1999 Legacy SUS purchase?

[tfa1337]

Hello all,

Have been in need of an affordable, reliable car for awhile as my current is about toast.  Found a local listing on craigslist for a 99 Legacy SUS.  Says its had quite a bit of work done recently.  Seems to have had all common problems with these models taken care of, except maybe a timing belt... Curious if this is worth the asking price, or if I should keep on looking.  Pictures show good external condition.

 

 

1999 Subaru AWD SUS Four Door Sedan

Approximately 125,000 miles

New parts within the past year:

Rear rotors/drum, calipers, brakes(drum and disc), brake shoe hardware, and brake lines

Front rotors, wheel bearings, wheel hubs, splash guard plates, ball joints, toner wheel

Head gasket set, heads redone, serpentine belt, upper and lower radiator hoses and clamps, spark plugs

Starter, water pump, thermostat, Oil filter and oil change,

4 wheel alignment at Subaru dealer

(Have receipts for all of the above)

(has had hail damage)

Needs a remote.

$4900 OBO

 

Thanks!

[matt167]

At 125k miles the timing belt is due if it has not been done but I would guess that it has been ( need to remove to do heads and water pump is new ). The EJ25D it has is an interference engine so if not, plan on the repair or the engine could become a pile of parts quickly.. Price is fair if the car is in nice shape. Most SUS's I have seen have been 30 year anniversary models with the Limited trim so they are well optioned.. Remotes are about $10 off Ebay

[tfa1337]

Anything else I should be looking for when I go to look at this thing?  I'm still new to the Subaru world, never owned one myself, just have a couple of friends that have them.  Thanks again for your advice.

 

Here is the crappy craigslist photo

[matt167]

Take it for a spin in a parking lot and turn tight circles. If you don't feel it bind it is likely good to go.. Also check for repairs at the rear 1/4's. It looks nice. If the A/T Temp light flashes when the engine is started, my advice would be to walk away as that would mean $$$ repairs. The light should come on and then go out

[idosubaru]

test drive it when absolutely cold and see if there's a delay into drive, common for the 99 year auto trans only and all SUS's are auto's.  when cold, start the car and put it into drive.  if it lags for a second (or 13) then it's delaying engagement.  not a big deal and there's a work around but maybe not something you want to start off with on a new purchase.

 

timing belt needs done though probably was.

 

the only issue is that the nature of the way those headgaskets fail often means the motor is overheated prior to the headgasket job - they overheat randomly and nothing mitigates it - many folks try to limp them home, drive them while they try to figure out what's going on, get in for repairs, etc.  other Subaru's quit overheating if you add coolant...not this motor - it is random and nothing mitigates it.  so the main question is how badly was it overheated prior to the headgasket job.

 

i used to think that getting one with headgaskets done was a good deal, but i'm more hesitant now on the 96-99 EJ25D's.

 

good that the heads were "redone" which should mean resurfaced, Subaru skips that step usually which i think is a bad idea.

 

the SUS's are really sweet rides, one of my favorites though i avoid that engine.

 

"has had hail damage" is an interesting comment - if it's a salvage title then it's overpriced.  but apparently you don't mind and  will likely be driving it for awhile until resale isn't really a big deal anyway, so in those terms hail isn't a big deal.

[davebugs]

Very expensive transmissions (auto).

 

Where was HG job done - dealer or independent. 

 

These can get picky about which HG's are used.

 

Check for torque bind as stated.

 

Often I check coolant reservoir even after HG's have been replaced.  Becasue a place too lazy to clean otu the overflow to make it easier to monitor in the future may have does less than what I consider a "complete job" and you may guess at whatever toehr shortcuts were taken - like no idler or WP replacement for instance.

[Rooster2]

Like others have said...........nice car................with concerns. I own a 99 OBW, that has the same drive train as the SUS you are looking at.

 

Yep, my car blew the head gasket. I caught the problem early, seeing the temp gauge rising, shutting off the motor before the motor would over heat. You just don't know the history of how the motor was treated, when it blew it's head gasket. How many times, and how long, it was driven while over heating? If the motor was abused this way, then it's future life has been shortened.

 

The 99 model auto tranny is prone to "delayed forward engagement." It presents itself when shifting from R to D. The tranny will be lazy shifting into D. It may take 2 to 10 seconds to finally shift into D. It just becomes a PITA waiting for the tranny to engage in Drive mode. Adding Trans-X additive to the ATF fixes the problem.

 

IMO, the SUS is a nice car, but with pitfalls. Asking price of $4,900 is way more then what I would be willing to spend on a car with serious motor problem potential. Suggest trying to buy this car "on the cheap." That way, if it needs repairs, you have saved the money to pay for repairs.

[tfa1337]

Hail damage definitely doesn't bother me.  The other issues with this car do worry me though.  I still think I will look at it though.

 

I have also found another locally listed 2001 Outback Sedan Limited with 125k on it.  Not sure if this model is as prone to engine problems as the 99...

[idosubaru]

The 2001 EJ25 can have headgasket leaks but is far more forgiving than the earlier version in that 99 SUS.  2001 is a better engine.

 

They leak externally and don't overheat unless it runs low on coolant - so it doesn't have the random overheat issues of the earlier models.  You can easily check - just look under the motor where the head meets the engine block - it's leaking or it's not.  If they start seaping, it's generally really slow, like the metal just starts getting wet and it progresses very slowly over time, they can be run for many miles and years with leaking headgaskets...like 50,000 miles with no issues....just don't let fluids get low.  Not that i recommend that long but you have lots of time to plan/prepare if you need to and if there's no leaks currently that's a good thing.

 

There are better gaskets to replace the 2001 Ej25 with as well that wont' leak - EJ25 Turbo headgaskets should you ever need to do it.

 

The 2001 requires a Subaru coolant conditioner (bottle for $2.47 from the dealer), I'd exchange the coolant and add that when you get it...or negotiate for the dealer to do that for you before purchase, to make sure it has it.

 

Other than that - just make sure it has the timing belt done.  I prefer a complete kit - pulleys, tensioner, belt if possible.

Great year and vehicle otherwise, I like those OB sedans.

[tfa1337]

Thanks so much for all of the information.  Really helpful! Hopefully I can haggle the price down on the 2001.  Private seller that wants $5700, pretty steep.

[Rooster2]

Thanks so much for all of the information.  Really helpful! Hopefully I can haggle the price down on the 2001.  Private seller that wants $5700, pretty steep.

The 2001 Outback in my opinion is the better choice. A motor with a reputation of higher reliability. vs the 99 model. I hope you can get a good deal on the 2001.