Buying a used Soob Pt.3- Test Drive & Negotiations

[211]

So today I test drove a 2000 Limited Edition Outback 5-speed manual w/ 118,000 miles- infact here it is.

 

Dealer wants $10,488.

It bluebooks near the high 9's.

When I run the Edmund's True Market Value report based on condition and mileage it drops to $6,357.

There's a -$1,233 hit for mileage and a -$1,952 hit for condition, which I considered to be "average", here's why:

 

It freekin' looks like the previous owners stored a pack of cougars in there!!! There's obvious signs of animal existence because there are claw marks on the door grab-handles, marks on the leather seats in the front and back, and tons of scratches in the cargo area. The interior panel for the rear hatchback is falling off- infact they used a ziptie to keep it in place on one side. The front bumper is showing signs of low ground cover inpact (like the car went into the ditch once). The rear is showing similar signs (like they pulled it OUT of the ditch the same way it went in). Not to mention all-in-all it just doesn't look well taken care of.

 

Now on to the mechanical HERE'S WHERE I NEED YOUR HELP:

It seems to drive okay, and I didn't drive it like my MOM either, I hammered it up a steep local hill, did lock-to-lock turns in a parking lot at an idle (no torque bind that I can tell), did an ABS brake test (there's only one way to do that:grin: ), took it on the freeway etc.

 

So during all that I did notice one thing. When I shift gears (say from 2nd to 3rd) I run it up to a good 4-5000 rpm- just think a nice aggressive accelleration, like getting on the freeway- as the engine settles back into it's rpm range for that speed I can hear a "whine" or something which lasts only a second. It sort of sounds like when a turbo kicks in or a fan kicking on, but this is doing it after I change gears and the engine is dropping in rpms.

 

I know this must be as hard to imagine as it is for me to describe it, but if someone knows what I'm referring to maybe they could nail it for me.

 

Either way, what do you think this car is worth???

I was thinking of offering $8000 and going no higher than $9,500 out the door (tax & title etc.).

[86BRATMAN]

I would say print off all your research and put it in their laps. I got 4k knocked off my mother in-laws 02 accord with just one document showing the true value of the car. When they know you know what you are talking about they usually give up trying to screw you. The "whine" could be the intake sucking air in, my mom's 98 does this up around 3.5-4k rpm. Also you'll not have to worry about torque bind in a manual, I should have been a little bit better when talking about that in part 2. Just make sure to point out every last tiny insignificant detail of what you noticed wrong with the car.

 

Do you know how long its been sitting at the dealership, if its been there a little bit you are more likely to get a better deal because they just want to move it out.

[nipper]

At 118,000 miles be fully aware of a few things.

The timing belt

The clutch.

Do one more test. Try to start off from a dead stop in 3rd/4th gear. The var should protest buck and stall no matter how hard you try. If you can get the car to move then the clutch will need to be replaced in the near future.

 

 

nipper

[86BRATMAN]

At 118,000 miles be fully aware of a few things.

The timing belt

The clutch.

Do one more test. Try to start off from a dead stop in 3rd/4th gear. The var should protest buck and stall no matter how hard you try. If you can get the car to move then the clutch will need to be replaced in the near future.

 

 

nipper

 

Thats not always true of the clutch, my buddy had an 01 RS that would pull out in 3rd without much effort at all from a dead stop, And that was with a 23k old clutch

[ericem]

Would that same test appply with a automatic? Indicating the torque converter is bad ?

[nipper]

Thats not always true of the clutch, my buddy had an 01 RS that would pull out in 3rd without much effort at all from a dead stop, And that was with a 23k old clutch

 

Its the standard test for a bad clutch. there is always an exception to every rule, and everyon has a freind where "X" never affected him (including me).

But i can safely say after pulling wrenches for mor over 20 years, its a safe test.

Also at 23K he should not be able to do that. Thats considered a bad clutch. Imagine being in third gear climbing a hill with a full car. Thats is what the test recreats.

 

 

nipper

[nipper]

Would that same test appply with a automatic? Indicating the torque converter is bad ?

 

Thats called a stall test, and there is absoloutly no reason to dio one in a subaru, as they dont seem to have torque converter problems. Unless you know what your doing you can damage the transmission. You also need to

know what the stall speed of the torque converter is.

 

The only thing you do for sooby automatics is make sure the selector will go through all the gears. Drive the car with a warm tranny. Check the fluid condition. If you buying a used car with an automatic that has questionable perfomance be prepared to swap it out. i wont even recomend a rebuild anymore, due to the price.

 

And with either one drive in tight circles to check for torque bind.

 

nipper

[86BRATMAN]

Its the standard test for a bad clutch. there is always an exception to every rule, and everyon has a freind where "X" never affected him (including me).

But i can safely say after pulling wrenches for mor over 20 years, its a safe test.

Also at 23K he should not be able to do that. Thats considered a bad clutch. Imagine being in third gear climbing a hill with a full car. Thats is what the test recreats.

 

 

nipper

 

Any time he did it he got smacked, HARD. He thought it was funny that his car could do it. I always told him he won't think its funny when he has to replace the clutch at 40k without my help.

 

If there is one thing I don't like is blatent abuse of a vehicle like that.

 

It's just like a wrx owner launching at 6k every day and then wondering why his tranny broke....

[211]

At 118,000 miles be fully aware of a few things.

The timing belt

The clutch.

Do one more test. Try to start off from a dead stop in 3rd/4th gear. The var should protest buck and stall no matter how hard you try. If you can get the car to move then the clutch will need to be replaced in the near future.

 

 

nipper

 

Yeah forgot to mention that, did the clutch test. Didn't even buck- let off the clutch and it died instantly.

 

The timing belt is something that is in the back of my mind.

How easy is it to replace? I've done two timing belt changes on an EA82. Is it similar to that or more difficult?

[86BRATMAN]

I've done two timing belt changes on an EA82. Is it similar to that or more difficult?

 

Its much easier imho, no 180* rotation, easier to see timing marks, and a little more room to work between the motor and radiator