subarulegacy Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 (edited) Ok so a few weeks ago I bought a 1996 Subaru Legacy Lsi from a guy in Topeka Kansas that totally lied about everything on the car. Basically everything about this car has been a problem. First off the Odometer say 160,000 however the title says 260,000. My mechanic said that you can troll those back but now im thinking there is no way this car only has 160,000. The day after I bought it I took it to get the oil changed, the oil change went fine but the mechanic called me up and said "Would you like us to put an air filter in?. . . because you don't have one." Who does that?No air filter?? The within the next week it left me stranded twice. I had to replace a battery and a starter. After this I decided to get the really bad exhuast leak fixed because it was getting to my head (literally). The car also pops, jolts, etc when it make sharp turns so the mechanic fixed the exhuast leak and replaced the cv axle that was the worst. The guy actually kept the old part because he said he wasnt sure if I wanted to have him put it back on because the car has ALOT of problems, he suggested I junk it. That wasnt an option because I have to have a car, and at least this one runs. So i had him just keep the new one on. Well a couple days go by and I realize that the CV axle did not fix the popping and jolting while turning problem, and the exhuast leak is COMING BACK. On top of that, I went 1 day without driving it, and while I was de-icing it I checked the oil, almost ALL the oil had leaked out in 1 day. It looked like oil pan gasket (of course on this car you have to take the engine out to fix this) but Ive heard on this car its probably not? Also, the tranny looks leaky. Now I have spent $800 to buy the car and $600 in repairs, and I have literrally $0 left until I get paid on saturday (which wont be much) I dont even have any money to put some more oil in it. So its just sitting there. What do you guys recomend I do?? My uncle said I shouldnt drive it to aspen but maybe trade it for a scooter (lol) I thought about parting it out, at least some of the main more expensive parts. I cant just sell it for $500 or whatever, because I go to school in KC, have work that makes me drive all over town, and everything else. I want advice on what you think is the real problem with the oil leak, popping jolting? Also what to do with that mechanic? (get my money back?) Where it may be leaking from? Any way to at least slow down the leak? And lastly, how to get as much money out of it as possible? By that I mean should I part it out? (at least partially, i live in an apartment complex, neighbors would hate me if i have a shell sitting outside) Or just fix everything and sell it later? Edited December 22, 2011 by subarulegacy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 you bought an 800 dollar car. That is what I would expect. Just sell it for 500 and be done with it. Then, save up a little for something decent. Something decent is about 1500 upwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red92 Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Welcome to the forum. :cool: Your list isn't "impossible", and depending on how much you paid for it, the condition of the rest of the vehicle, and how much you want to invest in it, it *might* be worth fixing. But I'm pretty surprised at some of the things in your list. Dishonest sellers can hide a lot, but surely you knew about the leaky exhaust, popping while turning, and the title issue before you bought it, right? Do you do any of your own work, or will you be relying on a mechanic to do all of the necessary repairs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 (edited) I want advice on what you think is the real problem with the oil leak Check this out for the most common engine oil leak sources on Subaru's. It could be the rear separator plate, if the original plastic one is still in place. You'd have to pinpoint the source of the leak to know the exact cause. popping jolting That sounds like it has torque bind. Are all the tires the same size and model? Any way to at least slow down the leak?Depending on the source, running a heavy oil like 20w50 might slow it down. You said you haven't enough money for more oil; I had a friend in college who had a car that used a lot of oil, so he was taking other people's used motor oil and using it in his car. Not ideal, but it got him through. And lastly, how to get as much money out of it as possible?To get the most out of it trying to sell it to a private buyer, all obvious problems would have to be fixed. Like your casual buyer, if they start it up and the exhaust is super loud, they're going to notice that. Some people will notice major oil leaks and other issues. Usually it is not possible to buy any higher mileage 15+ year old vehicle without having it need some amount of work. Normally it is best to test drive the vehicle before purchasing it. Granted if it isn't registered/insured that is not possible maybe, but if you have the cash in hand and the seller knows you're serious they might let you go if they ride along with you. You can't trust everything a private (or any for that matter!) seller says about a vehicle, because there are things they simply may not be aware of, or they may outright lie or misrepresent the truth. Edited December 22, 2011 by porcupine73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcap Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 So, you didn't do your homework when you bought a used car...and suddenly the car is a lemon? I think not. Let this be a lesson in the used car market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 You have very little money - check. You have a cheap, old car with a laundry list of problems - check. You are taking the car to a mechanic - che.... DOH! You need to spend what little money you have more wisely. Use what you save by not going to a mechanic to buy a few critical tools (sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, etc). Special tools can be rented at places like Autozone, etc for free. The definition of a Lemon has clearly not been properly defined for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_law Around here we generally like Subaru's and the specific year and model you have purchased is widely regarded as one of Subaru's more reliable. With *proper* care they can easily last 300k+ miles. Oil pan leaks are uncommon unless they have been resealed in the past - they are effectively glued on from the factory and unless touched for some reason - I will go so far as to say they will NEVER leak. What you are probably seeing is cam seal leaks, cam support o-ring leaks, front main and possibly oil pump seal leaks. And likely valve covers. All these get old, the rubber gets hard, and they need replaced. In addition the engine may be burning oil. There is not really an easy solution to that so you will just have to budget for oil to put in the car if that's the case. Clicking and popping in turns is generally CV joints. But it can be hard to determine which of the front CV's is causing this. It's also not usually a big problem unless the boots are torn. Many people report driving 50k miles or more on clicking CV's. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 come to a forum like this first for advice, not after you're hosed. second - inspect the vehicle. to buy a car you have to sign the title....so you could have looked at the mileage listed. that many issues and that shady of a person to do that should have been obvious to spot - it's a very rare shady person that sells $800 cars without being noticed by an astute buyer. what they said - $800 vehicles are usually junk - keep in mind they're worth $300 in scrap prices and maybe $400 or $500 at a JUNKYARD - that vehicle was only a couple hundred bucks above scrapyard and junkyard prices, you can't expect much. generally speaking it's better to get a cheap car that has a known huge issue - that sort of implies (not always - you always need to do homework and make some obervations about the seller) anyway - it's not too hard to get a nice subaru for $500 that needs a transmission...pay a mechanic $500 to put another used trans in and you've got a great car for $1,000. that's a far better method - requires a little organizing and effort - but well worth it and an easier way to get a good $1,000 car than you attempted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchwarzeEwigkt Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 This is why a PPI is key. And a good test drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcap Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 This is why a PPI is key. And a good test drive. What is a 'PPI'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red92 Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 What is a 'PPI'? Pre-Purchase Inspection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchwarzeEwigkt Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Pre-purchase Inspection. Take it by a mechanic and have him look at it, draw up an estimate to make it right. Any seller that won't consent to a PPI is hiding something. I've even worked out a deal with a seller that we split the $100 or so on a PPI if I don't buy the car and I'll pay for the whole thing if I do. That way, it gets done, I get peace of mind, he gets documentation as to what needs to happen for other sellers. Nice selling point. "Look, I had the car looked at last week and this is what the mechanic said." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 If he actually LEARNS from this 800 is a cheap lesson. It's YOUR FAULT!!! Ignorance is no excuse. As Reagan said "trust but verify" Seriousely this is a lesson to you. Remember it. Someday it may be more than money that being lazy can put at stake. Or a large sum of money. Learn (whether you fix or junk) and move on but don't forget the lesson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 800 dollars is a good buy for someone who would know and expect to do all this work, and do it themselves. you could re-seal everything and replace all the axles for within 600 bucks because labor is free if you do it yourself. there are pros and cons about hi mile cars. Pros, the work it has needed has likely been done to reach that kind of mileage, but you want paperwork to show for it, or know that the same owner had the car for a long time and had it serviced. If you keep the car, i would recommend getting some basic tools and doing some of the work yourself. If you can change the oil in your lawnmower, than you should be capable of doing basic work on this car to prevent it from breaking. If you don't want it to be a money pit, sell it to someone who would do all the work on the car by getting it for a decent price. junking the car is only worht about 2-300. the fact that it 'run and drive' would allow you to sell it for about what you paid for it, but dont expect to recover from repair costs. You can offset the difference by the value of your own use for the time being, and then sell. make sure your mechanic is competent with subarus, because whatever an old-timer knows as general automotive knowledge usually does not apply the same with subarus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Pre-purchase Inspection. Take it by a mechanic and have him look at it, i've also seen PPI's with laundry lists and goofy suggestions on Subarus that aren't very real world applicable and would probably deter an unknowing buyer from buying any car in the price range he's talking about (since i'm talking about $5,000 cars usually). *some* of the things listed are valid, but lots can be sort of guess word or scary verbage to a buyer not familiar with automotive stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 (edited) Thank you for all the responces. Yes certainly have learned alot from this experience. 1. if the title isnt PERFECT don't buy it. 2. don't look at a car at night. 3. don't take the sellers word for anything. I actually have done as much of the work myself as possible. I only brought it to a mechanic because i don't have a welder to fix the exhaust leak. I would have done the cv axle myself but did not have the tools for that either. I did at least do the starter and battery myself (well of course battery) Unfortunately I am limited on what tools I can have being in an apartment. Oh ya, sorry I didnt know what lemon meant, that's just how Ive always heard it used. I want to keep this thing working but its not really driveable with how fast its leaking. I actually did know about the exhuast leak and I knew it would be a cheap fix, and for $800 who cares? The popping and jolting, well I knew it was there but I didn't really know about what it meant. I figured it was because the AWD wasn't working quite right because I had a ford explorer at one point that did the same thing, only when in 4wd. Guess I was kinda stupid on that part. (or the whole thing) I totally wouldn't care if I hadn't spent $600 in repairs. Edited December 22, 2011 by subarulegacy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcap Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Pre-purchase Inspection. Take it by a mechanic and have him look at it, draw up an estimate to make it right. Any seller that won't consent to a PPI is hiding something. I've even worked out a deal with a seller that we split the $100 or so on a PPI if I don't buy the car and I'll pay for the whole thing if I do. That way, it gets done, I get peace of mind, he gets documentation as to what needs to happen for other sellers. Nice selling point. "Look, I had the car looked at last week and this is what the mechanic said." Yeah...we don't really do that kinda thing over here on this coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 I have had people take car's I'm selling to "their" mechanic. Never had a single complaint - in all cases they have completed the purchase. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 I might add that the person I bought this car from only had it for 3 months. The person he got it from supposedly rebuilt the whole engine. So im guessing this guy really didn't know what he was doing. Because of the oil leak, and how he messed with the suspension (parts missing :0) Any advice on how to find the oil leak, I cant just tell because there is oil everywhere you look under the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 well, since you now have this car, you should consider engine seals. likely the cam seals are laking. see if you can find out any info from the last seller to if or when the timing belt was done. An honest, competent mechanic can do the engine seals and timing belt for a fair price, 600 bucks or less including parts. You will want to know the water pump was replaced, as when it fails, it will ruin the timing belt. having all of this done at once is way more cost efficient than doing over several sessions. the transmission issue you have may be the duty c solenoid. This modulates the engagement of the 4wd. when it fails, the car is stuck in 4wd and lurches around. there is a fuse under the hood to disable the 4wd by holding the duty c solenoid. If your crabbing goes away, then you know the duty c is working, but the clutches are worn. if no difference, replacing the solenoid should fix it. these are suggestions based on common occurrences. on the plus side of cost, the car in great working order is worth 1500 to 200 bucks, so another 600 bucks into it would be comparable to purchasing a car with all that work done for about what it's worth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the3rsss Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 The first thing I would do is clean the underside of the car real good and that will help you pinpoint the leak/s. Fix that first, then you can drive it. The other stuff you can put off for a while. Make a list, most important first. As far as the seller....if the mileage is not actual, ie; broken or replaced speedo etc that must clearly be spelled out on the title. What the seller did may not be legal. With that said.....didn't you read the title before you signed it? My god, it was off a hundred k miles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red92 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Oh, hey, there is one thing you can do! Follow the instructions in this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=127525 and get a copy of the vehicle history report! Some states quit recording the mileage past a certain point, but there's a chance that you could see the progression in the mileage history to get a feel for what the true mileage is, and you could also find out if the reporting agencies have flagged it for odometer tampering. It is entirely possible that someone just made a typo at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugs Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 (edited) It looked like oil pan gasket (of course on this car you have to take the engine out to fix this) Um no you don't...I am surprised no one has chimed in on this part. It is very doable with some know how and some basic tools. Who ever is telling you all this crap is feeding you a line and is trying to put a steak on their plate instead of just a hamburger. And the popping noise could very well be ball joints, tie rod ends, struts, sway bay end links, worn out compliance bushings, or other bushings. Not saying it is all of these at the same time, just some possibilities. Edited December 23, 2011 by Mugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I have had people take car's I'm selling to "their" mechanic. Never had a single complaint - in all cases they have completed the purchase. GD they were $800? it's hard to buy an outstanding $800 car that's going to get a raving review and they're rarely a good fit for someone that's basically buying the cheapest car that moves. i know you know all this rick...not saying it's not possible or I haven't done it but i wouldn't suggest it's common and what everyone buying $800 cars should expect. learning the ropes, reading and asking here, and being vehicle specific gets my vote, but who knows maybe an inspection is a better fit, lots of factors involved including personality - like if you're not attention to detail or good at reading people/sellers and asking questions (it's really easy in my opinion - if there's any hint that you would rather avoid the person or leave a kid in their care - start thinking about moving on). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john40iowa Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 (edited) This advise has been covered here by different folks. To recap: I would do an assessment- see if a mechanic will give you a head to toe of what the car needs to be road worthy. Sometimes they won't charge you. If your not handy but willing, maybe you can learn basic repairs. I am very visual and Youtube has saved my hide. Why? Because even if its not your model of Subaru, much of the esentials are the same and many great people have posted just for people like us, that want to learn. If money is issue as I suspect it is, and the car is worth keeping, determine what you "Can live with." Obviously an oil leak is important to address. On the other hand maybe a, "Jolt," you could get by with for awhile. When you buy an $ 800.00 car, I am sorry say, but basically it is "As is," regardless of what they tell you. Maybe you have case with the Title, but your time is also worth something... Good luck to you. I have been there done that (not Subaru). Edited December 23, 2011 by john40iowa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaraK Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 ...This reminds me of the 80 Cutlass I bought for $25. right out of high school...Couldn't open the driver door,brakes were bad- but, Ah, yeah....memories.... #1 Keep oil in it...someone elses used oil is better than none. #2 Popping/jolting... Are all of your tires the same size? Are fronts more bald than backs? vice/versa? You would be suprised how this will affect an AWD... even if they are the same size/make. Move one front tire to the back- Have one bald tire, and one w/tread, on the front... and one bald, and one w/tread on the back... This kept my (non Soob) AWD on the road another 6 months. I couldn't believe it, but it's true... Keep the front ratio same as the back. No matter how "wrong" they may be... Good luck! -K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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