Ok so I found a 1996 outback for sale. Little dealer wants 4500....to much, I talked him down to 3500.... It has 147xxx miles on it and its clean with a clean ej22 5-speed man. Everything works except for interior dash lights which the dealer said he would "fix" before he sold it. Well I've always wanted an Outback and this seems like the one to get. Anything I should be aware of before I make the leap into my second subaru?

Check the driveshafts, especially the fronts, make sure that the boots are intact, oil leaks (creeper time!) clutch may be ready for a change soon.

Nice pick, that's my DD right now. I bought it with 120k 3 years ago and I've put 74,000 mostly trouble free miles on it since. The only work I had to do on it outside regular maintenance is that the clutch fork split at the pivot at 189k miles. The clutch was actually still fine with no slip, but I did the clutch anyway since didn't actually know what had gone wrong until I got in there.

 

the belt interval for this car is 60k, so at 140k you've technically got another 40k miles, but I'd ask for any records to see if they changed the WP, pulleys, and tensioner. It's possible those were skipped. Since the interval is much shorter then the interference versions, that stuff has a chance of making the next interval, but it gives you more bargaining room, especially if they can't prove the 120k interval was done.

 

Good Luck!

 

Will-

As im sure others will mention...check for Torque bind...this is like kind of right at the point( age/milegae) where this starts to show up....I had this problem with my 5 speed in my 96...i have also seen more than a handful at work with this kind of mileage and symptoms of TB.....

Edited December 30, 200817 yr by EVOthis

As im sure others will mention...check for Torque bind...this is like kind of right at the point( age/milegae) where this starts to show up....

 

It's a five speed so should be all good there

Yea, the dealer said it was a single owner. And that they had just replaced the clutch. When I drove it it seem tight so that sounds to be true. I noticed some slack on the cable inside the engin compartment...may need a little tightening done.

I'm gonna go take some pics and talk to him more about the 120xxx service and see if he has any records at all. I'll post back soon.

I'll try and shoot 3200 at him but i'm pretty sure he's firm on 3500....we'll see

Yea, the dealer said it was a single owner. And that they had just replaced the clutch. When I drove it it seem tight so that sounds to be true.

 

Define "tight" after I changed the clutch is was smooth as butter, better then a hydro clutch.

 

I noticed some slack on the cable inside the engin compartment...may need a little tightening done.

 

There should be 1/8 inch of play at the fork, 1" of fork travel measured from the tip of the fork, and 3/8 of pedal play.

once you decide on a price and are satisfied that you want the car, run a carfax report. it's a cheap investment / insurance in a car you are willing to buy. if there is something questionable on the report, you can use that to lower the price or just walk away. or after you strike the deal and just before you sign and put down a deposit, say "just one more thing, i'll need a carfax report ". if he balks, you walk. no one will throw away from a 3500$ deal over the price of a carfax report.

 

plus, if it steers you away from the car, you can check others you look at for the next 30 days.

 

good luck.

Yea he's pretty stuck on 3500. I guess i wrote the vin down wrong I only have 16 caracters? need 17...bah! Then I'll get a carfax. Here are some pics though. he didn't have any info on any service being done at the 120xxx mark....bah. Also wasn't sure it was a single owner....bah!

 

 

Its a real nice 96. They cleaned it well. All the cv boots looked good. The standard oil leak in rear of engine. rear valve gaskets, rear seal maybe? A new pass side ball joint, newer front struts maybe?...The screw in mounts looked brand new? Anyway hopefully the stars will align and I get my #3 Subaru and the 2nd to add to the stable. This will be my dd and the Impreza will be the rally-fun car.

 

Oh and it doesnt' smell like cat piss on the inside! Like the forester next to it does.

Edited December 30, 200817 yr by 952.2LX

Yeah, that shined up real nice, I like the green ones. How long has it been sitting there? Maybe if it's been there awhile offer him $3000 and when he balks, say thanks but no thanks then go back in a week and try again. There are others on this board more dealer savvy then me, so you may hear different.

 

Good Luck!

 

Will-

Don't assume that the HG is fine just because it's a 2.2L. Test it like a '97 2.5. Any wheel bearing noise?

 

$3,500 is still great bang for the buck and it looks great.

once you decide on a price and are satisfied that you want the car, run a carfax report. it's a cheap investment / insurance in a car you are willing to buy. if there is something questionable on the report, you can use that to lower the price or just walk away. or after you strike the deal and just before you sign and put down a deposit, say "just one more thing, i'll need a carfax report ". if he balks, you walk. no one will throw away from a 3500$ deal over the price of a carfax report.

 

plus, if it steers you away from the car, you can check others you look at for the next 30 days.

 

good luck.

 

 

Ran the car fax and it's had 5 owners, 2 rear impact with another vehicle. Regular service up to 103,000. Is been in Alabama, Minnesota, California, and now Missouri....:-\ Well not terrible news, still maybe some leverage.

I think I'll take your advice and see where it gets me. I'd still like to have the wagon though...its a nice ride.

2 rear impact with another vehicle.

 

Does that mean it got rear ended twice or it rear ended another vehicle? I suppose if there aren't any weird noises while driving and if the tire wear looks even and the rear hatch has no problem opening and closing (did you check for rust on the handle?) then it's not that big a deal eh?

 

Regular service up to 103,000

 

Does that include oil changes? If so, were they going by the 7500 miles recommended in the service manual or more frequent? So no help on the 120k T-belt change.

 

Good Luck!

 

Will-

There arn't specifics on the CarFax report. I don't know either if it was rearended or it rearended someone. I don't think it was to severe as there is no odd rust under the front or back. I also didn't see any misaligned panels or components. I'm assuming it was a backup and bump into another vehicle situation, hopefully the bumper took most of the impact.

 

Yea the oil changes have been kept up, at some service station according to the sticker in the upper left of windshield. Oil looked clean and smelled clean also. I'll let it sit for awhile longer and see if i can get him to come down from 3500 with the carfax info.

 

yea I can prolly look at doing the tb and wp on both vehicles....especially on my 95 impreza... it could definately use a tb and prolly water pump.

Edited December 31, 200817 yr by 952.2LX

thats the good year, non-interference engine, 22's run for ever.

 

but with that history and what he told you i would walk away, but thats just me, there are plenty of scoobies out there.

I bought the same car in October and love it. Bought it with 152K. Dealer wanted $2900, I got them down to $2500, had to put tires on it and replace the rear struts. Mine is not quite as clean as this one (dents, but no rust), and doesn't have heated seats. But, it's only a two owner car and has no accident history, and has a trailer hitch. The bike rack on this one adds some value, I suppose.

I don't think I would pay that much for a car with crash history, maybe I would if I saw it in person and could tell it was OK, but my gut reaction is that the price should be lower.

Andy

So I saw this car at another lot. A consignment lot..lol and they wanted 4950 ! ! ! I couldn't get the money anyway. I'd only give 3200 for it.

Ran the car fax and it's had 5 owners, 2 rear impact with another vehicle. Regular service up to 103,000. Is been in Alabama, Minnesota, California, and now Missouri....:-\ Well not terrible news, still maybe some leverage.

I think I'll take your advice and see where it gets me. I'd still like to have the wagon though...its a nice ride.

 

 

The dealer said it was a "single owner," but car fax says it has had 5 owners! Hmmmmmmmm........maybe the dealer was really saying that the previous owner was not married!

In comparison, I picked up my '97 OBW a few years ago, for $4,000. That's $3,000 for the car, $1,000 for the engine swap. Mileage on the chassis was around 135,000 miles, if I remember correctly. Very little rust, which was great for the northeast. Carfax was completely clean, no accidents. Garage/dealer couldn't track down an overheating problem under warranty (clogged radiator), so I burned out the replacement 2.5L.

 

Since he had difficulty finding another 2.5L, I mentioned swapping in a '95 2.2L... and I haven't regretted it yet. Rock solid engine, as far as I'm concerned. The 2.5L might have more get up and go at highway speeds, but my driving style hasn't needed it. The 2.2L has enough power (coupled with the OBW's 4.11 gear ratio) to power up significant grades at 73 MPH, too. It's nice blowing past all the other vehicles struggling up the grade .

 

So that should give you a bit of comparision... $3,500 might be a bit higher than I'd want to pay, given the Carfax info. If everything looks clean, that dealer might get the $3,500 out of me, though.