[pbent]

Just looking for suggestions on a 2005 3.0 I am thinking of buying. It is cheap $900, but it needs work. It has been sitting since Christmas. Engine started with boost but stalled at stop sign on test drive. Needs all new breaks and rear hatch glass. Paint is decent. The thing that has me thinking is that it has hardly any rust for a rust belt car. Needs tires too. Other than that is it worth the gamble. I didn't see any leaks or spots on the driveway. Is it worth it to take a flyer on it? I have a pretty good 01 but I am always looking for something with more pep.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[eagleeye]

old gas can do that at a stop sign, a whole can of seafoam in the tank with some new high octane gas may clean that up after the first tank.

any check engine light codes?

how many kms/ miles on it?

$900 Canuck bucks = $710 US greenbacks.

 

[pbent]

I guess I left out some details. I would get closer to 800 US. It has 140K miles on it. Would it be safe to drive home on a temp permit. Breaks will hold. I would bring a fresh battery with me.

Funny thing is that maybe I am just not used to seeing clean cars (rust wise) Even most of the break lines and parts barley had any surface rust.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[pbent]

I think I am looking for a project car, that has a fun upside. I would like to paint/dip it sooner or later. I think the 2005 outbacks can look good with a unique paint job.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[rasterman]

Sounds like a good find. Even if it needs a lot of work you're starting at the right price.

Have fun and good luck!

 

[isis]

Jeeze i did most of the work this thing needs on a running car. Nice find if you're even slightly handy. Wish i got the 3.0 instead of the XT.

 

[pbent]

old gas can do that at a stop sign, a whole can of seafoam in the tank with some new high octane gas may clean that up after the first tank.

any check engine light codes?

how many kms/ miles on it?

$900 Canuck bucks = $710 US greenbacks.

No engine lights or anything. Sounds smoother than my 2001 OB.

So do you think with some fresh gas and new battery I should be able to make it home?

 

[eagleeye]

No engine lights or anything. Sounds smoother than my 2001 OB.

So do you think with some fresh gas and new battery I should be able to make it home?

that stall at the stop sign can be a whole lot of things. I just mentioned one. others here mention trans issues doing that.


Odd things happen on the way home with any used car, I mean as you drive it fluids, tires, and brakes heat up more then on a test drive.



In such situations as buying a used car,
it does not hurt to have it flat bedded,...or have towing on your insurance just for that emergency. (that can happen in the sellers driveway).

if you got a real tow vehicle tougher then your old H4 outback, you might get a uhaul car transport for it too.

other people sometimes pay the seller to drive it on their plates/ insurance to your house /garage, and you drive them back to where they came from.
(I mean if all goes well).

 

[Inuk]

I have an Ontario 2008 3.0 and it doesn't have a lot of rust. It was brought to BC only in 2014. Zero rust on the body panels. I guess rust proofing is getting better! $900 for a mostly running 3.0 sounds amazing. Of course it runs smoother than your gen 2 but it should be a LOT smoother. I needed a fuel filter on my gen 2 that was running rough after sitting for a few months and it would come close to stalling when I stopped.

Do you know why it is so cheap? The seller must know a lot is wrong with it.

2008 Outback 3.0R Premier

 

[pbent]

A bit of broken glass and the interior looks like it was on airBnB for 12 months. Glass is never cheap to fix.

 

[eagleeye]

A bit of broken glass and the interior looks like it was on airBnB for 12 months. Glass is never cheap to fix.

is it a VDC equipped one? (in a 2005 and newer, it should have a VDC off button on the panel over your left knee).

and maybe you can find a nice wreck to hog the interior and the glass out of.

 

[pbent]

Non-vdc. Pretty sure. No sunroof

 

[stevenva]

Get it up to full operating temp to make sure it won't overheat 10 minutes after you buy it.
Brakes aren't hard to do. Calipers might be iffy after sitting that long. My old Legacy sat for 4 months and the calipers kinda froze up. (slide pins and bleeders seized)
There is a recall on the rear brake lines on the US rust belt registered cars. Not sure about Canada.

 

[eagleeye]

Non-vdc. Pretty sure. No sunroof

read about no moon roof / no leather H6 2005-2009 cars being sold in canada before here.

 

[johnnyd]

You will almost certainly need to replace all of the suspension bushings, or just replace the control arms front and rear with new bushings included. Cars of that age could also require wheel bearings and front axle reboots. After 140k, lots of stuff start to go. Cats and exhaust could fail/rust out. Drive it over bumps and corners. How much clunking and body roll is there? If a lot, then the above repairs could run you a $2000 or more to fix. But the 3.0 H6 is a great motor and it is a good starting price. Make dead sure there isn't a head gasket leak or you will be in for serious $$$. Have a mechanic check all of the above stuff before you buy.

 

[pbent]

I can do a lot of the work myself. There is also a great independent shop in the area.

I did have it running for 15 -20 min with no temp issues.

I might have been fooled on the test drive. No rattles or looseness. Owner says is was maintained fairly well a dealer but is has been sitting for a while. All the shocks were in pristine condition (no trace of rust.)

It did start right up with boost after sitting 8 months.

You are right, head gaskets would suck. I had them done on my last Subaru.

Torn, I have a really good gen 2 but is is showing rear quarter rust. This seems like an upgrade.

Where would I look for head gasket issues. I checked the coolant tank, oil and other fluids seemed good.

Thanks in advance.

 

[eagleeye]

Where would I look for head gasket issues. I checked the coolant tank, oil and other fluids seemed good.

Thanks in advance.

as opposed to the 1996-2009 H4 N/A, these were made with quality multi-layer steel head gaskets and should not leak as a systemic thing.

if it does these pump exhaust gas into the overflow bottle when hot, and lots of used cars are being sold as this is the reason.

....I saw one 2004 US spec one with 245,000 miles, dump coolant through the exhaust (ultra rare to see that). It did this when the engine reached operating temp from parked running half a hour.

EZ30D / EZ30R when they have head gasket problems will have misfires down one side, when the engine is hot.

so plates or no plates: if you let one run for half a hour parked, until it reaches full operating temp things should be fine. if not $700 US buys a JDM used EZ30D,
or $1500 US buys a JDM used EZ30R (the 250hp later EZ30D) like this one has. (doing head gaskets on these is a long hard job compared to the plain H4 engines, and the JDM used engines are so cheap and reliable in comparison).

 

[MaximumX]

Where are you and/or the car located? That's a smoking deal for what it sounds like.

Glass can be expensive, but there are a few good wreckers dotted around where I've seen this gen of outback. Glass or the whole hatch would be pretty cheap from these.

 

[johnre]

Glass can be expensive, but there are a few good wreckers dotted around where I've seen this gen of outback. Glass or the whole hatch would be pretty cheap from these.

Good idea on the glass, rather than paying a glass shop. And if you change out the whole rear hatch, check the wires in the flex boots while everything is apart and fix them if necessary; it will save you the trouble of doing this later. There are how-to guides posted in this forum for doing this.

 

[pbent]

Get it up to full operating temp to make sure it won't overheat 10 minutes after you buy it.
Brakes aren't hard to do. Calipers might be iffy after sitting that long. My old Legacy sat for 4 months and the calipers kinda froze up. (slide pins and bleeders seized)
There is a recall on the rear brake lines on the US rust belt registered cars. Not sure about Canada.

I looked around on this but didn't see anything. Is there something wrong with the Canadian non-VDC H6 model?

Thanks