Long-term reliability >150k miles

[Whoever]

What is the long term reliability, or perhaps the maintenance cost of
running a high mileage Subary Legacy?

I am looking at cars with over 150k miles, one of which claims a new
transmission.

 

[bigjim]

Unless it is very cheap <$1000 you would be a sucker to buy a used car
with that kind of mileage. I do expect to get at least 200k miles from
my 04 outback but I know the history since new.

 

[Paul]

What is the long term reliability, or perhaps the maintenance cost of
running a high mileage Subary Legacy?

I am looking at cars with over 150k miles, one of which claims a new
transmission.

I bought my 93 impreza (1.8L manual) with 130000 miles on it. now it
has 193,000 and there is a funny noise coming from engine. other than
that its been very reliable.



--
Paul Johnson
Graduate Student - Mechanical Engineering
University of Florida - Gainesville, Fl
http://plaza.ufl.edu/redboots

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[lophiomys]

to Paul:
What kind of funny noise? Can you describe the noise?

Is it just ageing material or
is it a big failure announing itself?

 

[Rick Courtright]

Unless it is very cheap <$1000 you would be a sucker to buy a used car
with that kind of mileage.

Hi,

Unless the OP really knows the car he's looking at, I'd agree one
shouldn't pay too much. While it's fashionable in my area (SoCal) to
price some VERY hi-mileage used cars like they've never depreciated,
fact of the matter is even properly cared for, there are lots of things
on a car with that mileage that are nearing the end of their expected
life, so many $$$ in repairs may be in order.

Flip side of the coin is Subies tend to last a LONG time, even when not
perfectly maintained, so there are certainly sleepers out there. I took
a chance on mine, buying it at 209k miles for $1300. Body and interior
were good, I knew a few of the things wrong with the running gear going
in. It made it to 360k miles before the engine blew... and was the
cheapest "per mile" car I've owned, new or used. Haven't decided on how
to address the engine problem (rebuilt, junkyard, JDM?), but a buddy's
tempting me to go ahead and fix it to see if it could get to a half
million!

So who knows--like any used car, it's a gamble.

Rick

 

[Paul]

to Paul:
What kind of funny noise? Can you describe the noise?

Is it just ageing material or
is it a big failure announing itself?

i think its a big failure coming along. basically i kinda heard the
noise at 130,000 miles and now its quite a bit louder. hmmmm ok theres
the valve ticking(normal), then it sounds like a connecting rod lose on
the crank or piston pin(this sound got louder) and the new sound
introduced sounds like some type of fluid squishing through a hole.
That is the sound that is bothering me. It just started recently. If
you are looking down at the engine from front of the car it sounds like
its coming from the right side, around middle to rear of engine. The
car has 192,000 miles on it, I change the oil every 3000 miles and dont
abuse it at all. Oh and it hardly burns any oil at all. Overall the
engine seems in good shape just this new "squishy" noise is bothering me.

Oil pump maybe?? My mom has the exact same car as me with over 300,000
miles and no major engine problems at all.


--
Paul Johnson
Graduate Student - Mechanical Engineering
University of Florida - Gainesville, Fl
http://plaza.ufl.edu/redboots

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[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

i think its a big failure coming along. basically i kinda heard the
noise at 130,000 miles and now its quite a bit louder. hmmmm ok theres
the valve ticking(normal), then it sounds like a connecting rod lose on
the crank or piston pin(this sound got louder) and the new sound
introduced sounds like some type of fluid squishing through a hole. That
is the sound that is bothering me. It just started recently. If you
are looking down at the engine from front of the car it sounds like its
coming from the right side, around middle to rear of engine. The car
has 192,000 miles on it, I change the oil every 3000 miles and dont
abuse it at all. Oh and it hardly burns any oil at all. Overall the
engine seems in good shape just this new "squishy" noise is bothering me.

Oil pump maybe?? My mom has the exact same car as me with over 300,000
miles and no major engine problems at all.

maybe the new noise is a vacuum or exhaust leak? have you had a mechanic
investigate any of these?

Carl

 

[Paul Johnson]

maybe the new noise is a vacuum or exhaust leak? have you had a mechanic
investigate any of these?

Carl

No not yet. But I checked all around where the noise is coming from and
its definately not exhaust and I dont see any vacuum hoses disconnected.
Im pretty positive its internal to the engine. How are the subaru oil
pumps? Do they last a long time? No oil pressure light has come on yet
though so I dont know.

Paul J

 

[Rick Courtright]

Im pretty positive its internal to the engine. How are the subaru oil
pumps? Do they last a long time? No oil pressure light has come on yet

Hi,

In my limited Subie experience, it seems a lot of oil pumps are replaced
prematurely. Why? I could be wrong, but I don't think so many of the
pumps are actually bad--I mean, after all, how does something that's
floating in oil wear that quickly unless the oil's really cruddy and
gritty? But... the seal arrangement on them is absolutely caveman.
There's a dinky seal on the front and a coupla hideously skimpy O-rings
on the back of the pump, all of which tend to give up at an early age
(my Subie parts guy won't let me buy a t-belt without first asking about
ALL the seals on the front of the engine. That's on a 60k mile schedule
engine--it's probably even more critical to replace seals at each belt
change on the engines with longer service intervals.) A nickel's worth
of engineering could improve both sides IMO. I'd imagine a lot of pumps
are replaced as a CYA move when it's really just the seals that are
gone.

Rick

 

[Guy Macon]

i think its a big failure coming along. basically i kinda heard the
noise at 130,000 miles and now its quite a bit louder. hmmmm ok theres
the valve ticking(normal), then it sounds like a connecting rod lose on
the crank or piston pin(this sound got louder) and the new sound
introduced sounds like some type of fluid squishing through a hole.
That is the sound that is bothering me. It just started recently. If
you are looking down at the engine from front of the car it sounds like
its coming from the right side, around middle to rear of engine. The
car has 192,000 miles on it, I change the oil every 3000 miles and dont
abuse it at all. Oh and it hardly burns any oil at all. Overall the
engine seems in good shape just this new "squishy" noise is bothering me.

Water pump?

A cut length of garden hose 3-4 feet long can help to find the source
of such noises. Put one end to your ear and move the other end around
the engine. It gets a lot louder when it gets to the source of the
noise - assuming that the source is localized and not deep inside the
engine.

 

[Paul]

Paul wrote:




Water pump?

A cut length of garden hose 3-4 feet long can help to find the source
of such noises. Put one end to your ear and move the other end around
the engine. It gets a lot louder when it gets to the source of the
noise - assuming that the source is localized and not deep inside the
engine.

I will try that. The water pump hasnt been changed yet and thats what
went on my moms car also around 190,000 miles. hmmm Thanks for the
help. Oh how hard is it to change a water pump. Im about to order a
Chilton book on this car.

Paul J


--
Paul Johnson
Graduate Student - Mechanical Engineering
University of Florida - Gainesville, Fl
http://plaza.ufl.edu/redboots

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[ed]

Water pump is an advanced DIY project. Pump is driven by the timing belt.
Need to remove the timing belt, drain the coolant, remove the hoses from the
pump, then replace the pump and re-install the timing belt, tensioner etc.
Most change the timing belt at the same time, since it's already out.
Check the tensioner and idlers as well, replace any that don't roll
smoothly, and the oil seals on the cams and crank too while you're there.

Make SURE the cam and crank bolts are torqued to the proper amount, I've
seen 3 crank pulleys come loose and damage the end of the crank. These were
repairable on the car by welding/grinding, but it's difficult to do and
never as good as the original.
Ed B

 

[lkreh]

Maintenance costs would be the same as any car...oil, tires, etc. In
terms of reliability, with over 150,000 miles, I'd be very concerned
about engine and transmission replacement. The only way to make an
educated guess as to what big ticket items will break is to review the
maintenance history of the car and to have a mechanic check it out
before purchasing (engine compression, etc.). Big ticket items aside,
you're obviously going to need to spend a minimum of several hundred
dollars (maybe $500?) a year just to repair and keep the car going, but
that would be the case with any high mileage vehicle.

 

[Steve Parker]

What is the long term reliability, or perhaps the maintenance cost of
running a high mileage Subary Legacy?

I am looking at cars with over 150k miles, one of which claims a new
transmission.

Beware of the 2.5 liter DOHC engine. It is notorious for blowing head
gaskets. The rear main seal on this engine appears to only last about
100k miles. Check www.carsurvey.org for more info.
Sparky

 

[Edward Hayes]

I would check if the car still has the original cat and timing
belt/water pump. The cat from the dealer can run $800+ and the timing
belt/water pump should have been changed at 105,000 miles and is a
$500 job.