Subaru Drivers check in- should I buy a used one?

[LynneSin]

I'm thisclose to buying a 2002 Subaru Legacy with low miles and garage kept. My mechanic says it needs new rear wheel tires and alignment but it's a great lil car.

Should I go for it? Never bought a car that was that old!

BTW carfax report shows that the previous owner was one of those people who actually paid attention to the maintanence schedule that comes with new cars. I think most people throw that thing away.

[flvegan]

1. One word: yes. Subies are EXCELLENT cars.

If your mechanic says that other than the tires and alignment, the car is straight and sound, I'd go for it.

[LynneSin]

2. There was some other minor things that he said are fixable and not an issue

Right Rear Backing Plate needs adjusted (bent)
A bit of oil around the Oil Gasket - should replace that.

He said it's about $500 worth of repairs (total with the tires), the dealership was willing to give me an extra $400 off the car. I was already getting a killer price for it so not going to get hissy fit over $100.

[EOTE]

3. I just picked up a 2003 Outback Limited Edition.

It was one of the few in the area I could find with a 5 speed. It's been great so far. When I got it, it had a ton of road/wind noise about 55 mph. I was able to fix that pretty easily by removing the tweeters in the A pillars and then clamping down on the rubber surrounds/weather proofing on the door. Took me about 3 minutes all told to resolve that problem. There are smoother rides out there for sure, but if you're looking for a reliable AWD vehicle, you can't go wrong with a Subaru. In a few years, I think I'm going to trade it in and see if I can get a 2005 or later Legacy GT sedan. The base 4 cylinder makes a decent amount of power, but my previous car was fast and I need a bit more torque to satisfy my need for speed.

[Raven]

4. I have a Forrester that I beat the crap out of on dirt roads. I love the car! n/t

[old mark]

5. My brother had one that they put almost 280 thousand miles on it - then got a good price

on it as a trade because it was in such good shape despite the miles....they are really solid well made cars, just keep the oil clean and you will have it for years to come.

FWIW, we recently bought an '01 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV with only 70,000 on it. We think it is better built than the newer version.

mark

[Taverner]

6. Yes - I do not have one, but everyone I know with a used Subie loves it

[cloudbase]

7. Both my son and I own Impreza wagons.

His is the WRX, mine is the NA i model. We both love them, and they've been relatively trouble free. We do our own basic maintenance, and mine has only been in the shop once for a recall repair. For what it's worth, we're both engineers.

[amerikat]

8. I have a 1992 Legacy. Great little car.

450 miles per tank of gas. Close to 30 mpg.

[JTG of the PRB]

9. I bought a 2000 Subaru Forester last year, and I love it.

Before that, I drove a 1990 Subaru Loyale for 7 years and I loved that one, too. Not to mention, I first learned to drive on my Dad's 1989 Subaru wagon... So maybe I'm biased... but they're seriously GREAT cars. I say for got it!