Thoughts on Purchasing 2001 Suburu Forester

[themaner]

Hello, a close friend is offering to sell his 2001 Suburu Forester that he has owned for a short period of time. He himself purchased it from someone else about a year or two ago in Chicago. Thus I presume it has spent a majority of its life in the midwest, the car only has about 109,000 miles on it.

I am curious as to what concerns I should have with the purchase, his preliminary asking price was only 2500$ which sounds good to me (and I may be able to lower it) but I want to eliminate concerns in regards to potential repair fees. I am asking what I can do now (I can look at and even drive the car as much as I'd like) to see if there's any "red flags" so to speak before moving forward in the purchase.

 

Primarily I have fears regarding the head gasket and would like to know if theres any way to see if this problem may develop down the line because I know they are possible in this model and that would really feel like a death sentence if it were to occur.

 

Also, does the low mileage reduce the chance of a head gasket issue, if so at what mileage should I really be concerned. Or does the age of vehicle kind of make the mileage not really all that pertinent to whether or not it will have these issues. 

 

Thanks,

[porcupine73]

One sort of major thing would be timing belt if it hasn't been done. If it's an auto trans some of those had the slow to engage into drive issue. Beyond that there's the normal subaru stuff lke do all the tires match, torque bind, etc. It could have the external HG peeping leak if they weren't done under the TSB/warranty but that you can kind of get away with if you pay close attention to the level in the radiator and use the super magical holts radweld.

[Rooster2]

To my knowledge only 99 and 00 Leggie models with Auto tranny had the delayed forward gear engagement problem. The 2001 model you are considering should not have this problem.

 

Head gasket problems were much diminished in cars built after 2000. Yes, there can be some coolant weep, but this can be fixed with Subaru Coolant Conditioner. It is basically a stop leak product. 

 

Best to put this car up on a lift to look for rust problems. Chicago winter salted streets takes a rusting toll on all cars.

 

As pointed out, if you have no evidence of a recent timing belt replacement, then a new belt should be installed. Otherwise, if the belt breaks, the valves are bent and ruined, and that becomes an expensive repair.

[DaveT]

I recently sold our 2001 Forester.  If the timing belt and all the idlers have not been replaced, it is time.  Water pump might as well also.   It is also likely to need head gaskets soonish, due to mileage and time passed.  

 

If you have access to drive it a few times, you could do this:

Check coolant level cold, in the recovery tank.  Check that there is little to no air in the system by squeezing the upper hose sharply.  If the coolant isn't full, and near the mark in the bottle, correct this.  Take a drive.  Next day, re check both cold.  Take a drive.  Once fully up to temp,  If there was little to no air in the system, watch for steady small bubbles in the recovery tank.  They can be very slow, so watch for a minute.   Steady bubbles = head gasket failing.  It will get worse, but you can get away with it for a while, depending.

If coolant is "disappearing" you have to find the leak.  If the engine is run over normal temp while low on coolant, this will damage the head gaskets, and lead to failure, sooner or later, depending on how badly over temp, time, etc.

On a car this age, be sure to check the radiator condition carefully.

[mikec03]

 

does the low mileage reduce the chance of a head gasket issue

My 02 started leaking at 90K miles.  So I think that the answer is no.

[1 Lucky Texan]

yeah, overdue on timing belt. major damage and $$$$ if it slips/breaks. Use that for a bargaining point - call around and get a dealer and a independent shop price for that service. you want all new rollers, new tensioner and belt of course. maybe waterpump and seals but many folks wait for the second belt change for those.

 

make certain tires are all the same model, drive the car in tight circles on dry pavement - jerking/binding is a red flag.

 

scan the ECU for pending codes.

 

you might ask for a shop recommendation near you in a new thread - consider paying for a pre-purchase inspection.

 

any 15 year old car is gonna be a risky pirchase.

Edited June 16, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan

[Numbchux]

That'll be a SOHC 2.5l Engine.

 

Bad news, I pretty much guarantee the head gaskets are leaking already.

 

Good news, head gasket "failure" on those is relatively minor. They leak oil externally, and then eventually they will start to burn just a little coolant. We have a 2003 Outback that we've put about 40k miles on since we bought it that had leaking head gaskets then. Check the oil/coolant every time you get gas (we probably have to add a quart, maybe 2, per oil change, and top of the coolant reservoir a few times a year). It is not a catastrophic blow that makes the car un-driveable.