Buying an 06-07 Subaru Outback

[Spicedaddy]

My dad wants me to find him a car, he's had a Legacy Wagon for a long time and would like another Subaru.

I've narrowed it down to a 2006 or 2007 Outback (2.5 wagon...). Are there common issues with those? Things to look for?


The best candidate so far is a 2007 with ~60K miles. I'm going to see it tomorrow.

 

[Demo24]

As long as the car had routine maintenance and no current problems it should be fine.

 

[Kaervak]

As long as the car had routine maintenance and no current problems it should be fine.

Yep, get the service history from the owner. One thing to look out for is piston slap. Most/all boxer engines develop it after a while, totally normal from everything I've read. You'll hear it the most on startup, will sound like a clatter and goes away as the engine warms up. If it's excessively loud (like slamming), pass on it as a rebuild is the only thing that will fix it. The 2003 Forester we just bought has 141k on it and has a bit of piston slap to it. Nothing horrible and it quiets down after a couple minutes. Ask about the head gasket and see if it's been replaced as some Subaru's had issues with it failing, but I think the newer ones are ok. The timing belt doesn't need to be replaced until 105k so that's not an issue yet. Aside from that, there's not much else I can think of. Even though it's a Forester forum, subaruforester.org has a ton of good info, besides all the Subaru's use the same set of engines so not much is that different between models.

 

[alphatarget1]

Head gasket leak should not be a problem provided the owner changed the coolant on time and added the subaru cooling system conditioner in the system.

I'd recommend against getting a turboed version but that's just me.

 

[Spicedaddy]

I'll check for the piston slap noise. I'm pretty sure the owner had all maintenance done at the Subaru dealer, will confirm tomorrow.

And it'll definitely be a 2.5 (non-turbo). It'll be his winter car and used sometimes in the summer to haul stuff, so cheap on gas and reliable is more important than performance.

 

[jlee]

OP: If he gets one with 60k, make sure the 60k service has been done and if not, deduct enough from the price to offset it. If done by a shop, it won't be cheap.

Head gasket leak should not be a problem provided the owner changed the coolant on time and added the subaru cooling system conditioner in the system.

I'd recommend against getting a turboed version but that's just me.

I would only buy a turbocharged version, but that's me

Any particular reason you say that, though? I have 106k on my Forester XT and it runs great.

 

[Rustican]

My 2006 Outback is about to hit 100K. Did all the scheduled maintenance at the dealer. No issues. Nice car. Grats!

 

[fbrdphreak]

Piston slap and head gaskets aren't an issue on the newer motors. If you hear any abnormal noises, have it checked out by a Subaru dealership.

The rear wheel bearings are notoriously bad on the 05-06's. Take a test drive on the highway and listen for excessive noise as you get up to speed. That's about $300-350 done at a dealership. Some models had their bearing warranties extended, so you can check that.

Otherwise, you're pretty much good to go.

Any particular reason you say that, though? I have 106k on my Forester XT and it runs great.

The turbo motors just have so many more issues it seems. Oil consumption, piston ringland failure, banjo bolt filter blockage, oil pickup tube breakage. Hunting for boost leaks is always fun. For 5MT owners, the clutch really sucks. Just seems to me the only remote over-engineered (which is the only way to go, IMO) model is the STi, and at that still doesn't compare to an Evo or Corvette Z06.

Then add-in the more expensive maintenance items like brakes, tires, and Subaru's 3750 mile recommended OCI for turbos.

 

[jlee]

Piston slap and head gaskets aren't an issue on the newer motors. If you hear any abnormal noises, have it checked out by a Subaru dealership.

The rear wheel bearings are notoriously bad on the 05-06's. Take a test drive on the highway and listen for excessive noise as you get up to speed. That's about $300-350 done at a dealership. Some models had their bearing warranties extended, so you can check that.

Otherwise, you're pretty much good to go.

The turbo motors just have so many more issues it seems. Oil consumption, piston ringland failure, banjo bolt filter blockage, oil pickup tube breakage. Hunting for boost leaks is always fun. For 5MT owners, the clutch really sucks. Just seems to me the only remote over-engineered (which is the only way to go, IMO) model is the STi, and at that still doesn't compare to an Evo or Corvette Z06.

Then add-in the more expensive maintenance items like brakes, tires, and Subaru's 3750 mile recommended OCI for turbos.

To each his own...but comparing a Corvette Z06 to a normal Subaru is silly.

(edit):
FYI, I have an EJ255 2.5l turbocharged engine in my Forester XT. My clutch is fine, and so is everything else. I could drop in a VF39, STi TMIC, up pipe, and 2004 WRX STi ECU. Plug-n-play.

 

[JCH13]

Also, the FXT has a turbo.

Edit: dammit JLee... editing your posts and adding FYIs...

 

[Spicedaddy]

Done deal...

Engine sounded perfect from a cold start. It's always been maintained at the dealer, brakes were good. Only a small scratch on the rear bumper, other than that it looked new.

I was surprised, the 2.5 engine isn't too bad. His old Leagacy had a 2.0 I think? That thing was dangerously slow.

I kinda want a WRX wagon for myself now.

 

[jlee]

Done deal...

Engine sounded perfect from a cold start. It's always been maintained at the dealer, brakes were good. Only a small scratch on the rear bumper, other than that it looked new.

I was surprised, the 2.5 engine isn't too bad. His old Leagacy had a 2.0 I think? That thing was dangerously slow.

I kinda want a WRX wagon for myself now.

If you get one, go for an 06+ (2.5l turbo). Or buy a sleeper Forester.

 

[fbrdphreak]

To each his own...but comparing a Corvette Z06 to a normal Subaru is silly.

(edit):
FYI, I have an EJ255 2.5l turbocharged engine in my Forester XT. My clutch is fine, and so is everything else. I could drop in a VF39, STi TMIC, up pipe, and 2004 WRX STi ECU. Plug-n-play.

Drop in a full exhaust and tune, and your clutch won't be so fine. Trying to take off from a stop quickly has a penchant to spin the clutch up something nasty.

My point in the comparison, which also referenced an Evo, is that out of the box these cars are well engineered AND are well prepared to handle upgrades. The only Subaru that comes close to that level of design is the STi. One of the new WRXs is probably better about this as well, given its largely based on the STi, but my point still stands.

If you're going to leave the turbo cars alone, then they are a good proposition. But getting into them with the purpose of modding is a tricky proposition.

 

[jlee]

Drop in a full exhaust and tune, and your clutch won't be so fine. Trying to take off from a stop quickly has a penchant to spin the clutch up something nasty.

My point in the comparison, which also referenced an Evo, is that out of the box these cars are well engineered AND are well prepared to handle upgrades. The only Subaru that comes close to that level of design is the STi. One of the new WRXs is probably better about this as well, given its largely based on the STi, but my point still stands.

If you're going to leave the turbo cars alone, then they are a good proposition. But getting into them with the purpose of modding is a tricky proposition.

/facepalm

So now we go from an Outback n/a vs turbo as a daily driver up to 'you can't mod a turbo Subaru without replacing the clutch'?

I'll let you know when my clutch dies. At ~270hp, it holds just fine...and from what I've read, an Evo needs an upgraded clutch around 300hp. Maybe that's wrong - I haven't spent much time at all reading up on Evos.

 

[alphatarget1]

OP: If he gets one with 60k, make sure the 60k service has been done and if not, deduct enough from the price to offset it. If done by a shop, it won't be cheap.



I would only buy a turbocharged version, but that's me

Any particular reason you say that, though? I have 106k on my Forester XT and it runs great.

I screwed up and broke a number of things while removing the banjo bolt to take the oil screen out, and it cost a lot of money to get that all put together in the shop. It's 100% my fault and I'm not very happy about it. With that said, I wasn't looking for a GT version when I was shopping for the car - a 4 cylinder version w/o turbo would've been fine. There were nobody selling the legacy wagon and that's why I bought mine.

I get about 19-20mpg in the city and 26-27 mpg on the freeway if I drive 65mph. Anything above 65 the mpg drops a lot. at 80 I'm probably looking at 23-24. And I have to feed this car premium.

I guess the initial rush of having a fast(er) car was fun, but now the power just doesn't seem so impressive anymore...

 

[fbrdphreak]

/facepalm

So now we go from an Outback n/a vs turbo as a daily driver up to 'you can't mod a turbo Subaru without replacing the clutch'?

I'll let you know when my clutch dies. At ~270hp, it holds just fine...and from what I've read, an Evo needs an upgraded clutch around 300hp. Maybe that's wrong - I haven't spent much time at all reading up on Evos.

I didn't say you can't do anything. I'm just saying that modded turbo Subaru's tend to open a can of worms and it might not be worth it to most to open that can, especially when there are more than worthy competitors.