First time forum post. Just bought my daughter a 2009 Forester (66K). Nice vehicle. Impulse buy as they seem to go fast here in Buffalo. Never owned a Subaru before but lI iike that they are AWD and that they have a good reputation -also seem to have good resale value. Great ride compared to Toyota Rav (4 cylinder) which was my other choice. 

 

I am impressed by the  Subaru reputation  so  am advising my son to get a used Legacy. He has no money of course so I want to do a bit more research before he buys a Used  2008  Legacy 2.5L with 74K. I will get a full service report from dealer and am familiar with all the potential issues (head Gasket, Timing Belt, etc). I think having a mechanic throw it up on a lift will be a good idea as well. Any other advice? I think dealer is asking $8300. That seems reasonable based on KBB. Is there any other issues with that year I should be concerned with? I think I saw a recall for rusted break lines so will check that out-other than that, any other info would be appreciated.

On an 08, there is some potential of external head gasket leaks. External, in that the coolant leaks out of the engine in small quantities. So, look for coolant leaks under the hood, and when up on a lift. Only danger is eventually running low on coolant. Also, while up on a lift, check for rust. I imagine Buffalo uses a lot of salt on the roads during snow season, so rust is a problem on all cars in your area. Subarus are not prone to rust, but constant heavy doses of salt will rust all cars. Other then that, Subarus are trouble free. Any future work of replacing belts, starter, or alternator are easily accessed under the hood. Only difficult job is replacing spark plugs, but that is not done often.

 

Subaru owners are very loyal to the brand. They have an excellent reputation of not breaking down. They are easy to maintain, and have a great safety reputation. Welcome to Subaru!

That's a Gen4 Legacy ( '90-'94, '95-'99, '00-'04, '05-'10, etc.)  a few things I've read about - not seen - are the suspension and CV axles wearing out too soon. Make sure those are inspected.

 

I'd also get a CARFAX from the dealer or get one yourself for $10 @ 'downloadvin.com' (website is 'suspicious looking' but as of a few weeks back works fine and I've used it a LOT.) Or an Autocheck for $2.00.

 

Carfax will frequently show service history, along w/the # of owners, accidents, etc.

 

And use KBB.com to get the Trade-in, Private Party (like Craigslist) and Dealer pricing. Remember, the dealer probably only gave someone the Trade-In value for it originally  so there's a LOT of room to negotiate...somewhere between PP and Dealer is fair to both.

 

GL,

Td