backcountrycrui Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 It's been a long time since I have been on usmb. I have been looking at a few cars for commuting and last night my mother in law offered me her Subaru. She wants $5000, and around here that is a steal. I used to be fluent in ea82, but not in the new stuff. The car is a perfect 2007 with 90000 miles. It has all the normal options plus heated seats and mirrors. A huge sunroof. Neoprene seat covers from day one. Tell me about it. Are they easy to work on. How is the auto tranny in them. Can I expect at least 25 mpg on a all highway commute? They have taken good care of it but I'm sure there are maintenance things to catch up on. What should I plan on replacing? It's really a nice car but I'm primarily looking for a cheap fuel sipping commuter. Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 (edited) it needs a timing belt system service now/soon. (105K miles OR 105 MONTHS) But that sure seems like a steal! You might even show her a dealer estimate for the timing belt service to bargain it down a little more.think of it this way - the money you save over the typical price paid in your area for a similar car will pay for a lot of gasoline! Edited December 7, 2015 by 1 Lucky Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Yes, 25 mpg can be expected with a Forester. That car should be very reliable to include the tranny. Suggest you do some tranny maintenance. Change the external spin on filter. I am pretty sure that model has one.Don't drop the tranny pan. Nothing in there to maintain. Fill and drain 3 times with short drives between drain and fills, to get old tranny fluid out. Half of the tranny fluid stays in the torque converter and cannot be drained, so that is the reason for the drain and fill 3 times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 1. install a complete timing belt kit - belt, tensioner, and pulleys. Gates kits are cheap on Amazon and include everything. can be done in an hour - plan on 3 for your first time, it's easy. no special tools - same 22mm crank bolt size as your EA82. 2. change the AT fluid. the filters are deemed by Subaru to last the life of the vehicle, it's a sealed system with no particulate intrusion, it will never cause issues - though i understand the sentiment entirely to replace it, certainly not a big deal, there's just a list of 100+ other things more likely to cause issues than that. if you address items with a failure rate as low as that you'll have a loooong list of items to address. my approach is what items have a high failure/stranded/catastrophic failure rate - address those. 3. change the front diff fluid and coolant and add the Subaru Coolant Conditioner. 4. plugs and wires if they've never been done or just wait for a check engine light/cylinder misfire - those won't leave you stranded so they're just personal preference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Hi, Check for EXTERNAL head gasket leaks. Yes....2007 still had that issue...AFAIK, I'd expect it on ALL EJ-series engines. - Add a WP and T-stat to the timing belt job. Do the math on your MPG savings for your yearly expense. What would your commuter cost vs. the Forester? -25mpg vs. ~35mpg on 'cheap fuel sipping commuter'. -$5K + $1K in initial maintenance (high estimate) and you 'should' be good for another 100K miles. - Don't forget insurance, too. Subaru NON-turbos seem to be reasonable for monthly premiums. Plus the fact you know the history of the Fozzy vs. someone else's unknown maintenance?? GL, Td Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backcountrycrui Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Well thanks guys. And just like that, I'm a Subaru owner again! The local dealer has a special going on now. for $450 they do the timing belts, tensioner, pump, t stat, coolant. I'm certain I could do it my self, but do you think its worth the price? They want $1200 to complete the 120k service.......I will be doing that myself, sheesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backcountrycrui Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Never mind, they were "mistaken". It's 200 for just the timing belt service and an additional 575 for the pump and such. So $775. Good lord.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 (edited) waterpumps on our cars are exceedingly reliable, I didn't swap mine out when I did my first TB service on my WRX. but, I will probably accelerate the next service by 10-20% . You might consider just the tensioner, rollers and belt unless they see oil seepage - then add the cam/crank seals. Save the WP and re-sealing the oil pump back (GG - is this still needed on cars as new as 07 ?) for the next service. Edited December 8, 2015 by 1 Lucky Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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