April 16, 200619 yr My father is looking into buying a 2002 outback with 65k on it and its got the 2.5. The dealer wants 12,995 for it. I took a look at it and could not find any scratches and the paint is in excellent shape. What should I look for in this model and year? Any comments good or bad about this style Outback?
April 16, 200619 yr My father is looking into buying a 2002 outback with 65k on it and its got the 2.5. The dealer wants 12,995 for it. I took a look at it and could not find any scratches and the paint is in excellent shape. What should I look for in this model and year? Any comments good or bad about this style Outback? I have a 2003 with 27.5K I bought late last year. The phase II 2.5L (like the one in the car you're looking at) addressed the main potential problem of an internal head gasket leak with a redesign. However, there are still some engines that develop external leaks, which Subaru addressed with a recall that involves spiking the coolant with a special stop leak, which will have to be done each time the coolant is changed. The other thing that stands out, at least to me, is the cold piston slap the 2.5s are known for. I'm not sure how much it's warmed up in PA, but if it's gotten over the 40s lately, the amount of noise you hear will not be the same come winter when the temperature drops.
April 16, 200619 yr Author Oh yeah Im definitely familiar with the dreaded piston slap. My 2.5 GT has been slapping all winter long. Ive slowly gotten used to it though.
April 17, 200619 yr Oh yeah Im definitely familiar with the dreaded piston slap. My 2.5 GT has been slapping all winter long. Ive slowly gotten used to it though. D'oh...now I see your profile... :-P Yeah, I'm pretty satisfied with my 2003, other than the little man banging on the cylinder walls in the morning. As along it all checks out mechanically, it sounds like it might be a good buy
April 19, 200619 yr Sounds just like my OBW! ('02, ~65k). From what I understand at some point in MY02 they revised the HG (and the WP-99 recall doesn't apply). My outback has been great, minus one or two uncommon issues I'm having. Auto or MT? The clutch in mine isn't the greatest, but it works just fine. I think the only thing I wish it had was the cold weather pkg. just for the side mirror heaters. Good luck!
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now