Need advice on a '05 Subaru Legacy GT 2.5 turbo Limited Wagon

[elsiejazz]

Hello, all -

Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Laurie, and I am an automotive idiot. So I just joined this forum in the hope that some of you fine folks might possibly be willing to share your opinions and advice with me.

I desperately need to find a new used car, and I've been looking at Subarus because of their reputation for long-term reliability. (I've been driving my friend's '98 Impreza; 278K and she's still running like a rock star).

The problem is that I'm on disability with a horrifically limited income. While I would love to get a plain old outback or impreza, I have not found one with decent mileage (as opposed to astronomical) that I can afford.

Then...this car came along. It's an '05 Legacy GT 2.5 Turbo Wagon. The mileage is quite good (135K) and the price is right for me (under 5K).

The head gaskets, timing belt and turbo have all been replaced and the service records available.

The turbo concerns me, though, because I've heard that they can be a frequent source of repair/failure. In my situation...it's gonna take me 20 years to pay off the loan for this car; if *anything* major goes wrong with it in the first couple of years, it would be financially catastrophic for me.

So...I'm worried about whether or not this will, in fact, be a wise choice for me. The turbo's overkill; I don't need a fast, powerful car. I just need a wagon! (I supplement disability by hiking other people's dogs; I often have over 400 lbs. of collective dog riding with me for the day).

Would anyone be willing to help me out in my decision making process about this model - yea, nay, buy it asap...or run for the hills?

Any info would be hugely appreciated - thank you, folks!

 

[Olnick]

Hi Laurie--welcome to the USMB.  I think you're very wise--I would never buy a turbo model because of the potential

for catastrophic ( = $$$) failure.

 

Wish I could recommend a Subaru model for you, but my growth stopped in '96 when they ended production of the uber-reliable

"bullet-proof" EJ22.  Hopefully others will chime in here.  Good luck.

[ccrinc]

Honestly, from one woman to another, I'm going to say "pass it up".   For one thing, if it's so perfect, why is it for sale for that price?  It should be going for lots more.  Also, if you can't work on it yourself, it's not a car for a novice.

ANY repair on that car is going to be expensive.  As one Subaru service writer put it, these are Subaru's kryptonite.  They're great for the first 100K, then everything starts to go bad.  We have built so many engines for 2005 Subaru turbo cars that I've lost count.  And our engines don't come cheap.

 

If you can afford a carfax on it, get one.  Or get somebody else to get one.  I'm betting there's something hidden under that clean surface.  And even if there isn't, see the first line above.

 

Check out the Legacy line too.  Not quite as popular, but just as reliable (especially pre-1998) and less pricey.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Emily

[ford'ssubaru's]

Very wise advice from the above^^^^^^^^^^^

[ford'ssubaru's]

I am spoiled because I live in the PNW but you can find a Subie that you are more comfy with for better money.

[lstevens76]

I don't know where your loan is coming from, but if your budget is $5k and your not limited specifically on mileage I would look around and not just blow off 200k cars.

 

A quick search of the New Haven CL (this was the closest guess I had) between 50 and 5,000 revealed one like this:

 

http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/5237276749.html

 

or this one:

 

http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/5207058347.html

 

Yes, I posted two foresters (unintentionally) just trying to show that if you look around there are quite a few nice cars under that $5,000 limit.

 

With any car that you can't work on yourself look for "ANY" obvious problems.  If there are any, with your budget, etc... I would walk away.

 

If you don't see any then it's time to find a mechanic to do a good inspection.  Might run you $100 but also might save you a lot of heartache in the future.

[elsiejazz]

You folks are marvelous; I can't thank you enough for your generous advice!

The debate was taken out of my hands, lol. The seller went with another buyer who came with cash in hand - thus saving me from making that "Sorry, I don't want it after all" call to him, lol.

I don't want to impose on you folks, but if you have the time to respond to the next plea for your expert opinions...well, here ya go:

Yes, I'm seeing the Foresters at much better prices here than either the Outbacks or Imprezas. Are the Foresters as long-lived as those two models? What tends to fall apart and needs replacing at around the 100K mark...head gaskets, water pump, timing belt etc.?

I have the same question about the Imprezas. I've made a point at only looking at Outbacks or Legacys that have *already* had the head gaskets and timing belt replaced. Oddly, I haven't seen a single Forester or Impreza for sale that mentions that such work has been done (I see it frequently with the Outbacks.)

Are there any other engine components I should fret over/look to see if they've been replaced in the Foresters/Imprezas?

Thank you all, and I'm so very sorry for all the questions! Augh...wishing I still had my old Corolla wagon right now, lol.

[lstevens76]

Interesting you haven't seen it since the first one I posted a link to has had the head gaskets done.

 

Any of the 2.5L engines you want to see the HG and TB serviced if possible.  And your still limiting yourself to 100k, which is going to push that price up a lot.

 

If the vehicle has been maintained well and had the head gaskets/timing belt done along with possibly struts (depending on the miles) you would be fine with any vehicle even high mileage.

 

But you also live in the northeast so the biggest concern is looking for rust.  Specifically you want to check the area around the strut mounts.

 

As of around '02 all Subaru's pretty much came standard with either a 2.5L or a 2.0l turbo engine.