urdrwho Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Looked at a 2008 Legacy Pzev today. IT is at a Subbie small independent dealer that I've done business with before. All his used cars will get a updated to many items on the engine, I can't remember all of them. I can remember it is timing belt, fairly certain tensioner's, water pump, head gaskets, etc. I'm not familiar with the 2008 but he mentioned on some / these models he sends the heads out....something about oil sending units???? The odometer has 230,000 on it. Drives very well, tire rubber is good, quiet on the road, body has no rust, no wind noise but a few marks on the paint. It has a sun roof. The only thing is I would like leather and wish it had a stereo with a USB port. Anyhow the guys asking price is $8,000 and of course I can or will make my offer. I've bought engines from the guy and a 95 Legacy that is still running well. My wife is looking at it and wonders if it is worth the price or over priced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battelready Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Deff over priced. Usually the gt's are a little less then this with that kind of mileage. I bought an auto be more involved in my uninvolvedness . 200k+ Club If you can't blind them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. My high mileage turd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dispatch20 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I'm not sure where you live, but in NY an 08 2.5i Legacy with 230,000 miles would be $4-6k. $8k is way too high, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urdrwho Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 So forget about the overhaul on the top part of the engine and go buy one at $4,000. If it needs work we have the extra money saved. Trouble is my wife needs it as a commute car and can't break down. With that mileage, not knowing the maintenance history, etc. not replacing the timing belt now would be playing russian roulette with blowing the entire engine. It is an interference engine --- correct? Plus is it prudent to do a timing belt without replacing the water pump? When do head gaskets go on the 2008 2.5 engine? Are they bullet proof like the earlier 2.2 engines? Deff over priced. Usually the gt's are a little less then this with that kind of mileage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dispatch20 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 The 05-09 2.5i Legacys do have headgaskets that fail pretty often (at ~150k mileage). Fortunately, they tend to fail "externally" so you can see the oil and coolant leak from where the head mates to the engine block. You'll see the fluids drip on the ground under the car. You can just lay underneath the car and look up to see it. With this failure, the coolant doesn't pressurize or cause the engine to overheat. You typically have time to get it repaired when it's convenient for you. If you get a headgasket leak, it will cost from $1500-$2000 to repair. With 230,000 miles, the engine will still have a lot of bottom end wear and you might get some piston slap on cold starts. Refurbishing the head won't help with that. And high mileage takes a toll on other parts of the car including suspension bushings, struts, starter, electronics, etc. If I were in your shoes, I might just buy a private sale late model Legacy that has maintenance records. Just take it to a trusted shop for an inspection prior to sale. One year ago, I sold my 08 Limited w/ 86k miles for $9k. It was in pretty good shape. If you do buy a vehicle without knowing if the timing belt has ever been replaced, then you should have it done. These are interference engines so a failed belt typically ruins the entire engine, and you should replace the tensioner, idlers, water pump (use an OEM one), and maybe the crank & cam seals. The job will cost from $500 at the cheapest to $1k at a dealer. The 2.2 engine seems to be a lot more durable than the 2.5 for whatever reason. They get fewer headgasket leaks. The 2.2's are the ones that last 200k and beyond pretty reliably, although they do tend to leak oil out of every seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTBwrench Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I'm not huge into judging what cars are worth, but I'll just add my experience for reference: In December of 2014, I bought my (granted, it's an '05) single owner Outback XT Limited for a little over $4,000. It was 100% mechanically sound, no rust, etc. the only issue was a leaky power steering o-ring, and the rear struts needed replacing. It had 180,000 miles on it, and I got a STACK of maintenance receipts dating back to 2005 when it was purchased. I also purchased private party. I would say that $8,000 is asking too much for a 230k mile N/A Legacy. Here in Chicago that would go for around $4,000 to $5,000 if the head gaskets and timing belts were completed, and it was 100% mechanically sound. I'd recommend private party buying as well. MTBwrench's Stage 3 5EAT #racewagon 266awhp/255awtq @17.5psi, Tuned By Graham of Boosted Performance Everyone knows what I taste like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urdrwho Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 My one 2.2 is pushing 340,000 and burns no oil...not a drop. The 05-09 2.5i Legacys do have headgaskets that fail pretty often (at ~150k mileage). Fortunately, they tend to fail "externally" so you can see the oil and coolant leak from where the head mates to the engine block. You'll see the fluids drip on the ground under the car. You can just lay underneath the car and look up to see it. With this failure, the coolant doesn't pressurize or cause the engine to overheat. You typically have time to get it repaired when it's convenient for you. If you get a headgasket leak, it will cost from $1500-$2000 to repair. With 230,000 miles, the engine will still have a lot of bottom end wear and you might get some piston slap on cold starts. Refurbishing the head won't help with that. And high mileage takes a toll on other parts of the car including suspension bushings, struts, starter, electronics, etc. If I were in your shoes, I might just buy a private sale late model Legacy that has maintenance records. Just take it to a trusted shop for an inspection prior to sale. One year ago, I sold my 08 Limited w/ 86k miles for $9k. It was in pretty good shape. If you do buy a vehicle without knowing if the timing belt has ever been replaced, then you should have it done. These are interference engines so a failed belt typically ruins the entire engine, and you should replace the tensioner, idlers, water pump (use an OEM one), and maybe the crank & cam seals. The job will cost from $500 at the cheapest to $1k at a dealer. The 2.2 engine seems to be a lot more durable than the 2.5 for whatever reason. They get fewer headgasket leaks. The 2.2's are the ones that last 200k and beyond pretty reliably, although they do tend to leak oil out of every seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxymomo Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My one 2.2 is pushing 340,000 and burns no oil...not a drop. I dream of reaching 340k with a 2.5 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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