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I’m gonna try to get the air out when I get home today. Although I’m expecting to have to replace the head gasket

NOPE ..... I have 160K on MY14 Impreza .... same setup on 2.0L ... never had a problem. Others say they hold the gas to the floor on first start to allow engine to crank without starting to prime the filter, but being a retired mechanic, we never did that and I have never seen a problem. With a Fumoto valve, oil changes on the FB engines are about 10 minutes ,,,,, slide pan under and open valve ... while oil drains, replace the filter ..... close, wipe valve and remove pan .... fill with oil .... Takes me longer to put the old oil into container and drive to local auto store for disposal .... Good luck with the 19OB

All of the Subarus I had or have are from '95 to '02, including an '02 Forester, and they're all as I described. Download the installation instructions for a Curt, Hidden Hitch, Drawtite, etc., for your model/year and they'll show you where the plugs/holes are.

exhaust leaks can be a problem too.

I don't know much about adding a hitch other than reading that sometimes there is some trimming of the plastic bumper cover I think? have you tried searching youtube ?

sounds like classic head gasket failure to me. do a search here about it, and you will find it is relatively common on certain engines.

I think in 2001 generation you can use a spacer to back the 2nd O2 sensor out of the stream if you are getting P0420 code. Seems you have done everything possible. Are you using genuine subaru parts? Check out Cardoc on subaru ouitback forum. Here If you give him live streaming data, he often helps with diagnosis where repair by wallet has failed. There are 2640 posts on this thread so, you are not alone. Have fun reading. If you want, i have one of the drilled out spacers that I can mail to you. I sold my 05 OB after driving for 8 years with the code and sliding through emissions with a trick or two. The spacer wouldn't work on the 05.

At your age, your parents are not only thinking about safety, they're thinking about the fact that it will cost THEM more money than it's worth to keep it on the road for you. It's one thing to keep these cars going reliably by doing the work yourself, it's a whole 'nother deal to be paying someone to do this or that to keep it working right. Honestly, old Subarus can be cheap enough that if you (or your folks) get a newer car you could still get the oldie to work on as a "project" that runs and drives. You'd learn a lot too. That said, not only do you need to buy the car, you also need to invest in a decent tool set to do the work on it. The skills and tools, however, you will own for LIFE. As for safety, yea, newer cars are "safer". The problem is you can then have faulty Takata airbags, wonky gas pedals, bad seat belts, etc. etc. There is a trade-off too. All this stuff requires a run to the dealer or shop if not recalled and that means $$$$.

Me too! For a while, I had a 2005 and a 2008 OB that used the same brake pads. "Lifetime warranty" takes on a whole new meaning