Help a sister out. Looking at buying  a 2008 Outback and I have concerns before I drop 7k on it. It is a manual and the gear selector wobbles while in gear, especially in 2nd. In the passenger seat you can feel it wobbling underneath your seat, in speed with any acceleration. Dealer thought it might be the trans axle?

 

Any of you wonderful folks out there have guesses as to what it might be, how much parts would cost, and how big of a problem this may or may not be? Thanks, yalls be awesome.

And how hard it might be to fix.

mary32,

 

In some cars this issue traces back to a couple of bushings at the pivot point of the gear shift, a cheap and easy fix. In a Subie, I have never had the issue come up.

you might ask for a recomendation for a mechanic near you - in a new thread here. There's nothing wrong with paying for a pre-purchase inspection. It may give you a list of problems that you can use to negotiate a lower price. may help you avoid some expensive headaches too.