Hi I am new to this form but was looking for some advice. I have a 97 Subaru Legacy Outback 2.5l with 214k miles. I have had this car for almost 5 years and have had no problems with it until recently. It started overheating one day and when I took it to a mechanic they said I needed a new radiator. I replaced the radiator and it ran fine for about 2 months and then it began to overheat again. It ended up being a hole in my upper radiator hose. This fixed the problem for another month and then it began overheating again. This time I had the thermostat replaced. It ran fine for another month and then it began overheating again, but only after driving on the freeway and then stopping in traffic. The high temp could be alleviated by turning on the heater full blast. I took it in to the mechanic again and he said it was most likely the head gasket ( which has already been replaced once in 2005). I am trying to decide whether it would be worth it to fix the head gasket again (I was quoted about $2000). If not I was wondering about the value of the car if I were to sell it as is. There doesn't seem to be any other problems with this car, and cosmetically it is in excellent condition as far as the interior and exterior is concerned. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for selling it besides craigslist and what the value a Subaru in this condition may be. I really love the car and wishing I could afford to fix it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

The thing has been overheated a lot and has a ton of miles. Don't fix the engine. You've throw enough money into the pit, don't throw more into the headgasket pit. Research the 2.2 swap if you want to keep the car on the road. To be honest, you have an old car now. Old cars are generally only economical if you do the work yourself. That said, if the transmission shifts well, rest of the car is in good shape, it'll run for quite a while longer with a good 2.2 swapped in there.

 

Even if you have a mechanic install the 2.2, you'll end up with a reliable car for cheaper than an new used car... Which is gonna need all the same work you've done to yours anyway.

Thx for replying, you made some great points. I'll def chk into the swap. Thx again!