Agree with others that you should fix it--that's not that much relative to the cost of a new (or even a used!) car to replace it.

Our Subaru is 10 years newer, but we drive it very similarly (about 6K miles/year, single car family in the city, mostly short local trips with 1-2 road trips a year). Both our Subaru dealer and our independent mechanic recommend that we do the maintenance closer to the recommended times than the recommended mileage. (We do something in between in reality and try to get it in for a major service every 18 months or so, with a minor visual check/oil change in between.) Some parts wear out with use, but others deteriorate with time. We generally service it at our independent mechanic and don't do the full laundry list of things Subaru recommend at each juncture, but they will do visual inspections and let us know when they think we should have something checked more carefully (not often). If you just follow the mileage for the maintenance, you can go a few years without a major service if you don't drive much.

Our ‘99 Suburu served us faithfully with around 180K—with a few hundred dollars worth of routine maintenance every now and then—until our 16 YO totaled it about 1 month after getting a license. Fortunately no injuries...just some misconceptions about left turn timing. We salvaged the Outback anniversary plaque and received $2700 for insurance, which was way more than we expected. Brought both kids home from the hospital after birth in that car and will miss it forever.

Anonymous wrote: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.

Only if they can pay cash. Otherwise you need to factor in the cost of the car loan. Plus of course insurance on a new car will be a lot more than insurance on a 14 year old car.

Anonymous wrote:I would not be taking a 15 year old car on long trips with little kids. I think that you have already driven it into the ground.

I learned this one the hard way. I drove my '99 Subaru down to North Carolina and had some rear bearing issues. Had my car in a shop in rural NC for two weeks while they tried to source and ship the parts.

We go on a long road trip only twice a year. I rent a car for $100 out of DCA and run up those hard miles on the rental car. Totally worth it. And I don't have a car payment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the car worth only about $2K now?

Meaningless.

Yup.

4 months' of car payments on a new car can easily run $2K. This is why I buy used for cash and just keep repairing until it's a clunker.

Anonymous wrote:I would not be taking a 15 year old car on long trips with little kids. I think that you have already driven it into the ground.

What danger do you see, exactly, in a long trip vs. a short one?

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the car worth only about $2K now?

Meaningless.

Isn't the car worth only about $2K now?

For people looking for economical transportation, it's usually a better financial decision to buy a new car with good resale value. You'll spend $1k-$1.5 driving a new Accord or Camry in terms of depreciation, while enjoying the protection of warranty, better features, safety, and fuel economy.

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.

I have had several out of warranty Range Rovers and Subaru’s. The maintenance is definitely higher on the Range Rover but so is the driving experience. OP, are you looking for an excuse to buy a new car or just frustrated with the large repair bill? You will definitely have more repairs to come over the years, but the car can easily go to 200k miles. The largest repair bill I had on a Subaru was around that which covered a full head gasket replacement.

I would not be taking a 15 year old car on long trips with little kids. I think that you have already driven it into the ground.

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?

I drive closer to 4K miles per year. I do the oil change once/year, synthetic too. Jiffy Lube changes my filters, fluids, wiper blades, and rotates tires annually.

For my Subaru, at over 200K I'm needing to make other fixes. I replaced the shocks/suspension last year. That was a $1K job. I changed out the rear wheel bearings. I've also had to replace some struts and boots in previous years. Again, these parts are pretty decayed by 200K miles. My timing belt and other related parts is the next thing I need to replace at nearly 210K miles. That's my big 2019 repair. I'm largely sticking to Subaru's recommended mileage thresholds for pro-active part replacement.

Since the car is 14 years old, I'd recommend taking the car to a Subaru garage and getting a full inspection and write up. This will run you $100. They will make a list of things that show wear and tear. My garage in DC gave me a list of repairs that would be needed immediately and in the medium term. They let me know the likely lifespan of existing parts (e.g., wheel bearings).

I put 2k into a 2003 Corolla w/ 100k mileage a year ago and it’s still fine! Hope to drive it at least another year. Cheaper than payments, and my insurance and property tax are insanely low on it.

Anonymous wrote: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.

+1

On a car of this age, forget about the "manufacturer recommendations." Get the car to an independent shop (NOT the dealer) that specializes in Japanese imports or Subarus specifically, and they'll tell you what needs to be done and what doesn't.

I would follow the manufacturer recommendations, plus talk to your mechanic at inspection time. I'm not sure what your concern is with low miles or city miles - other than brakes getting more use in traffic, the maintenance schedule should be the same.

I have a 2015 Forester that I bought new and put 50,000 miles on. Over the course of regular maintenance it's gotten a new battery, brakes, and various bulbs, gaskets, and filters. It's reliable and safe. My husband has had a couple of used Toyotas in the same period, which he buys old and runs into the ground without maintenance; most recently, had to have AAA come replace the battery in a parking lot. I prefer my approach.