Question for the Subaru owners

[MA_Trooper]

Hey Subaru folks,
I found a 2000 Legacy Outback with 166k on it for 600 bucks. I have concerns though. The owner has been driving it for a while while filling up the coolant frequently. So I know it needs the head gasket (he stated as much). I'm concerned that driving it that way for a while has done more damage than is really easily repaired with a head gasket. He also mentioned that the trans takes a second or two to find first. I'm hoping y'all know what that issue may be and that its easy to fix. Is this car worth buying?

@Wawa Skittletits @Steve you know anything about these?

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

Hey Subaru folks,
I found a 2000 Legacy Outback with 166k on it for 600 bucks. I have concerns though. The owner has been driving it for a while while filling up the coolant frequently. So I know it needs the head gasket (he stated as much). I'm concerned that driving it that way for a while has done more damage than is really easily repaired with a head gasket. He also mentioned that the trans takes a second or two to find first. I'm hoping y'all know what that issue may be and that its easy to fix. Is this car worth buying?

@Wawa Skittletits @Steve you know anything about these?

Thats impressive mileage for a 2000 Subaru anything. Have you looked under the oil cap? If its just been a slow leak and the owner has done regular oil changes the damage from coolant should be on the minimal side of things for a 166k EJ25. Conversely if theres obvious moisture (milky white) residue or its been wiped clean because the current owner knows you'll look there thats a different story. EJ25's are super easy to find though and its only a $600 car..

The trans issue is a known one. Apparently a drain and fill with adding a bottle of Trans X transmission treatment actually does the trick. If you look up the issue you should find a lot of documentation on what actually causes the problem.

 

[Steve]

I don't know about the tranny problems, as both of mine were manual.

That's fairly low mileage (well, not for me, but for normal. My 2002 WRX Wagon had 37k when I sold it in 2016.) Still, it'll likely sneed shocks and bushing replaced, although that's cheap and easy. Head gasket problems are common on a lot of models. On later versions substituting the gasket from the turbo version was always recommended, as it is better quality. As Wawa noted, check for foam in the oil, and find out how often he changed oil.

And as always in the NE, rust can be problematic. Getting those shocks off with 17 years of salty rust might not be fun!

 

[buckwilk]

The vehicle will need some things, in order to make the decision, take it to a reliable Subaru mechanic and pay him for an opinion.

 

[MA_Trooper]

The vehicle will need some things, in order to make the decision, take it to a reliable Subaru mechanic and pay him for an opinion.

I know the outback will need work, or it wouldn't cost 600. The head gasket and trans were my concerns. I can do any of the other work on the car myself. And I don't need a DD since I work from home so if it stays in pieces for a couple days while fixing something I'm not all that worried.

I don't know about the tranny problems, as both of mine were manual.

That's fairly low mileage (well, not for me, but for normal. My 2002 WRX Wagon had 37k when I sold it in 2016.) Still, it'll likely sneed shocks and bushing replaced, although that's cheap and easy. Head gasket problems are common on a lot of models. On later versions substituting the gasket from the turbo version was always recommended, as it is better quality. As Wawa noted, check for foam in the oil, and find out how often he changed oil.

And as always in the NE, rust can be problematic. Getting those shocks off with 17 years of salty rust might not be fun!

NE rust is the worst. But that's what drills, hammers and saws-alls are for ;)

 

[Runnen4fun]

Just in case I got a 93 Impreza wagon you could buy it only has 310,000 miles on it and it's a stick