nixon Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 I'm thinking of buying an MY2000 NA Forester auto with 202,000 miles on the clock. It appears to have been well looked after, with dealer service history to about 180,000 miles. I'm expecting to have to change things like shocks etc. but my main concern is the gearbox. What sort of mileage do these boxes achieve before things start failing? Any insight would be welcome. Cheers, Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 The lifespan of ANY automatic transmission is at best a guess. I have 300,000+ on mine, but am told I am an exception. @200,000 I would have to offer that the best is gone out of it leaving you with luck. Are you "lucky"? Purchase accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 200,000 is quite a bit. i'm not saying they aren't capable of more, but i also wouldn't expect another 50,000 or 100,000 trouble free miles out of one with that many miles on it. the one thing you have going for you is age, it's not an old vehicle. a 1990 with 200,000 is far more concern than a 2000 with 200,000 on it, particularly with good service records and one owner. means the tires and proper maintenance were probably kept in good repair which is very important on these trans. i wouldn't necessarily rule it out. also keep in mind that replacing this transmission isn't all that unreasonable. used transmissions are relatively inexpensive and you'd easily be able to find a relatively low mileage 50,000-100,000 mile unit for a reasonable cost. installation will run $250-$500. so don't be too worried, a rebuild is not a wise choice on this transmission, it's not worth the high costs in my oppinion considering how reliable these transmissions are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 Isn't Emily at CCR doing used/rebuild transmissions or was I only having a good dream? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 also keep in mind that replacing this transmission isn't all that unreasonable. used transmissions are relatively inexpensive and you'd easily be able to find a relatively low mileage 50,000-100,000 mile unit for a reasonable cost. installation will run $250-$500. so don't be too worried, a rebuild is not a wise choice on this transmission, it's not worth the high costs in my opinion considering how reliable these transmissions are. At best, I *think* we can only guess the available transmission options in Britain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixon Posted September 1, 2007 Author Share Posted September 1, 2007 Thanks for the replies! Just as I thought- pot luck. The car's only going to be used for short local jaunts, so might be worth a punt at £1000 ! Foresrter boxes might be a bit tricky to find used in the UK, but I suppose an Impreza one would fit? Final drive might be different though? For the money, I think I'll go for it. Cheers, Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 If the ATF was changed periodically it would be a great benefit. If it still has the original ATF that is not ideal. Make sure on a cool morning start after firing up the engine it shifts into drive in a second or two. Some of the '99 and '00 phase II 4eats developed some slow to engage to drive issue. Of course torque bind checking wouuld be a good idea. Phase II 2.5L also could have the external HG peeping leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 I'm thinking of buying an MY2000 NA Forester auto with 202,000 miles on the clock. It appears to have been well looked after, with dealer service history to about 180,000 miles. I'm expecting to have to change things like shocks etc. but my main concern is the gearbox. What sort of mileage do these boxes achieve before things start failing?Any insight would be welcome. Cheers, Nick The autobox, if maintaned seems to last the life of the car. Blu has 210,000 on him and going strong. The AWD clutchpack I cant vouch the same for. TH way the are designed to operate, they do wear out after time, and the higher the miles, the less tolerant they are of mismatched tires or driving on a flat. Nothing on a car lasts for ever. Subaru likes to use 300,000 miles as a benchmark. The new gens seem to be aging well structurally and the interiors seem to hold up. Just keep on top of the maint, dont ignore any flashing ATF light and youll be fine. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 okay from what you're saying this sounds like a great deal. i wouldn't be surprised if it treats you well. wasn't trying to scare you but it's hard to make recommendations without seeing it, knowing the price and your situation. for that price this should be an excellent score, i would shy away from paying top dollar, but doesn't sound like you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 I would probably get the transfer clutches replaced. At that mileage, I'm sure it would have its AWD capabilities lessened. If they kept reasonably good rubber under it, it may not be a issue. But if they ran tires that had lots of wear, it will put stress/wear on the clutch discs. **Disclaimer** My experiances are with the older 4EAT's and may not be applicable to newer models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixon Posted September 1, 2007 Author Share Posted September 1, 2007 I drove it today! Seemed like a car half it's age! Figure of eights revealed no nasties. It has 5 matching michelin synchrones, with about 6mm left. No engine smoke, clean oil and coolant. pink atf, clean interior, but tatty bodywork. The brakes need attention, but I've got some young calipers in the shed , off my S-turbo. I think it's a yes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixon Posted September 4, 2007 Author Share Posted September 4, 2007 So... I go to make a bid on E-bay, on Sunday morning, 24 hours before the auction ends, and find the SCUMBAG seller has only gone and put the starting price up by £100 ! Fair enough, if another bidder raises the ante, then one can re-raise or fold, but to raise the price cos someone wants to buy it? I phoned him to find out what was going on. "You should have been quicker, shouldn't you!" said he. (????) So, on Monday morning, with no bids on the table, he threw in £100 worth of road tax (realisation that he'd screwed up?). The auction ends with no bids at all! It's now re-listed at the original price, with tax thrown in, and CASH ONLY, on a 3 day listing!!! I think a low bid may be in order. After all , he would have had a sale, if he hadn't started monkeying around with the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 There's a lot of games that are played on eBay. One I see on most car listings is the lowering of the reserve price at the last moment eBay will allow it. Like maybe the reserve is $5000 and someone bids $4000, maybe they will bid higher trying to meet the reserve, but if not the seller could lower the reserve later to make that person high bidder. Also a lot of the listings in the fine print show some 'dealer documentation fee' which can be $100's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 nixon: If it is a car you like and want to go for it, so be it. Here, I run, on the average, 3-4 "projects" behind, any sign of "foolishness" and I figure any seller can keep what they are trying to sell, it's not like they don't make cars each and every day. If you really wanted to be miserable, you would wait until this listing expired, then throw the guy a low ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 As far as gearboxes, all I can attest is that I have 2 4eats(93 Legacy,89 GL Turbo "fulltime") with 300k and 240k respectively) Both work great still. Espescially the one with 300k. It plows through snow here in the Wisconsin winter with ease. No problem with the capablilities of the AWD at all. The 230k mile one is in the older car, with less aggressive torque split. It takes a bit of spinning the front tires before the backs get good power. But drives fine. This may be a dumb question, but there in the UK do you measure distance in Miles or Kilometers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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