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2002 Forester getting junked for under $300


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Should I just junk it? I invested a lot of money to save my 2002 Forester...It has new brakes, new exhaust...then I found out the frame was rusted.  The engine isn't original, but has better mileage than my original engine (which still has the oil leak prone to this model...and I've been faithful on oil changes). At the time I replaced the engine, I gained the air conditioner which wasn't working in my car...it needs some part to make it work again, but I don't know what it is.  The rear door doesn't lock, and the rear wiper doesn't...(but everything else works)...and I love this car WAY MORE than my new 2019 Crosstrek. Is less than $300 the best I can get for a car that had a $1300 brake job before finding out the frame was rusted out?

Edited by Legacy Ree
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The forester doesn't have a frame. Shock towers rust, but those are the only places on the unibody that should affect body integrity.

They cannot be repaired AFAIK, and likely all others in your area have similar issues. However, there a MANY Foresters and Imprezas with bad engines to be had for cheap.

 

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9 hours ago, uniberp1 said:

The forester doesn't have a frame. Shock towers rust, but those are the only places on the unibody that should affect body integrity.

They cannot be repaired AFAIK, and likely all others in your area have similar issues. However, there a MANY Foresters and Imprezas with bad engines to be had for cheap.

technically, no, a Subaru does not have a "frame" per se, but they do have "sub-frames" which do rust/rot out. and for the record, there are other places besides the shock towers that can render a car unsafe.

My old GL wagon had a front sub-frame problem, and that was why it was taken off the road - motor still ran great, tranny still shifted fine, but it was structurally unsafe.

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On 5/30/2019 at 9:44 AM, Legacy Ree said:

Should I just junk it? I invested a lot of money to save my 2002 Forester...It has new brakes, new exhaust...then I found out the frame was rusted.  The engine isn't original, but has better mileage than my original engine (which still has the oil leak prone to this model...and I've been faithful on oil changes). At the time I replaced the engine, I gained the air conditioner which wasn't working in my car...it needs some part to make it work again, but I don't know what it is.  The rear door doesn't lock, and the rear wiper doesn't...(but everything else works)...and I love this car WAY MORE than my new 2019 Crosstrek. Is less than $300 the best I can get for a car that had a $1300 brake job before finding out the frame was rusted out?

Post a picture of it or a link to a picture somewhere else if you can’t post it here.  

In rust prone areas it's common to see cars with rusty frame rails which are not a problem.  

And then sometimes I can be. 

But yes if it’s just getting trashed or junked, it’s basically worthless. A rusty scrap heap isn’t worth more because it’s got a few new parts in it. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

So sorry for the delay to all replies, life got in the way.  I'd still be loving this brute if the back frame didn't rust out!  And yes, it's dirty, we live on a dirt road.  LOL

Forester 2002.jpg

Forester 2002 again.jpg

Forester side.jpg

Forester top view, through a screen.jpg

Edited by Legacy Ree
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