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Showing results for tags '2000-04'.
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Now that I've got your attention, time to tell my story/ask my questions. Like (I'm sure a lot of you on here), I've been a Subaru fanboy for as long as I can remember. Growing up I watched the WRC on TV as much as I could and I remembered, more than anything else, those WRC Blue and yellow Subarus screaming through stages and absolutely embarrassing everything else out there. From a young age, I knew I had to own a Subaru at some point. I also remember going to local auto shows and drooling over the brand new Subies on the show floor and sitting in any of the ones I could. Fast forward 10+ years, and here I am looking for my third car. First was a '94 Volvo 940 wagon that I kept for 4 years, but got rid of when it started to get old (and expensive). I'd also outgrown the car and wanted to get something that could do more. I was abroad in Oz for a semester and when I came back, I bought an '03 Montero Sport. Good truck, but abysmal fuel mileage and completely not what I was looking for in a commuter vehicle for school and work, and I can't find the time to actually off-road it like I wanted to. That's where I am today, trying to sell the Monty and hopefully buy a used version of those Outbacks I drooled over as a kid. I've done a lot of reading on this site, NASIOC, Edmunds, etc, and I've absorbed a LOT of information, so now I'm coming to you guys for your personal experiences. Ideally, I want a 2000-04 OBW (in a lighter color) that's been as well-kept as possible by the previous owners. Here are my questions for you guys (based on personal experiences, others' testimony, etc): 1.Is there any year of OBW, between 2000 and 2004, that's better than any other? I know my dad always abides by the "never buy the first year of anything" rule, so that's pretty ingrained in me as well. I also know that '03-on EJ25s have a decreased risk of HG failure; is this true? 2.How many miles is too many? Where do you make the cutoff as to whether a car is worth the money or not? My price cap is $3.5K, so whatever I find under that is going to have a lot of miles, and I know it depends on how well kept the car is, but when should I walk away? 3.Do any of you ever have problems with your car running hot during normal driving? I had a guy on another forum (not Subaru-specific) say that "any time the needle is past normal your [sic] overheated" and that "I would have to go into full temp management mode to climb a grade, even with new head gaskets"...he also went on to say that the design of the car led to poor cooling. I have a hard time believing Subaru would knowingly sell a car to the public with a cooling system that poorly designed. 4.Are there any items you guys would recommend I specifically inspect pre-purchase, and is there anything you recommend I should do shortly after initial purchase, just as peace-of-mind maintenance/care? Sorry for being so wordy, this was half an introducing myself post and half a OBW-specific post, and I could go on with all the other nit-picky questions I have. I'll stop now so you guys don't just ignore this! Anyway, I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say and hopefully adding to my Subie knowledge so that I feel comfortable when I go look at OBWs! Thanks!