well after 3 years without a soob, im back! except im in the "New" Subaru fourm, just scored a 1998 Outback 2.5 30th anniversary edition! any tricks i need to know about? this is a long cry from my gen2 days!

Been some years and two other OBW's since my 98, but only two things come to mind. You may develop the dreaded piston slap that is more of an annoyance than a problem in any way. Mine did, but then after 269 000 km it didn't amount to anything more than a noise from cold start till warmup, particularly on cold days. Watch for the leaking head gasket signs, coolant smells after shutdown, tiny coolant pools under the car, bubbles in the radiator when the engine is running and you have the rad cap off (obviously done when the engine is cold), and engine overheating. I never had the problem myself, but lots of other folks did. Check the black metal braket in the tailgate that the tailgate opening latch and the license plate lights attach to. This generation of OBW's had a lot of rust problems with that bracket. They are not difficult to change, cost around $11.00 as I recall, and are simple to sand blast, prime and repaint if you are so inclined. Other than that, you'll love the car! Good Luck!