2005 Legacy GT

[hxt_venom]

Alright, so I'm looking into buying a 2005 Legacy GT, 137k ish miles, automatic transmission, as my first car. The dealer is asking 4400 for the car including all the extra charges (dealer fees, taxes, registration, etc.). I have already been to look at the car twice and my mom test drove it for me today (don't have my license yet). Keep in mind that the vehicle was originally from Connecticut. The only issues I've seen have seemed to be small, two dents on the side (minor), the left side mirror has a cracked plastic piece,and there's a small rust spot on the drivers side rear fender close to where it meets the door. In terms of the engine bay and the bottom of the car I was only able to see so much but I did spot that the turbo heat shield seemed to have surface rust and so did the exhaust pipes, I also spotted some rust below the front radiator but I couldn't tell if it was surface rust or something more serious (pleas lmk if this is something that could be bad). In terms of how the car runs, my mom said that it accelerates fine and she doesn't feel anything wrong in how the transmission shifts. She did say that she felt like the brake pedal was soft and you have to floor it to really feel like it's doing anything. She also said that she felt vibrations whenever at a complete stop that seemed to be stronger than what she interprets to be normal.

 

I received the Car fax of the vehicle and it's had 4 owners, no reported accidents. It seems like oil changes were done regularly throughout it's life with the first owner and then they kind of disappear for the rest of the owners which I'm assuming is because they didn't do them at a dealership or other reputable place. It did however get an "Engine Service" at around 109k and then a "vehicle service" at around 110k from a Subaru Dealership with the third owner. It has also been inspected on multiple occasions for electrical system and for vibrations, is this a red flag?

 

If anyone could please give me tips as to what to look/listen for that could be signs of something that could be bad let me know. I also wanted to know if there's any spots where I should look to see if there's rust that would be out of the norm since the vehicle is originally from the Northeast. Any help in general would be greatly appreciated!

[nads]

Ask them to get it on a lift or find an independent mechanic to do an inspection/evaluation. Dealers have one thing in mind: sell you any car they have.

[FJuan]

On a 2005 a compression test should be done to determine the health of the Pistons and head gaskets. The 2 most common issues with these kind of mileage.

[nads]

So what are you looking for in this car? A reliable driver? Performance? Something to work on and learn? Having owned 3 turbo cars, one of them direct injected and If I was considering a car with that many miles I would be doing a compression and leak down test, checking the color of the trans fluid and going over all the suspension joints & bushings, CV joints, checking for play in the turbo compressor, and any excessive oil in the intercooler or track between the turbo and throttle body. Bottom line, find a independent shop, pay them $200-300 to get it mechanically inspected. If they salt the roads where you live then plan on thee being rust on a 13 year old car. How much depends on how well previous owners cleaned it off or drove in it.