aldug Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I am looking to buy a used subaru (legacy wagon, outback wagon or forester) in the $8k-$12k range, automatic transmission. Are there any model years or specific cars to watch out for with known problems. If so, what are the problems. I previously owned a volvo XC which had a lot of problems with the AWD system. Any recomendations would be welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muehlius Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Go to the library and find the April 2006 issue of Consumer Reports or the 2006 Buying Guide. It gives models and years back to 97. Subaru is one of the best. I traded in a Ford Explorer at a Ford dealer who had a 04 Forester XS with 36000 miles. Iit was on the lot for over 200 days. I love it !! The 04's seem to have less wind noise than the 03's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldug Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 The early volvos had a very fragile all wheel drive system. If your tires were more than 3/32 of an inch different, it would destroy the bevel gear inside the transfer case. Do subarus have this problem also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Well they need to be off by 1/2 inch i believe, but the volvo AWD system sucks it doesnt even kick in while going up a hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldug Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 Well they need to be off by 1/2 inch i believe, but the volvo AWD system sucks it doesnt even kick in while going up a hill. So the 2000-2002 subarus don't have same AWD problem the early volvos do? Is there anything else to watch out for in these cars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 The early volvos had a very fragile all wheel drive system. If your tires were more than 3/32 of an inch different, it would destroy the bevel gear inside the transfer case. Do subarus have this problem also? Subarus are 1/4 inch by cirumfrance. The automatic is far more forgiving about this then the manual. Most AWD failures here are from a design defect that was fixed in 1997 1/2, mismatched tires, or running on a flat or low tire. In general its a very robust system, and tire pressure should be looked at once a day by a simple walk around the car on any car just to eye the tires. The automatic AWD is a clutchpack, and manual is a center diff and a viscous coupling. Auto is computer controlled and the more sophistacted system, the manual system is mor complicated mechnaically, but both are trouble free if taken care of. After 180,000 they may get tired and need to be rebuilt, but then good for another 180K or more. i dont think anyone has hit 400K on a suby yet, but somone must be close. up till 2001 about 10-15% of the 2.5L had headgasket issues, but once its fixed its fixed. There are some external leak issues, but they are very easy to live with in that group, internal ones are expensive to fix. As time goes on, this happening less and less. The car body will last forever. Its rare to hear of a bad balljoint, and struts dont come as often as one would think. The interior bits and peices seem to last the life of the car (switchgear and stuff). Annoying things are HVAC bulbs burning out but they are replacable in your driveway. These are fairly simple cars considering how complicated cars can get. They are reliable and as long as fluids are changed, tires match, they can take a lot of abuse. They have a high resale value. Ive owned AMC's VW Nissan honda Chrysler Ford, this is my 4th soobie, all dying of old age. When this one goes, ill get another one. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldug Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 What do you mean by "1/4 inch by circumference"? So you're saying that from 2001 on, the head gasket leak problem has been fixed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon38iowa Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I am looking to buy a used subaru (legacy wagon, outback wagon or forester) in the $8k-$12k range, automatic transmission. Are there any model years or specific cars to watch out for with known problems. If so, what are the problems. I previously owned a volvo XC which had a lot of problems with the AWD system. Any recomendations would be welcome. In this price range I think your going to be looking at 2000-2002, depending on mileage ofcourse. My friend has a 2000 outback; she absolutely loves it, and even with 80,000k so far no problems whatsoever! Best of luck John:banana: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 What do you mean by "1/4 inch by circumference"? So you're saying that from 2001 on, the head gasket leak problem has been fixed? seems to be, also we dont find it to be that big an issue, considering how long the car will last, and once you get over a specific mileage (120K) ANY aluminum bolck engine can blow a headgasket. . With ANY awd vehical tires have to match or something is going to give. the circumfrance of the tire must be within 1/4" of each other. We dont find it to be that big a deal. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 we dont find it to be that big an issue, considering how long the car will last, and once you get over a specific mileage (120K) ANY aluminum bolck engine can blow a headgasket. i would recommend anyone that doesn't do their own engine work be more cautious than myself on the older 2.5's. i think it's an issue for the average car buyer. do a head gasket search on this forum and you will be lucky to see any 2.2 head gasket failures, it's always a 2.5 so i don't think relating it to mileage alone is fair to prospective buyers.. also, while i see a blown headgasket 2.5 for sale about every month or two, i have yet to ever see a 2.2 with a blown head gasket for sale locally. most high mileage headgaskets blow on older cars due to overheating the engine (bad radiator, water pump, low coolant, etc). 2.5's leak for no reason. i have also pulled over on the side of the road and seen 2.5's with bad headgaskets and the owner scratching their head. never seen a 2.2 on the side of the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 i would recommend anyone that doesn't do their own engine work be more cautious than myself on the older 2.5's. i think it's an issue for the average car buyer. do a head gasket search on this forum and you will be lucky to see any 2.2 head gasket failures, it's always a 2.5 so i don't think relating it to mileage alone is fair to prospective buyers.. also, while i see a blown headgasket 2.5 for sale about every month or two, i have yet to ever see a 2.2 with a blown head gasket for sale locally. most high mileage headgaskets blow on older cars due to overheating the engine (bad radiator, water pump, low coolant, etc). 2.5's leak for no reason. i have also pulled over on the side of the road and seen 2.5's with bad headgaskets and the owner scratching their head. never seen a 2.2 on the side of the road. now now now ive had 2 hondas and a niassan blow a hg for no reason other then age. Hondas and nissans and some toyots do it quite regularly. Also there are other cars out there with suspected HG issues, just the dealers are more forthcoming in the repairs. i bought my 2.5L fully aware of the HG issue, and ive yet to regret it. nipper even less so now that gas dropped 20 cents by me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldug Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 Which years/models with the 2.5L engine had issues with headgaskets? How much does it cost to get it fixed? Was there a specific date when the issue went away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Which years/models with the 2.5L engine had issues with headgaskets? How much does it cost to get it fixed? Was there a specific date when the issue went away? All of them. 96-99 are phase I they leak internally, 00-04 Phase II these leak externally. This really is a hit or miss type thing. My freinds 98 has 160k no hg issues, my father in laws 03 blew at 35k. Cost for repair is around 2k, so just be aware of the issue incase your blow but I belive it is something around 20% failure rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldug Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 OK, are there any other major repair issues to watch out for on the 2000-2002 cars? Transmission failures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 talked to i service manager today at a local shop. they service 26 of the 50+ impreza which are ownd and operated by Carillion hospitals in roanoke va. not surprisingly, when ever they retire one, it never hits the classifides. generally the courrier who drove it 200k, buys it. in 26 cars with over 2 million miles not one bad head gasket!!! subaru is a great car.!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Also there are other cars out there with suspected HG issues, just the dealers are more forthcoming in the repairs. i am unfortunately aware of this, my relatives and friends have owned the notorious neons (cast block/aluminum heads!!) and the POS GM 6 cylinders that i've had to work on). i'm only saying between the 2.2 and 2.5 there is little comparison. since he's talking about subaru's that's what i've been talking about. i've yet to see a 2.2 in MD with a blown headgasket. 2.5's i see all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 OK, are there any other major repair issues to watch out for on the 2000-2002 cars? Transmission failures? Nope, besides the occasional HG issue these cars are Rock solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 You should be able to find a 2000-2002 Outback, Limited, or possibly LL Bean (H6) in that price range. They are generally very solid vehicles. The AWD system is virtually transparent, and more capable than the early XC's. Try craigslist.org. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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