Gut check re: car repair for 2004 Subaru

[Anonymous]

We have a 2004 Outback with <100,000 miles. We are a one-car family (two adults, two kids) and drive it daily on short city trips with a couple of long road trips per year. We bought it used in 2010 and have been... laissez faire with maintenance. Kept up with problems and issues, haven't done much proactive maintenance.

It needs probably $2-$3k worth of repairs. We can afford to buy a new car but would rather drive this one into the ground (city driving is hard on cars, etc).

We should make the repairs and keep it, right? I think even if we can get another 2-3 years out of it, it's worth it?

[Anonymous]

How hands off have the maintenance been? Did you at least change oil regularly?

What's the nature of the repairs?

There are plenty of new cars you can buy that'll get you 2-3 years of use for 2-3k of depreciation. I generally do not find used cars to be good financial decisions if the buyer can afford new - generally.

[Anonymous]

The cheapest car you can buy is the one you already own.

At 100K miles, all Subarus need a full suite of repairs. That will run you $2-3K. This is normal maintenance and should have been budgeted by you. The car owners' manual lists out all the repairs you should anticipate at various mileage thresholds.

I'd make the repairs. That car will easily get 200K miles, if you follow the maintenance schedule in your owners' manual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest car you can buy is the one you already own.

At 100K miles, all Subarus need a full suite of repairs. That will run you $2-3K. This is normal maintenance and should have been budgeted by you. The car owners' manual lists out all the repairs you should anticipate at various mileage thresholds.

I'd make the repairs. That car will easily get 200K miles, if you follow the maintenance schedule in your owners' manual.

Tell that to the owner of an out-of-warranty Range Rover.

[Anonymous]

Yes, changed the oil regularly. Did not otherwise stay on top of what I would consider "manufacturer recommended" maintenance.

(In part, because we bought it used with super low miles and our driving patterns don't align well with manufacturer recommendations. In part because my spouse is in charge of the car and doesn't prioritize such maintenance.)

Repairs are 1) to resolve some fluid leaks and 2) to mitigate some of the deferred maintenance (spark plugs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest car you can buy is the one you already own.

At 100K miles, all Subarus need a full suite of repairs. That will run you $2-3K. This is normal maintenance and should have been budgeted by you. The car owners' manual lists out all the repairs you should anticipate at various mileage thresholds.

I'd make the repairs. That car will easily get 200K miles, if you follow the maintenance schedule in your owners' manual.

I should add that I own a '99 Forester with nearly 210K miles. So I am accustomed to sinking some $$$ into repairs. But I budget about $1500/year for maintenance and repairs and it's been way cheaper than buying a new car. I also only use mine for city driving. I don't care if my car gets dinged, scratched, or dirty. It's nice to have a car in the city for errands, yet it's not something I've sunk a ton of money into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, changed the oil regularly. Did not otherwise stay on top of what I would consider "manufacturer recommended" maintenance.

(In part, because we bought it used with super low miles and our driving patterns don't align well with manufacturer recommendations. In part because my spouse is in charge of the car and doesn't prioritize such maintenance.)

Repairs are 1) to resolve some fluid leaks and 2) to mitigate some of the deferred maintenance (spark plugs).

I'm surprised you don't need to replace some belts and the like. Timing belt alone is like a $800 repair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest car you can buy is the one you already own.

At 100K miles, all Subarus need a full suite of repairs. That will run you $2-3K. This is normal maintenance and should have been budgeted by you. The car owners' manual lists out all the repairs you should anticipate at various mileage thresholds.

I'd make the repairs. That car will easily get 200K miles, if you follow the maintenance schedule in your owners' manual.

Tell that to the owner of an out-of-warranty Range Rover.

We are talking about a Subaru - the cars are reliable and repairs are affordable. No need to go to the dealership either with a 2004; it's already out of warranty.

OP, find a good garage that specializes in Subarus. They will be way cheaper than the dealership. Replacing the gaskets and spark plugs should be closer to a $1000 job at a cheap, local garage. Buy your own parts to save even more $$$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, changed the oil regularly. Did not otherwise stay on top of what I would consider "manufacturer recommended" maintenance.

(In part, because we bought it used with super low miles and our driving patterns don't align well with manufacturer recommendations. In part because my spouse is in charge of the car and doesn't prioritize such maintenance.)

Repairs are 1) to resolve some fluid leaks and 2) to mitigate some of the deferred maintenance (spark plugs).

I'm surprised you don't need to replace some belts and the like. Timing belt alone is like a $800 repair.

A 2004 Subaru would require replacing the timing belt (and other associated parts) at 105K miles. It's closer to a $2K job. The old Subarus have a complicated timing belt assembly that requires a lot of labor. The parts package alone is close to $900.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest car you can buy is the one you already own.

At 100K miles, all Subarus need a full suite of repairs. That will run you $2-3K. This is normal maintenance and should have been budgeted by you. The car owners' manual lists out all the repairs you should anticipate at various mileage thresholds.

I'd make the repairs. That car will easily get 200K miles, if you follow the maintenance schedule in your owners' manual.

I should add that I own a '99 Forester with nearly 210K miles. So I am accustomed to sinking some $$$ into repairs. But I budget about $1500/year for maintenance and repairs and it's been way cheaper than buying a new car. I also only use mine for city driving. I don't care if my car gets dinged, scratched, or dirty. It's nice to have a car in the city for errands, yet it's not something I've sunk a ton of money into.

OP here. This is super helpful. Thanks. And yes, we have the funds to repair and I would prefer to do so from an environmental standpoint. How do you square city driving and manufacturer maintenance recommendations for things other than oil changes? We drive <10,000 miles per year and generally do a full synthetic oil change every six months.

Should we be following the manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule? Or do so many city miles change the recommended schedule by some factor?

[Anonymous]

I’d fix it. 100k is typical point when you have to do some significant maintenance anyway like timing belt, plugs, and fluid changes. Crazy to get rid of a Subaru with less than 100k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest car you can buy is the one you already own.

At 100K miles, all Subarus need a full suite of repairs. That will run you $2-3K. This is normal maintenance and should have been budgeted by you. The car owners' manual lists out all the repairs you should anticipate at various mileage thresholds.

I'd make the repairs. That car will easily get 200K miles, if you follow the maintenance schedule in your owners' manual.

I should add that I own a '99 Forester with nearly 210K miles. So I am accustomed to sinking some $$$ into repairs. But I budget about $1500/year for maintenance and repairs and it's been way cheaper than buying a new car. I also only use mine for city driving. I don't care if my car gets dinged, scratched, or dirty. It's nice to have a car in the city for errands, yet it's not something I've sunk a ton of money into.

OP here. This is super helpful. Thanks. And yes, we have the funds to repair and I would prefer to do so from an environmental standpoint. How do you square city driving and manufacturer maintenance recommendations for things other than oil changes? We drive <10,000 miles per year and generally do a full synthetic oil change every six months.

Should we be following the manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule? Or do so many city miles change the recommended schedule by some factor?

Synthetic is good for 10-20k. Husband not involved?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, changed the oil regularly. Did not otherwise stay on top of what I would consider "manufacturer recommended" maintenance.

(In part, because we bought it used with super low miles and our driving patterns don't align well with manufacturer recommendations. In part because my spouse is in charge of the car and doesn't prioritize such maintenance.)

Repairs are 1) to resolve some fluid leaks and 2) to mitigate some of the deferred maintenance (spark plugs).

I'm surprised you don't need to replace some belts and the like. Timing belt alone is like a $800 repair.

A 2004 Subaru would require replacing the timing belt (and other associated parts) at 105K miles. It's closer to a $2K job. The old Subarus have a complicated timing belt assembly that requires a lot of labor. The parts package alone is close to $900.

Except, I'd be worried about age on a 14-year-old car. Those belts can get brittle... So if the belt isn't already replaced, it may need to at least be inspected and likely replaced even before 105k miles.

Sorry I got the cost wrong. I have a Honda. I just know it's an extremely pricey job. In Hondas you tend to replace I think the power steering pump at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Husband is involved. He likes to fix things that are broken and he is in charge of car maintenance. I like to prevent things from breaking (and I am posting here). We've compromised on changing the oil about twice a year - knowing that it is not necessary from a straight mileage standpoint, recognizing the hard city miles we drive.

[Anonymous]

Op, sounds like you are doing things you really don’t have to and not doing things that maybe you should have. I would take it innto a good Subaru repair shop (use Checkbook to find one) and get an estimate of what needs to be fixed.