June 4, 200817 yr http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/car/702812041.html picked her up last night. loveeeeeeeeeeee it. i don't get the people that complain that a 2.5 is slow. try driving my other ride (73 VW bus). any suggestions on things to do or get to since I'm a new owner? maybe the coolant additive? thanks! -dave ps- this was 3 years in the making!
June 4, 200817 yr Welcome to the Northwest Subaru Appreciation Club! If you haven't already had a mechanic check the car over, here's two things I'd check right away: Timing belt, the ad didn't mention if it had been done. You're due if it hasn't been. You don't want to break it! Other things will be done with it - don't be surprised at the cost. Head Gasket check. Do a search on here and you'll see why... Matter of fact, if you haven't had it inspected at all, get to a Subaru dealer and ask them what they would charge for a courtesy inspection. Many will do it for free, and they know exactly what to look for. Little things you can do yourself; this board is great for that. If it's something you should farm out, we'll tell you that as well. Come back and post if they mention something expensive-sounding. (hey, I'm not trying to scare you, just telling it like it is)
June 4, 200817 yr **edit- haha, i was a little late to the party ^ ** congrats, and welcome to the USMB!! that car looks gorgeous! you'll really enjoy it (especially coming from the VW bus!! :dead: ) at "just over" 100k, i didn't notice any mention of a timing belt change and because the 2.5 is an "interference" engine, you'll want to check out the belt's condition and keep your eyes on it . . . a coolant additive shouldn't be necessary, as long as the system has been maintained well, which the ad says it was . . . the 2.5 as you'll read if you search posts on this topic is a little more prone to head gasket failure than some other soob engines, if it gets overheated, which is why the coolant system's maintenance is so important. if you suddenly start to see the engine's heat rising unusually one day, stop the car immediately, so as to avoid (hopefully) needing to replace those head gaskets. others will chime in with more experienced advice, but again, congrats, welcome, and enjoy!! chris
June 4, 200817 yr Author Sorry all, I forgot to mention a couple things out of pure excitement. The timing belt was replaced at 97k last year. There is a sticker under the hood. I also negotiated that all previous service records would be given to me (this was a trade-in) and that if anything happened I could use their mechanic at their labor rate. This dealership is a one-man shop for high-end (read Mercedes, Lexus, Ferraris, etc). The subie was a trade-in for a client's secretary who didn't want to deal with buying a new CRV at the Honda dealership. Funny story, I test drove it and the check engine light came on. Ended up being an o2 sensor, so of course, I had that included in the deal. Oh and I still have the VW Bus. I'm in the process of rebuilding the engine right now (destroyed heads on 1/2). I'm well aware of the HG issues too. This is why I went with a 00-04 and not 96-99.
June 4, 200817 yr The most important modification is something that will help you find that car in a Portland parking lot. Maybe put a Yakima rack on it. Seriously, there are probably a dozen with that color combo in my neighborhood.
June 4, 200817 yr The timing belt was replaced at 97k last year. I'm well aware of the HG issues too. This is why I went with a 00-04 and not 96-99. Yay on the timing belt. Yay on the O2 sensor - nice that it came on while you were still looking at it - perfect timing, I'd say. But: the 00-04 still can have HG issues. It's by no means a fixed problem. :-\ I'd keep an eye on it and still have a dealer give you an inspection (if it's free, mine was) for the heck of it. Enjoy laughing at the weather! Enjoy noticing all the cars out when it's really, really bad-but-you-have-to-be-out weather all have Subaru plastered on their rears... (Just put something distinctive on your car's exterior - if you don't you may be wandering around parking lots for a while - 'that's not my Outback?' is something I hear in dt Seattle all the time - from befuddled owners whose keys/fob don't work). Parking at Powell's? REMEMBER WHERE. Outbacks in every 3rd spot! (ooh-beaten by SubPar while typing re Portland and Outbacks!)
June 4, 200817 yr http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/car/702812041.html wow that's a shiny car. let's see.... you bought the car in portland, you list north carolina as home state, and you fly your VT, not vermont, flag. you sure do get around. are you driving this back and forth across the country?? any way, welcome and enjoy your car!! :banana:
June 4, 200817 yr Author doh....I just updated my profile. I use to live in NC and went to school @ VT and now live in Portland. I've DEFINITELY been looking at a subie for quite sometime. I plan to add my collage of unique dog and music stickers (big humane society volunteer and love the hippie music). This way I can find my car in parking lot. Seriously though, I think every 5 cars I see now is an Outback. Now I need to source a good bike rack. Not sure if I want to have an aftermarket tow-hitch put on. eah. thanks for the welcomes all!
June 4, 200817 yr Call back when you can't figure out why the parking lights won't go off. Welcome to Rooworld!
June 4, 200817 yr Welcome aboard.If you're needing an engine for your van PM me and I'll hook you up with my bro in law in Missoula,Mt (a 73van with the porsche engine with bad transaxle,it's blue and white if that matters),the engine has maybe 5000 miles on it but hasn't been run in over 10 years. I doubt he'll part it out,if we can even talk him into parting with it at all but who knows,it's been 10 years +. Curious minds want to know. John
June 5, 200817 yr Author Welcome aboard.If you're needing an engine for your van PM me and I'll hook you up with my bro in law in Missoula,Mt (a 73van with the porsche engine with bad transaxle,it's blue and white if that matters),the engine has maybe 5000 miles on it but hasn't been run in over 10 years. I doubt he'll part it out,if we can even talk him into parting with it at all but who knows,it's been 10 years +. Curious minds want to know. John thanks John, but the only thing I are the heads and the porsche heads are different. appreciate the help though! let me know if does want to part with it, I've got some people that love to perform search and recover missions on those ol' VWs.
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now