CNY_Dave

Oh, boy, now I'll troll for pipple with some top-posting... Dave

Not sure how to multi-quote clearly, so in-line below- * What if the dealer price is below KBB by $2000, as in G? Is that cause for alarm? How much do you think you could knock off the dealer ask in this case? It depends on what the prices in the area are like. If prices vary, this isn't a red fleg in all cases. Around here, pricing was very consistent. Just check any 'deals' as thoroughly as anything else. * If you sell the car to another party before 60,000 say,when the servicing has to be done, does the dealer still need to do it? This is not normally a dealer-paid service, its just a little freebie they will often throw in when you're buying a used car from 'em. * What do the warranties usually cover? Basically can you return the car in that 60 days if you detect a problem? Varies wildy. NY state has a lemon law, forget what the terms are. * If private sellers are selling below KBB, and you can get thorough inspection, see carfax and see some service records, are you still uncomfortable? A little below KBB, a grand, maybe even two grand might be in the normal range. Just scrutinize deals better, ask detailed questions, and trust your instincts, not about the car, but about the person. Dave

I figured 2003 outback was the sum total of the info req'd to spec it-if not: 2003 Outback LL Bean H3 3.0 wagon, automatic, 75Kmiles. Dave

If the price is going to be at or close to the KBB, the dealer just has an extra margin of protection. Also, there's a good chance the car was sold new at that dealer and there are dealer records for service done. Within a 3-4 year range, the mileage is simply more important to a used cars condition than the year. Any records you can get are useful. The subies have a 50,000 mile or 60,000 (forget which) mile service interval for certain things, the dealer should be willing to do all the things called out in that service schedule as part of the deal, unless its just been done. I don't think the miles driven have anything to do with the condition of the VDC- until it activates its just a bunch of sensors. Warranties by dealers vary. Might be 60-days/1000 miles. My main fear of the buy-fix-sell tribe is that if he got screwed with a lemon, he has no choice but to pass the turd on. A dealer has a little more margin and incentive not to screw someone over. Not much, but a little. I had no incentive to buy from a private party here in CNY because they just didn't sell for less from private parties. Typically, I just buy from a private party who's been driving the car for years. Dave

The sway bushings I know are shot- rattling noise on small bumps that only go under one side of the car. I have not noticed any worn trailing-arm-bushing symptoms, have yet to crawl under and confirm. (I did have a wild case of oversteer during an accident avoidance maneuver, though. maybe that was a symptom) They said the bushing looks OK until you push on it, then you can see the rubber seperate from the metal. Dave

GEC- Lower miles is better, year is irrelevant in this case, I shy away from the "I buy 'em fix 'em and sell 'em" tribe myself. A "+" next to any for which there are good service records. Don't forget to squeeze the dealer for the 50K/60K service as part of the dealer. Dave

My '03 with 70Kmiles has shot sway and trailing-arm bushings. have a thread up on how hard are the trailing arm bushings to replace... Dave

Got the trans fluid flushed, dealer noticed the rear trailing arm bushings (body end) were shot (rubber seperated from the steel outer part of the bushing), parts are supposedly $60 but labor is over $500, so *obviously* I'm doing the work myself. I'm no stranger to suspension work, but how big a job is this? Any big gotchas involved? I have yet to crawl under to see what the hell a trailing arm is... I assume there's the lower control arms (looks like a wishbone on these critters, yes?) and then an arm that controls the fwd-rearwrd movement, and that's the trailing arm? BTW, yes I paid extra to get the trans flush done at the dealer, jiffy-lube ain't touching anything to do with my AWD. Had the diffs done as well. And an oil change. Don't ask how much it all was. Dave

I bought it in october with 50Kmiles for $15,500 from the dealer where it had been serviced. Previous owner was the original owner. Around here subarus go for the top of the KBB value. It handles fine without the VDC, but I tend to enjoy 'rallying around a bit' so if it understeers or oversteers or just slides, I'm used to it. I don't think the VDC will get you many places you couldn't get to without it, but I think its like ABS- a good tool to have when you need it. I don't think the VDC brings much to the day-to-day handling, but it brings a lot to pulling your butt out of the fryer when things start to go wrong. Dave

If you go smooth and steady you'll get max tire life. I usually ended up scuffing the tires in my other vehicles, sliding them just a bit. In the subie, I just gas it and they don't slide at all. So for me, the AWD is probably extending the tire life- less than a gentle driver would get, though. Dave

I have an '03 beaner and don't see anything special about it. The kids love the rear sunroof, though. Its just what happened to pop up on the market at the time. Having the H6 is, of course, nice. Dave

Or, if you drive the way I do, the AWD probably extends the tire life beyond what it would otherwise be for me. Dave

I've driven worse. A sledgehammer, taillight from a trailer, you're all set. Dave

Now I see your newer reply (we were both typing at once) and yeah, clean that sucker! Tightening the lug nuts won't help, and if you have a loosening lug nut because the wheel won't sit straight, or the corrosion is collapsing with the pressure, you must clean it. I've worked as a mechanic, and as a licensed NYS car inspector, so now you can tell the little whipper-snapper you are backed by a professional opinion. Just how thick *is* this corrosion? Dave

I keeps the wheel from wobbling from rust or crud buildup. I have to imagine the buildup would have to be pretty insanely thick for there to be risk of losing a wheel. Dave

Update now that its been a few weeks? Dave

I wonder if they make a helicoil kit that large? Tapping the hole for the kit would be a challenge. I'd say the best bet is new bolt, new (or good used) balancer, and some good locktite for the bolt. If the (new) balancer slides all the way back into position and has some wobble, yer crank is probably done. In that case, you could conceivable locktite the bolt and the balancer (hello loktite sleeve retainer!) to salvage whatever miles remain in the engine, but you'd never get the balancer off again. Dave

For a light bike, its a great idea. Dave

Not sure you could do that with my 350lbs XR650L. Dave

Before I had AWD on the crappy roads around here (always some loose crap on top), I didn't know how much AWD could help. Lotsa dirt roads, too (heh). But yeah, most areas in the US it goes totally 'unused'. Dave

What the heck? For future reference, when someone asks about known problems, 'exploding sunroof' fits in that category If mine goes, I'll look upon it as an opportunity to fit a panel to the sunroof frame that I can remove, so I can have a real opening sunroof... Dave

How bad it is depends on how contaminated 'unfiltered' oil is compared to the filtered oil. That 'unfiltered' oil has of course been filtered before its 'last pass' through the engine, so the only crud in it should be whatever the engine produced in a few-seconds worth of running. So how much crud does that actually amount to? Dave

Changed the oil in my '03 H6- ended up a little over 'full' on the dipstick (although it was a change with filter, and I did not put in more than 6qts). How much above 'full' can you gert away with- 1/4 qt? 1/2 qt? 1qt? I know the answer is pretty much 'as long as its not getting thrashed areound by the crank', but how high is that, I wonder? Dave

1/4-inch in circumference? Dave

Becauuuuuuuuse? Dave