Newbie question

[B-Man]

I'm currently looking to purchase a used OBW ('01 +/-). The vehicles
in my price range average 100,000 miles. Can anyone let me know their
experience with these cars? Have there been any major problems? Any
input would help. Thanks!!

 

[j]

Like (most) any car, your experience is going to be affecte greatly by
who owned the car, and how they maintained it. With a car of that
mileage, I would highly recommend buying a month-long subscription to
Carfax ($25), and check VIN's. If the car seems to be mechanincaly
solid, and has a clean history, you should be good to go.

When purchasing a Sub with 100k, you may want to have the 105k service
(or similar) and the timing belt done. Subaru's just keep getting
better. Happy Hunting.

 

[Edward Hayes]

Remember that if the 105,000 mile maintance is due that it can run
4-600 dollars which must include a timing belt and water pump at a
minimum.

 

[j]

Also, when replacing the timing belt, you may want to consider
replacing the cam and oil pump seals, which age located behind the
timing belt. When done at the same time, the additional cost should be
fairly minimal, ~$100 or so. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[lkreh]

I'll second the carfax idea. Cars.com and others provide the VIN in
the ad, which you'll need for carfax. Carfax will show whether the car
was a rental, lease vehicle, etc. If the car was anything other than
owned by one previous owner, I'd pass. There are plenty of them that
meet that criteria, so you can be choosy.

 

[B-Man]

Thanks for all your help!

Now, if I could just find a buyer for my current car, I'd be all set.