I'm looking at a 99 Outback Sport. Haven't seen it yet, but it seems to be in good condition. 139k miles, which is a bit high, but I'm hoping it's not too bad. Guy's asking 4.5k. Don't have many other details on the car yet (seeing it on monday), but, roughly speaking, is this a fair price?

 

(By the way, just in case anyone remembers me, I'm still alive; things got worse for a while and I disappeared; I'll explain later.)

That's a little high IMO, unless it's in immaculate shape.

That's a little high IMO, unless it's in immaculate shape.

Maybe I'm just too used to crazy prices. One guy wanted to give me a good deal on a 99 Outback for 8.9k.

 

Are there any specific issues with the 99 OBS that I should be asking about?

that's a fair price if it's in great condition. i'm not saying you can't find one cheaper and i wouldn't pay that much for it, but most people aren't in the same position i am in either. it will need timing belt, water pump and probably a timing pulley or two unless the previous owner has documented changes for those items. that's about $500 worth of work and it's an inteference engine, so you do not want to neglect that if the work is unknown. keep that in mind when negotiating.

 

also keep in mind, if that's what they're asking, they are probably somewhat flexible. KBB and ebay will give you a very rough indication of value. KBB tends to be high, ebay tends to be low.

NADA book value is much more realistic. KBB is ridiculously high.

 

I just bought a 98 Impreza L in New York for $3k that needed a clutch, they were asking $4500.

 

$4500 for a 99 OBS is not outlandish, but it is on the high side. They'll get their price (or something close to it) if they're patient enough.

Are there any specific issues with the 99 OBS that I should be asking about?

99 Legacy automatics are prone to a delay when shifting into park or drive. i'm not sure if impreza's can exhibit that as well, they have the same basic 4EAT transmission platform, and while having different final drives they are interchangeable. so...start the vehicle from cold and make sure it shifts quickly into drive or reverse. also check for torque bind. tires should match.

 

at that mileage the timing belts components and a transmission flush are in order, so be prepared to do that soon after purchase if there's no previous record.

99 Legacy automatics are prone to a delay when shifting into park or drive. i'm not sure if impreza's can exhibit that as well, they have the same basic 4EAT transmission platform, and while having different final drives they are interchangeable. so...start the vehicle from cold and make sure it shifts quickly into drive or reverse. also check for torque bind. tires should match.

 

at that mileage the timing belts components and a transmission flush are in order, so be prepared to do that soon after purchase if there's no previous record.

I don't get the impression that he has detailed records, so hoepfully can bargain down to 4k with that. It's a manual, by the way; not sure if that avoids transmission issues in that generation or not.

 

What exactly is torque bind? I don't think I know nearly enough about AWD systems.

okay the delay thing is for automatics only.

 

torque bind is a binding when going around in a sharp turn. drive in a bunch of figure 8's with the steering wheel turned all the way to each side. do this over and over...you'll feel the car start to slow down like you have the brakes on...or like in a 4WD vehicles that's in 4WD on pavement if you've ever been in one. if it does this, that is bad. it's very rare on manual transmissions but is a rather expensive fix, so good and easy to check for.

Thanks. What exactly causes it? Roughly how fast and how many figure 8s should I do to test for it?

What exactly causes it? Roughly how fast and how many figure 8s should I do to test for it?

You go slow when making the turns. It should make it at idle or with a little throttle. In manuals torque bind I believe is caused by repeated/excessive overheating of the silicone fluid in the center differential, which can be caused in a few ways including mismatched tires or improper towing. Then the silicone fluid becomes thick all the time, and results in binding in turns.