dhoch14 Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 based on my month of research on which type of Soobie (my first) to buy:lol: I've narrowed it down to an 00. The 00 seems to be the best price point. Which leads to my question... 1) How many miles are too many? Since I've never owned an Soobie, I really don't know if they have the reliability like a Honda or Toyota have. Based on my research I see that lot of the early 90's legacys (2.2L) run for -eva-. What kinda maintenance needs to be performed on a 100k vehicle? Cars101.com seems to have the regular stuff, I am more worried about failures (ie water pump, o2 sensor, etc). Should I just assume I will need to replace these items soon after purchase? thanks, soon-to-be converted happy subaru owner:banana: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 buy from a private party, much cheaper and better chance of gaining details about the car like last time timing belts were changed, etc. dealers get cars from someone else, add $$$ and sell it. take them out of the equation and buy private unless you see a smoking deal. but it is a rare opportunity to see a deal at a car lot that can't be beat. yes you are right to ask about timing belts. at 100,000 the timing belt and water pump and oil pump seals should be replaced at the same time. the pulleys should be replaced or inspected. replace any noisey ones. you're asking for another 100,000 miles from them, so make sure they are good. other than that, fluid changes are nice. brake fluid, trans fluid, coolant. unless you know for a fact the previous owner did it. unless i know the service history i don't assume anything and do the maintenance items. a basic tune up would be wise as well. plugs, wires (make sure it's OEM Subaru only on these), fuel filter, air filter. cheap stuff and easy to do. http://www.autotrader.com http://www.craigslist.com and ebay and usmb sometimes.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch14 Posted June 5, 2006 Author Share Posted June 5, 2006 i def agree on the private party side of it... an idea of how much I should estimate I need to put back into it? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 put what back into what? not sure what you mean. you talking about cost to do these things? are you paying a mechanic or doing it yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch14 Posted June 5, 2006 Author Share Posted June 5, 2006 I meant how much should I plan on spending to perform the recommended services (the ones you listed in your earlier post)? timing belt and water pump and oil pump seals the reason I am asking is if it comes down to 2 cars, one with all the maintenance completed and another w/o, I will know how much I will have to put into the one w/o any of the maintenance. sorry for the confusion! I am just trying to get an understanding of how expensive this items are for as subaru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 dealer quoted my cousin $699 for timing belt and water pump last summer. i'd say you're looking at $500 - $750 depending on mechanic/dealer/local prices and what exactly you get done. definitely add a minimum of $500 if the timing belt hasn't been replaced or you don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 [quote name=dhoch14 1) How many miles are too many? Since I've never owned an Soobie' date=' I really don't know if they have the reliability like a Honda or Toyota have. Based on my research I see that lot of the early 90's legacys (2.2L) run for -eva-. What kinda maintenance needs to be performed on a 100k vehicle? Cars101.com seems to have the regular stuff, I am more worried about failures (ie water pump, o2 sensor, etc). Should I just assume I will need to replace these items soon after purchase? [/quote] I dont think any of us have hit the too many mileage part yet. 100k you need timing belts water pump cam seals main seal reseal the oil pump tensioner fan belt Then you are good for another 100K. Last time i had it done i paid 650.00 Also check the car to nmake sure all the tires match, and do a tranny flush. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted June 5, 2006 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I dont think any of us have hit the too many mileage part yet.100k you need timing belts water pump cam seals main seal reseal the oil pump tensioner fan belt Then you are good for another 100K. Last time i had it done i paid 650.00 Also check the car to nmake sure all the tires match, and do a tranny flush. nipper Word. We bought our '00 in November of '01. The car already had 99,850 miles on it. We're now at 175,000 miles virtually trouble free ... well, one wheel bearing, one window power switch. Get the Subaru 'head gasket goop', and do religous tranny service if it's an A/T. Great car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendly_jacek Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I would advise you to look at 01 instead. Why? while mtsmiths was lucky, there are mysterious AT failures on 00. Maybe the ? maintnance is the culprit, but check http://autos.msn.com/ for reliability info on 00 and see for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I would advise you to look at 01 instead.Why? while mtsmiths was lucky, there are mysterious AT failures on 00. Maybe the ? maintnance is the culprit, but check http://autos.msn.com/ for reliability info on 00 and see for yourself. nice site but they say nothing of tranny failures, they speak of other problems. Like the detail right down to the cost of repair. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastwgn286 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 and if you get a manual, then no worries! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendly_jacek Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 nice site but they say nothing of tranny failures, they speak of other problems. Like the detail right down to the cost of repair. nipper The site is difficult to navigate but if you go to 2000 subaru legacy reliability tab, you have 2 red crosses (significant problems) for engine and tranny. If you click on the red cross icon, you get the details. http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Reliability.aspx?year=2000&make=Subaru&model=Legacy&trimid=-1 It reads for engine: "Occasional problems on this vehicle are failure of the Catalytic Converter and the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor. Failure of the Catalytic Converter can cause the check engine light to illuminate. Failure of the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor can cause the check engine light to illuminate and may require the Engine Control Module (ECM) to be reprogrammed. The cost to replace the Catalytic Converter is estimated at $925.45 for parts and $130.00 for labor. The cost to replace the Air Fuel Ratio Sensor is estimated at $149.95 for parts and $45.50 for labor. The cost to reprogram the ECM is estimated at $97.50 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax." and tranny: "An occasional problem on this vehicle is failure of the Automatic Transmission. Failure of the Automatic Transmission will cause a delay in movement when driving the vehicle or the check engine light to illuminate. The cost for a remanufactured Automatic Transmission is estimated at $2,700.00 for parts and $422.50 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax." I belive this info is accurate because it mirrors all the posts we were getting with tranny, cat, and o2 sensor failures. Mine 00 legacy was totalled just recently and I had only 60000 miles with lots of babying. I had the O2 sensor replaced twice (one under recall) and the TPS once. Timing belt tensioner was replaced twice under warranty. There was a minor HG leak, "cured" by the coolant additive. My biggest gripe was poor MPG, quickly wearing tires, and noise in the drivetrain. Personally, this was my first and last subaru. I would not recommend MY00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broyer Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I have an 00 OBW. I bought it with 65K and currently have 170K. It has been fairly reliable, but repairs can be expensive as I cannot do most of them myself. It seems many of the folks on here do alot of major work themselves (and I am frankly jealous of their skills). They do provide great advice and I have learned alot about my car from reading the various threads. I can tell you I have had to replace the wheel bearings - Rear at 111K and front at 140K - $500.00 each time. I had the timing belt/water pump replaced at about 165K - $500.00. I let it go a little long, but had no trouble. I just had a new clutch installed - $900. The tires were fairly new when I bought it and I replaced them at 124K. I have had the sway bar links replaced as well. I have replaced the brakes and rotors twice. I change the oil every 4 - 5K. I have a problem with the heater control in recirc mode that I cannot seem to find a solution to. Noone on here seems to know either. It makes a clicking noise under the dash when I put it in recirc mode. I just leave this off. The check engine light has been on for about 2 years. The codes indicate an o2 sensor or catalytic converter. The car runs great and I get great mileage (about 25 MPG overall), so I have not had it fixed. If I reset the computer, the light goes out for about a week and comes back on. I am very happy with the car and it looks and runs great! The car is amazing in the snow and the heated seats are a huge plus. I will keep it until it dies. I am curious to see how long that will be. I have a feeling I will be driving this car for a long time. At that point I will be looking for a new Soob. I want a sunroof in my next one.... Good Luck! Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I have a problem with the heater control in recirc mode that I cannot seem to find a solution to. Noone on here seems to know either. It makes a clicking noise under the dash when I put it in recirc mode. I just leave this off. The recirculate door motor is bad. It is a motor with a gear and it cant tell that it has reached its full travel. Since it cant find itself, it keeps overrunning the cam. Its either that or the door is broken, but i do belevie you need a new recirculate motor. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnlyfnd Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 maybe I missed this in a earlier thread, seems like it would have been mentioned......96+ 2.5L's are more prone to headgasket failures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broyer Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 The recirculate door motor is bad. It is a motor with a gear and it cant tell that it has reached its full travel. Since it cant find itself, it keeps overrunning the cam. Its either that or the door is broken, but i do belevie you need a new recirculate motor. nipper Thanks Nipper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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