new to me 1997 obs,what to check?

[my second subie]

hello all.looking for some feedback.my first subie was a glxt non turbo in high school.loved that car.about 5 yrs ago,got a gl wagon.I would still have it today if a snow plow didn't t bone me in a snow storm.loved that one too.now I'm picking up a 1997 OBS.got about 197k on it and it runs like a top.5 speed with just the typical rust on the top of the 2 qtrs.she's real clean and shifts nice.anyway,waiting for title and maint. records,which I'm told the p.o. has extensive records of alot of dealer done things.including transaxel.I found his tire rotation records and it looks like he did them every 4k like oil changes.I'm only paying 600 for it,so what the hell? anyways,till I get the records what else should I look for?car is in my driveway and I got total access to it.I know about checking the timing belt,but at that mileage,what else should I check?

[86subaru]

check tranny fluid , or change it, front/ rear diff , make sure all 4 tires match, oil leaks, belts , hoses,

[SuBrat84]

When it's COLD COLD COLD (the engine, not the weather) take the radiator cap off and start the car. If it pushes coolant out or even if you see bubbles in there.. it has a blown head gasket. Hope that's not the case because otherwise probably a good car. A couple of tight circles left/right to listen for the "CV Click" / inspect cv boots. test charging system for 13.5v.

[idosubaru]

hopefully the $600 doesn't mean there's something wrong with it. good score. that's a good one to get, they are capable of reliably making really high miles if you can keep up on maintenance.

 

at that age and mileage i'd replace all the timing components. pulleys are devoid of grease by this age/milegae. i usually replace one if not all the pulleys on 90's era soobs. ebay kits are about the only reasonably priced option available, they include all new pulleys. but i'd want another reliable 60,000 miles out of it.

 

this is an interference motor, if the belt breaks it'll bend valves.

 

drive in slow tight circles on pavement to check for torque bind. braking feeling is bad.

 

fluids are a given.

[my second subie]

thanx for the replies.as for the price,it's only low because my best friend up hear moved down south and didnt want to take the car.they had 2 others.I drive it once a week hear and she runs great.just looking for other non obvious things to look for.I'll be getting the maint records in a day or 2 so Ill have a better idea of what's been done to it.