Advice on buying 2000 Outback (link to ad).

[joelrinaldi]

Hey,

I've moved over to Canada for 2 years and I'm looking at buying a locally advertised Subaru Outback 2000.

I know there's a million thread for asking advice about buying a Subaru, I did search for them and read some but I just want to post this so people could give advice on this particular one for sale.

Seen as I have no idea about problems associated with these cars, expect for the famous head gasket issues. Can anyone give me some advice on this particular sale? And also what I should be checking for when I go and have a look at it.

I'm living in a small town, so options are pretty limited. I'm not too worried about paying a small amount of money to fix minor things, I just don't want to be paying $2-3000 to fix a major issue. I'm going to see if I can find a mechanic to look over it for me but just wanted to check it out myself first.

2000 SUBARU OUTBACK ALL WHEEL DRIVE WAGON FOR SALE - Vancouver Cars For Sale - Kijiji Vancouver Canada.

Cheers

[rasterman]

with 181k km on the engine (112k mi) it is just past the point where it should have received full timing belt service. Not a cheap job when done correctly, but absolutely necessary for continued operation. It is possible that the belt & pulleys were replaced when this 2nd engine was installed in the car, but the sales listing doesn't have enough detail. The rule is to get a new belt every 105,000 miles or 105 months, whichever comes first. That works out to just shy of 170,000 kms, or 8 years and 9 months. Good practice is to replace the idler pulleys and the tensioner at the same time as the belt. Best is to do all that, replace the water pump & re-seal the oil pump as well. If the seller can't provide documentation of this being done, then you must assume that it has not been done and budget for it immediately. Lots of people trade or sell their cars just before it is due specifically to avoid the expense, so be suspicious.

It sounds like you are already familiar with the head gasket issue, so I won't go further on that topic.

Good luck!

[joelrinaldi]

Cool thanks, I'll be sure to ask.

If it hasn't been done, what would I be looking at for a timing belt service?
I'm assuming it would be within the $1000-$2000 range?

Would you say that if this is the case, the asking price is a little too high?

[Performance Suby]

Timing belt change is typically around $500 - $800 depending on where you get the work done. In picture #2 from what I can see there is crack near the bottom of the windsheild, if i'm right that will probably need to be replaced for another $300 -$400. It also seems to have the famous rear quarter panel rot, so make sure the rest of the body and undercarriage is in reasonable condition... probably would be good idea to at least fiberglass, bondo and paint it which you can probably do for pretty cheap..

[punt speedchunk]

Is that a bottle of coolant on the passenger side floor in the interior shot?