[robzbilder]

Hello everybody...Let me just say that this is a great site! I stayed up until 1:00 AM reading as many postings as I could before the girlfriend said enough!

I bought a 99 Outback Limited a couple of weeks ago. I had 47,000 miles on the odo but the exterior and interior were spotless. We bought it for $11,800 ($12,900 out the door) so we thought it was a decent deal...until I found out it was a DOHC motor, and on almost every forum people had bad things to say about the EJ25. So much so that I'm considering going back to the dealer and investing in an extended warranty to cover my A$$.

I know there are probably a lot of OB owners out there who have never had a single problem with their subies, but I'm surprised to see so many threads about a Japanese-built car. My girlfriend has a 98 corolla w/93,000 mi. and it stills purrs like the day it was bought. Am I overreacting here...thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[FMGreen]

Overreacting?...probably.
Warranty a bad idea?...probably not.
It can't hurt to have extra protection.

With that said, my '97 EJ25 has 145,000 miles, has had no major problems and shows no signs of problems to be.
*knocks on wood*

You will always hear more of the bad experiences than you will of the good ones, because people love to complain. But for the most part, I feel that the majority of EJ25's were built just fine and there are only a few bad apples.

 

[robzbilder]

That's good news...I'll head to the dealer tomorrow and find out what I can about recalls, oil seals, and corrosive coolant...

thanks

 

[FMGreen]

Cool. Let us know what the dealer has to say!

And, welcome to the boards, we are happy to have you here!

 

[sjansen]

Just thought I'd add another positive story for your piece of mind. I'm running the same motor with 135,000 miles and no major difficulties.

Keep up with the maintenance and be aware of your car, you know listen for strange noises, check the fluids, watch the gas mileage and the guages.

Best wishes with the car, I love mine!

Seth
'96 Outback

 

[The_Lizard]

Well, I have one of the messed-up ones, a 98 with a blown head gasket. I doubt that Subaru will be of any help to me in fixing it, and I also doubt that I will buy another Subaru, because of this.

That said, I love the rest of the car so enjoy the one you have and go have fun with it.

And get the extended warranty.

 

[Suby Wan Kenobi]

The later engines are actually the better one. Early versions are plagued with headgasket problems and the block design was stretched past it's safe design limits. The sohc blocks are a redesign and the case is a lot stronger than the 4 cam version. The 4 cams feel more lively but that's just the way they are tuned.

 

[The_Lizard]

That's why I'd rather replace my engine with a SOHC than fix it. Major failure at 80,000 is something I'd expect from a Camaro, not a Subaru.

 

[robzbilder]

I was really drawn to Subaru's innovative vehicles. Hondas and Toyotas were a little bland but extremely reliable in my experience.

But I'd rather have reliability over innovation and utility when it comes to a complex vehicle that I can't tear appart.

BTW, I've reworked my frien'd camaro from the brakes on up....things were so easy with mechanical cars; motor/tranny/axles/wheels

 

[CPToversteer]

on the extended warranty----1. who issues it?? will they be in business down the road when you need coverage? 2. read the exclusions carefully from a mechanic's eye view regarding what usually fails 1st and what takes whatever else out with it when it does. under many warranties, if a non-covered part or condition causes failure of covered part, latter aint covered either. one good EJ25-specific example: if the head gasket blows and coolant (a notoriously poor bottom end lube...) consequently gets into the oil and you have bearing/crank/rod/piston/cylinder damage, is it covered?

i used to practice consumer law and dealt with a lot of extended warranty complaints. in very few cases did client have a viable claim against the warranty co, either cuz they'd gone out of business or cuz the exclusions excluded out the problem in most cases. we had to pursue most of those as deceptive trade practice complaints, as the salesperson inevitably represented that it covered everything. READ YOUR TERMS CAREFULLY and if you're not a mechanic type, have a friend who is go over em with you.

yes, i think you may be overreacting. one factor that may be operative here is that the folk who get on boards tend to be the "road worriers" (to use Brock Yates' term) who are more involved with their car and thus notice stuff going wrong that John & Jane Q. would usually be oblivious to or ignore (until it turned into a big repair bill).

and in fairness, there really ain't much of anything that compares to a last 10 yrs. Corolla or Camry for bulletproof reliability. just you may die of boredom drivin it. i expect reliability and not havin to think abt it from my fridge. i expect something more from my cars....

as far as comparative ease of fixin Chromearrow, have you done head gaskets on a cast-iron-head V8 lately? or an oil change? or changed the starter on a SBC? or clutch? or dash light bulbs? and how dOES that lower back feel? seriously, i have some really miserable memories of SBCs and their environs, and will take any 4 banger on earth, even a Brit one, over working on american V8. and Subs are at least as easy as most vehicles to fix. the only thing intimidating is the complexity with which all the electronic systems are tied together. the basic mechanical stuff all works the same as you're used to, just laid out a little differently. fear not, dive in...your listin bretheren and sisteren are here to assist you with our sage advice and crackpot opinions....

bw
grade A crackpot

 

[traintrackker]

I'll second the nod for the extended warranty. My wife and I found out about the advantages of such items with our Jeep. The warranty paid for 3 rear ends, 1 transmission, and a few other items. Without the warranty, we'd been in deep doo-doo. As for "fly by night" warranty companies, well, like most everything else on this earth, very little is a "sure bet," but having said that, I'd rather take the warranty than drive without it. Finally, if you haven't done it, run a Carfax report on the car. I found out that our Subaru had outstanding recalls on it that even the seller didn't know about, yet the seller, a national chain, clains that all their cars are checked for this and that...yeah, right...Finally, as a previous owner of a Z28, I understand what you're saying about the car's ease of maintainance. Sure, it can be a tight fit in some areas, but once you hit the throttle, there's nothing like a V8, save for a turbo charged monster....traintrackker

 

[CPToversteer]

hey, i wasn't saying don't get the warranty, just be aware of potential pitfalls, do your homework, and go into deal with eyes open. many warr companies are perfectly reputable; just be sure that the one you contract with fits that descrip


"Sure, it can be a tight fit in some areas, but once you hit the throttle, there's nothing like a V8, save for a turbo charged monster"

yah, know what you mean--- parents made mistake of letting me regularly get my sweaty hands on thier convert Cougar during my high school years, and i of course had to do extended investigation of the 351 Cleveland's high rpm breathing capabilities....

comparing any sub i've worked on (even the old early 80s ohv ones) to that Cougar, tho, reminds me how comparatively easy to work on they are. and don't even get me started abt popular myth that EFI is more complex than a smog-era 4-bbl Rochester or a set of Weber DCOEs....

not sure even a turbo monster is like a V8, esp in a little brit car...or a not so little one. nothing wrong with amurrikin v8s that a good machine shop and a few grand at Summit can't fix.....guess i was referrin more to the usual abodes of such. SBc/SBF is solution to every big euro banger needing a drivetrian rebuild...XJSs, 928s, 450SLs, even Volvo 740s....

ok, gotta go wipe the foam from my mouth now....

bw

 

[FMGreen]

Wow! At what point did this thread start requiring a personal translator for me to understand what you're all talking about?!

 

[The_Lizard]

It's just us old farts talking about the carbureted days. The trick is, you have to choke us after we start, not before we start.

 

[robzbilder]

I have swapped spark plugs on a 91 camaro RS...and it seemed that the plug wires and plugs were harder to get out than in a EJ25....and there was 8 of the suckers...while the sub only has 4.

I'm researching a ext. warranty co. called Warranty Direct . The dealer was hawking a 48mo/48000mi extended on my 99 used outback from AUL for $1,695! that's a lot of dough...but about what a timing belt or head gasket job would cost here in SoCal

 

[Scooby]

don't worry be happy

Forget the warranty ... you bought a used vehichle thats 5years old.
You should have done some research on the eJ25s before you bought it too (consumer reports). Anyway head gaskets are an easy fix.

Forget the dealer go to any shop they are cheaper and have all the expertise needed to do the job . After 2years any shop has access to software for any vehichle such as ALLDATA or SNAP-ON SHOPKEY. These programs give anyone access to manufacturer updates/recalls/etc. I mean were not talking rocket science here. If you bought a chevy a ext. warranty is a good idea.

As far as changing spark plugs on camaros are easy. Try a corvette or trans am when you have to remove motor mounts and jack up the engine to change them .....then talk to me about pain in the A!!

I think you paid way to much for that year and model by the way! I just bought a new'03 last year with lots of options for under 19G.. the markup on used vehichles is huge!! You'll pay a few grand more for nothing. Don't worry be happy , I see lots of subies like yours on the road!!!

 

[FMGreen]

Re: don't worry be happy

I think you paid way to much for that year and model by the way! I just bought a new'03 last year with lots of options for under 19G.. the markup on used vehichles is huge!! You'll pay a few grand more for nothing. Don't worry be happy , I see lots of subies like yours on the road!!!

I certainly disagree with you there.

Under $13k for a '99 Limited from a dealer with *ONLY 47,000 miles* is a good price. If it was 100k miles, then it'd be way too high, but under 50k for a 6 year old car...cmon, that's only about 9k a year. This car clearly hasn't been abused, and that goes a long way in pricing.

It isn't fair to compare his purchase to yours. Sure, he too probably could've gotten a good deal on an '03, but if his price bracket was "under 13k" then clearly he wasn't going to go shopping for an '03 in the 19k range.

 

[robzbilder]

right on green...relax scooby. I paid $4000 under KBB for a well taken-care-of car and the dealer turned over all service records.

Chevys and fords are the reason I DON'T want to work on cars anymore

 

[robzbilder]

BTW...I told the dealer I wasn't paying more than 1295 for the warranty and they agreed..still a bit high but a little more peace of mind