Is it a mistake to fix my 2011 Forester

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I have a 2011 Forester with 153k miles. Other than the oil burning I really love this car and want to keep it, however it needs a new Catalytic Converter system which I’m told is 3K. My question is, would it be a mistake to sink that kind of dough into a 2011 with 153K miles? Any help is appreciated. Thank you
 
If it's burning oil and with that kind of mileage it likely needs an engine overhaul or at least what is known as a top overhaul where they rework the heads ie valves along with a cylinder bore or at least honing of the cylinders and installing new rings. Wearing of rings and or valves causes oil consumption which in turn ruins the cat. Only you can weigh those costs against the much larger cost of a new car. Another approach is obtaining a new or used lower mileage or rebuilt engine. But then there's the rest of the car to consider.
 
I kept my previous 2 for 13 years. After that I figured I was just throwing money into a pit of more problems in the near future and that money could go into a new or newer, safer, vehicle. I also don't care to be stranded with some types of failures. Especially being female I try hard not to get stranded with an unexpected old failed part. Though these days it's not safe for anyone to get stranded anymore! 13 years is a good run I think! Got my money's value out of them for sure.
 
I have a 2011 Forester with 153k miles. Other than the oil burning I really love this car and want to keep it, however it needs a new Catalytic Converter system which I’m told is 3K. My question is, would it be a mistake to sink that kind of dough into a 2011 with 153K miles? Any help is appreciated. Thank you
If it's not burning the oil and not leaking the oil then it may need a PVC valve and air filter. This fixed my 2010 Subaru Forester, it was needing oil every week, then we changed the PVC valve and air filter and in 3 months we only needed a little oil just last week, BIG change! Also be aware that Subaru had to loosen the valves a bit to make it more fuel efficient, so a little bit of oil gets by, the PVC valve and the catalytic converter gets the brunt of it. If We had to change ours, we would probably get it off Amazon ($142)
The PVC valve and air filter were not very expensive.
 
153k is just broken in
The head gaskets will be the the issue at some point
If it runs good, I'd keep it for now
Put a cheap cat on it and call me in the morning
 
Head gasket issues are not very common on the FB25. Unfortunately along with that advantage and a timing chain instead of a belt comes oil consumption and leaks round the cam carriers. I've seen many using a higher viscosity oil than the USA specified 0W-20 weight to reduce the consumption. Interesting that in some other parts the world a higher viscosity oil is specified for the exact same engine.

Regarding the cam carrier leaks, I've read that if not too severe oil that dripped onto any sensors can be removed. If, or I should say when that happens to mine, I hope it will be possible to inspect and remove any oil residue. The repair/reseal requires the engine to be removed.
Other than the oil burning I really love this car and want to keep it....
I feel the same way about my 2012. Even with the situations that us Subaru owners must be dealt with, I find this 2012 Forester is my favorite vehicle to date over 50 years. Even with the 4EAT, and I've usually had manual transmissions.
 
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