recurve

Sweet rig. I want one!

That's interesting. Why do they fail so catastrophically? What's different about them? If this engine is a hybrid, is there any problem with the HG like the 2.5? About the price--I should also mention that the car has new brakes, a new clutch and almost new tires. I plan on taking him down on the price, so this may be a good deal. (BTW, I can barely keep up with engine-speak. So dumb it down a bunch, if you don't mind)

I'm pretty sure that the 99 Legacy was available with both engines, and that the 2.2L became an interference engine around 97. (I've been reading copiously from this forum for hours ever since I test drove a 99 Legacy--I loved it). I'm pretty much set on a stick shift 2.2. Thanks for the responses so far. I'll let you know what I find out about the history.

I've never owned a Subaru, but I'm trying to fix that. I'm considering purchasing a 99 Legacy wagon, 5sp manual. The owner told me that it has a rebuilt 2.2L engine with 50K miles on it. The body of the car has 150K miles. He explained that the timing belt broke at 100K and they had "everything but the block" replaced. He's asking $4500. I'm concerned that the car was neglected, due to the t-belt failure, but because it's been rebuilt, perhaps that doesn't matter as much. Is this an overly risky buy? My wife and I will be driving around town with our 15 month old and we need good, reliable transportation. We take occasional 1000 mile trips to the inlaws. What should I look for or ask the owner, especially about the engine, when I'm inspecting the car? Assuming that the car may have been neglected to some degree, what other problems could I expect from a Subaru with 150K? This is my first post on this fantastic site, BTW. Thanks in advance for your advice.