1 Lucky Texan

wow - I have never heard of this. great info from GG and OC !

+1 one for CCR - tons of experience there to rely on.

there 'may' be a way to retrofit Koni yellows inside the old KYBs. Common enough mod on Imprezas but, you might be in new territory on that Baja. (search for DIY or videos) for more exotic ideas, one source for some legacy platform go-fast bits, is boxer4racing.com . I have only bought an axle back from them in the past for my WRX but, very accommodating folks. website is so-so, I emailed Mr. Teague (i think that's the name?) and got great answers. I THINK I have read of some Tokico parts fitting some soobs - but I don't recall any details.

watched a video (briansmobile ?) and that car's wheel was moving at least 3/4" - WAY more than our Outback. I'll probably leave it alone for while - and keep looking at videos and perhaps soon compare to my 06 WRX.

drive by wire? some people have had to replace their pedal assemblies. You might search for those threads. my 06 WRX is DBW - trouble free so far. Didn't realize 05 was DBW on outback - or I forgot. their may be some type of code stored that requires the SSM or different protocol to read.

sloshing may be due to fungus or mud or insects clogging a/c drain hose. who know how often or how severely it has overheated in the past even IF the noise is not rod knock NOW, it could develop in the future. The only way I would buy it, is with the knowledge that it likely will need a new engine or short-block in the near future, and make an offer reflecting that.

CEL on? what're the codes?

get the codes read and post them here (like a letter/number combo - ex. P0123 ) maybe a boost leak could do this?

it's a minimal amount of movement - I guess I'm just ignorant of what 'normal' might be.

kinda seems like I'm on the edge of needing to replace something...I will further examine for excessive steering wheel play but, I have not yet noticed any shimmying. Tire wear seemed even. the car has low miles for the year, but 95%+ of its entire use has been secondary roads/grocery getter type driving so - suspension and steering get more punishment than a highway cruiser.

I was doing some brake work and the front wheels of my wife's 2003 OBW can wiggle about 1mm or so in the 3 o'clock to 9 direction. Both sides do it. This is with the tire in place, maybe about 1.5 mm?, but , while noticeable, it's very slight. no movement up-down so, bearings all seem OK. just wondering how bad things need to be to warrant repair. (or, is this normal? - I don't know if i have ever really checked this before)

what kind?

similar to the above - I told my daughters they didn't need a car unless they had a job, and if they had a job, they could at least pay for 1/2 a car. So, the wife and I (and later, sometimes an older sister) made sure each kid got to her job until she had 2 or 3 thousand bucks saved. I told them that, I had to OK the car if I was paying for half of it. I got them 4-door sedans (a 86 Toyota Camry, a 90 Maxima and a 96 Maxima) they bought their own tires and paid for maintenance, if a repair was directly safety related, I usually paid for it, and usually paid for 1/2 of other repairs. They all 3 have an appreciation for maintaining their cars still today. The youngest one has the worst driving record, but has never hurt someone else or been seriously injured. I think she follows too closely, but, suggestions to back-off don't seem to have helped much - *sigh* at least she keeps her fluids, tires and brakes in good shape!

bad/incorrect thermostat ? if it mostly happens at stop lights or at idle, confirm radiator fans are fully functional/not intermittent.

could've had some paper toweleing, foam plugs or other material in the openings I guess.

if you get a t'stat, get the OEM 'style'. or, pull it and test on a stove top - do NOT let anyone drink even a drop of coolant. Animals will lap it up if you leave some outside - it will kill them.

maybe pull the cover and look for a 'rubbed' spot - observe the belt while running.

interesting problem. It's so hard to make a general suggestion because it depends A LOT on the individual car's prior care and present condition. i THINK I'd probably go with a 5EAT model but with an EJ or EZ engine. so, about 2005-2011 or so ?

when you re-compress the tensioners, if you do it too quickly, the seals can go bad. probably a new tensioner required. (I used a M'boshi on my WRX, glad I changed the toothed idler too, it was very loose and a little wobbly.)

timing marks and tooth count are your friends - the marks on the new belt can be a slightly off and confusing - then, when you test everything by rotating the crank twice, those marks are gone and won't line-up again for hundreds of turns. get it on, rotate 2 times and see if all the cam marks line up with proper tooth count, pull the tensioner pin, rotate 2x again, check the marks and tooth count. better to be overly cautious now, than regretful later.

kinda odd set of circumstances. wonder about the alternator but ????? DOH - beat by one minute

the older the vehicles in question get, the less important the reliability reputation from WHEN THEY WERE NEW. The individual car's history and care - plus its current condition - are the most important issues. a late 90s 2.2 might have an OK engine, but a trans that is about to blow. A newer 2.5 that has had a new shortblock and MLS gaskets installed by a good mechanic, 'could' be MUCH more reliable over-all. shop carefully, consider having a soob-experienced mechanic do an inspection, and you shouldn't do any worse than most of us when buying a used car. ALL used cars come with risk.

while not transportation-related, I have always worked in manufacturing and there's always trade-offs. But getting and keeping customers is usually the bottom line. Unless you're lucky to be in some kind of g'mint protected monopoly - you will have a lot of price-pressure from your competition such that, they sorta set your prices. So, your net profit comes most often from internal savings; Trying to save on materials and production labor, save on returns/repairs, save on legal, save on taxes, save on advertising, save on engineering and testing, save on capital expenditures, etc. folks who never had to please a customer or make payroll often don't fully understand the constraints placed on a business by market forces. I also think about that when some politician wants my vote.

you might ask for a recomendation for a mechanic near you - in a new thread here. There's nothing wrong with paying for a pre-purchase inspection. It may give you a list of problems that you can use to negotiate a lower price. may help you avoid some expensive headaches too.

you might ask about Subarue xperienced independent mechanics near your city. Maybe drive by , visit, ask tell them what you're thinking about buying and ask how much they would charge for a pre-purchase inspection, Schmooze a little - take them some donuts in the morning w'ever. Maybe get a chance to ask if they have any customers that might be trading-up soon.