2000 Outback- should we buy?

[Beatrice]

Hi. I'm hoping to get some insight about whether this car is potentially a good buy, reliable, etc. We would absolutely get it checked by a mechanic before buying it, but don't want to waste the money on that if it's probably junk.

 

We are near the coast of Maine, it's being sold by a private party. We would love to get a newer car, but just don't have the money, and our Sienna is teetering on its last legs.

 

2000 Outback, 4 cyl., 179,000 mi, new battery, exhaust, water pump, timing belts and axle, as is $1,100.00

 

Wasn't able to look for rust or check it over at all.

 

TIA

[Fairtax4me]

Those have big problems with the rear cross-member rusting out so check under the back before buying. They can be purchased used from a rust free area and shipped in, but if that car is rusty underneath all of bolts that hold the suspension parts on and hold the cross member to the frame will probably be seized.

 

That engine doesn't have many issues. The head gaskets weep externally which will cause a slow loss of coolant. By that mileage they're usually leaking enough to need replacement if they haven't been done already.

 

That's fine that they replaced the timing belt and water pump, but unless they replaced all 3 timing idlers and the tensioner it will need to be done again soon. The timing belt doesn't fail on these. The idlers fail and take out the belt with them.

[Rooster2]

Since for sale by a private party, guess that means owner, not dealership, I would ask the owner for maintenance receipts to show what work has been done to the car during their ownership. Look for oil change receipts. If oil has been changed regularly, it is a good chance the motor may well be good for 300K miles. 

 

Best to check for rust, as mentioned above. Usually caused by salt added to roads in the winter. Does Maine use salt on your roads??

[shoebee2]

+1 on the rust. Coastal car will have problems with it. For 1100 though, if it runs and has decent interior/minimal rust, that's good find. At least,it would be around here.

[1 Lucky Texan]

no one on the internet can tell you if a 15 year old car is gonna be reliable.

 

a pre-purchase inspection by a good (preferably soob-experienced) mechanic should help you avoid buying a major headache.

[Beatrice]

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, Maine uses tons of salt on the roads (nobody could get anywhere for much of the winter otherwise- even with salt it can be challenging). We will check it for rust and the idlers/oil changes- as I said in the first post, we will get it checked by a mechanic before buying it, too.

[lstevens76]

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, Maine uses tons of salt on the roads (nobody could get anywhere for much of the winter otherwise- even with salt it can be challenging). We will check it for rust and the idlers/oil changes- as I said in the first post, we will get it checked by a mechanic before buying it, too.

 

Ok, this one I have to disagree with.  If we can get around in the Northwest with areas that sometimes get 10' of snow and they use chemical de-icer + sand to handle our roads then Maine could do the same.

 

It's simply outdated thinking and lazy politicians that keep salt on the roads destroying cars.  Or maybe they have been bought off by the auto manufacturers getting the east coast to have to purchase cars every 15/20 years..............

[Beatrice]

Oh, I didn't mean that we need to use salt specifically (didn't even know there's another option), but that we need to keep the roads clear somehow. I wish salt wasn't used around here. :/

 

Here's a photo of a 75 car pile up we had near here this February. That was just an inch of snow... Between that and the number of times I almost went off the road in my old Sienna this last winter, I want a Subaru!

Edited May 18, 2015 by Beatrice

[Fairtax4me]

The chemical de-icer is worse than salt, and absolutely terrible for the environment.

 

The huge pile-ups always happen in the less amount of snow. For some reason people think less snow means the roads aren't as as slick.