05 Outback or Impreza RS?

[brighton98]

I'm looking at buying one of these cars.  Outback is$8000, 124,000mi.  Imp is $6000, 152,000 mi.  They are at a reputable indie Subaru garage, and both have new timing belts, etc. and head gaskets.  What are your thoughts as to the better buy?  Thanks.

[1 Lucky Texan]

the older a used car is, the more important it's prior care and present condition. Consider getting a pre-purchase inspection by a different, good mechanic.

 

also, how reliable is the info about timing belts and headgaskets? those jobs can be done quick and dirty, or 'correctly'. (MLS head gaskets , belt only vs all rotating parts, waterpump, seals etc.) If this indie garage is legit, that work should be OK.

 

which one do you prefer driving? what do you plan to use the car for? The RS, is that a 2 door? those are kinda uncommon.

Edited May 1, 2014 by 1 Lucky Texan

[idosubaru]

What year is the RS?

 

How much do you spend per year on owning a car (cost - not maintenance)?

You're buying 30,000 miles for $2,000 if everything else is equal.  That's a year or two of ownership for most people, pretty good value for only $2,000 more.

 

The Outback is probably my vote - it's the newer generation, it'll age better, and have easy resale in the future.

 

I'd guess Outbacks are more prone to easier use/better care. They cost more, worth more, and are used by grocery getter families. But that's circumstantial and impossible to verify.

 

What headgasket was used?
Were the timing pulleys and tensioner replaced or just the belt?

 

If those aren't done properly then I wouldn't be too excited about them, unless they're willing to redo the timing belt properly - new pulleys and tensioner.

If you're wondering who to believe - simply search for one of the threads where someone had a new timing belt break because the pulleys/tensioner failed and now they have bent valves to deal with.  just helped someone yesterday in that same boat. 

 

It's not a huge percentage of failures, but enough that you don't want to get into that possibility with a brand new car/payment.

[brighton98]

Thanks for your answers.  The RS is a wagon.  I will use the car for 75-100 highway miles and 25-50 city per week.  This garage has done work for years on my Legacys.He always installs new tensioners and checks/replaces idlers.  He also told me (without prompting) that he uses the latest updated Subaru OEM head gaskets.