By the way, Thanks, everybody!
We had a '97 Outback wagon, which was my wife’s car. She loved it; other than the oil leak, and an issue with a loose heat shield under the engine, we never really had any problems with it. The one accident she was ever in with it was when she got rear-ended at a stoplight by someone who couldn’t stop in time on wet pavement; the Outback was totally unharmed, while the other car (a Mitsubishi) was heavily damaged.
We owned it for 11 years, and sold it to the daughter of a family friend, when we bought a new car for my wife. We were seriously planning on buying her another Outback, but when we went to test drive new ones (this was 2008), they felt more cramped in the interior than her old one was. We wound up buying her a Mazda SUV at that point, but we would definitely consider another Subaru in the future.
Is this the stuff? All About SUBARU Cooling System Conditioner SOA635071
What does a “conditioner” for the coolant system have to do with the head gasket? (pardon my ignorance.)
The coolant passages (both oil and “water”) flow through/around the head typically. Not sure how it exatly works on the Subaru boxer engine specifically, but the flow of coolant and oil are closely related systems, at least up on the head. But never the two should meet…
Be advised that Subarus carry very high resale value, especially at a dealership. I have seen many, many craigslist ads for used Subaru Foresters for $4-5000 with 200,000 miles on them. I think a private buyer is still going to be your best route for the money. Also in the case of that car at the dealer, it hasn’t hit the 100k mark yet, which is the only thing keeping the price that high book value-wise, although it’s still marked up I’d guess about $4000. That’s pretty typical on all used cars everywhere at dealer lots.
Yeah, I’ll only buy private party. Why line someone else’s pockets?
I might be naïve to a fault, but I think most people are pretty honest and when you can verify that they have owned a vehicle for a long time, they are pretty up-front with why they are selling it and what it has wrong. After all, you know where they live…
Yes that’s the stuff. If you follow the link you provided you will see that they infer that this stuff is Haltz Radweld which is, among other things, a stop leak. Other sites I’ve researched seem to indicate this too, though that was a while back. The coolant (and oil for that matter) depend on the head gasket to seal those from leaking, along with exhaust blowby. This coolant conditioner has proven itself to help in that by extending the time before failure.
If this stuff is required (not recommended, but required as in to maintain your warrantee, during that period), then it would be because the head gasket is still a know issue.
I own a BRZ (that’s the sporty model) and I’m really happy with it. I can’t speak to the mechanical side, other than it gets great mileage and handles really well but it is a people magnet. Seriously, I constantly have both men and women complimenting / asking about it. I enjoy talking to new people but I find it kind of weird. It would never occur to me to ask a stranger about their car and mine isn’t exactly exotic or anything but people sure do seem to love it.
I have an 07 Legacy wagon and had the dreaded head gasket issue. Ironically enough the DOHC (turbo) heads use a better gasket and are less prone to the issue. Driveline wise the car is pretty good; I just replaced the springs/struts, and wheel bearings with 90k miles roughly on the clock. My driving situation is hard on cars though due to the weather and crappy roads around here. You should have no issues that you can’t handle/wrench you way out of and I’m assuming you have a pretty good metric tool kit already working on BMWs. The Forester is worth a good look as well if you need cargo space and will have more than the Impreza-based Outback in the time frame you’re looking at. Get the manual if you can, as the 4 speed auto is just adequate paired with the NA 2.5.
I pay a bit more in Canada but SKF bearings, King Springs and Koni struts ran a total of $1700 USD. Parts from the dealer can be pricy but still less expensive overall than going to BMW.
NASIOC (North American Subaru Impreza Owner’s Club) www.nasioc.com is your friend here. They have all the resources and tips/tricks you could want to know. Also, fix the E30, that’s an epic car.
You now hold the title of My Favorite Doper. 
2011 Outback. The damn thing is far and away the best slick conditions car I’ve ever driven going through ice and snow much better than either my old Jeep or Beetle; my former benchmarks. Gas mileage could be better but you can say that of any AWD. Drivetrain has been fine for the 100k on it. My one complaint, and its a small one, is that I lost a tire twice to damage and had to replace the full set earlier than wanted/expected. From what I am told Subes are more fussy than even the usual AWD about wanting matching tread (or at least close) all around. Mismatch much and that is when the drivetrain issues can start. Yeah, I could have searched out a matching used tire but --------- I hate driving around on spares any more than absolutely needed.
We’ve had 2 Imprezas, 1 Forester and 2 Cross Treks. I currently drive a Cross Trek and my husband a Forester. We’ve never had any problems with any of them. We live in Minnesota so we wanted something that was dependable in the snow. They hold their value and run forever. I love my Cross Trek. It’s very comfortable and the perfect size for me.
All true. I had to replace all four corners three years ago due to a bolt driving itself through the tread. Even my Jeep Cherokee was nowhere as fun to drive in the snow as my Legacy on a set of Nokian Haakapelittas.
Gato, look around for a Legacy wagon or Forester in your search as well. Both have way more cargo area than the Impreza/Outback in the 02-07 model years.
Yes, forgot this part, 4 matching shoes, and equalized pressure. There is some variance but that works out to the clutch plates slipping which shortens their lives when mismatched. Not sure this is still the same but for my 05 OB when installing the donut it was said to install it on the rear wheel (so if you get a flat in the front, take off the back tire first, install the donut there, then take the tire from the back and put it in the front), after which you have to install a fuse which puts the car in FWD mode.
They are a blast to drive, as in ‘can you say Fahrvergnügen in Japanese’, and very capable cars, well build, but have quirks, more so then other cars I know.
I own a '15 Forester, specifically because my former car got stuck in snow a couple of times - I often drive in rural Ontario in winter.
Great car, never had the slightest significant problem with it.
Drawbacks of the Forester - it is somewhat noisy to drive; the sound system is lousy. Also, the paint has a tendency to damage easily. In short, all cosmetic stuff.
Best part for me - great handling in winter conditions and good clearance; also, great all around visibility. I’m a tall dude and all-around visibility is sometimes an issue.
Engine stuff - never had any problems; regular maintenance only, so far. Of course the car is still pretty new.
That’s because they’re trying to see if you had upgraded to that much needed turbo kit yet!
BRZ is a good car, but it’s really a Toyota (the 86). The only non-AWD in the Subaru lineup.
It’s designed to kick all the ass on twisty roads, not straightaways. You don’t want a turbo on that sort of car–the lag will literally kill you. As thelurkinghorror observes, it is really a Toyota (see Toyota 86 & Scion FRS). As such, it’s mind boggling that the BRZ is underpowered (but really only just a bit) given Toyota went through this exact problem with the first generation MR2, which they corrected with an intercooled supercharger. I get it that the BRZ is a carefully-balanced sports car with a deliberately low center of gravity, but a few pounds on top of the motor wouldn’t change the physics much.
Turbo, supercharger…the car clearly needs more power. And you’re right, not a lot…but like 50 more hp would do the trick. And modern turbos if set up properly don’t have the lag of turbos of yesteryear, but a supercharger may be a better option for more throttle immediacy.
They are great looking cars, a buddy has one, he loves it but he’s upgraded it significantly and now it’s a proper canyon carver with authority. Now blasting out of turns at max throttle with the turbo whine and pop off release is four cylinder magic. Also it’s amazing even what an intake, a tune and an exhaust can do.
My wife had a couple of Foresters. Excellent vehicle. Just not quite big enough for all 6’5" of me to be comfortable.