recommend replacing?

Also, above 60mph, there is a little shaking from the front end. Steering wheel vibrates and there's a slight shudder. Could this have to do with the front end suspension?

Thanks all!

Kerch,

 

All 3 symptoms sound like they are the result of front struts past their prime. Others will jump in with their diagnosis I'm sure, so wait for  some more responses before you decide on a course of action. Good Luck!

Any brand recommendations? Advice for replacing them myself? I've worked on all my own vehicles, but never a Subaru. Sometimes there are little quirks between companies.

shuddering is probably just tire balance but i guess if the front end is bad enough maybe....

do the suspension first since you know that's bad.  if you still have shuddering have the tires balanced.

 

if they're that bad then you should probably replace the struts and springs.  generally you can retain the springs but with prolonged driving on warn components the springs do more work, get compromised and can break.

 

KYB struts are the go to struts for many Subaru people.

 

it's not a hard job - 3 nuts up top and 2 at the  bottom hold the strut to the car - so that's easy and takes a matter of minutes to get the strut off.

the hard part is disassembling the struts - requires a spring compressor and is a bear of a job depending how much experience you have with such things.  and you also have to get the top mount alignment proper so the strut still mounts to the car, once disassembled it's orientation to the lower mounts are not fixed.

 

you have a couple options:

 

1. buy/rent a spring compressor and do it all yourself

 

two options to avoid spring compressing:

 

2. buy the parts you want, remove the strut and let a shop/mechanic do the strut/spring swap for you, but you do the removal/install.

3. buy a used low-mileage strut and swap the entire assembly yourself.  www.car-parts.com or look for low mileage take offs on subaru forums.

 

there are no "loaded" struts - meaning new complete units like you can get for some cars, for subarus. 

If you're just looking for a daily driver i'd recommend using subaru shocks. The build quality vs the monroe or whatever at your local parts shop is worth the extra cash. Good quality stock parts.