JB. Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Hi Folks, About a week ago I made a deposit on a 2006 Legacy Sedan 2.5i. It appears to be a base model. It is at a Subaru Dealer that is generally reputable and only has 59,000 miles on it. Purchase price is $9,600 There were multiple families interested in it the day we were there and it overheated during the test drive, so I have more to do to check the car out but I did put a deposit on it because they said they would fix the issue and I could probably pick it up in a couple days. A few days later they told me they had to replace the radiator. Then they had to replace something called a TSplit? (...anyone know what that is for?) After a week, I still don't have the car and they now have told me that they are replacing the head gaskets and the timing belt (since the head gaskets were being replaced anyway). The good news is that the dealer appears to be doing what they can to make sure the car is right. But, what concerns me is that a car with only 59K miles on it it sure seems like it is having issues and it makes me wonder if the car was not treated well during its first 9 years. I'm worried about the AWD system. This is my son's first car and he is using the money he has saved for years to pay for it. He won't have much money left if something breaks for a few months, but even if he did, my intention w/ buying a car w/ less than 60K miles on it was that it would be reliable and not a money pit. Would you recommend I walk from this deal or go through with it since it has had some expensive repairs done at no additional cost? The purchase price is $9,600. Lastly, are there any problem areas I should check on the car prior to purchasing it? Thanks very much for your help and guidance. JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeuEmMaiMai Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 have the car inspected when they are done to make sure everything is on the up and up, if so buy it Head gaskets were an issue on that year of car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blcnghtsky Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Does your deposit come with a written and binding document agreeing on the purchase price?I would surely voice my opinion to the dealership and either negotiate a lower price (I don't care they are replacing many things, those could all just be a bunch of band aids for a cancerous lemon you may get). Be absolutely prepared to walk away if you are not at all happy, especially if it is your sons. In a weird twisted way, it's like getting a tattoo... Before you put any money down and before that needle touches your skin, you had better be prepared to say "STOP" if it is not what you want. There are many vehicles out there that will match your criteria don't feel obligated because they are doing these repairs, they would be doing this regardless of you buy it or someone else, it now becomes a bargaining chip in your favor. Also think on this realistically, likelihood of first car and getting into an accident is much greater for a new car owner/ new car driver. You can find many cars with 100k+ miles that will be just as reliable (by all means there are a lot of subarus in that mileage going for <$7500 if not less) Good luck, let us know if you need other help (or opinions for the matter). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLlegacy Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 If it is at a subaru dealer I would be a little more lenient since the repair will be warranted for the next year. And yes the headgaskets were an issue/continue to be an issue on the ej series of motors. This doesn't mean the car was abused, but could mean it was neglected. Not changing the coolant when recommended or at all for that matter has been blamed for head gasket failure on these engines. This could be a great way to get a deal on an extended warranty btw. The awd system on the 4thgen was a well tested system that seen duty in just about every car subaru made, lol. It is a tough system and can certainly handle some abuse. Especially given the weak output of the N/A motor. The 4eat does require, IIRC, subaru HP fluid or you can use amsoil synthetic, both are well regarded and equally expensive. On the up side there is some major repair work out of the way that should set this car up for a good 100k miles til the next tbelt change is due. With proper maintenance there is no reason this car shouldn't last a very very long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB. Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 @blcnghtsky, @FLlegacy, @YeuEmMaiMai Thank you for all of your feedback and advice. Here is how the story unfolded: We decided to go through with the purchase, but when we went to pick the car up, it had not been cleaned and was a mess. They did replace the timing belt and head gaskets, but prior to doing so it had overheated and sprayed coolant all over the front grille, bumper and other painted areas. Under the hood also had dried coolant spray on it. They were going to clean it up but for some reason wanted to wait until we were all set to go. We test drove the car, and it seemed to drive well, but we noticed that the driver-side mirror had a chuck out of it, probably 4 inches long. Then we noticed under the nice new black rubber all weather floor mats that the carpet had rotted away. It looked like someone spilled wine or juice and never cleaned it up. We then noticed significant scrapes and small dents around the rims and also noticed that the sidewalls on the tires looked very deteriorated. There were small dents and scrapes in various places on the outside of the car, but I was ok with that because we knew it was a used car. I then noticed that one of the sidewalls had a 3/4 inch chunk out of it. another one had something similar. I questioned how it could have passed inspection. The sales guy said it was ok. My son really wanted to go home with a car that night, but it just seemed like a car that was treated poorly by its owners. I pushed them to confirm that the tires were ok. Finally the manager came out and had the service manager look at it. He confirmed that at least one of the tires had visible "cords" on the sidewall, indicating it was an unsafe tire. Eventually the manager offered to replace all 4 tires at no cost or to refund my deposit. We thought about it overnight and I decided to walk away from the deal. The car just seemed mistreated for a long period of time and it seemed that it would never be right. I give the dealership credit for replacing the head gaskets, radiator and timing belt and offering to replace all 4 tires. I just think we were working way too hard to make this one purchase work for all parties involved. So, in the end we didn't buy the car, but your feedback was extremely helpful in this case and will be helpful as we continue our search. Thanks again! JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgoodhue Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I think you made the right decision on walking away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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