With much regret and wailing, I must give up my 2006 Scion xB, as the undercarriage has rusted enough to make it unlikely to survive through another New England winter.
I have available to me to buy a 2009 Subaru Outback with about 140,000 miles on it, in very good cosmetic condition, at a price I can afford, and from a trustworthy source: the mechanic who’s taken topnotch care of my vehicles for a couple of decades, who has a stellar reputation with everyone I mention him to. Having Googled around for cars available in my price range (under 5K), what he’s offering looks like my best option.
My driving is almost entirely local, I’m not a jackrabbit driver, I’m not one to stomp on the gas and brake pedal, and I have a garage to keep my car in.
What think you, Dopers? Does it sound like a decent deal?
That I don’t know. I do know my mechanic wants to fix something on it before he sells it to me. I’m the farthest thing from a gearhead, so further than that I can’t say. I can say the guy isn’t going to put me in some junk.
That engine is known for blowing head gaskets at >100k miles. There are aftermarket gaskets that are much more durable and the replacement should have been made when the timing belt was replaced (which, at 140k should have already happened). It’s worth asking the question as well as what the cost would be to replace the head gasket preventatively.
Subarus are also known to have the occasional CV joint issue but that isn’t uncommon for any car at that age, and just the other typical comfort issues that can crop up on any other car of that age. If oil and other fluids have been serviced on schedule, the disc brakes are good, and transmission isn’t showing any issues it is probably a decent buy. I’ve owned several Subarus and sold them still operating at around the 200k mark with no major repairs other than the aforementioned blown head gasket (on the EJ255 DOHC engine, which isn’t supposed to have a head gasket issues), and they hold up well as long as you don’t flog them or otherwise beat them up.
I’ve had a Suburu for a year now, I love it too. A 2013 Outback, with 133, 000 miles when I got it. Hasn’t needed anything except oil changes. I paid $8000 for it a year ago so your deal sounds good.
With a rock solid mechanic you can trust, I say go for it! I love the AWD and the safety features.
I had a 2010 Outback that I got rid of last year at 200,000 miles when the power steering gave out. It burned oil, something already mentioned, but it wasn’t hard to keep on top of. With snow tires it was a monster in snow, the most capable snow car I’ve owned. The seats weren’t great, fairly uncomfortable over long trips, and it was a noisy car.
That was my second Outback, and I liked them for sure, but I’m not sure if I would get a Suby from that era with a good inspection.
We had a '97 Outback, which, too, had issues with the head gasket – AFAICT, it was an enduring weak spot on the Subaru engines of that era. That said, the head gasket (which I think we had to replace twice) was the only significant issue we had with it in the 11 years that we owned it.
Thanks for the responses so far. Given a good mechanic, it sounds like it will be a good deal for me. I will have to get used to driving a car that’s longer and wider than my Scion, and after 19 years in that car no doubt there’ll be habits and expectations I’ll have to unlearn. Fortunately there’s a large church parking lot a few dozen yards from my home where I can practice.
We traded in my 2002 Subaru Outback Sport last year as mentioned in prior threads - and it had had it’s head gaskets replaced twice, and needed it again. I loved that car, and for a Subie, it’s milage wasn’t that high (140k) but at the age of the vehicle, replacing the gaskets for a third time wasn’t worth it when we were already planning on a new PHEV/BEV.
I’ll echo what Kenobi and Stranger have been saying, this is a frequent issues with Subie’s of the era, and if the mechanic has replaced them and can vouch for their condition, it seems to be an okay vehicle and fits your budget. It’s probably better than hoping for the miracle used car in this market.
The reinforced aftermarket headgaskets that are available should take care of this issue. The flat-4 engine does tend to run at higher pressures but it’s a basic design engineering problem that Subaru just failed to diagnose and solve for about a decade.
The first two times I had the work diagnosed and done at the local Subaru dealership. I figured if I had gone ahead and done it the third time, then yeah, improved aftermarket parts would have been the way to go, but the quotes given were noticeably more than the car was worth. Still, I bought the car used, in 2004, with 20k miles on it, and drove it for two decades, almost to the day. It was a good run.
I have a 2006 Scion xB also. You are giving up one of the most reliable cars ever made. I hang out in Reddit - The heart of the internet It is amazing how many people have over 200,000, 300,000 and even higher mileage. Toyota has special stickers made up for their high mileage club that range up to 500,000 miles at least. Mine is at 220,000 miles and has only needed brakes and other consumables.
That said, mine has a rusty rear undercarriage also. At the last oil change the shop took a video of it and I am ready to put it up on the stands and start making repairs. I am a long time fabricator and welder so it isn’t too much of a problem for me. The affected parts are box sections near the suspension arm mounts so I am planning on wrapping them with “U” shaped panels cut to fit up to the round mounts.
I know this post doesn’t help any but you might have you shop give an opinion on repairs.
I’m going to talk to my mechanic next week, ask him if that’s a viable option or if the rust is too far gone. There’s a body shop within walking distance of my home that might be able to do something. I’d love to be able to keep the Scion.
