The reason I ask is that I am considering buying a 1997 Impreza with 103K miles. The mileage concerns me. The car looks great! Does Subaru have a rep for lasting a long time (ie; Honda and Toyota).

 

Help!!

 

THANKS!

TerriMD

I've got 195,000+ miles on my 1995 Legacy and i've only replaced the clutch, coolent temp. sensor, cv joints, oil pump seals, and cam seals. They last a good while. I hope to get 250,000 miles before the engine or the trasnmission go...I think with proper care it could do that plus some.

change the oil and keep up the maintenance...

and it should run forever..

 

or nearly that...

my RALLY CAR... had 120k miles on it...

when i sold it.. and it's still going

 

i had to swap the water pump and a few of the oil seals... but the car runs like a champ

 

good luck

Jamie

www.subiegalracing.com

www.allsubaru.com

Thanks a lot for the replies! I am going to look at it tonight! keep your fingers crossed.

Ask if it had a timing belt done recently? Ask for proof ie: receipts. If not, use it to your advantage in negotiating the price down. It is a fairly simple DIY project if you are handy with tools and can be done for ~$250 in parts including water pump, thermostat, seals, hoses etc. Dealer will probably charge ~$1000 for the same thing.

 

If it is a 2.2 l engine (look on label on underside of hood) then it is a non-interference engine and no damage is done if belt breaks. If it is the 2.5 l engine, serious damage can occurr. If timing belt was never changed, do it immediately.

 

Also check for oil seepage along bottom of timing belt cover. If you see it, point it out and negotiate $$$. The repair is simple at the time of timing belt change.

 

Matt

Thanks Matt.

 

That's good info to have when I look at it.

 

How bad is it to buy a used car without having a mechanic check it? If I do a thorough test drive will that be sufficient ya think?

 

Terri:rolleyes:

If this is in an area that has an emissions check program, insisting on a new sticker will tell you a lot about the engine's condition.

 

Try to have someone follow behu\ind during test drive to see if the wheels 'track' or if it looks like the car is going a little 'sideways'. This and looking for 'overspray' on door seals, hoses, light housings, etc. will help you feel better about it not having been wrecked. Tap around or use a weak refrigerator magnet to test for Bondo patches.

 

I don't know if there is a way to disable the ignition and crank the engine but if someone can tell you how, a smooth 'rythm' will indicate fairly even compression, if it sounds like - rrrrr,rrrrr,RR,rrrrr,rrrrr,rrrrr,RR,rrrrr - there is a low comp cylinder.

 

Check for torn CV boots. Try ALL the gadgets,controls. Confirm there is a usable spare and ALL tire changing stuff - don't assume there is a jack and find out differently the hard way. Confirm that the tires are not 'mixed'. Folks here say it can cause drivetrain wear on AWD vehicles. Makes sense to me.

 

You need to look for 1. a reason NOT to buy the car or 2. Reasons to negotiate a lower price.

 

You must be willing to walk away from the deal in order to seriously negotiate - the world is full of used cars.

 

Carl

1 Lucky Texan

If you are not a shade tree mechanic, it may be a good investment to have a professional mechanic look at it. There are companies that specialize in that. They come out and look at the car and give you a written report. I have never used one but it's like having a home inspector look at a house that you are buying.

 

1LuckyTexan points to some good things. Take a look at it, find out how many owners and who they were, and trust your instincts. Also, be aware that used car prices are very low right now, way below "book value". With interest rates so low, many people buy new.

 

If you have any doubts, walk away. There are tons of cars out there. Also consider a Legacy. Same engine and transmission, but more room and a more comfy ride.

 

Matt

My 93 Impreza has 188,000 and is still running strong! Keep up with the maintence and it will be a good investment!:rollin:

korrupt66

ive been told by someone wo knows some subaru engineers that the ej series engines specifically the 18 and 22 were designed to go 500,000 w/regular maintenance. my 95 legacy has 227,000 and has only recently had to have most of the seals replaced. i am fortunate to have a good friend help me with this. these type of repairs can add up if you dont do them yourself but it is no more than any other car untill you get into the awd system and the transmission. so change the tranny and diff fluids regularly like every 35-40,000. its money well spent.

greg

I was told that when the 2.2's start dying.. all they need is a new set of rings and they are ready for another 250K

Well my 92 Liberty 2.2lt manual D/R sedan has just clocked 250k klms and is running like a clock doesn't use any oil and the only time it didn't start was when the door was left open and killed the battery.

there was an eastcoast impreza in drive magazine that had 500k on it and was still being driven daily as a courier car...

 

believe it was early 90s around the EJ18 era

I'd get a used car inspection if you're at all concerned about the car. The $100 or $125 that costs is well worth the investment, considering how much you may spend on the car itself as well as on any repairs.

 

My mechanic did a very thorough inspection on a used car (Toyota), and then deducted the price of the inspection from the cost of the 2 or 3 repairs I asked him to do after I bought it. (I could do the others myself. Little things.)

 

Later when I was considering another used car (Honda), he warned me away from it, and only charged me half price for the inspection.

That Impreza with over 500K was a 97

Thanks everyone! You guys rock. I went to look at the Impreza. Looked good to me (the untrained eye). . . I did do the Magnet test and Matt, I did ask about the timing belt. It had been replaced last year....he had receipts. But, I AM still taking it to a pro mechanic tomorrow and he's only charging me $25-$50 depending on how long it takes and how much he finds. Hopefully, nothing!

 

I was able to get him down already on the price because to me (again, the untrained eye ) the muffler looked like it was starting to rust.........that's right this little girl got right under that car.

 

Wish me luck...I love the car but, I won't buy it if the mechanic finds siginificant problems.

 

A friend told me that Subaru engines have to be rebuilt around 100K. Is that true? I haven't read anything to that affect thus far.

 

Thanks again,

TerriMD

Subaru engines last way longer than 100k unless you fall victim to the dreaded head gasket problem plaguing some of the 2.5 L engines. The Imprezza probably has a 2.2 L engine but check on the sticker on the underside of the hood. The 2.2 is very tough and should last ~250k miles.

 

Also, Subarus do not rust and their exhaust systems last a very long time. Some surface corrosion may be visible but will have little effect on the integrity of the system. The only weak spot on the exhausts are the heat shields which get loose and start to rattle and buzz. They are easily repaired with large hose clamps.

 

Was the water pump replaced with the timing belt? Were the cam and crank seals replaced also?

 

My water pump failed at ~110k on my 95 Legacy 2.2 L and the seals were leaking, especially when I decided to switch to synthetic oil. Do not repeat my mistake. Use regular oil to minimize this problem. And the next time the timing belt is off, replace the seals and water pump and thermostat.

 

Have your mechanic look at the bottom edge of the timing belt cover. If he sees any oil drops, either the seals have started to leak, or the oil pump O-ring. These are simple repairs but require that the timing belt is removed, which does take some labor.

 

Matt

Hi:

Take my story for what it's worth:

I bought a '96 OB Impreza about a year ago with 173k on it. I paid $750. The owner told me the 2.2l engine was bad. After diagnosing low compression and removing one head, I found that one of the valve guides had come loose, holding one valve open. Doing the work myself it cost me about $100 to fix.

Soon after that the 5 speed started clashing gears on during shifts. Then the differential went out. I replaced the tranny and clutch (used trans and new clutch) doing the work myself again, that repair cost me $350.

I sold the car a month ago. I really liked the car, but was surprised by the failures.

I now have 2 '96 Legacy Outbacks, and need a front to fix some crash damage. Anybody have anything?!

I heard that the 2.5 dohc (like 97+98)

have the headgasket trouble usually.

If I bought one of those years I would just take off the heads and put copper gaskets in it. They said it was because the cylinders where a little closer together.

I am also a firm believer in constant maintenance. If you neglect any car, even a subaru, it will die, guaranteed.

Nathan

I have a 94 impreza L with about 125k on it, and it has the EJ18 engine with an AT, and I drive that thing hard (matter of speaking) but i do keep an eye on all the fluids, and parts that can cause trouble if I dont maintain them...

 

but it is a very tough, durable and easy to work on car- weather its the 2.2 or the 1.8, (and if its not a 2.5RS, then it does not have the 2.5... so dont worry about that-

 

good luck on your purchace

Austin

 

94 Impreza L AWD

91 Legacy LS AWD

86 XT turbo 4WD

88 GL wagon 4WD

86 Brat 4WD

80 GL wagon 4WD

I have a 95 Impreza L with AT and 129K miles on it.. Tough car. I got it used ar 128K miles for a little less then $3,000.

 

I still take it to the redline with no problems

Any Subaru has a better potential for lasting longer than many of it's competitors. At 100k miles however, neglect can cause trouble. So the professional check is a good idea.

 

Having said that, if it's in good shape now and you take good care of it, you will easily see twice that mileage

 

I run only synthetic fluids in my car - coolant excepted! - and contrary to all the scary stories have no problems. It is true that switching from mineral oil to synthetic oil in the engine can produce leaks at some of the rubber gaskets. The mineral oil causes the cracks, but also fills them with sludge, and therefore keeps things tight. Switching to synthetic cleans the slugde out of the cracks and....the leaks start. Might not be a problem at such "low" mileage.

 

Best of luck!

If you have the 2.2 then 103k isn't even broken in...

 

My Legacy has 124k and my grandmother is jealous because it runs better than her 2003 Caddy CTS with 3600 miles on it!!!

 

Simple maintenance is all a Subaru needs to provide 200k miles

I just crossed 200,000 miles on my 1993 Impreza L EJ18, 3 days ago. Definately worth a few Guiness!

 

Max