2008 Subaru Legacy - worth purchase

[mcnea001]

Hello all:

 

Looking for a new project and came across a 2008 subaru legacy limited 2.5 in my neighborhood.   Link below.

 

Looks like the guy crashed it.   Most concerning thing is that he said it lost coolant and it overheated.   How sensitive is the 2.5 to overheating issues?   Any way to check if it is toast?

 

I can pickup a front clip on ebay for about 1200 but if the motor is toast it is not a good deal.

 

Would appreciate thoughts and any advice.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Tom

 

https://annapolis.craigslist.org/cto/d/totaled-2008-subaru-legacy/6534339379.html

[1 Lucky Texan]

even if the HGs are intact, they may have been stressed and lube may also have been stressed - risk of rod bearing going out early.

 

you like to believe in most crashes, the engine is shut off quickly, but sometimes the car is on it's side or something....oil won't pump correctly if that happens.

 

it's all in the details - you need to get it cheap enough that dropping in a used engine is figured into the cost.

 

 

others here have MUCH more experience than I do so, just relaying info I've read.

[msmithmmx]

Assume the engine is damaged and factor that into the price. There is a lot of body damage there. $1000 is too high.

[idosubaru]

Since nothing has likely been changed you could have the oil tested at a lab and cut open the oil filter to see if overheating hoses the lowers end bearings

[Rooster2]

Well from reading the ad, it sounds like the car was wrecked, and the engine was left running,  while leaking coolant leaked from the accident. Then the owner turned off the motor, let it cool down, then drove a quarter of a mile to home. I would ask owner how long car ran while over heating. If for just a few minutes, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There is really no positive way to know if the motor is toast. However, listening to the motor at idle is a good starting point. Listen for engine knocking noise, which would indicate rod bearing issues. If you don't hear any unusual noises, and the motor revs up nicely from idle, then I wouldn't be too overly concerned about the motor being bad.

Asking $1,000 is not a bad asking price, but I bet you would find an offer of $800 acceptable.

 

If the engine turns out to be bad, then it could be replaced at reasonable cost. About 3 years ago, my daughter cooked the motor in her 2007 Hyundai, as a result of a hose leak. She drove on until the motor seized. I contacted local wrecking yards, and was able to buy a good motor for $900. The yard owner told me about a nearby small private garage that he works with. The guy swaps in motors for $500. So, that is the route of repair that I took. The garage mechanic stopped by the wrecking yard, picked up the replacement motor, installed it, and returned the bad motor to the wrecking yard. It was the best $1400 I have ever spent. The replacement motor has turned out to be great and trouble free, with a 30 day warranty. I bet wrecking yards in your area have partnered up with small garages to do the same work. It is a win win win situation for the yard, mechanic, and consumer. Worth remembering.

 

Keep us posted on this potential project. I and others would like to hear how you come out on this.

 

By the way, I just bought a 2008 Outback fully loaded. Really like the car.

[Gloyale]

From what I can see, the impact happened above the plane of the "frame" rail box sections.

 

Engine should be Okay from the impact. My worry would be the plastic intake manifold if it has one.   The sheet metal repair should all be to non structural elements.

 

A better look at the strut tower area would be nice to see to say for sure if it' worth the work.

[idosubaru]

I’ve repaired a bunch by just pulling the radiator supports and headlight surrounds out and swapping damaged panels. It’s easy. Front clip swap is often way overkill the upper radiator support and headlights surrounds are so thin and flimsy and more functional rather than structural. As long as they’re not torn and destroyed and it’s not bent and crinkled just in front of the strut tower - just pull them back close and swap panels.

 

One was totaled at 75 mph on the interstate, I rebuilt it and a few years later it spun out on some friends borrowing it at 75 mph head on into a guard rail and I rebuilt it again. The second impact was no different than a first impact event and held up just fine in a terribly scary event (5 friends were in it). Not that I ever thought it was a concern but with “Backseat internet repair commenatry” about how scary rebuilds are - I got to actually see a rebuilt get totaled again as an interesting data point.