skibumm Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 (edited) I'm looking at buying this 2000 Outback out of Florida for $4500, my sister-in-law, who is in Fl, is going today to take a look at it for me before I make the trip down to see it for myself. The car has 125K, but looks to be like new from the photos. This car was on ebay and the seller had no neg rating and a 350 positive rating. What are things to look out for in this Model year car? Its a 5 speed. Am I right that the HG issue on this car is similar to the ones on my 97 OBW, with the exception that its an external water leak, as opposed to an internal exhaust gas leak? TIA Brad Edited February 16, 2009 by skibumm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 See if you can determine if this is one of those many "hurricane" cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Am I right that the HG issue on this car is similar to the ones on my 97 OBW, with the exception that its an external water leak, as opposed to an internal exhaust gas leak? the other difference is these EJ25's don't overheat, or at least until they run low on coolant. they just seep externally and it's usually easily visible on the rear side of the heads. be sure to inspect the rear head/engine mating surface closely for any signs there. these phase II's are much nicer for that, they won't leave you stranded like the older ones, that's why i dislike those so much. you can also run a car-fax. sometimes they show where the car was maintained, what services were done. and you can call those places and find out if the head gaskets were ever replaced. florida car, awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibumm Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 the other difference is these EJ25's don't overheat, or at least until they run low on coolant. they just seep externally and it's usually easily visible on the rear side of the heads. be sure to inspect the rear head/engine mating surface closely for any signs there. these phase II's are much nicer for that, they won't leave you stranded like the older ones, that's why i dislike those so much. you can also run a car-fax. sometimes they show where the car was maintained, what services were done. and you can call those places and find out if the head gaskets were ever replaced. florida car, awesome! I ran a Carfax on it, states 2 owners, and only title registrations and emissions testings. Does not show any maintenance work or recall work by Subaru or dealers. My sister-in-law called and said everything looked clean underneath the engine bay. Started right up and no engine slap, only thing she commented on was you had to have the clutch to the floor before it would start. I suspect that would be normal? NO Rust and only a few scratches were found on the outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentmoy Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I ran a Carfax on it, states 2 owners, and only title registrations and emissions testings. Does not show any maintenance work or recall work by Subaru or dealers. My sister-in-law called and said everything looked clean underneath the engine bay. Started right up and no engine slap, only thing she commented on was you had to have the clutch to the floor before it would start. I suspect that would be normal? NO Rust and only a few scratches were found on the outside. As far as the clutch goes, my 1998 Imp OBS does the same thing too, so I think it's normal:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crash321 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 as far as the clutch goes, my 1998 imp obs does the same thing too, so i think it's normal:) +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Going by pictures it looks like you have a very nice car at a good price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abog Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 There is a clutch safety switch, the clutch has to be pressed before the engine will start, it is a safety feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibumm Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Going by pictures it looks like you have a very nice car at a good price. Thats what I am hoping, flying down Monday 2/23 to pick it up and bring back to OH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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