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You know and are perceptive. You owned it most (all?) of its life that’s a big plus. and you know to be perceptive and not put off anything. like that radiator. Normal average repair for you could have been a $5k failure for someone who limps, ignores, or gets a low grade shop/ repair, or buys a used car that had those things already happen. they can be reliable but they’re unforgiving so lack of attention and familiarity is a huge cost.

Yeah , some Long Island Princess might say “hey hubby snag me that old Subaru or I start screwing your accountant”. ok that’s maybe an extreme , not so much if you live near NYC

Hi all, thanks for the responses!! You can't use real chains on my Forester but you CAN use cable chains. Subaru even sells them in their parts department, but nobody around me stocks them. I only need them for one or two trips a year to the mountains, so not really worth buying four snow tires. I don't know why the cable chains I bought say they fit my size tire but don't. I'm going to return them, and order a pair made by SCC, the manufacturer Subaru sells in their parts dept. Just FYI. Thanks again!

Yep. That's about the size of the situation as regards 2WD models. Pretty much no love for them. They don't perform "Subaru" tasks so they kind of live in a no-mans land of un-loved 80's cars that no one is looking for. Like a Ford Granada. GD

check here... http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/ 90-94 are all basically the same - a few minor cosmetic changes here & there.

It should be clarified that this post is dealing with the EJ25D only. EJ251/253 is a different world and the 22 swap doesn't typically apply. I agree to a point. I will tell someone to repair their 2.5 if that's warranted. There was a recent thread from a member with 99k on an Outback and my advice was to replace the head gaskets. But it's often a big gamble. I have done plenty of HG's on 2.5's and haven't had a single issue with one yet. But depending on mileage and treatment it's OFTEN more economical to put in a used 2.2. The basic problem we are dealing with here is bottom-end failure due to lack of changing the headgaskets at the first signs of leakage. The 25D also has a propensity for burning large amounts of oil and thus running dry and throwing a rod that way.... when rebuilt and properly maintained they are a great engine.... As for availibility - I can often buy low mileage (150k or less) used EJ22's in my area for under $500. Availibility really depends on where you are located. ALSO - people don't even talk about JDM EJ20's - those have about 150 HP and can be swapped into the EJ22/EJ25D cars with about the same amount of work and can be had cheap from the importers. Another point to consider - the EJ22 has inexpensive or no required valve adjustment, timing belt kits are about $100 less..... etc. It's a cheaper engine to run, replace, and maintain. With the price of gas going nuts it's a no brainer which one I would choose. And power loss/mileage can be mitigated to some extent just by dropping a couple tire sizes on the Outback for street duty. I have 2.2'd a Legacy GT and the power loss wasn't a problem at all - in fact it was surprisingly peppy. The problem is that most of these swaps occur on taller geared Outbacks with tall tires. Thus the power loss.... GD