Buying an Old Subaru

[Anonymous]

I am thinking about purchasing an older Subaru Outback as a winter beater. Is there anything I have to watch out for?

[Anonymous]

I am DCUM’s resident beater Subaru owner. I love my car. I bought it from an old guy in Bethesda who had it for 200K miles.

My advice? Don’t pay more than $2K for the car. Focus on getting a car from a single owner with clean interior. I paid $1500 for mine and then immediately sunk in about $1500 for a full tune-up and replacing some engine, brake, and steering parts that were wearing out. Also, get a car with leather seats - they hold up MUCH better than the upholstery seats. My car is a 99 Forester; it was fully loaded and retailed for $27K back in 1999. It’s a well built car.

I’ve had it running in DC now for 3 years. We only use it for weekend errands and local drives. Only put about 3K miles per year on the car.

It super fun to drive in the winter. Check the body around the wheel well; that’s a common spot for rust decay. Also, do NOT take it on a long road trip. It should just be for short trips around town or going to Annapolis or Shenandoah. I wouldn’t drive much farther than that.

[Anonymous]

Thank you PP.

[Anonymous]

I like my newer Subaru but I'm super curious why someone needs a winter beater. Like, do you not drive during the warm months? Not want to drive your regular car in the snow and salt? Just trying to understand as this is a foreign idea to me. We have just the one car, all year round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am DCUM’s resident beater Subaru owner. I love my car. I bought it from an old guy in Bethesda who had it for 200K miles.

My advice? Don’t pay more than $2K for the car. Focus on getting a car from a single owner with clean interior. I paid $1500 for mine and then immediately sunk in about $1500 for a full tune-up and replacing some engine, brake, and steering parts that were wearing out. Also, get a car with leather seats - they hold up MUCH better than the upholstery seats. My car is a 99 Forester; it was fully loaded and retailed for $27K back in 1999. It’s a well built car.

I’ve had it running in DC now for 3 years. We only use it for weekend errands and local drives. Only put about 3K miles per year on the car.

It super fun to drive in the winter. Check the body around the wheel well; that’s a common spot for rust decay. Also, do NOT take it on a long road trip. It should just be for short trips around town or going to Annapolis or Shenandoah. I wouldn’t drive much farther than that.

I think you may have bought my in-laws' subaru. I wanted them to give it to us!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am thinking about purchasing an older Subaru Outback as a winter beater. Is there anything I have to watch out for?

How old?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like my newer Subaru but I'm super curious why someone needs a winter beater. Like, do you not drive during the warm months? Not want to drive your regular car in the snow and salt? Just trying to understand as this is a foreign idea to me. We have just the one car, all year round.

I know 3 people who walk or bike to work in the summer months and only drive in the winter. They all have Subarus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like my newer Subaru but I'm super curious why someone needs a winter beater. Like, do you not drive during the warm months? Not want to drive your regular car in the snow and salt? Just trying to understand as this is a foreign idea to me. We have just the one car, all year round.

My daily driver is a 2007 Nissan 350z. It is RWD and sits low to the ground so it is not suitable for winter driving.

Anonymous wrote:How old?

Looking at 2000-2004 Subaru Legacy / Outback, preferably with the 6 cylinder.

[Anonymous]

I bought a Subaru 2.5 years ago and am incredibly annoyed that we haven't had any snow for me to drive it in. Come on, winter, get it together!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you PP.

One other things to look out for: the timing belt, and a bunch of ancillary parts, need to be replaced every 105K miles. If you don’t, the engine will seize while driving if the timing belt wears out. It’s a big job to do correctly - the parts alone are about $800 and then budget another $700 for labor. Many owners of older Subaru’s (1998-2004) will try to dump their cars at 200K miles because they don’t want to sink the money into the car. I will need to do this project in 2019, as I am now approaching 210K miles.

Just something to be aware of.

[Anonymous]

It’s really hard to buy a used Subaru. People hold on to those things until they are on their last legs. So do your diligence and check it out before purchase.

[Anonymous]

Depending on how old it is, you might need a club. Subaru’s are constantly stolen in my neighborhood and they tend to be 90s models. I used to have a 2006 outback but it left me high and dry when the engine blew out at 96,000 miles.. meticulously maintain it...they need to be babied. Excellent for getting around in snow and ice though. Before buying my 06, my mechanic warned me that Subaru engines have a bad reputation for certain years, esp the turbo engine. Do your homework before buying, and be prepared to dump some money into it and shop accordingly. Assume you’ll need an engine and transmission in the not to distant future and if you don’t, then consider yourself lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am thinking about purchasing an older Subaru Outback as a winter beater. Is there anything I have to watch out for?

Head gasket failure (~$3k) is almost a given on 2000-2012 models. Buy a RAV4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s really hard to buy a used Subaru. People hold on to those things until they are on their last legs. So do your diligence and check it out before purchase.

I came on here to say this! We looked for used, bought one new and I'm never letting it go!

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't put it as strongly as PP, but there are some model years that had issues with head gaskets - I would do some research and avoid those years. I have had a couple of Subarus and love them, would happily get another.